Smugglers' Notch Resort Magazine

What about me? I don’t ski!
I have memories of skiing in high school and returning to the lodge to find my mom, a southern girl with an aversion to cold, reading a book. All day she’d sit there. It seemed, well, kind of weird.

That scene, the Solo Mom or Solo Friend or Solo Grandpa, is really an anachronism from a time when amenities at ski areas weren’t what they are today. Back then, non-skiers could choose from exciting choices such as plopping themselves in a chair in the lodge or on a stool in the bar, or maybe taking a swim in a gloomy little indoor pool tucked away somewhere. I would imagine, also, that the non-skier always felt a little bit out of the loop when the pink cheeked skiers came bouncing back in, enthusiastically reliving in excruciating detail their amazing day on the slopes.

Again, so thirty years ago. Now, the winter vacation world is not just all about the skier. It’s All About You, whoever You may be. So, if you’re a non-skier, rip your scarlet NS off your parka and proudly embrace your own adventures. You can be pink cheeked and enthusiastic too. Or not. Whatever! Strut your stuff. Do what YOU want to do.

Let me give you a few ideas …

For two years now Nordic center director Zeke Zucker has been offering Snowshoe Fitness … Exercise in Winter to enthusiastic participants who are looking to continue their exercise routine while on vacation. For Zeke, this program is completely and totally all about the participant. He says, “I tailor the outing to the person’s specific needs, whether they want a brisk fitness walk or an aggressive trail run up the mountain. I see people with a variety of interests and fitness backgrounds. For instance, sometimes I get runners who don’t want to try running on Route 108 in the slippery and user-unfriendly conditions, so they look to the rolling terrain around the Nordic Center as an option.”

You should have no qualms about mastering the skill of snowshoeing; because, as Zeke is fond of repeating, “if you can walk, you can snowshoe.” The routine for Snowshoe Fitness typically involves some chatting at the beginning, inside the Center, to get an idea of the kind and level of exercise you would normally do. Then Zeke talks briefly about techniques before heading out the door. He’ll do some basic stretching with you before heading out. For runners, the Nordic Center has snowshoes specifically designed for running, which tend to be narrower and shorter than typical recreational snowshoes.

There are a lot of hills, so you may not be able to do quite as much as you might at home. But Zeke advises that jogging and even walking in the snowshoes no matter the distance is beneficial and good exercise. Plus, the snowshoes allow you to explore terrain you couldn’t do on foot. Without the snowshoes you would get very little traction and tend to sink posthole-style into the snow. Snowshoe Fitness is one of Zeke’s favorite programs. He says, “There’s nothing better than getting out on the beautiful trail network on a crisp Winter day.”

Benefits: Exploring terrain that many of Smugglers’ guests do not venture out to; cardiovascular fitness; regaling your friends back home with stories of your personal training session with a ex-Navy commander/current endurance runner (“And then we did 50 push-ups! Yeah, with the snowshoes ON!”).

OK, next suggestion … Treat Your Feet. Feet are a funny subject. I mean, in the Summer they’re right out there, all the time. But in the Winter, there just seems to be something a bit awkward about baring your feet. To a group of strangers. In a public room at America’s Family Resort. Hmmmmmn.

Treat Your Feet is all about baring your feet. When I mention the whole “feet are funny” thing to Treat Your Feet facilitator Joanne Liljeholm, she laughs. “Yes, people come in and they’re a little goofy. The earliest arrivals are usually a bit more manic about what’s going on. The major concerns seem to be about whether it will tickle and whether their feet are ugly.”

So what exactly is Treat Your Feet? In a nutshell, the 1.5-hour session gives participants an overview of foot reflexology, which is the manipulation of specific points on feet that are believed to correspond to specific organs in the body, with healthful results. The session includes practice time on the skills involved.

But that little description doesn’t begin to cover the experience of Treat Your Feet. First of all, Joanne, a massage therapist and birth doula who provides support to women in labor, is one of those people who emanate serenity and good will. Just talking to her makes you feel calm and unstressed. Second, she puts a good deal of effort into making the class site a warm, relaxing and welcoming place with lighting, a seasonal beverage, and special herbs and flowers. “I’ve found that expectations develop from the moment people walk down the hall and smell the herbs I use and see the soaking pans. I try to set it up as an experience that feeds the mind and spirit,” she says.

Third, she has a way of taking people’s preoccupations and turning what could be awkward into a gentle teaching moment. Joanne comments, “I’ve had people who are worried about showing the calluses on their feet. But those calluses represent pressure and are a guide to a spot that needs healing.”

