Bolton Valley is a hidden gem of VT. It’s a small mountain where you can see & feel good vibes bouncing off skiers & snowboarders in the parks. No one thinks they’re better than anyone & you’re not going to find anyone who claims every trick they put down. For the most part everyone who’s a pass holder in the park either already knows one another or they meet each other hiking features. I’ve found Bolton to be very progressive this way, I hike rails mostly & sometimes the random company helps b/c it usually gets you some techhy tips which could even come from a skier. People aren’t afraid to talk to each other in the park & sometimes you’ll get so stoked after u just hiked with some random kid trying to do their first boardslide & later you spot ‘em from the lift throwing it down for their friends. Or some days you’ll be stoked to see the 17 year old kid you met stomp a rodeo 7 or a ten. Kids who have never been coached before, but just do it themselves with raw talent & a passion for riding. Bolton has a lap lift for its parks, a double, perfect for a quick smoke with a bud, & the lifties don’t haggle you if you’re a single who wants the chair to yourself. The lift runs over the tiny progression park and it’s fun to watch or cheer for the kids who are doing their first 180s or 360s or just doing silly trains with their friends. Sometimes any abilities even ride it if the main parks closed I know I spent a few days just riding switch through it while my buddies had to dig out main park. If you look left you see most of the big park, the jumps & bigger rails. The lift rides always fun because everyone always vibes off the kids in the chairs in front or back whether its sharing a laugh at some joey who just yard saled the 50 ft jump or continuing a conversation about a dope line you picked in the woods. The chairs are close enough on the line for it. A lot of people don’t ride Bolton because they think its small & they pick Stowe or Sugarbush over it. This is great for me because powder days are insane & nearly empty, & no one has picked up yet that BV always gets 3-4 more inches than whatever just dumped on Stowe. I have spent many days getting fresh lines every run & I’ve even been able to get fresh lines up to 2 days after snowfall. There’s no chance of that at our surrounding mountains. Powder days are the best everyone’s just so happy you will hear people yelling “wooohoo” & whatever throughout the woods. No one gets upset the parks close if they’re buried because we all know a few days later they will be getting a new build and soft. If you’re lucky you will get an in-between day where they let you hit the jumps and land in powder which is always fun, and the kids who do flips or wanna try an extra rotation in their spins love that. BV has nightriding till 8 Wed-Sat which is perfect if I wana go ride Stowe for their jumps then come hit rails all night at Bolton. U can get drunk there too for cheap or just buy ur own beer from the Deli, which also sells cigarettes & the best sandwiches in VT. BV also has nightriders which is basically just kids of all ages who ride together & it’s a comp but no one takes it too seriously it just gets everyone together & to try new things in the park.
This article surfaced one day & it is 100% on point: http://www.skivermont.com/love-winter/ski-ride/when-the-sun-sets-the-night-riders-emerge
