America's Best Small Ski Towns

The isolation and rugged beauty of Vermont’s Mad River Valley breeds a particular kind of character: practical, communitarian, apt to value substance over flash, and always very resourceful. They’re values shared by both the native valley folk and the countercultural-minded outsiders who have flocked to the area since the 1960’s. Many of these transplants have found self-expression in crafts, turning the twin towns of Waitsfield and Warren into hubs for artisans.