Vermonters are known for being welcoming, but not to everyone — and if there is one thing they are protective of, it’s their ski mountains. When Vice President J.D. Vance arrived at Sugarbush Ski Resort in the Mad River Valley with his family for a ski vacation this past weekend, he was met by over a thousand protestors in Waitsfield and Warren, Vt. and at the mountain opposing his visit and the Trump administration. Meanwhile, a smaller group of locals took to the streets in a counterprotest, celebrating Vance’s arrival.
The Valley Reporter first broke the news on Monday, Feb. 24 that the vice president and his family had plans to ski at Sugarbush, with reservations at The Pitcher Inn in Warren, Vt. from Feb. 28 to March 1. Locals quickly mobilized on Reddit, Front Porch Forum and other social media platforms to organize protests. Leaders of Indivisible Mad River Valley — the local branch of the larger Indivisible progressive movement — placed advertisements in the Waterbury Roundabout and The Valley Reporter to spread the word of their planned demonstration in Waitsfield.
On Feb. 27, The Pitcher Inn owner George Dosey wrote in a letter to the editor to The Reporter that he had been informed that Vice President Vance had changed his lodging plans and would be staying elsewhere. His statement also responded to the floods of anonymous comments criticizing his decision to accommodate Vance.
“Our decision to welcome the Vance family to The Pitcher Inn was never in question – he is the duly elected Vice President of the United States,” Dosey wrote in his letter.
Dosey also acknowledged the planned protests near his inn, stating that his team would serve free coffee outside the Warren Store on Saturday for participants.
Tisa Rennau, one of the leaders of Indivisible Mad River Valley’s protest in Waitsfield, told The Campus that the turnout of approximately 1,000–1,500 protestors far exceeded organizers' expectations, especially in a town with a population of less than 2,000.
Indivisible National and other Vermont-based Indivisible groups came to support and guide Indivisible Mad River Valley in their efforts, in addition to the 50501, a national political action movement against Trump’s policies. Indivisible National advised the organizers to choose a central location like Waitsfield to maximize participation.
“The point was not necessarily that we expected [Vance] to see our protests, it was more important to have the protest,” Rennau said.
Rennau also shared her reasons for organizing and protesting in an interview with The Campus.
“Personally, I felt that it was pretty insensitive for him to be recreating in the Valley while people across this country are indiscriminately being fired, losing their jobs and losing their healthcare,” Rennau said. “It was originally a protest against the policies of this administration…but him coming to the valley and actually being in our community that values all the natural resources that we have, it is just so upsetting.”
Rennau also criticized the likely high cost of the U.S. Secret Service and other security in place for Vance and his family on his trip. She added that she believes J.D. Vance’s humiliation of Ukrainian President Zelensky in the Oval Office on Friday, Feb. 28 contributed to the urgency of the protests.
Some protestors believed that Sugarbush should not have allowed Vance to ski on its slopes due to his administration’s policies. A Sugarbush employee who wished to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation told The Campus that they had preemptively informed their boss of their unwillingness to work on Saturday and Sunday while Vance was skiing. The employee believes that the resort should have shut down operations for the weekend instead of welcoming the vice president to its slopes.
“Sugarbush is all public land and this administration has made it clear that they plan on selling off a lot of our public land, and so it feels a little silly to welcome him to our resort when his administration is the antithesis of all of that,” the employee said. “It feels contradictory on so many levels.”
The employee mentioned having encouraged their co-workers to also call out of work.
“As effective as protests are — and I definitely support them and plan to participate in them — I think a stronger message to send would be the resort not operating. Workers have more power in the situation than they think they do, but I recognize that it’s not a simple or easy decision to make, especially when your job could be on the line,” they said.
A GoFundMe supporting Sugarbush employees who planned to walk out of work over the weekend raised $11,981, surpassing its goal of $10,000. The funds are intended to compensate these employees who missed a day’s worth of wages in protest of the resort’s decision to let Vance ski.
A Middlebury student who skied at Sugarbush on Saturday said the lifts operated normally, but they spotted several U.S Secret Service agents skiing on the mountain, identifiable by their ear pieces. They said many skiers sported accessories either in support of or against Vance; MAGA messages taped on ski helmets, pride flags attached to jackets and cardboard fastened to ski poles touting memes mocking the vice president were ubiquitous on the slopes.
The student drove straight from Middlebury to Sugarbush and did not pass through Waitsfield, missing most of the anti-Vance protests. Instead, they saw mainly pro-Trump and Vance groups, including a MAGA caravan when passing through the Mad River Valley.
