Vermont

2 Vermont ski resorts just ranked among the most popular in the U.S.

Published

1 year ago

January 24, 2025

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2 Vermont ski resorts just ranked among the most popular in the U.S.

Travel

One is the best ski resort in Vermont, according to Boston.com readers.

The top of the Flyer Express Quad at Jay Peak. Brian Irwin For The Boston Globe

By Kristi Palma

January 24, 2025 | 12:10 PM

1 minute to read

Vermont is a hot spot for skiers and riders every winter, but two ski resorts in particular are in high demand this season, according to a recent study.

This is the best ski resort in New Hampshire, according to Boston.com readers

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Holidu, a search engine for vacation rentals, analyzed Google searches to determine the 50 most popular ski resorts in the U.S. for the 2024-25 season, and two Vermont spots made the top 10: Mount Snow ranked No. 5 and Jay Peak ranked No. 6.

Mount Snow averaged 55,700 searches each month, and Jay Peak averaged 51,400 searches each month, according to the report. The most popular ski resort in the U.S. is Copper Mountain in Colorado, with an average of 97,700 searches a month.

“Known for its innovative amenities, it features the East Coast’s first high-speed six-pack lift and a spacious terrain park that’s a hit with freestyle enthusiasts,” wrote Holidu about Mount Snow, the top-ranked New England spot.

Holidu comprised the list after studying the average monthly global search volume on Google in the last 12 months for 50 ski resorts nationwide.

Jay Peak was named the best ski resort in Vermont by Boston.com readers, who also named its Green Mountain Flyer Quad, a.k.a. “The Freezer,” the coldest chairlift in the Northeast.

Check out the list of 50 most popular ski resorts in the U.S. for the 2024-25 season.

Kristi Palma

Culture writer

Kristi Palma is a culture writer for Boston.com, focusing on New England travel. She covers airlines, hotels, and things to do across Boston and New England. She is the author of Scenic Six, a weekly travel newsletter.

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Vermont

74-year-old woman fulfills childhood dream as EMT at fair in Vermont

Published

2 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

74-year-old woman fulfills childhood dream as EMT at fair in Vermont

ESSEX JUNCTION, Vt. (Aging Untold) — For 10 days, the Champlain Valley Fair, a county fair in Vermont, becomes its own little town with thousands of people, hot afternoons and the occasional emergency.

Charlene Phelps, 74, runs the fair’s emergency response team.

“We have a lot of seniors that come and people don’t drink enough water,” Phelps said.

The team handles sprains, bee stings, heat exhaustion and whatever comes through.

“I like taking care of people, I like helping people,” Phelps said.

Living out a childhood dream

It’s also a childhood dream.

Phelps wanted to be a nurse, but college wasn’t possible, so she found another route into care and has been showing up year after year at the fair.

Aging Untold expert Amy O’Rourke said living out your purpose can improve mental and spiritual well-being.

“When you tap into that, you’re tapping in on a place that’s a risk, that’s a challenge that inevitably creates growth inside you, gives you confidence so that if you’re in another situation you can build on that,” O’Rourke said. “Or, if you’re in an everyday situation where you’re a little anxious, it’ll help create stabilization in that place as well.”

Saving lives at the fair

Sometimes it’s bigger than a bandage.

“Over on there near the swings way over there is Gustovo, and we saved his life,” Phelps said.

Gustovo had gone into cardiac arrest at the fair a few years ago.

“I mean he was gone,” Phelps said.

Now he’s back and working the rides.

“Came for my hug, Gustovo,” Phelps said.

O’Rourke said stories like this are also why some people keep working past retirement age. Purpose isn’t a number, it’s a role.

“I’ve seen a 92-year-old still working as a nurse’s aid. I’ve seen people in my neighborhood chilling out and loving it,” O’Rourke said. “So, I think it’s being really self-aware of what you need and making sure that you’re getting those needs met.”

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Vermont

Vermont lawmakers reject digital lottery initiative – Valley News

Published

14 hours ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

Vermont lawmakers reject digital lottery initiative – Valley News

A plan by Gov. Phil Scott’s administration to make all of the state’s lottery games, including scratch-off tickets, available on a person’s phone never got off the ground at the Statehouse this year.

Lottery Commissioner Wendy Knight told lawmakers in January that the plan was a way to modernize the lottery “because you need to keep pace with technology — you need to meet your players where they are.”

Fifteen states have created a “digital” lottery system, and many have discovered there’s a distinct market of people who don’t buy lottery tickets at retail outlets but will do so on their phones, according to Knight. “We’re trying to ensure the future of the Vermont Lottery, ” the commissioner said.

But state lawmakers have not been persuaded.

Vergennes Rep. Matt Birong, the Democratic chair of the House government operations committee, said members of the panel felt this year was not the time to move forward with this plan, especially given the recent legalization of sports betting.

“It is digitizing a current system and after moving forward with the sports wagering — people just wanted to take their time with it — so my committee decided to tap the brakes on further testimony.”

The administration estimated that the plan would have raised roughly $5 million a year for the state’s education fund after two years of implementation.

The prospect of that additional revenue is appealing to lawmakers, and Birong said they may reconsider the plan next year.

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