 And welcome to Moments with Melinda. Today, my guest is Lindsay DeLaurier. Lindsay, how are you? I'm great. It's great to be here with you, Melinda. I am so glad that you agreed to sit down and talk with me because you are the co-owner and president of the Bolton Valley Resort. And I've been wanting to interview you for a really long time. So we have a lot to talk about today, Lindsay. And to my viewers, hang in there because this is going to be a wonderful ride. I've known Lindsay for probably 15 some years, 20 years. And you're one of my favorite women. So here we go. Lindsay, share with my viewers a little bit about your childhood growing up and about your family ski area. Well, I mean, I had the amazing good fortune with my brothers to grow up up here. My father was the original developer of Bolton Valley. And by the time I was born, Bolton Valley was built and operating. Sorry about that. Bolton Valley was built and operating. And so I got to grow up here working at the ski area, working, starting as stuffing envelopes when I was probably six or seven and then moving through a lot of different jobs, growing up and through high school, skiing and it was great. You're really lucky. To grow up on a ski area as a child, you must be a pretty extraordinary skier. I'm all right. I'm better than average probably. You are. Some day you and I are gonna have to, actually Rick asked me the other day, he said, look, we've got to get over and ski Bolton. Yes. So I'm gonna get over there and hopefully you'll take a run with me. So talk to me a little bit about who's been your inspiration throughout your life. Who's your greatest inspiration? Well, I guess when I think about that, there isn't really like a famous figurehead that I've looked to throughout my life or anything like that. But I think I've had really good role models much closer to home. Both of my parents were working parents growing up. My father ran the ski area and my mother ran a property management company that rented out all of the condominiums, which back then were short-term rentals. And so both of my parents were business owners. They both worked close to home. They lived here on the mountain and both of their businesses were here. So we had a lot of access to them, which was lovely, but they both worked a lot. And so I would say as far as that's concerned, really probably my best role models growing up and still were my parents. But then also I've got, I'm the second to youngest out of five kids and there's quite an age gap between us. So my two oldest brothers are actually quite a bit older, about 15 years, 15 and 16 years older. And so both of them have really been great role models for me growing up too. They're both just, I mean, in addition to being successful, they're both just such kind people. I really come from a kind family. And so I think I would say, in terms of how I think about who I am and the values that I have, so much of it really just comes from my own family. Much more so than say a famous figurehead who inspired me from a distance. Well, you know, most people go there. Most people say it was my uncle Joe or it was my aunt or my grandmother. It's not surprising that most people find their greatest inspiration from people within their own family. So this does not surprise me because you do have an extraordinary family and they are kind and generous and loving. And so that doesn't surprise me. So in talking about your values and your mission, one of your careers coming out of school, out of college was to become the executive director. And I believe you were founding founder member and executive director of Main Street Alliance Vermont. And I was on that board with you, which is when you and I first connected. Talk a little bit about your work in the nonprofit world. Well, I got into it kind of backwards actually because when my daughter was young, I actually had a teaching license, but I wanted a job that had a little bit more flexibility with ours. And so I found myself, you know, work found my way into the nonprofit world and through that work, backed into advocacy and then really fell in love with advocacy and was fortunate enough to get a job as the staff lobbyist for a children's policy organization, which was how I first learned the art of lobbying, I guess. And then from there, I was really inspired to create the Main Street Alliance of Vermont in part through our work on paid sick days, which was a campaign in Vermont, which was successful ultimately to ensure, you know, that every Vermont or every working Vermont has guaranteed a certain number of paid sick days. And the gap that that campaign really illustrated for me was the opportunity to do really grassroots organizing within the business community to build not just support for issues, but really to try to, you know, find, to engage those business owners, to try to find the pragmatic and realistic solution that would both, you know, in this case provide a great benefit for their employees, but do it in a way that would work for the businesses rather than having the two sides pitted against each other. And so with you and another, and, you know, a group of sort of other founding businesses, we created that nonprofit with the idea, not just to be sort of a left flanking support arm, but really to be a group that could forge a strong compromise on that issue and on other issues. And, you know, that's really a reflection of my own political views as, you know, sort of a left leaning, but moderate, you know, person who wants to be values led, but who understands the constraints that do exist. And so, you know, I want to take in that role and in creating that organization, the objective was really to convene a table where compromises could be hashed out. And then once we figured it out, you know, to mount a campaign to