Ski and snowboard resorts have people known as snow reporters. Their job is to get up at an ungodly hour, check out the snow, and then report on the conditions, so that would-be patrons can decide if they want to spend their time and money on it. The snow reporter at a resort called Sugarbush in Vermont is a young lady by the name of Lucy Welch (who in her official bio explains that she has, sadly, no relation to the "mighty Fruit Snack Empire").

On the morning of March 1 -- the day that JD Vance was trying to ski at Sugarbush -- she decided to courageously commandeer the resort's "platform" to deliver a message. Every snow report subscriber got her letter in their inbox (though I'm told it was quickly pulled from the resort's website). And since she has a great literary voice, she speaks eloquently about skiing and the mountains, and she delivers a crucial and timely message, I'm sharing it in full with all of you today.

It may have been pulled from Sugarbush's website, but this blog lives on a blockchain that cannot be censored and that is intended to act as permanent storage. Its mission is to preserve "humanity's most important data" and so I'd like to make sure that her actions and this letter do not get erased over time. Here it is:

Mar 1st, 2025, 6:49 AM: Today of all days, I would like to reflect on what Sugarbush means to me. This mountain has brought me endless days of joy, adventure, challenges, new experiences, beauty, community, and peace. I’ve found that nothing cures a racing mind quite like skiing through the trees and stopping to take a deep breath of that fresh forest air. The world around us might be a scary place, but these little moments of tranquility, moments I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy as a direct result of my employment here, give me, and I’d guess you, too, a sense of strength and stability.

This fresh forest air, is, more specifically fresh National Forest air. 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.

This Administration also neglects to address the danger, or even the existence of, climate change, the biggest threat to the future of our industry, and the skiing we all so much enjoy here. Burlington, VT is one of the fastest-warming cities in the country, and Vermont is the 9th fastest-warming state. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), a resource I use every day for snow reporting, is crucial in monitoring extreme weather events and informing public safety measures, and is also experiencing widespread layoffs and defunding at the hands of the Administration.

Sugarbush would not be Sugarbush without our wonderful community. Employees and patrons alike, we are made up of some of the most kind hearted, hardworking people I have ever met. Our community is rich with folks of all different orientations, ethnicities, and walks of life, who all contribute to make this place what it is. They all love Sugarbush because it is a place where they can come to move their bodies, to connect with the land, to challenge themselves, to build character, to nourish their souls with the gift of skiing.

Many of these people are part of the LGBTQI+ community. Many (well, that’s a stretch, we all know this is an incredibly white-washed industry) are people of color. Half are women. Many are veterans or adaptive skiers who, through Vermont Adaptive, are able to access snow sports in part thanks to federal grants through the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is also facing devastating cuts. Many of our beloved employees moved across the world through an exchange program on the J1 visa to help this resort run, and they are not US citizens. ALL of these groups are being targeted, undervalued, and disrespected by the current Administration.

The beauty of National Forest land, is that anyone and everyone is welcome to enjoy it. Anyone and everyone can buy a lift ticket. I also imagine it is incredibly difficult, and likely impossible, to say “No” to the Secret Service. I hope that, instead of faulting Sugarbush management or employees for “allowing this to happen”, you can direct your anger to the source — the Administration that, in my oh-so-humble opinion, is threatening our democracy, our livelihoods, our land.

I want to reiterate how much I admire and respect my fellow employees and managers — they work so hard to make this place operate, to keep you coming back and enjoying it and making lifelong memories. Many of them may feel the same way that I do, but their hands are tied, and for good reason. They have families to support, they have benefits and health insurance to receive, they face far greater and more binding pressure from Corporate. I am in a privileged position here, in that I work only seasonally, I do not rely on this job for health insurance or benefits, and hey, waking up at 4:30 AM isn’t exactly sustainable. Therefore, I am using my relative “platform” as snow reporter, to be disruptive — I don’t have a whole lot to lose. We are living in a really scary and really serious time. What we do or don’t do, matters. This whole shpiel probably won’t change a whole lot, and I can only assume that I will be fired, but at least this will do even just a smidge more than just shutting up and being a sheep.

I am really scared for our future. Acting like nothing is happening here feels way scarier than losing my job. 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. So please, for the sake of our future shredders: Be Better Here. It has truly been a pleasure writing your morning snow reports — I hope this one sticks with you. With love, peace, and hope, Lucy Welch

Lucy, thank you for your bravery.

