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| Lucy Welch's Sugarbush Resort ski report last Saturday, made while Vice President JD Vance was visiting the resort, was a master class in resistance, intelligence and truth to power. |
All winter, she dutifully got up at 4:30 in the morning and pulled together the latest weather forecasts, snowfall accumulation reports and trail conditions for the Sugarbush Resort, a major ski area in central Vermont.
At least she was doing that.
As of today, her employment situation is uncertain. I've heard conflicting reports.
Here's the story:
Many of you heard that Vice President JD Vance came to the Sugarbush area with his family to enjoy a quick ski vacation.
It might not have so enjoyable for Vance. More than 1,000 - at least - protesters lines the streets of Waitsfield and Warren, the two main towns below Sugarbush to rail against the Vice President and the administration he works for.
It was all over the news. Vermonters tend to be a welcoming beneath a sometimes gruff exterior. But we have trouble suffering fools and scoundrels. So Vance wasn't the greatest fit here in the Green Mountain State.
Which leads us to Lucy Welch.
Every morning, her job was to deliver a report on the state of Sugarbush and boy did she deliver! She included new snow reports and trail conditions as usual.
But Welch's morning report featured a big bonus. Her report really looked at the big picture, including what the Trump administration is doing - or threatens to do - to the natural Green Mountain landscape and the people Welch truly loves.
Her report was not exactly a love letter to Vance.
Her report was quickly taken down, but things live forever on the Internet. Every word of her report is worth the read.
Plus, Welch's essay/snow report was emailed to subscribers and it was definitely too late to undo that email.
Since the is a climate and weather blog, I'll quote a pertinent section of Welch's Saturday morning Sugarbush ski and slope report:
"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, Vermont is one of the fastest-warming cities in the country, and Vermont is the 9th fastest-warming state.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (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."
If Vance read Welch's Saturday morning Sugarbush report, he probably didn't love it. But a lot of other people did.
Environmentalist Bill McKibbon, writing on Substack, declared Welch "a hero for the moment."
Long string of comments on Reddit, Facebook and other social media praised Welch.
I liked the pun by the person who called Welch "based." Get it? A personal compliment to her and a reference to the base of snow on the ski slopes.
Her Saturday March 1 ski report had everything you need in the resistance to the Trump administration's worst policies. Welch used intelligence, creativity, kindness, empathy, forthrightness, honesty and truth. Those are surprisingly powerful weapons against mendacity, greed, selfishness and stupidity.
Near the conclusion of her report, Welch wrote:
"I can only assume that I will be fired.....But at least this will do even a smidge more than just shutting up and being a sheep." Then she wrote, "What a gift to be a Sugarbush snow reporter. I hope that everyone has a fantastic day, and power to the freakin' people."
Like I mentioned earlier, It's actually unclear whether Welch has been fired or not. I've heard some reports that she might be facing only a one-week suspension.
I hope Sugarbush keeps her on. Or better yet, somebody hires Welch to help take on the Trump administration in some capacity.
A word to the wise: In a world of JD Vances, be like Lucy Welch.
Thank you.
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