get it over the finish line. And we were good at that. You were amazing. You were an amazing leader for Main Street Alliance. And from there you segued to your new role as president of Bolton Valley Resort. And so let's talk a little bit about the resort. And what are the amenities that you offer as a seasonal report at Resort? You know, tell us about all the different areas that you serve the community, whether it's dining or lodging or whatever. Tell us a little bit about the mountain and the resort and all the amenities that it offers the community. Well, Bolton Valley is really a mid-sized resort. You know, it's certainly not one of the bigger giants of the area, but we're not tiny either. We really have all the amenities that you would come to expect from any resort, everything from lodging to the dining. We have a sports center with an indoor and outdoor pool, full rental, retail, you know, rental shop. In fact, we have one of the only back country rental programs, not just daily rentals for back country gear, but also season long rentals for back country gear. We have a robust back country guiding program. We've got a fantastic ski and ride program, season long programs for local kids. One of the things that we're most proud of was something that my father created right out of the gate in the 60s, and that's the after-school program. We teach a lot of kids to ski and ride every year at Bolton Valley, and we love that. And then most recently, we've been expanding into a true pretty radical downhill mountain bike park, lip-served, designed and built by Gravity Logic, which is really the world-class design builders in the mountain bike world. So we've got a lot going on and more to come. We do, I mean, and that's you. That's Lindsay DeLaurier all the way around. So for my viewers, we're talking to Lindsay DeLaurier as the co-owner and president of Bolton Valley Resort, and you can visit her website at BoltonValley.com. Lindsay, and you also offer children's camps. We do, yes, in the summer. We have summer camps for kids. Yeah, thank you for mentioning that. There's too much to remember all in one quick. Well, you're doing so much, and this is who you are. I mean, when you land, all of a sudden stuff happens and that's the beauty of Lindsay DeLaurier. You know what I should say? We also do group sales, weddings. We just recently reacquired the Ponds building. So we'll have a very robust wedding program moving forward, too. So. That's a lot. You get married. That's a lot, and it's fabulous. I mean, it really, and you're sort of like the little engine that could. You may be a little sort of a mid-sized resort, but you do very big things. While we're on it, because this was one of my questions, I do want to talk a little bit about the program. And I'm going to get into this, but let's start first with talking about your dad. Ralph DeLaurier, and he was just inducted into the Ramon Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. And talk a little bit about your dad and the history of Bolton Valley and how they ended up owning the mountain. And share that with our viewers. Well, the very brief history was that my grandfather actually owned a farm in South Burlington, a dairy farm. He moved his family up here and bought that when my father was in high school. And so they operated that dairy farm until basically until the interstate was coming through. And the interstate actually went right through the middle of their farm, which included everything from Dorset Street to where the UVM Ag Center is, to the Sheraton Double Tree. That whole area was where the farm was, Staples Plaza, et cetera. And so the interstate went right through there and he was compensated for the loss of that land. And with that compensation, he bought up I think 8,000 acres in Bolton with the idea that they would log, that they would use it as timberland, which it was already being logged. But then my dad, who was in his 20s at the time, I think, he had the idea that it would be really fun to build a ski area. And he was in the National Garden. So he was able to catch a ride. The story goes in a helicopter from a friend of his and they went up and they scouted out all the land and they picked out the base area from the air. And then the rest is kind of history. You talk about a visionary. My dad is a major visionary and he was just able to make it happen. And so we built the ski area. The rest is history. Well, the rest is history, but it's a big history. Now your father's also a very successful businessman. Yes. So he owned and operated Bolton for 30 years and then subsequent to that he actually went out to the West to Jackson Hole for a while and did some hotel development out there in partnership with one of my brothers and my uncle. And then came back here and worked on some more development in South Burlington and various other projects before. We all came back to Bolton Valley just now about five and a half years ago, almost six years ago. So you are your father's daughter, that's for sure. Chair, thank you, Lindsay, for that perspective on your beautiful father, who I absolutely adore. Share with us the very affordable skiing program that you offer to what I believe are hundreds. And I've done this, your father started this program. Share that with our viewers, because I don't think a lot of people know really the impact that Bolton has in the community and in Chittenden County to get kids up on skis and snowboards and learn to ski and snowboard. Yeah, I mean, I think amongst ourselves, we feel a lot of pride around how many skiers are in Chittenden and Washington County. We're kind of located right on the border of those two counties, and we partner with 10s and 10s of schools with after-school programming where for a very affordable price, they come up, we can outfit them with