tags:
vermont |ullrfest |tgr forum |skiing |maggots |beer |annual
TGR Maggots gather at Ullrfest in Vermont. All photos by VT-Freeheel.
Why would dozens of diehard skiers from the west fly east to mountains with no snow, stand around for hours outside in the rain, with barely a snowflake and just a token female presence?
Was it for the fifty pounds of Peruvian’s roasted pig, ten pounds of Captain Awesome’s home cured bacon, Neufox’s ten pounds of fresh sashimi or StuckInBrooklyn’s dozen homemade wood grilled pizzas? Maybe it’s for VT-Freeheel’s cases of Heady Topper? Or a chance to win MiCol’s Freeride Systems Antero II jacket? Maybe it was to see the new Teton Gravity Research film Almost Ablaze on an outdoor screen? Or could it be as simple as the shared camaraderie with fellow snow addicts, eagerly anticipating the upcoming season?
Any of these were reasons enough to gather at the 8th annual East Coast Ullrfest. Held for the second year at Magic Mountain, where maggots (that's what tgr forum members call themselves) came together to party and establish relationships. New and old faces alike gather to celebrate the promise of powder. Some meeting for the first time, others long time buds, but all sharing the common bond of TGR and a love for snow.
Annual Peruvian pig roast. The gods must be honored!!
Organized this year by DoWork, it has become a collective event where everyone contributes. Tents, tables, sound systems, projectors, lights, coffee, knives, food, beer, hollow logs and grubs are assembled to create Ullrfest. There’s ski movies, bonfires, an ice luge and prizes. Fire, snow, ice and shots. Heady, ganja, and reggae sharks. A pot-pourri of ski insanity. Even Sage Cattabriga?!
Sage Cattabriga-Alosa (or at least his doppelganger) even made an appearance at Ullrfest!
This event was created by TGR Forum members Snowsprite and Earlywood in 2007, BigDaddy began hosting in 2008 and continued for five years to 2012. Open to all TGR maggots, friends and neighbors, it marks the beginning of ski season for many in New England. More and more people rally every year to pray for snow. to accommodate the growing numbers, BigDaddy built a 20 foot movie screen, sound stage, a dozen campsites, solar lights and even a now infamous outhouse.
Bacon is always a prominent part of the Ullrfest experience, this year in particular thanks to Captain Awesome.
Tents are erected, outdoor ski movies shown, live music is played and bonfires burn late into the night. Over 100 excited ski freaks, talk skiing, make plans and dream of pow. But it's not always fun and games, In 2011 Vermont suffered a devastating hurricane Ullrfest participants pulled together and donated $2500 for local flood relief.
One Maggot's mansion at the base of Vermont's Magic Mountain.
After hosting Ullrfest for five years in a row, BigDaddy passed the torch to DoWork and Magic Mountain. It has become much lower key, but the venue is perfect and more accessible for many east coasters. This year, the was on focus on food, and it did not disappoint.
The culinary highlight of this year's Ullrfest was neufox's freshly-caught bluefin tuna sashimi.
A new food to taste every hour on the hour, but the best grub of the night was easily Neufox’s freshly caught blue fin tuna. It melts in your mouth and was a truly remarkable treat. DoWork kept up with tradition and bought and carved an ice luge to wash down the magic. Shots of Bullit, Fireball, and Makers Mark were poured down a dual course, sometimes making it into a waiting mouth.
The serving of hard liquor at Ullrfest is traditionally done through a custom ice luge off the back of someone's pick-up truck. Deep into the night, it was a big hit.
Many maggots were missed. The size of our group shrunk from 120 to 30 this year, but the smaller group made for a more relaxed event. After hosting for many years, it was great to just partake. Good times were had, the time flew by, and before we knew it, it was after three a.m.
Gourmet bacon made for reduced, and very tasty, hangovers.
The morning came to soon but Captain Awesome’s home cured jalapeño pepper bacon relieved our hangovers. A great way to begin the new ski year, as snow fell on the hills. To Ullr!!!
-BigDaddy