I recently traded the comfort of a school desk, a conventional classroom and long-winded professors for the cockpit of a whitewater kayak, the roiling water of the Lamoille River and the company and credo of Todd Wright. It was all in the spirit of education, of course. And adventure.... Read more

For many Vermonters, staying inside during the winter is as agonizing as being a sick kid on a snow day. But now that lift tickets cost more than a couple of tanks of gas, skiing and snowboarding are starting to seem like special-occasion rather than every-weekend sports.

Hinesburg resident Dan Simkins has a suggestion — rather than paying big bucks to ski at a resort, the 46-year-old mechanical engineer recommends “snorkeling.” That’s backcountry skier jive for unmarked powder so deep you’d need a snorkel to breathe in it.... Read more

Contrary to what you may have heard about college, it’s not all about getting your crunk on. Don’t get involved with that action until you turn legal. You definitely don’t want the campus po-po on your back. Fortunately for you, drinking in ratty apartments isn’t the only thing to do on weekends. So get your all-ages party hats on and watch your step — knowledge is about to be dropped. Here’s our list of the best 18+ spots in the surrounding areas. There’s something for everyone here.... Read more

More than a century ago, Irish immigrants regularly muddied Boston Common with their Gaelic football matches, while boxing gyms in Brooklyn and Manhattan reeked with the sweat of Italians and Jews literally fighting for their place in U.S. society.... Read more

The year 1918 was eventful: Color movies were invented, the armistice ending World War I was signed, the Red Sox won the World Series and, notably for Vermonters, the Berlin-based Wayside Restaurant & Bakery opened its doors for the first time. Last Friday was the restaurant’s 90th birthday, and to celebrate nearly a century of hardy, stick-to-your-ribs chow, the Wayside turned back the clock to the good ol’ days of 20-cent hotdogs, 10-cent sodas and 15-cent ice cream. Needless to say, there wasn’t an empty seat — or belly — in the house.... Read more

It’s 3:30 a.m. on the summit of Stratton Mountain. The sun won’t rise for another two hours, but scientists from the Vermont Center for Ecostudies (VCE) have already begun their search for “the canary of the mountains,” more commonly known as Bicknell’s Thrush.

While their coffee percolates inside the Ski Patrol hut, VCE field directors Sara Frey and her husband Juan Klavins open mist nets around Stratton’s high-elevation trails to catch the rare bird, which breeds only in the montane fir forests of the U.S. Northeast and parts of the Gaspé Peninsula in Québec.... Read more

Mike DiBiasio treks up Stratton Mountain to spend some time with the Vermont Center for Ecostudies as they seek out Bicknell Thrushes, an endangered species of bird. Will Mike help the VCE, or will he run out of steam before he even reaches the top of the mountain?

Click here to read Mike's story about the VCE's efforts.

Shot & produced by Mike DiBiasio
Edited by Jon Taylor
Music: Austin Sirch — "Rail Ride"

A thunderous pulse emanated from the foyer of the Unitarian Church as I arrived Friday night. The double doors were propped open and long beams of light sprayed into Main Street like machine-gun fire. As I inched up the stairs to the door, I remembered: It wasn’t the apocalypse I was attending that night, but rather a “Hot Jungle”-themed electro-dance party.... Read more

I have always made fun of the new-age scooters called Segways. But secretly embedded within my cynicism was a mounting curiosity — surely shared by many — and that’s why I went to ECHO’s “Body Language” exhibit last Sunday to give one a test drive.... Read more

As part of its “50 Years on the Hill” anniversary celebration last weekend, Champlain College threw open the doors of its historic buildings to all comers. I worried I’d be getting a watered-down admissions tour, but Champlain cut out the droning guides and simply gave the community an all-access pass to explore.... Read more