rental gear, lessons, night tickets. You'll see the buses rolling up Tuesday through Friday, about three o'clock, buses start rolling up, the kids start pouring out vans, parents' cars, everything, it's a complete onslaught from about three to seven Tuesday through Friday for night skiing. And a big part of, I'll just jump back to my dad, a big part of the theory that informed the creation of Bolton was really that he wanted to create a place where Vermonters could ski because growing up, he talks about being at Burlington High School, very few of his classmates really skied. It felt like it was something more geared toward out of town or city people coming up on vacation and so forth. And so when he created Bolton right away, he put in the nightlights with the idea that people could ski after school, after work, and that it would make skiing more accessible to local Vermonters, working Vermonters. And so that legacy and that tradition has been something that we have taken seriously throughout the history and the subsequent owners between my dad and us again, continued on with that as well. And so the kids' programming is a big part of that because it creates a way for Vermont kids who otherwise may not have the opportunity. Maybe their families aren't, they don't come from a skiing family. Not everybody has the gift of coming from a skiing family, but you hop on the bus with your friends, you get the lessons, and then next thing you know how to ski and skiing is really a gift that you can give your life. Yeah. And the kids are doing this from school. I mean, it's one of the schools. So how many schools are involved? How many kids a year are you serving? I don't know the number this year off the top of my head, but it's usually in the like mid 30s, you know, number of schools, 30 something. 30 something schools. Yes. Schools. Yes. Plus the kids to Bolton Valley, Tuesday through Friday. Yeah. And we do two or three sessions a year. So yeah, it's well over a thousand kids a year. Yeah. That's an outstanding program. It's been going on for decades. It's been going on since the 60s. Yes, continually since the 60s. Boy, you should have an event where you bring all these people back to talk about how they would have never skied if it hadn't been for Bolton Valley. Maybe you've already done that thinking that you probably... We hadn't really had that event, but I will tell you anecdotally, you know, pretty much everywhere I go, or if you're in a group, you know, sometimes like let's say you're on a panel or something and you're, you know, you... It's the kind of thing that I can dare to ask if I'm in a local community, how many people in the audience learn to ski at Bolton, you know, and half the hands go up because it's really had been that kind of impact in the local community. And skiing isn't affordable. And by the way, Bolton Valley is one of the very few family owned ski areas anymore because it's become so corporate. Yeah. But skiing is not inexpensive. I mean, look what's even happening up in Stowe with the parking. And it's not, and it's become in some ways less and less accessible to people. And so the fact that you're doing this sets you apart from a lot of other ski areas that are corporate driven, wouldn't you say? I think so. I mean, you know, to be fair, a lot of ski areas, a lot of, especially in Vermont, you know, do reach out to the local community as I mean, I know for example, that Jay's got a grade after school program. I mean, I think about Cochran's, of course, you know, they're family operated too. But I know that, and that's just to name a couple of random. Sugarbush has a program as well and Mad River. And I'm sure Mad River does too. And so, you know, I don't think that it's, I don't think that it's unique to us. I think that the ski industry, maybe not every aspect of it, but the ski industry really wants more people to ski. And I think that a lot of ski areas do feel, you know, very connected to their communities and do give back to their communities. We certainly try to do that at Bolton tonight, but I don't think that we're totally unique in that way. No, but I do, because I think you started back in the 60s, which wasn't necessarily, and you've done it for so long and- I think the legacy is unique. Yeah. The legacy is unique and the family legacy is unique. I think of the scope of it, you know, I mean, because also the thing that's unique in Vermont about Bolton Valley that kind of maybe allows us to have, because I don't think, I don't think that the intention is unique necessarily, but I think that because we have night skiing, we're able to have a bigger impact than other areas that don't have night skiing simply because people can come up after school. You can show up at three and the lifts aren't closing 45 minutes later, you know, our lifts run until 10. So we have time, you know, for kids to come up without having to miss school. You know, it's not a trade-off. But other areas could have put in night skiing again. You did. That makes you very special. And by the way, I'll stop arguing against you. Yeah, don't you argue with yourself? Don't you do that? By the way, my son is part of the racing program on Thursday nights. Yes, I see him often. Yeah, and he's 50 years old and he's got a team and I'll tell you, he's there every Thursday night racing down your mountain. It's so fun. You were chosen to lead Bolton Valley Resorts and you were the only girl in a family of five. You have four brothers and you're the only girl and you were the second youngest child and you were chosen as president of the area. Talk to us a little bit about that. How did that happen? Has it make you feel? I'm sure your brothers who probably helped raise you are so proud of you. Talk a little bit about that being a woman running this. Because there's not