Vermont

VT wins big in USA Today’s 10 best ski and snowboard awards. Here’s a full list of winners

Published

1 year ago

November 23, 2024

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VT wins big in USA Today’s 10 best ski and snowboard awards. Here’s a full list of winners

Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe opens for the season

Skiers and snowboarders flock to Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe on opening day 2024.

Planning a winter ski trip? Consider heading to the mountains of Vermont.

USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards just released its best of ski and snowboard rankings, and Vermont won a total of 11 awards. The annual 10Best awards highlight the best in travel, food and lifestyle, and winners are chosen by a public voting poll after being nominated by industry experts. This year’s best of ski and snowboard awards ranks lodgings, locations and services for the winter sports across the United States.

In addition to Stowe placing as the third best ski town in the country, Vermont ski accommodations placed in the following categories: best apres-ski bar, best ski restaurant, best ski shop, best place for snow tubing, best cross-country ski resort and best ski hotel.

Here’s what to know about the winners:

The Belfry

Housed in a former one-room schoolhouse, The Belfry is a charming pub just minutes away from Jay Peak Resort. Between a robust beer and wine selection and a menu full of pub classics like wings and burgers, The Belfry is the perfect place to grab a drink after a day of skiing – earning the sixth spot on the list of apres-ski bars.

The Belfry is open for thirsty skiiers every day except Wednesday, with hours from 4-9 p.m. on Friday-Saturday and 4-8 p.m. every other day.

Award: No. 6 in Best Apres-Ski Bar

Location: 14 Amidon Road, Montgomery Center, VT

Cliff House Restaurant

Cliff House Restaurant, one of the restaurants at Stowe Mountain Resort, offers a mountainside eating experience at the top of the gondola on Mount Mansfield. The restaurant is known for American cuisine with a rustic Vermont flair, serving classics like chicken sandwiches and New England clam chowder.

Stowe’s Cliff House is open for lunch from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. daily once the season starts on Dec. 14. A valid ticket or season pass is required to ride the gondola to the restaurant.

Award: No. 8 in Best Ski Restaurant

Location: 7231 Mountain Road, Stowe, VT (top of the mountain gondola)

The INN Restaurant & Bar

Taking the third place spot for best ski restaurant is the restaurant at The INN, a quaint inn in Montgomery Center.

Guests have a choice of eating in the intimate dining room, lively tavern or riverside deck. The INN’s seasonal menus offer upscale comfort food made from fresh, local ingredients, completed with various craft cocktails.

The inn’s restaurant is open year-round on Thursday-Sunday starting at 5 p.m. Reservations are highly recommended.

Award: No. 3 in Best Ski Restaurant

Location: 241 Main St., Montgomery Center, VT

Darkside Snowboards

Darkside Snowboards is a premiere snowboarding shop with locations in Killington and Ludlow. Just making the list of best ski shops at 10th place, this shop has everything a snowboarder could want, from performance and freestyle boards to boots, helmets, goggles and clothing for the sport. Darkside does also offer ski rentals, but mainly focuses on snowboarding equipment.

Hours for this snowboard shop are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily in Ludlow and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. daily in Killington, with extended late-night hours Monday-Wednesday.

Award: No. 10 in Best Ski Shop

Location: 1842 Killington Road, Killington, VT; 57 Pond St., Ludlow, VT

Skiology Ski and Sports

Right down the road from Downside Snowboards in Killington is Skiology Ski and Sports, USA Today’s second choice pick for best ski shop. The store offers a wide range of high-performance skis, from recreational to racing and all-mountain to powder, as well as daily ski rentals and professional tuning services.

Skiology is open from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

Award: No. 2 in Best Ski Shop

Location: 937 Killington Road, Killington, VT

Pinnacle Ski and Sports

Pinnacle Ski and Sports, a Stowe ski shop that has been open for over 35 years, took the top spot for ski shops in this year’s 10Best awards.

Along with a wide selection of equipment and apparel, Pinnacle offers custom boot fitting, ski and snowboard rentals, ski mounting and tuning, ski repairs and a delivery concierge service. The shop is open daily from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Award: No. 1 in Best Ski Shop

Location: 1652 Mountain Road, Stowe, VT

Mount Snow Resort

Ranking fifth for best snow tubing location is Mount Snow Resort, a slopeside resort in the southern Vermont town of West Dover. The resort’s tubing hill has eight lanes and a conveyor lift, with tickets for two-hour time slots available.

In addition to snow tubing, Mount Snow has 86 skiing trails, a halfpipe and large terrain park. For those who want to stay, the Grand Summit Resort Hotel, Mount Snow’s lodging property, has almost 200 guest rooms and amenities like a spa, a health club, a heated pool and many locations for dining and retail.

Award: No. 5 in Best Place for Snow Tubing

Location: 39 Mount Snow Road, West Dover, VT

Viking Nordic Center

Londonderry’s Viking Nordic Center has over 16 miles of woodsy ski trails through classic Vermont scenery along the West River. All levels and types of cross-country skiing are welcome, whether classic, skate or snowshoe. For those just starting, the resort also offers lessons and rentals.

On select nights during ski season, Viking Nordic Center lights about two miles of their trails with overhead lights and gas lanterns from the 1900s, creating a unique nighttime skiing experience.

