Author Archives: huntsvilleciderhouse

December 2025 Photos

December 2025 was an amazing start to the winter for the Height of Land region of Vermont. Mount Mansfield hit 50 inches on the snow stake on December 6, the earliest such snow totals were ever recorded on Vermont’s tallest peak. We decided this was an opportune time to have some exterior photos taken. ThanksContinue reading “December 2025 Photos”

The Chip that Stole Christmas

On the surface, and when they work as intended, there’s no question the RFID system adds a layer of convenience. But the RFID card has become the bane of my existence. The real kicker came this Christmas when we started to decorate the tree. We have a few traditional ornaments, but most of our decorations are old ski passes, fragmented memories of seasons past. But as I hang passes on the tree, the realization sets in that there will be no new goofy photos and memories to hang on the tree. Just faceless pieces of plastic embedded with silicon and copper stashed away in a coat pocket. 

The Hanley Ticket Assembly

Lament all you want over Pay-parking, three figure lift ticket prices, faux mountain villages, and the $50 burger (and yes, that actually exists). For me, the demise of ski culture as we know if can be summed up with a five-inch piece of aluminum. The wicket: created for one purpose but serving so many functions. For more than 40 years after a Killington employee named Martin Hanley invented it in 1963, the wicket was the preferred method for fastening lift tickets to clothing.