The Red Bench Speaker Series presents, Part II: One-on-One with the Father of Cross-Country Skiing, John Caldwell on Thursday, March 14th at 7 PM via Zoom.

John Caldwell competed in the 1952 Winter Olympics and later became a cross-country ski coach. He ultimately became the authority on cross-country skiing and wrote a series of books that helped develop a better understanding of the sport in North America. Caldwell is often referred to as the “Father of Cross-Country Skiing” and was inducted into both the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Vermont Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.

During our conversation with John, we’ll talk about his own Olympic era, the 1952 Winter Olympic Games in Oslo, his years at Dartmouth College, his years coaching at Vermont’s Putney School, the progress the sport as made over the years, and the extraordinary growth the sport has witnessed.

Red Bench regular Peter Graves will moderate this conversation. Peter, a Vermont native and Nordic skier has dedicated his career to the sport. Over his 40-year career, he has served as a coach with the US Ski team and head coach at Harvard for six seasons. He is perhaps best known for his long career as a television and stadium announcer having covered 13 Olympic Games. Peter was named to the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2021.  

The Red Bench Speaker Series presents, Lost & Found, How Independent Ski Areas Around Vermont Are Being Resurrected, Thursday, March 7th at 6:30 PM at the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum.

Vermont was once home to more than 175 ski areas. Today, most of those areas are gone but some have been brought back to life in various forms. In this discussion we’re bringing together a few of the people that have played a key role in preserving some of the formerly “lost” ski areas. These range from small ski hills to once large commercial operations such as Mount Ascutney and Magic Mountain.

Lisa Lynn, editor of Vermont Ski + Ride and Vermont Sports will moderate the discussion as representatives from ski areas around the state will talk about how they have resurrected these ski hills, the value they bring to their local communities, and the new roles they play now in both preserving Vermont’s heritage of skiing and moving it forward as these hills expand to include multiple forms of winter recreation and the development of new fundraising models.

Panelists include Steve Wood of Ascutney, William Beattie of the Dutch Hill Alliance of Skiers and Hikers, Diana Todd of Hogback Mountain, and Geoff Hatheway of Magic Mountain.

The Red Bench Speaker Series presents, An Evening with Explorer, Author, and Athlete Jan Reynolds, Thursday, February 29th at 6:30 PM at the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum.

Jan Reynolds is a world record setting climber and skier, Olympic athlete, and award winning author and photographer. Jan is highly regarded for her ability to capture stunning imagery and tell compelling stories amidst the most perilous environments and expeditions. One of her notable feats includes a groundbreaking National Geographic-sponsored climb and ski expedition on Mustagata in Western China. During this expedition, she set the world record for high-altitude skiing among women and achieved the highest descent from a summit alongside her male partners. Jan has spearheaded numerous exploratory missions and completed pioneering ascents across the globe, including the record setting Everest Grand Circle Expedition.

Jan will take us on a journey through her incredible skiing adventures, sharing stories of triumph and inspiration from her illustrious career on the slopes. From conquering challenging terrain to pushing the boundaries of the sport, Jan's experiences will leave you captivated and inspired.

Jan’s adventures are chronicled in her book The Glass Summit; One Woman's Epic Journey Breaking Through. Seize the opportunity to meet Jan in person and have your book signed following the event. We have copies available in our shop.

Jan is a member of both the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.

The Red Bench Speaker Series presents, 40 Years of the Catamount Ski Trail on Thursday, January 25th at 6:30 PM at the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum.

This winter marks the 40th Anniversary of Vermont’s Catamount Ski Trail. Covering over 300 miles from Massachusetts to Canada, the Catamount Trail is the longest backcountry ski trail in North America. To celebrate the Catamount Trail Association's 40th Anniversary, Catamount Trail Founders Steve Bushey, Paul Jarris, and Ben Rose are recreating their original journey with the help of a few friends, and are aiming to ski end to end on the trail in February and March this winter.

Ben and Paul will be joined on the Red Bench by CTA Executive Director Matt Williams and CTA Board Chair Jay Stearns to talk about that initial 1984 ski, how the CTA has evolved over the decades, this winter’s end to end ski, how climate change is impacting the Catamount Trail, and what the CTA and the trail will look like in the years to come.

This discussion will be moderated by David Goodman.

The Red Bench Speaker Series presents, One-on-One with the Father of Cross-Country Skiing, John Caldwell on Thursday, December 7th at 7 PM via Zoom.

John Caldwell competed in the 1952 Winter Olympics and later became a cross-country ski coach. He ultimately became the authority on cross-country skiing and wrote a series of books that helped develop a better understanding of the sport in North America. Caldwell is often referred to as the “Father of Cross-Country Skiing” and was inducted into both the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Vermont Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame.

During our conversation with John, we’ll talk about his own Olympic era, the 1952 Winter Olympic Games in Oslo, his years at Dartmouth College, his years coaching at Vermont’s Putney School, the progress the sport as made over the years, and the extraordinary growth the sport has witnessed.

Red Bench regular and superstar interviewer Peter Graves will moderate this conversation. Peter, a Vermont native and Nordic skier has dedicated his career to the sport. Over his 40-year career, he has served as a coach with the US Ski team and head coach at Harvard for six seasons. He is perhaps best known for his long career as a television and stadium announcer having covered 13 Olympic Games. Peter was named to the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2021.  

The Red Bench Speaker Series presents, One-on-One with World Cup and Olympic Alpine Ski Racer, Ryan Cochran-Siegle on Thursday, November 16th at 7 PM via Zoom.

As the name suggests, Ryan Cochran-Siegle is a member of the legendary Cochran family. Ryan grew up training at his family’s ski area in Richmond, Vermont and with Stowe’s own, Mount Mansfield Academy. Ski racing in his DNA, Ryan made his World Cup debut in 2011 and most recently won silver in Super-G at the 2022 Beijing winter Olympics.     

During our conversation with Ryan, we’ll talk about growing up in the Cochran family, what it was like to podium at the Olympics 50-years after his mother, Barbara Ann Cochran did the same, what he’s doing now, and more.  

Peter Graves will moderate this conversation. Peter, a Vermont native and Nordic skier has dedicated his career to the sport. Over his 40-year career, he has served as a coach with the US Ski team and head coach at Harvard for six seasons. He is perhaps best known for his long career as a television and stadium announcer having covered 13 Olympic Games. Peter was named to the US Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame in 2021.  

Join us for a conversation about the state-of-the-art in avalanche forecasting for both backcountry and resort skiing. Learn what every skier and snowboarder needs to know to stay safe in avalanche terrain.

Sitting on the Red Bench will be panelists, Jeff Fongemie the director and lead snow ranger at the Mt. Washington Avalanche Center in NH, Cindy Berlack from BRASS Avalanche, an avalanche education group founded after US Ski Team member Ronnie Berlack (Cindy’s son) was killed in an avalanche in 2015, and Randy Trover the former snow safety director at Snowbird. This discussion will be moderated by David Goodman.

Dear Rider director Fernando Villena, Producer Ben Bryan and Burton’s own Mike Cox will join us on the Red Bench to talk about the making of the movie which premiered on HBO in 2021. This should be a fascinating discussion!

Listen to the stories behind the art that Scott Lenhardt has created for Burton over the last 25+ years.