Cover photo by Joel & Jasmin Førestbird on Unsplash

One of the many things that Trump has already signed since reentering office is a memo directing the General Services Administration to come back to him within 60 days with recommendations on how to make Federal public buildings in the US look a certain way. More specifically, the memo states that, "Federal public buildings should be visually identifiable as civic buildings and respect regional, traditional, and classical architectural heritage in order to uplift and beautify public spaces and ennoble the United States and our system of self-government." This is something he initiated during his first time in office, with a draft order called "Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again," and so let's break this down -- specifically some of the words chosen for this memo.

Firstly, what exactly is classical architecture? Generally speaking, it is architecture that is based on and derived from the design principles of classical Greek and Roman architecture. Think the European classical period between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD. And it is true that much of the early Federal architecture following the American Revolution did follow these principles. That's because, at the time, the US didn't have its own architectural language to represent the values being espoused by its founding generation. So what they did was say, "hey, we want to somehow represent democratic and republican values, so let's just borrow from previous and existing design precedents." Here, one could argue that Europe innovated and the US copied.

So what this memo is saying is that the US should go back to this Federal-style of architecture. This is clear. But at the same time, the word regional is used. This implies that the classical architecture to be built in DC can and should be different than the classical architecture to be built in Los Angeles. Does this mean that local Federal architecture will be free to respond to local climates and with local materials so long as the end result is something that still speaks to Greek and Roman values? For example, could a Federal building in California have deep overhangs that block out the sun during the day and allow for passive cooling/ventilation in the evenings? I'm not sure.

Then there's the language about self-government. This is what the US is built on -- individual freedoms and liberties. And so I find it incredibly ironic that, here, we have memo saying that all Federal buildings should be designed and built using basically a singular approach to architecture in order to lend dignity to the values of individual freedoms. In other words, "we want every building to look the same or similar so that it shows how much autonomy we allow and how little intervention there is from external authorities." Wait, shouldn't it be the exact opposite? Rather than ennoble the United States, it feels anti-American. Let local communities and architects decide what is regional and what is appropriate, and get out of the way.

Ski and snowboard resorts have people known as snow reporters. Their job is to get up at an ungodly hour, check out the snow, and then report on the conditions, so that would-be patrons can decide if they want to spend their time and money on it. The snow reporter at a resort called Sugarbush in Vermont is a young lady by the name of Lucy Welch (who in her official bio explains that she has, sadly, no relation to the "mighty Fruit Snack Empire").

On the morning of March 1 -- the day that JD Vance was trying to ski at Sugarbush -- she decided to courageously commandeer the resort's "platform" to deliver a message. Every snow report subscriber got her letter in their inbox (though I'm told it was quickly pulled from the resort's website). And since she has a great literary voice, she speaks eloquently about skiing and the mountains, and she delivers a crucial and timely message, I'm sharing it in full with all of you today.

It may have been pulled from Sugarbush's website, but this blog lives on a blockchain that cannot be censored and that is intended to act as permanent storage. Its mission is to preserve "humanity's most important data" and so I'd like to make sure that her actions and this letter do not get erased over time. Here it is:

Mar 1st, 2025, 6:49 AM: Today of all days, I would like to reflect on what Sugarbush means to me. This mountain has brought me endless days of joy, adventure, challenges, new experiences, beauty, community, and peace. I’ve found that nothing cures a racing mind quite like skiing through the trees and stopping to take a deep breath of that fresh forest air. The world around us might be a scary place, but these little moments of tranquility, moments I’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy as a direct result of my employment here, give me, and I’d guess you, too, a sense of strength and stability.

This fresh forest air, is, more specifically fresh National Forest air. 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.

This Administration also neglects to address the danger, or even the existence of, climate change, the biggest threat to the future of our industry, and the skiing we all so much enjoy here. Burlington, VT is one of the fastest-warming cities in the country, and Vermont is the 9th fastest-warming state. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), a resource I use every day for snow reporting, is crucial in monitoring extreme weather events and informing public safety measures, and is also experiencing widespread layoffs and defunding at the hands of the Administration.