Meanwhile, in Waitsfield, protestors carried signs condemning Vance for his verbal attacks on Zelensky and the Trump administration’s policies. Messages included: “Vance is a traitor, go ski in Russia,” “Hate does not grow in the rocky soil of Vermont,” “Take your hate out of our state,” “Spineless fascists can’t ski” and “Vance skis in jeans,” among others.
Since taking office, the Trump administration has openly mocked and reversed efforts to combat climate change through sweeping executive orders issued at an unprecedented speed. Experts warn that these actions could have long-lasting and irreversible effects on the planet. Additionally, the administration has fired approximately 2,000 employees from the U.S Forest Service and cut 1,000 jobs from the National Park Service, leaving public lands — such as the Green Mountain National Forest where Sugarbush Resort resides — especially vulnerable to climate change. On Saturday, Trump ordered federal agencies to explore ways to bypass regulations on timber production in national forests and other public lands.
Vermont, known for its deep commitment to environmental conservation and open access to nature, boasts 1.5 million acres of conserved land. The state’s environmentally conscious residents overwhelmingly supported Kamala Harris in the presidential election, awarding her 64.4% of its popular vote and helping her secure her first three electoral votes in November.
While Indivisible’s protest was the largest, VTDigger reported that additional demonstrations took place in Warren, where protestors from the Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation, Cooperation Vermont and the Party for Socialism and Liberation held pro-Palestinian flags to show Palestinian solidarity, demanding that Trump’s administration stop funding to the Isreali government. Pro-Trump and Vance signs and MAGA flags were also seen in Warren.
Some Sugarbush employees found ways to protest while on the job. Snow reporter Lucy Welch, who has been writing the resort’s daily snow conditions report to skiers since 2023, used Saturday’s update to deliver an over 800-word message commenting on Vance’s visit. The report was taken down, but has since been widely circulated on social media and news outlets.
“Sugarbush operates on 1745 acres of the Green Mountain National Forest. Right now, National Forest lands and National Parks are under direct attack by the current Administration, who is swiftly terminating the positions of dedicated employees who devote their lives to protecting the land we love, and to protecting us while we are enjoying that land,” Welch wrote in her report.
She went on to address Trump and Vance’s neglect of climate change — a major threat to the ski industry. She also highlighted the diverse groups of people that Sugarbush attracts, from LGBTQ+ community members, veterans, and non-U.S. citizens that are being directly targeted by the current administration.
Despite her criticism of Vance’s visit, Welch acknowledged the challenges Sugarbush’s management would have faced in attempting to bar the vice president and Secret Service from skiing their slopes. She urged her readers to direct their anger toward the Trump administration rather than the resort itself.
“I want to have kids one day, and I want to teach them to ski. The policies and ideals of the current Administration, however, are not conducive to either of these things, because, at least how things look now, I’d never be able to afford a good life for a child anyway, and snow will be a thing of Vermont history,” she wrote.
Maeve Nolan ’25 skied at Sugarbush on Friday to avoid the anticipated weekend commotion. While on the slopes, fellow skiers at the resort approached her and her friends, handing them stacks of stickers with the messages “JD Vance wishes he could ski like a childless cat lady” and “JD Vance shreds the bunny slope and American jobs.” The exchange sparked a conversation among skiers, reflecting similar sentiments surrounding Vance’s visit.
“I don’t think either of us were talking about how it was Sugarbush’s fault or anything, but just talking about how we really didn’t understand why the Vice President would come to a place where he likely knew that he would face a lot of backlash,” Nolan said.
In a press release on Feb. 27, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott responded to Vance’s plans to visit the state.
“I hope Vermonters remember the Vice President is here on a family trip with his young children and, while we may not always agree, we should be respectful,” the statement reads.
Protesters in South Burlington gathered near the airport ahead of Vance’s departure for a “farewell sendoff.” While it is unclear whether the vice president will want to return to Vermont anytime soon, one thing is: His visit sparked a powerful and widespread response from the community.
Madeleine Kaptein '25.5 (she/her) is a managing editor.
Madeleine previously served as a staff writer, copy editor and local editor. She is a Comparative Literature major with minors in German and Art History. In Spring 2024, she studied abroad in Mainz, Germany, from where she wrote for the Addison Independent about her host country. In her free time, she enjoys journaling, long walks and runs, and uncomplicated visual arts projects.