many, there are not that many women running ski areas, by the way. I mean, Betsy Pratt was just inducted into the Ski All Fame when your father was. She was an owner who did extraordinary things with Mad River. Talk a little bit about being a woman leading a ski area and having this opportunity. Well, I think that's right. There aren't a ton of other women leading ski areas, but I will say that on the day to day basis, I'm not really aware of that fact. I don't sort of lead with my leadership. I don't think of myself as a woman leader, really. I think I just think that there's a job to be done and I show up every day to do that job and my gender doesn't factor into my thinking very often. But I know that it is not super common. And so to the extent that women can be in leadership roles more and more often and it can become less and less interesting, I think that that's a great thing. So I'm happy to be a part of that transformation. It is a great thing, but it also is a break breaking through the glass ceiling and you had four other four brothers and your family chose you to lead it. And you may not see it that way because that's how you're. I mean, your generation lives there. And I love that about the younger women in this country and in business is they don't see it. But for someone like me who really had to smash through that glass ceiling, I find it really exciting and wonderful that there are not that many ski areas in this country that are run by women and then you were chosen by your family to be the leader of this resort. And I think that is something special. And also that you're a mentor for other women who may not aspire to be in that leadership role. But then they look at you and say, well, I want to be like Lindsay DeLaurier. Your humility always has been something that I have honored and revered. But I think you need to know that it's very special. No, I do feel that. But I just think that in the day to day, there's just work to be done. And in terms of my family and how it came to be, it wasn't like there was a competition with everyone vying for it. It was really just a question of who was in the best position and had the capacity to step in and do it. But it also says a lot about the egalitarianism of your family and the fact that I think they chose the best person to do it. So there you have that. Now, share with us a little bit about some of the energy environmental programs that you've instituted at Bolton Valley. Well, it's no secret that the ski industry uses a lot of energy. And it's ironic because a big part of what we love about skiing is the connection to nature. And ideally, the more we can build that connection to nature, the more stewardship we build in people's hearts and minds to protect nature. But of course, yes, the irony is that we use a lot of energy. When we got here, the snowmaking was really reliant on diesel. And we were able to replace all of the diesel compressors with electric compressors. I think the way of the world is that if we can electrify them, then there are more renewable ways to provide that energy rather than fossil fuels. And so electrification is one of the major focuses, I think, in terms of how we're moving away from fossil fuels. So our snowmaking system is fully electric. The windmill when we got here was out of commission. So it's funny because it's right in our logo, the windmill, but it wasn't actually working when we got here. So we partnered with actually with David Blitterstorf. And now the windmill is working and we're using the energy. So that's great. And then we also collaborated with David as the developer and built a 150 kilowatt solar field down on some family property that we have on Route 2, which we have a power purchase agreement. So Bolton Valley is using that energy. And then there's other things, but I don't, you know, I'll just kind of go to the most fun ones. What I think is the most fun one is actually something that might seem kind of small at the front end, but we're pioneers and we really love it. And that is that last year we got, we were the first people to receive fully electric, three fully electric snowmobiles from Tyga snowmobiles. We were actually the first delivery of their fully electric snowmobiles. And we're using them in our mountain operations. Our patrol is using them, lift mechanics, and even my brother down at the back country in Nordic center, they're using it to pull the groomer. If we ever get any natural snow this year, of course, they will use it to pull the groomer, I should say. So that is really fun and really exciting. And I've got to tell you that so far so good, you know, we're kind of a pilot for them. And so far we really love them. They have a lot of power. And I know that the mountain ops crew is loving the unique twerk that comes with an electric vehicle. So that's really cool, Lindsay. So let's segue too, how are you thinking about the sport of skiing since you just brought it up in climate change? I know that you're concerned about it. And what do you think ski areas can do to stay alive and thrive during this climate crisis? Well, you know, one is to diversify. And that's something that we've taken really seriously. And it's a big part of why we, you know, are working so hard on building out this mountain bike park so that you're not solely reliant on the ski season, you know, for your survival. Because even before, I mean, not before climate change has been going on for a long time, but even when I was a kid, you know, you have bad winters. And so if all you have is just the ski season, you know, just those four months a year, you're just not gonna have a good year every year. And so you kind of put yourself at risk. And so, you know, diversification is something that you've seen in the ski industry more and more moving into year round. And