It’s an experiential class that begins with individual foot soaking in warm water, Epsom salts (“for detoxification”), and cuttings from herbs or other plants. Joanne grows the herbs, which can include lemon balm, thyme, bee balm, mint, and lavender. She has also mixed in rose petals and citrus peels. Each plant is chosen for its antibacterial or antifungal properties or appealing characteristics such as scent.

Treat Your Feet is not a lecture class. You learn about reflexology by doing and you can choose to practice on a partner, or on yourself. Joanne’s instruction method is gentle and unobtrusive. She wanders the room continually, answering specific questions and demonstrating proper technique.

Joanne has a few favorite memories from past groups. During one session a woman working on her husband’s feet called Joanne over and whispered, “Where is the reflexology point that loosens his wallet?” Another group featured three generations, all sprawled around working on each other’s feet with great good humor, while the teenager in the family documented the event by taking photos of his relatives on his cell phone.

Reflexology is a holistic practice that is becoming more familiar. “I’ve heard from our Canadian guests that reflexologists there visit elementary schools for relaxation and health benefits to school kids,” comments Joanne. She adds, “Many people come to the class having heard about reflexology and wanting to know more. Each time I host Treat Your Feet, I love seeing the process of relaxation, of becoming centered.”

Benefits: Memorable unique experience; special interaction with a partner; a “take away”—a skill to bring home with you; re-lax-aaaaaaaa-tionnnnnnnn.

For my final suggestion, because vacations and photos go hand in hand, I’d like to point you to Karl Zygarowski’s Digital 101 Workshop. And before you get too hung up on his name, let me just assure you that you can call him Ziggy. Ziggy will save you from the too dark photos (“Who ARE those people?”) and the too bright photos (“Well, that’s little Suzie on her snowboard, but there’s really a bit of a glare…”). Not to mention the too fuzzy photos (“I THINK that one’s of Uncle Bob skiing past me on Rumrunner.”)

Ziggy says, “Everyone comes to the class with the same request: Tell me how to use my digital camera. Some come with point-and-shoots and others come with single lens reflex cameras, and I do my best to talk about the differences and give everyone an understanding of digital cameras from taking the photo to printing the photo. Everyone leaves with an understanding of exposure, the various camera shooting modes, lighting and flash, composition and critiquing a photo, as well as what to do with the photos after they leave your camera.”

There are a maximum of twelve participants in the class. Initially, after discussing exposure and settings, Ziggy has everyone identify a couple of critical settings and take a few photos, which the group then reviews. Common questions that come up include: Why are my photos too dark? Why are my action photos blurry? When should I be using my flash? What are all the shooting modes on my camera and why wouldn’t I just shoot in auto mode all the time?

Ziggy has a passion for photography and really enjoys helping others learn. “At the end of the class everyone may be overwhelmed with information,” he laughs, “but they leave telling me they now have new techniques to try and things they didn’t realize before they came to class.” He also provides a listing of Internet resources for digital camera beginners.

Ziggy started shooting snowboarding at Smuggs one Winter and from there began to travel around New England to photograph snowboarding events. He has had action photography published in regional, national, and international magazines. A selection of his work can be viewed at www.ziggy-photo.com

Benefits: Learning a skill from an expert; capturing vacation memories skillfully on your own; no longer having to hand off the camera to your more technologically adept child.

This is just a small sampling of the programs at the Resort for non-skiers or skiers seeking some time off the slopes. The Resort Information Guide outlines all of the programs that Smugglers’ offers for guests’ enjoyment. If you’re looking for a recommendation on special activities, you might also want to swing on by the Guest Service Desk. You know what you’re going to say, don’t you? And proudly, not in some mousey second-class-citizen voice. “I don’t ski. What about me?”

Karen Boushie is the assistant director for Public Relations at Smuggs and (shhh!) is pretty much a non-skier, preferring to snowshoe and play hockey. She lives with her family in Jericho.


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Chocolate.
Does any other word evoke such delightful emotions and visual images as chocolate? Just saying the word out loud can cause cravings strong enough to make us drop what we’re doing and seek it out.

