I worked at the Snuggery during the winter of 1976-77 and wasn’t headed to grad school, so I decided to ski for the winter and learn how to ski bumps. I’d just graduated from UVM, and was already in Waitsfield having been a governess for a German ski manufacturer’s (Fritzmeier) children. The company wasn’t working out and back to Germany they went.
Waitsfield was a pretty great place so I got one job (which I left after 1 day) and discovered that the Snuggery might be hiring — I was the other cook along with Rick. Mary Alice and Patty were waitresses. John and Mike were the dishwashers. Mike’s sister (I think she was an instructor at Mad River) knew the Lange rep in the Valley. We were all crammed in to these tiny attic bunks, but we only slept there, and being young it was bearable.
We were the first bar off the mountain at the time, and we were the first stop for Dimies. Then everyone headed across the Valley to the Blue Tooth for Dimies and .99 dinners. Their Dimies were a quarter. Towards the end of the time, we’d start hoarding the beers under the table, listened to some music and headed back to the Snuggery. Mary Alice was the designated driver. We used my car (a Ford Station wagon) to haul all the inebriated coworkers back to their rooms, ready for another day of ski week.
I always had to leave skiing a little early because I had to get dinner prepped and cooked for the 60 or so nightly guests — something which made later dinner parties and holiday cooking for large groups a snap.
I skied until the outline of my ski socks were embedded in my shins. The Lange rep became a regular fixture at the Snuggery as he tried to get my boots to be more comfortable (pretty much to no avail). I took one day off to give my legs a break, but by the end of the winter I could ski the Chute in 3 non-stop sections. I never was able to do it all in one shot, so I never got the T-shirt noting the feat!
A few years later I participated in a ski instructor clinic sponsored by Mt. Snow and Killington for choosing their new instructors for the winter. I skied the shirt off my bump instructor, and was also chosen as an instructor for the Mt Snow Ski School. Yippee!
Things I remember –
- It was snowing very heavily one night and the driving was terrible, but Mike gave me his brand new truck to drive down into Waitsfield to recycle a bunch of bottle and cans.
- Every so often the spaghetti water would be extra salty to help the bar business.
- I ate so much whipped cream that winter, I didn’t touch it for many years after.
- We’d shoot darts and wait for the dart guy to come around so we could buy new ones.
- We stuffed gloves in the pockets of the pool table so we could play for free.
- We ate bacon and toast sandwiches for breakfast (with lots of melted butter.)
- A ski pass, room and board and a small pittance of cash kept us all chugging along.
- You knew everyone in the Valley. All of the locals skied at Mad River.
- The lift guy at the mid-station had a boy scout frying pan (segmented handles). He’d hold out for any leftovers anyone wanted to donate.
- One of my last runs before the snow was gone, I was skiing in waist deep moguls and came up at the wrong angle, smashing my jaw into my knee. Luckily I had my mouth closed.
- One of my friends that winter would come by and collect peels and what ever for the natural dyes she made.
There are lots more stories, but these are a few.
I finally went to grad school and got an MS in Telecommunications. I have been a corporate Network Admin Instructor and project manager in California, and am now a Federal Project Manager in Kansas. Someday I might retire.
I hope this gave you a bit of insight into some of what was happening in the later 70s at the Snuggery. I’m also quite sure I have my original Snuggery t-shirt from back then too in a safe location that’ll take me forever to find.
Cheers,
Judy Gabriel
