SIX WOMEN REVEAL WHAT IT TAKES TO FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS
TO LIVE THE OUTDOOR LIFE OF THE GREEN MOUNTAIN STATE.
CHICKS IN THE STIX
By Sarah Tuff Dunn
Who hasn’t fantasized about living in Vermont? It’s such a compelling daydream: not
just to visit Vermont on weekends but to live here and to have a meaningful career while
satisfying an outdoor passion by skiing the Front Four, or riding the Single Chair, or
snowshoeing under the moonlight.
That fantasy can become reality. Here, six winter-sports-mad women share the stories of
how they landed in Vermont and why they’ve stayed.
8
DONNA CARPENTER, 45, STOWE
Founder and Director, Burton’s Women’s Initiatives
I ended up in Vermont after I met Jake, in 1982. I was living in New York City at the
time and we met while I was on a ski trip at Stratton. I remember laughing when he said
his name was Jake and he made something called a snowboard. I thought I was way too
sophisticated to fall for him. We were married not too long after that.
To be really happy in Vermont, you have to love winter and you have to embrace being
outside in the winter. What makes Vermont such a great place to live is being with people
who love the outdoors and the mountains, especially in the winter. Vermont also has a
unique sense of community that you really can’t find in many other places. I travel all over
the world and every time I get home, I can’t believe how lucky I am to be here.
ToP TrAiL: That’s a tough one. If I had to pick, I would say Perry Merrill (Stowe) is my
favorite for just cruising and having fun.
APrèS SPo T: The Stone Hut at the top of the quad (at Stowe). A couple of times a year, I
spend the night there with family and friends. It’s literally a stone hut with no electricity
and just a wood burning stove for heat. The only furniture is one table and a couple of bunk
beds. There’s nothing better at the end of a day riding. When everyone else is heading
down to the parking lot, we’re heading back up to have cocktails and hors d’oeuvres while
watching the sun set at the very top of Mount Mansfield.
46 skivermont.com