Sugarbush would not be Sugarbush without our wonderful community. Employees and patrons alike, we are made up of some of the most kind hearted, hardworking people I have ever met. Our community is rich with folks of all different orientations, ethnicities, and walks of life, who all contribute to make this place what it is. They all love Sugarbush because it is a place where they can come to move their bodies, to connect with the land, to challenge themselves, to build character, to nourish their souls with the gift of skiing.

Many of these people are part of the LGBTQI+ community. Many (well, that’s a stretch, we all know this is an incredibly white-washed industry) are people of color. Half are women. Many are veterans or adaptive skiers who, through Vermont Adaptive, are able to access snow sports in part thanks to federal grants through the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is also facing devastating cuts. Many of our beloved employees moved across the world through an exchange program on the J1 visa to help this resort run, and they are not US citizens. ALL of these groups are being targeted, undervalued, and disrespected by the current Administration.

The beauty of National Forest land, is that anyone and everyone is welcome to enjoy it. Anyone and everyone can buy a lift ticket. I also imagine it is incredibly difficult, and likely impossible, to say “No” to the Secret Service. I hope that, instead of faulting Sugarbush management or employees for “allowing this to happen”, you can direct your anger to the source — the Administration that, in my oh-so-humble opinion, is threatening our democracy, our livelihoods, our land.

I want to reiterate how much I admire and respect my fellow employees and managers — they work so hard to make this place operate, to keep you coming back and enjoying it and making lifelong memories. Many of them may feel the same way that I do, but their hands are tied, and for good reason. They have families to support, they have benefits and health insurance to receive, they face far greater and more binding pressure from Corporate. I am in a privileged position here, in that I work only seasonally, I do not rely on this job for health insurance or benefits, and hey, waking up at 4:30 AM isn’t exactly sustainable. Therefore, I am using my relative “platform” as snow reporter, to be disruptive — I don’t have a whole lot to lose. We are living in a really scary and really serious time. What we do or don’t do, matters. This whole shpiel probably won’t change a whole lot, and I can only assume that I will be fired, but at least this will do even just a smidge more than just shutting up and being a sheep.

I am really scared for our future. Acting like nothing is happening here feels way scarier than losing my job. 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. So please, for the sake of our future shredders: Be Better Here. It has truly been a pleasure writing your morning snow reports — I hope this one sticks with you. With love, peace, and hope, Lucy Welch

Lucy, thank you for your bravery.

Cover photo by Joel & Jasmin Førestbird on Unsplash

One of the many things that Trump has already signed since reentering office is a memo directing the General Services Administration to come back to him within 60 days with recommendations on how to make Federal public buildings in the US look a certain way. More specifically, the memo states that, "Federal public buildings should be visually identifiable as civic buildings and respect regional, traditional, and classical architectural heritage in order to uplift and beautify public spaces and ennoble the United States and our system of self-government." This is something he initiated during his first time in office, with a draft order called "Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again," and so let's break this down -- specifically some of the words chosen for this memo.

Firstly, what exactly is classical architecture? Generally speaking, it is architecture that is based on and derived from the design principles of classical Greek and Roman architecture. Think the European classical period between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD. And it is true that much of the early Federal architecture following the American Revolution did follow these principles. That's because, at the time, the US didn't have its own architectural language to represent the values being espoused by its founding generation. So what they did was say, "hey, we want to somehow represent democratic and republican values, so let's just borrow from previous and existing design precedents." Here, one could argue that Europe innovated and the US copied.

So what this memo is saying is that the US should go back to this Federal-style of architecture. This is clear. But at the same time, the word regional is used. This implies that the classical architecture to be built in DC can and should be different than the classical architecture to be built in Los Angeles. Does this mean that local Federal architecture will be free to respond to local climates and with local materials so long as the end result is something that still speaks to Greek and Roman values? For example, could a Federal building in California have deep overhangs that block out the sun during the day and allow for passive cooling/ventilation in the evenings? I'm not sure.

Then there's the language about self-government. This is what the US is built on -- individual freedoms and liberties. And so I find it incredibly ironic that, here, we have memo saying that all Federal buildings should be designed and built using basically a singular approach to architecture in order to lend dignity to the values of individual freedoms. In other words, "we want every building to look the same or similar so that it shows how much autonomy we allow and how little intervention there is from external authorities." Wait, shouldn't it be the exact opposite? Rather than ennoble the United States, it feels anti-American. Let local communities and architects decide what is regional and what is appropriate, and get out of the way.