VERMONT’S von TRAPP FAMILY'S SOUNDS OF WINTER

Making Winter ‘Sounds of Music’

Story and photos by Larry Turner www.larryturnerphotography.com

HighOnAdventure.com   February 1, 2011

The hills are alive with the sound of winter music at Stowe, Vermont’s Trapp Family Lodge…the American home of the Austrian Baron and Baroness von Trapp family, made internationally famous with the multi-Oscar winning movie (starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer) "The Sound of Music," released in 1965. The Baron and Baroness (and their children) had fled their Nazi occupied Austrian estate in 1938 (via a train to Italy, not walking over the Alps as portrayed in the movie) and immigrated to America in 1939.

“We have no choice. We’ll always be associated with the movie, for ‘better or worse’ as they say when you get married,” says 72-year-old Johanne von Trapp, youngest of the Baron (Georg) and Baroness’s (Maria) children. “Up until the movie, my life had been relatively quiet and anonymous.” Johanne is the President of the Trapp Family Lodge and reigns over the venue with his 37-year old son Sam the Vice-President.

Whereas the Baron and Baroness were known for their music, Johanne and Sam are known for skiing and the hospitality industry…the foundation laid by the Baron and Baroness’s 1942 purchase of the Gate Farm outside Stowe, Vermont. In 1968, Johanne oversaw the opening of the Trapp Cross Country Ski Center, the first of its kind in the nation. The Trapp Family Lodge currently has 60 kilometers of groomed trails and 100 acres of back-country trails on its 2400 acres. Snowshoeing is a big part of their enterprise, too.

Amy Hartell and I had the pleasure of being guests at the Trapp Family Lodge less than two years ago. We had dinner with Sam, breakfast with Johanne and a very special treat: an afternoon snowshoe excursion with Sam to the Trapp Sugarhouse to witness and document the process of making maple sugar…a rare (and sweet) treat for us since we live on the West Coast.

TRAPP FAMILY

The von Trapp family will always be tied to the Sound of Music. “As always, Hollywood takes a free license when making a movie,” states Johanne over breakfast at the Lodge one early April morning. “Most of what was portrayed in the movie was true, but some of the portrayal was not. For instance, my sister Agathe (who passed away this last December at 97) was portrayed as Liesl in the movie and she never had a boyfriend at that time, little lone one that was a Nazi sympathizer. Still to this day, people think that I was the youngest singer portrayed in the movie. Actually, I was born in 1939 in America.” Johannes’ other nine siblings were born in Austria. The Baron had seven children with his first wife Agathe Whitehead von Trapp (1890-1922) who died of scarlet fever before Maria Augusta Kutschera was hired to tutor the Baron’s daughter Maria who had contacted scarlet fever at that time. The Baron and Maria would marry (1927) and they had three children of their own. They became well known in parts of Europe and throughout the U.S. as the Trapp Family Singers. Their final concert (they had performed in 31 countries) was in the U.S. in 1956. Of the original von Trapp singers, Maria, Eleonore and Rosmarie still live.

Agathe was especially hurt by the movie’s portrayal of her dad as cold and indifferent. Agathe’s memories of her dad (who passed away in 1947) were as a warm, loving, deeply caring human. The Baron refused to join the German Navy and to fly a Nazi flag at their Salzburg estate. Prior to her death, Agathe self-published a book titled “Agathe von Trapp: Memories Before and After the Sound of Music” if one cares to delve deeper into the family’s history.

SAM von TRAPP RETURNS HOME

Sam, too, had joined us for breakfast at the Lodge The father and son have a genuine love for each other. We change the subject from tidbits of von Trapp family history to the current day. Johanne tells the story of encouraging his son to do whatever he wanted for ten years after college graduation (Sam has a B.A. in economics and geography from Dartmouth and Johannes a B.A. from Dartmouth and an M.A. from Yale’s school of forestry) and requested that he return home to help run the family business.

Sam did just that, returning home to Vermont in 2008. While away, he worked as a year-round ski instructor in Aspen, Brazil and Chile…moving with winter as the earth rotated with the seasons. He also did some modeling for Ralph Lauren and in 2001, People Magazine named him one of the Top 50 Bachelors in the World. In Chile though, he fell in love with Elisa Sepulveda, a Chilean whom he had known for 13 years. Her step-dad is the owner of Portillo Ski Resort where Sam worked. Last summer they were wed at the Chapel (which was built by Werner [1915-2007] von Trapp honoring his fellow soldiers) on the property after he returned from action with the 10th Mountain Division from WWII. Their new home is on the Trapp’s 2400 acre property as is the home of Sam’s only sibling, Kristina, her husband and two children.

“It’s great to be back home,” says energetic Sam. “I love being hands-on with the property, especially the outdoor chores such as the cross country grooming and the trail making. I’m happy to be skiing and instructing with my Sis again and to be working with my Dad and Mom and all of the other folks connected with the Lodge. Elisa has a landscape architecture degree from UC Davis so her ideas will be exciting to work with, too.”

TRAPP FAMILY CROSS COUNTRY SKI CENTER

Johannes was the mainstay in the Trapp Family Cross Country Ski Center opening in 1968. A combination of groomed and back-country trails makes this a Nordic skiing paradise. The scenery includes beautiful deciduous woodlands and meadows, evergreens and superb mountain vistas. The trails are interconnected with the Topnotch and Edison Hill ski touring centers.

