Friends of the Mad River, Sugarbush Resort, Protect Our Winters (POW) and the Mad River Valley Backcountry Coalition are partnering for the third season on Climb It for Climate. This season, the series kicks off with an early-winter uphill ski tour and climate-action gathering scheduled for December 5 at Lincoln Peak.
Climb It for Climate events blend outdoor recreation with community dialogue around climate resilience. Organizers said next month’s theme – “homegrown adventure” – is meant to inspire skiers and riders to look closer to home for their winter experiences.
“This is the skiing sort of kickoff rally for this year,” said Luke Foley, community engagement coordinator for Friends of the Mad River. He said the evening will begin with an uphill tour “out of Lincoln Peak, head up to the mountain and then come back down for a night that focuses on a theme which is the homegrown adventure.”
“The premise for this is that we really want people to see how they can have amazing experiences close to home,” Foley said. “We’re not saying that it’s a terrible thing to travel to go ski in Jackson or British Columbia, but we are hoping that people can see that there’s ways to have really amazing adventures in their backyard.”
The night’s program will include a series of short presentations from speakers ranging from regional backcountry experts to well-known local skiers and riders. Foley said some presenters are confirmed, including author David Goodman – known for “Best Backcountry Skiing in the Northeast” – while others are being finalized.
Speakers will offer personal stories and reflections designed to help participants imagine new “close to home” winter adventures. The event will also feature an open-mic session where community members can share their own stories.
“We’re inviting people to come in and share their own stories of adventures close to home,” Foley said. “That way it’s sort of this opportunity for folks to connect around the idea of what types of goals or aspirations people have for this upcoming ski season and what types of things they are hoping to accomplish right here in Vermont.”
In addition to the storytelling theme, each presenter will highlight practical climate actions that individuals can take in their daily lives. Foley said organizers hope the timing of the event – just ahead of the winter solstice and the new year – will encourage participants to think about personal commitments.
“They’ll be talking a little bit about individual climate actions that they take in their daily lives,” he said. “What could be some things that you could change in the way that you operate on a daily basis that would have an impact on climate change and would be something that you could commit to with this big group of people?”
The gathering begins at 4:30 p.m. at Lincoln Peak. Anyone interested in the uphill tour will meet outside the Castlerock Pub. Because early-season conditions vary, organizers will finalize the route based on snowfall and snowmaking in the days before the event.
After the tour, participants will return to Lincoln Peak for pizza and salad provided by the Mad River Valley Backcountry Coalition. Beverages will be available for purchase. Foley said the likelihood is that Rumble’s may handle drinks, though final details are still being confirmed.
The indoor program will then move into storytelling, goalsetting and discussion of climate commitments for the coming winter.
Participants can register online through Friends of the Mad River – “The Friends of the Mad River website on our events page,” Foley said, directing people to friendsofthemadriver.org/events.
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