It's a "New Era" for Beloved Ski Area Smugglers' Notch, Vermont

Smugglers' Notch is a family ski area by trade, with endless steeps, glades, and powder stashes tucked between classic Vermont groomers.

The ski area has stuck to its roots, namely in preserving its use of slow, fixed-grip double chairlifts to reach each of its three peaks, and has a cult-like following amongst New Englanders. It's known for getting nearly 300 inches of snow annually.

An announcement made on Facebook today, February 11, came as a shock to many of the Smuggs diehards:

"A new era begins at Smuggs," reads the post. "Smugglers’ Notch Resort and Bear Den Partners today announced a collaborative ownership transition that shifts the Vermont-based independent resort operator into partnership with Smugglers’ Notch, one of North America’s most celebrated family-focused mountain destinations."

Smuggs has been owned and operated by Bill Stritzler for the last 29 years. The specifics of the agreement with Bear Den Partners have not been publicized, but the announcement confirms that "The Stritzler family will continue to have an ownership stake and Bill’s daughter Lisa will serve as an advisor on the future of the mountain."

The entire post is embedded below. Keep reading for more on this developing story.

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Bear Den Partners is an LLC formed in 2025 by members of a ski community at Burke Mountain, another independently-owned resort in Vermont.

Bear Den raised enough funds from investors to purchase Burke, and the community has celebrated its investment in snowmaking, lodge renovations, and the preservation of the down-home ski experience locals were accustomed to.

It appears, at least according to a statement by Jon Schaefer, CEO of Bear Den Partners, that they intend to do the same with Smuggs.

"What’s not changing is just as important," writes Schaefer. "Burke will continue to be Burke [and] Smuggs will continue to be Smuggs. Business As Usual. From where we sit, both resorts remain independent, each with its own personality, specialty, and on-mountain management teams."

Schaefer offered insight as to how Bear Den's operation of Burke and Smuggs will work in the future: "Where there will be collaboration is mostly behind the scenes. By sharing certain resources - things like banking relationships and purchasing power (fuel, electricity, and other operational needs) - we believe that we can quickly operate more efficiently. These savings will be combined with our capital so that we can immediately invest in the guest experience at both mountains."

Burke passholders shouldn't expect immediate access to Smuggs, but Schaefer said spring passes will be announced soon, and that Bear Den is evaluating reciprocal passes for future seasons.

As a Smuggs diehard, Strizler's decision to partner with Bear Den was surprising when I saw it this morning, but a look back at the last few seasons paints a clearer picture.

Smuggs, while just a few miles from the town of Stowe as the crow flies, isn't as popular because it takes longer to drive there from Burlington. The iconic Smugglers' Notch road is closed during the winter, which requires skiers to drive around Mt. Mansfield and approach Smuggs from the South.

Why is this relevant? Well, if you've skied either Smuggs or Vail Resorts-owned Stowe, you know that the ski resorts practically touch each other. Skiers have long feared, or dreamed, depending on who you ask, that Smuggs and Stowe would be linked together using chairlifts and ski trails to create a mega-resort experience unique to the East Coast.

Strizler and Vail Resorts came together and launched a plan to build a connecting gondola back in 2023. The plan was leaked by a local newspaper, and the public responded... loudly.

The Smuggs faithful, in particular, were worried that the gondola and shared ski passes were the first step towards Vail Resorts purchasing their beloved, family-owned resort. Others feared that the ski experience would drastically change as the Stowe/Smuggs mega-resort would be heavily publicized, attracting tourists from near and far.

It's hard to say if the public's negative response influenced the gondola's failure, but the lift project was ultimately placed on hold in October of 2023 when the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation denied the land swap proposal.

Skiers, presumably from both sides of the Notch, breathed a sigh of relief.

Today's announcement seems to be garnering similar reactions. Skeptics are worried about change, but the overall sentiment seems positive around Bear Den Partners' future involvement with Smuggs.

Smuggs is "one of those" ski areas that feels special. The lifts are slow, yes, but the skiers are always happy, the mountains are big, and the snow is usually pretty darn good.

Here's hoping Bear Den Partners leads it well in this next era. I'll be following closely!