Still reading? Haven’t dropped the magazine to get a chocolate fix yet? We all grew up with a favorite chocolate bar. Maybe it came as a reward from Mom for a job well done or simply as a snack on the way home from school. Whatever the reason, as a treat, it was tops. It might not have been the highest quality chocolate in the world, but it was sweet and rich and made us happy. But times have changed…

In the fall, while writing in Lake Champlain Chocolate’s Chocolate Blog, I admitted to my newly discovered chocolate snobbery. I never thought it’d happen to me but it did. And I had to come clean. Imagine the surprise of my friends when one of them offered me a piece of my former favorite chocolate bar and I turned them down. They were shocked. Was I sick? Was I on a diet? Was I cutting down on my sugar intake? To all I answered a
resounding no. I just didn’t care for the taste of it any longer.

Now, I don’t want to mention what brand it was as that’s not necessary. I grew up eating this chocolate my whole life. It saw me through many a tough time. It’s the favorite of folks far and wide. And that’s great. It just isn’t for me. When I tried to explain that I no longer care for the taste, my friends couldn’t understand it. One friend in particular was a real skeptic. Chocolate is chocolate is chocolate, he said loudly. Wrong, I said. Louder.

So, I conducted a test with him. It was an easy little test. You can do it yourself. Next time you have the opportunity to sample different brands of chocolates together, grab a couple of each. I used a piece of milk chocolate from my childhood favorite and a piece of milk chocolate from Lake Champlain Chocolates. I had him taste the Lake Champlain chocolate. He closed his eyes, put it in his mouth and let it melt. He compared it to wine tasting, which was good because then I knew he was really taking it seriously.

Then came the other milk chocolate. Remember, this is a chocolate that he and I have both eaten our entire lives. I’d bet you did too and still are.

He took this other chocolate, closed his eyes and put it in his mouth, treating it the same as he did with our chocolate. I waited. He chewed it, tasted it, gave it some serious consideration. Then he swallowed. It took just a few seconds for the realization to hit him. “Oh man, it tastes like sour milk.” Bingo.

After this realization, he promptly threw the remainder of the bar in the trash. Some things are better left in our childhood. And thus, another chocolate snob is born.

If you’ve tried artisanal chocolate, you’re probably a convert too. Gone – other than nostalgically – are our cravings for those chocolate-flavored waxy bars of our past. No longer do we settle for hazy-looking, globby sweets that refuse to melt in our mouths. Now we demand quality gourmet chocolate. Depending on your preferences, there’s a gourmet chocolate made with your tastes in mind. The trick is to learn what “taste” is for you. With a little bit of practice, you can easily expand your knowledge of chocolate and its many facets, helping you navigate the complex world of chocolate more easily.

You can begin your chocolate journey with a tasting at the Resort. Smugglers’ Notch has teamed up with its
Official Chocolate, Lake Champlain Chocolates, to provide a unique
chocolate learning experience. Hear about the travels of the
cocoa bean from equatorial regions to the rest of the world, and sample delicious, freshly crafted chocolates made by hand right here in Vermont. You’ll be introduced to the complexities and intricacies of chocolate, the differences between milks and darks and even how best to eat chocolate. Let’s face it, there is no wrong way to enjoy chocolate. But we’d like to educate you about a
better way.

Tasting chocolate can be as fun and adventurous
as a wine tasting. Comparing chocolate of differ
ent origin is similar to tasting different varietals
like chardonnays. Just like wine, chocolate
takes on the characteristics of the land from which it is grown. And it is grown in some
pretty amazing places – Africa, Mexico,
Central America, South America, the Caribbean, and even Asia. Fortunately, you no longer have to cross an ocean to experience fresh ingredients combined with fresh chocolate. C’mon, you’re on vacation. Have a piece.

Leann VanDerHeyden is the marketing specialist at Lake Champlain
Chocolates in Burlington, Vermont.

Here you go … seven opportunities to
celebrate chocolate this Winter (not that
you need a reason!)

December 16 • National Chocolate Covered
Anything Day

December 28 • National Chocolate Day

January 8 • National English Toffee Day … try Lake Champlain Chocolates’ Almond Butter Crunch, a mouth watering mix of milk chocolate, almonds, and toffee

February 14 • Valentine’s Day

February 19 • National Chocolate Mint Day … enjoy Lake Champlain Chocolates’ Evergreen mint, a pretty little patty with its iconic molded Vermont outdoors scene

March 19 • National Caramel Day … sample
Lake Champlain Chocolates’ Caramel Five
Star Bar, “the ultimate chocolate bar,”
according to Vogue Magazine

March 23 • Easter …
chocolate bunnies beware!








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There comes a time in every mom’s life when she just has to get away. For my neighbor Cindy and me, that time is about 7:45 am on Tuesdays– right after the school bus comes. That’s when we get a six-hour respite from our lives as suburban wives and moms. What do we do with that weekly furlough? We go skiing.