that's something that we're really focused on too. And then, you know, when in terms of protecting the skiing part of our business, which I think, I hope will always be the center of our business. And certainly it would be very hard to replace, you know, sort of the scale of the revenue that skiing brings in with any other, with any other, you know, sort of aspect of the business. Really what we can try to do is just sort of mellow out the, you know, the peaks and the valleys. But I'm not really the valleys, but the key is really snow making. You know, I think that's really how we're thinking about it is, you know, looking at our snow making operation. And Bolton Valley, I will say, you know, that's really where we show our weaknesses. You know, we have a much smaller snow making system than a lot of other ski areas. So we fight, we grind hard. Like in a year like this, we're grinding really hard. And it's harder for us to recover. We just don't have the same ability to move the same amount of water in the same amount of time from the pond, you know, to the ski trail. So for us, as we're right now developing our master plan for the next 10 years, snow making is really, I would say, snow making is the centerpiece of that. And so... Yeah, and areas are staying open longer than ever. I mean, now, I mean, with the climate change issue, some areas are staying open into May because of snow making. Yeah. It's really interesting, because it's not so much four months anymore. It's maybe six months because of snow making. So that's a big vision. I can't wait to see your 10-year plan. So Lindsay, I wanted to ask you, in one sentence, can you describe Bolton Valley, the experience of Bolton Valley to my viewers? Yes. I would say Bolton Valley is a big mountain skiing experience for Monsized. But it feels like you're in your neighborhood. It feels like home. It feels like home. And all that kindness and compassion and giving that your family has done for 50 years, it shows when you're up at Bolton, you feel like you're home. So... I will say that some of the most consistent feedback we get from our skiers and our riders is just how great it feels to be at Bolton Valley. Just the energy, the vibe. It really... We're very simple. We're a little scrappy, you know? But people love it. It's so... We really are down to earth, in part because we have to be, because we don't have the deep pockets and massive resources. So, you know, but the people who are up there, the people, our staff, the people who are working up here, they love Bolton. You know, they are connected to Bolton. It means something to them. Everyone who works here works here because they have a personal, special connection to Bolton. And I really think that that comes through. You can feel the commitment and the love from our staff. It's personal for them. And then that makes it personal, you know, that makes it a personal experience for everyone who comes in skis here. And that just feels different. Beautifully said. What words of wisdom would you give girls today on being a leader and following their dreams and aspirations and attaining their life goals? Well, I think the main thing that I can say is, you know, to just go for it. And, you know, I read a lot of, you know, we read these studies about, you know, how women relate to applying for jobs or going for big goals. And there's, you know, the feeling this, it's almost become a platitude, but this notion that you, that women always feel underqualified to go for something. I guess I would just say, you know, for myself, it's certainly true that I've never known what I'm doing when I start doing it. And, you know, I certainly didn't know how to run a ski area when I agreed to step up. I, you know, didn't know how to start a nonprofit when we did that or how to lobby when I got my first job as a lobbyist. And I think that that's a big part of success is just trusting your ability to figure it out and being willing to figure it out. At the same time, having the confidence not to have to pretend that you know something that you don't know. I feel like, you know, one of the lessons that I really learned from lobbying was to be very comfortable when I don't know something because I'm confident that I can learn it. And so, you know, I think that even if you're in a leadership position, it's okay to ask people who are working for you to educate you. And it's okay when you're not in a leadership position to acknowledge that you don't know something. And as long as it's backed up by the absolute confidence that you can figure it out, you can. And, you know, I feel overwhelmed a lot, but I got a piece of advice from someone years ago who just said, you know, when even when you feel overwhelmed, just check off three things on your to-do list that day. It doesn't matter. Three things, it's a small amount of things you can just, as long as you can just say you're doing three things a day and, you know, obviously some days you do 40 things and some days, whatever, but the point is forward motion. You know, it feels like you're moving slow, sometimes for sure, but as long as you just keep pressing forward, pressing forward, pressing forward, you know, when you take the moment to look over your shoulder, you'll be surprised how far you've come. And I guess that's what I would say. Well, Lindsay, you are an inspiration and I so admire you. And I wanna thank you for your time today to speak with my viewers. Again, Lindsay DeLaurier, the co-founder and president of Bolton Valley Resort, BoltonValley.com, visit their website. And Lindsay, thank you. Have a beautiful holiday. And I'm gonna say goodbye to my viewers, but Lindsay, I'm gonna ask you to stay on because I wanna say goodbye to you. So to my viewers, thank you. Have a wonderful holiday and I will see you soon. Bye-bye.