Sign In June 2011
Lift-Access Mountain Biking Opening at the Kingdom Trails
The Kingdom Trails Association plans to open its lift-served trails at Burke Mountain Ski Area in mid-June. Lift service, via the Sherburne Express chairlift, runs on weekends and holidays through mid-October.
You can access four improved and rerouted single-track trails, and the new jump trail, Knightslayer, featuring world-class tabletops, step ups, step downs, rollers, and sky-high berms. A grand-opening celebration is tentatively set for June 25.
New Director for the Green Mountain Club
Will Wiquist, former press secretary for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, is the new executive director of the Green Mountain Club. Wiquist is the first new director in more than a decade for the 101-year-old, 10,000-member club that maintains Vermont’s 273-mile Long Trail network and seeks to promote the role of the mountains in people’s lives.
“We are really pleased to have Will Wiquist as our new executive director,” said Marge Fish of Londonderry, president of the Green Mountain Club. “He brings great energy and enthusiasm to the job. He has already shown that he can review and absorb large amounts of information, interact with a diverse group of people, and triage the most important issues to work on. We look forward to a long and productive association with him.”
Prior to working for Sanders, Wiquist worked as compliance director for now-Rep. Peter Welch’s 2006 campaign for Congress and as a senior analyst for the Federal Election Commission. He also has extensive campaign experience in volunteer organizing. Wiquist has a Master’s degree in Public Policy from American University and an undergraduate degree from Franklin and Marshall College.
“The Green Mountain Club is a wonderful Vermont institution led by dedicated volunteers and a talented and experienced staff. It is a great honor to be a part of this community,” Wiquist said.
Following the highly successful tenure of Ben Rose as director, Wiquist began work Monday in the club’s Waterbury headquarters and visitor center on Route 100 near Stowe.
Bike-Friendly Streets Bill Signed Into Law
On May 18, Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law a “complete streets” bill, which requires state and municipalities to consider the needs of cyclists and pedestrians when designing roads. The law affects projects that have not been engineered at this point.
Also passed by the Legislature is a bill that would expand and improve bike parking options at state buildings. If you know of a state building that needs parking for bicycles or improvements to existing options, fill out this survey: https://sites.google.com/site/vtbikeparking.
The Vermont Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition worked very hard during the recent legislative session to see the passage of both bills.
King of the East
The fat lady finally sang, but she waited until May 15. That was when the sole open ski area, Jay Peak Resort, closed, caping the 2010–11 Eastern North American ski season. A few skiers braved the rain to close out the final day, the latest Jay has ever been open, and the first time skiing and golf have been open on the same day.
Another honor came to Jay, this one for the third year in a row. The National Ski Area Association named the northern resort as having the Best Overall Marketing Program for a resort with between 100,000 and 250,000 skier visits. It’s Jay’s fourth time winning the award in the past five years.
President and CEO Bill Stenger attributes the honor to the hard work of the employees and the direction of Steve Wright, vice president of marketing and sales.
Raise ’em, Jay.
3 Peaks/1 Day Challenge Update
Last month, we told you about Shelburne resident Anthony Seidita, who is hiking the three high peaks in three Northeast states to raise money for the American Diabetes Association. We thought he might be the first to complete the feat, but it turns out we heard from Gregory Osilka, of Burlington, who completed the hike in 1999. While Seidita may not be the first, we highly commend his efforts. You can donate to the cause at http://main.diabetes.org/goto/hike.