Amy, Peter Schroeder, Risa Weinrib Wyatt and I join Sam one sunny Vermont afternoon for a snow shoe and cross country ski outing to the Trapp Sugarhouse. It is a robust, fun and vigorous outing, giving us a sampling of the Trapp trail system. While at the Sugarhouse, we witness the process of maple sugar making, another one of the industrious Trapp family commercial ventures, started soon after the property was purchased. We taste the different grades of maple syrup and even toast each other with small paper cups as though it were Champagne. The ‘sugar hit’ comes in handy, giving us a boost for our journey back to the Ski Center.

Under Sam and Charlie Yerrick, director of the Nordic center, snowmaking has been installed on some of the groomed trails to insure a longer season for Nordic enthusiasts (early to mid-Dec. through April). The Slayton Pasture Cabin—a three-mile ski from the Center—has started serving homemade soups, sandwiches, pastries and drinks (hot chocolate is a must!) for snow trekkers.

During our outing, we come across many families skiing and snow shoeing together. One Asian couple was toting their children behind them in a protected ski stroller. “As a family activity, this is as good as it gets,” states Sam. “You get exercise, fresh air, quality time together as a family and the price is right.” Season, day and multi-day passes are available, as is equipment to rent. Go to www.trappfamily.com for more info or call 800-826-7000. The von Trapps also offer horse-drawn sleigh rides through the woods, après ski/snowshoe bonfires and sing-a-longs. “We’ve always had music at the Lodge, but we’re bringing back more music activities throughout the property…as it should be, because that is how it all began back in Austria,” says Sam.

Sam is overseeing the building of mountain biking trails for late spring, summer and autumn outdoor activities available to lodge guests and day visitors.

TRAPP FAMILY LODGE

The venerable, old original Trapp Family Lodge burned down in 1980. A new one was built, opening in 1983 (with dedication led by the Baroness Maria), and features a new Concert in the Meadows series. A year later, the Trapp Fitness Center opened, complete with a heated indoor pool, outdoor hot tub, sauna, climbing wall, a Yoga program, tennis, massage and a Mountain Kids Club which offers a variety of activities. During our visit, Amy and I were treated to a full Vermont rainbow while soaking in the hot tub.

The main Alpine Lodge has 96 Austrian-architecture-styled rooms. There are 100 Guest House Chalets along with three-bedroom luxurious Villas. No matter which option one chooses, the doorways quickly lead to the snow and the enchanting New England countryside.

The Lodge has three restaurants, featuring a selection of Austrain and Vermont fare. By all means, try Johannes favorite wine Gruner Veltliners. With Sam one evening while dining in the Dining Room, our small group tried the Oregon Elk Cove Pinot Noir, made in the Willamette Valley. After Sam ordered the wine, we had a good laugh as I corrected his enunciation of Willamette. On my next stay at the Lodge, I want to try Vermont’s Big Barn Red, the only local red offered on the wine list. Johannes had always dreamed of establishing a brewery on the property and that dream became a reality last year with the establishment of the Trapp Family Lodge Brewery. “I wanted to brew a lager similar to the ones I tasted near our ancestral Austrian home,” says Johannes. Their new brewery offers three beers: Golden Helles, Vienna Amber and Dunkel Lager. I’m sure there will be more to come.

During our candlelight dinner that evening, I had a culinary feast of baby spinach and frisee salad, rabbit crepinette and wiener schnitzel. After dinner, we relaxed in The Lounge, conversed and enjoyed the piano music of John Cassel.

Every day, the Lodge has a variety of activity offerings for guests and visitors. During our stay, there was a 10am snowshoe to the cabin, indoor rock climbing from 1-3pm, a baking class by the Lodge’s Pastry Chef from 3-5pm, bingo mania at 4pm, entertainment by Regina Christianson from 6-10pm and a feature film in St George’s Hall at 8pm. Several times a day, the documentary “The Real Maria” is shown at St. George’s Hall.

The sounds of winter and music are mainstays in the lives of the von Trapp family…and adventurous travelers can experience it first hand with a journey to Stowe, Vermont and a side road that leads to the American land of Edelweiss.

INTERESTING SIDE NOTES: The von Trapp family never directly profited from the Broadway show and movie Sound of Music. Maria had sold the family story rights to a German film company in 1955 for $9000.

--There is not one poster of the Sound of Music film in the Lodge.
--Julie Andrews has never stayed at nor been to the Lodge. Mary Martin, who played the role of Maria in the Broadway production, has stayed at the Lodge.
--The Baron and Baroness, along with most of their offspring, are interned in a family plot on the Vermont property.
--There is a new generation of von Trapp singers: Werner’s son Stefan’s four children who live near Glacier National Park, the von Trapp Children (www.vontrappchildren.com)
--While in Stowe, visit the Vermont Ski Museum (www.vermontskimuseum.com) and check out Stowe Ski Resort (www.stowe.com) for a day of downhilling or snowboarding.

RECOMMENDED READING: The World of the Trapp Family by William Anderson (www.amazon.com) Yesterday, Today and Forever by Maria von Trapp (www.amazon.com ) The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria Augusta Trapp (www.amazon.com) Memories Before and After the Sound of Music: An Autobiography by Agathe von Trapp (www.amazon.com)

OTHER INFO: www.trappfamily.com; www.vermontskimuseum.com

PURCHASING PRINTS: Prints from this story and other Highonadventure stories of mine may be purchased by emailing me at [email protected]. or www.larryturnerphotography.com.