Living just outside of Boston has its advantages. In addition to being able to get into the city for Red Sox games and sales at Filene’s Basement (sigh), it’s also easy to get out of the city. In the summer, it’s just a quick drive to some pretty good beaches and in the winter, well, with a few hours of pushing the speed limits, we can reach some decent skiing and, going mid-week means that there are some pretty good deals, too.

In fact, Cindy and I have chased Two’fer Tuesdays, Wicked Wednesdays, Terrific Thursdays, Ladies Days (with free lunch buffets) and other mid-week, lift-ticket bargains all over New England. There are not many opportunities for a housewife to grab the gusto – but from December to March, Cindy and I reach out and seize it, every week. Sure, I’ve had to negotiate my habit with my boss, defend it

to my husband and lie to my kids when they come home from school (“I look tan? No, I haven’t been skiing … I must be flushed standing over a hot stove all day.”) but a few hours of unfettered fun every week are worth the deception, the loss of professional status and the dirty dishes piled up in the sink when I come home.

We usually take my car, so Cindy pays when we stop for coffee. We get donuts, too, because we’re confident that we’ll burn off the calories on the slopes and we keep the car radio tuned to stuff we like – no rap, no Raffi and no news …except for the ski report. As we head north on the highway, we watch the scenery change from the dirty grays and browns of the city to the snowy and pristine Currier and Ives landscape of rural New England.

When we arrive, the parking lot near the mountain is still pretty empty. We buy lift tickets, marvel at our ability to find a good deal and hook them onto our jackets. We stake out a place in the lodge to stash our stuff, strap on our helmets and head outside to step into our bindings. As soon as we’re on the chair lift, the housework, the job … heck, even our kids and our husbands, seem far, far away and really unimportant. “Aren’t you glad we decided to come?” We congratulate ourselves every week. Sure, there are other things that we could be doing. Things like meeting with clients or volunteering in our kids’ classrooms or cleaning out the fridge but … nope, we’re skiing. Until 2:30 pm, we are not someone’s mom; we are not someone’s employee; we are not someone’s wife. We are athletes. We are hot ski babes.

Although I do go skiing with my husband and three kids, compared to skiing mid-week with Cindy, those weekend and February vacation ski trips with my family feel more like lunar expeditions than a carefree day on the slopes. There are kids’ skis and poles and boots and helmets and goggles to keep track of, and dozens of gloves, extra face masks, neck warmers and socks to pack. Someone always needs the chapstick that is in the bottom of the backpack in a locker at the lodge or has to go to the bathroom or left a mitten in the car or lost their ticket or has cold toes and wants to stop skiing and get hot chocolate and French fries. When Cindy and I go skiing we pack as many runs as possible into our few precious hours. If one of us gets cold toes or needs to go to the ladies room, the other keeps on skiing. We know we’ll meet up eventually on the intermediate trails.

So, if we get separated for a while and I find myself in a lift line yelling “Single!” I don’t mind a bit. Before I was a married mother of three, I always felt a little desperate in the single line. Now, I view it as an opportunity to meet someone new, maybe flirt a bit and spend the five minute ride to the top of the mountain telling lies. It’s how I imagine speed dating. I’ve ridden up the lifts with hunky firefighters, investment bankers, retired professors, ski instructors and rock musicians. At least that’s just what they told me. I figure that none of them need to know the truth about me either – that I always take the easiest trail down the mountain or that I have kids who will be hungry and need help with their homework when I get home or that I am wearing my 12-year old son’s helmet. Nope. For 2,000 feet, I am a glamorous ski bunny who counts black diamonds as a girl’s best friend.

We leave the slopes just about when school is getting out back home. I check for cell phone service as we turn onto the highway and call my kids. “Do your homework,” I tell my daughter. “Walk the dog, I’ll be back in a couple of hours and we can order pizza for dinner.” A ski day requires a pizza night.

The next morning, Cindy and I are back at the school bus stop at 7:45 am. Then we go pick up the dry cleaning, dash to do grocery shopping and try to catch up at work. After school, we drive the kids to saxophone lessons and scouts. The only vestiges of our secret lives as ski bums are the lift tickets dangling from our parkas like a badge of honor. I like to think that they are a sign to all of suburbia that says “These moms know how to have fun.” And we do.

Carol Band is a freelance writer and award-winning humor columnist. You can read more of her work at www.carolband.com.




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