Award: No. 8 in Best Cross-Country Ski Resort

Location: 615 Little Pond Road, Londonderry, VT

Bolton Valley Nordic Center

Located in Bolton Valley overlooking the scenic Lake Champlain, Bolton Valley Nordic Center is a mountain adventure resort with the highest elevation in the Northeast.

The backcountry terrain offers trails for Nordic skiers and snowshoe enthusiasts of all levels, earning the resort a fifth place ranking in best cross-country ski resort. Additionally, Bolton Valley has paths for alpine, night and backcountry skiing, totaling in 71 trails.

Award: No. 5 in Best Cross-Country Ski Resort

Location: 4302 Bolton Valley Access Road, Bolton, VT

Topnotch Resort

Topnotch Resort, a luxury resort and spa located in the foothills of Mount Mansfield, ranked sixth for best ski hotel. Cozy, sophisticated rooms come together with beautiful gardens and a contemporary restaurant for a charming New England stay.

Along with skiing and snowboarding through the Stowe Mountain Resort, Topnotch has over 100 acres of activities like hiking, biking and horseback riding. Amenities include a spa, a fitness center, three pools, a tennis academy and seasonal activities.

Award: No. 6 in Best Ski Hotel

Location: 4000 Mountain Road, Stowe, VT

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Vermont

Power outages reported in Vermont Friday

Published

5 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

Power outages reported in Vermont Friday

BURLINGTON, Vt. (ABC22/FOX44) – Weather conditions this morning have left many without power across Vermont.

Data indicates that over 10,000 customers are impacted by outages as of 11:16 a.m. The most impacted areas include Middlebury, Burke and Cambridge.

To stay up-to-date on local outages, check out the VT Outages page, Green Mountain Power and follow us for more details on myChamplainValley.com.

A significant outage was previously reported about earlier this month. For more coverage on that, check out this video:

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Vermont

Vermont offers criminal record clearing clinic to seal or expunge old cases

Published

17 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Vermont offers criminal record clearing clinic to seal or expunge old cases

VERMONT (WRGB) — Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark will host a free criminal record clearing clinic on Thursday, January 15, 2025 in Brattleboro, the first to be held in the state since new expungement laws changed in July.

Sealing a record allows an individual to wipe from their criminal record specific convictions and dismissed charges after a certain period of time has passed, including records relating to contact with the criminal justice system, like arrest or citation, arraignment, plea or conviction, and sentencing. Under Vermont’s updated law, most misdemeanors, various non-violent felony offenses, and all dismissed charges can be sealed. The free clinic will focus on sealing criminal charges and convictions from Windham County, and will be open to the public by appointment only.

“For many years, my office has assisted Vermonters with clearing old criminal records that are holding them back from securing stable housing, getting better jobs, and participating fully in their communities,” said Attorney General Clark. “These clinics are a way for us to help Vermonters who have paid their debt to society and stayed out of trouble get a fresh start and strengthen the community as a whole. I want to thank Windham County State’s Attorney Steve Brown, Interaction, and the Brooks Memorial Library for their assistance in hosting this clinic.”

Attorneys from the Attorney General’s Office will offer free assistance with petitions for Vermont-specific “qualifying” criminal convictions and dismissed charges. Appointments will be available from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Vermonters must schedule appointments in advance by calling the Attorney General’s Office at 802-828-3171 or emailing AGO.Info@vermont.gov by Tuesday, January 6, 2026. Eligible participants will be given an in-person appointment at the Brooks Memorial Library in Brattleboro, Vermont, on the day of the clinic.

More information on sealing and expungements generally is available at Vermont Legal Aid’s website at www.vtlawhelp.org/expungement.

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Vermont

21-year-old killed in wrong-way crash on I-89 in Vermont; other driver cited

Published

1 day ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

21-year-old killed in wrong-way crash on I-89 in Vermont; other driver cited

A 21-year-old is dead after a pickup truck slammed head-on into her vehicle on Interstate 89 Wednesday evening in Bolton, Vermont, and the other driver involved has been cited.

State police say they responded around 5:22 p.m. to reports of a wrong-way driver in the area of mile marker 71. As troopers were responding, a multi-vehicle crash on the interstate was reported to dispatchers.

A preliminary investigation shows 45-year-old Timothy Wooster was driving a Toyota Tundra in the northbound lane when he crossed the median into the southbound lane, where he continued traveling the wrong way until he collided head-on with a Kia Sportage that was being driven by 21-year-old Hailey Westcot, police said.

A third vehicle, a Cascadia Freightliner, was traveling southbound when the head-on collision happened ahead, causing the vehicle to strike Westcot’s car and then rollover.

Westcot, of Northfield, Vt., was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Wooster, of Jericho, Vt., was taken to University of Vermont Medical Center to be treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

The third driver who was involved, 50-year-old Douglas Bailey, of Londonderry, New Hampshire, was evaluated on scene and did not report any injuries, police added.

Officials haven’t said what led Wooster to allegedly drive in the wrong direction on the highway. Wooster was cited on a charge of grossly negligent operation with death resulting. Further charges will be determined as the investigation continues, according to police.

Any witnesses are asked to contact Trooper Shawn Morrow at 802-878-7111. Anonymous tips can be submitted online here. The investigation remains ongoing.

It’s unclear if Wooster has obtained legal representation at this time. He’s due in Chittenden County Superior Court on Jan. 29, 2026.

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