diff --git a/lib/vagrant/actions/vm/boot.rb b/lib/vagrant/actions/vm/boot.rb
index 4832660d4..d7f035bb3 100644
--- a/lib/vagrant/actions/vm/boot.rb
+++ b/lib/vagrant/actions/vm/boot.rb
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ module Vagrant
           @runner.env.config.ssh.max_tries.to_i.times do |i|
             logger.info "Trying to connect (attempt ##{i+1} of #{@runner.env.config[:ssh][:max_tries]})..."
 
-            if @runner.env.ssh.up?
+            if @runner.ssh.up?
               logger.info "VM booted and ready for use!"
               return true
             end
diff --git a/lib/vagrant/provisioners/base.rb b/lib/vagrant/provisioners/base.rb
index 063322e55..79b675576 100644
--- a/lib/vagrant/provisioners/base.rb
+++ b/lib/vagrant/provisioners/base.rb
@@ -7,11 +7,19 @@ module Vagrant
     class Base
       include Vagrant::Util
 
-      # The environment which this is being provisioned in
-      attr_reader :env
+      # The VM which this is being provisioned for
+      attr_reader :vm
 
-      def initialize(env)
-        @env = env
+      def initialize(vm)
+        @vm = vm
+      end
+
+      # This method returns the environment which the provisioner is working
+      # on. This is also the environment of the VM. This method is provided
+      # as a simple helper since the environment is often used throughout the
+      # provisioner.
+      def env
+        @vm.env
       end
 
       # This is the method called to "prepare" the provisioner. This is called
diff --git a/lib/vagrant/provisioners/chef.rb b/lib/vagrant/provisioners/chef.rb
index 35ba58d43..2be95980b 100644
--- a/lib/vagrant/provisioners/chef.rb
+++ b/lib/vagrant/provisioners/chef.rb
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ module Vagrant
 
       def chown_provisioning_folder
         logger.info "Setting permissions on chef provisioning folder..."
-        env.ssh.execute do |ssh|
+        vm.ssh.execute do |ssh|
           ssh.exec!("sudo mkdir -p #{env.config.chef.provisioning_path}")
           ssh.exec!("sudo chown #{env.config.ssh.username} #{env.config.chef.provisioning_path}")
         end
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ module Vagrant
         }.merge(template_vars))
 
         logger.info "Uploading chef configuration script..."
-        env.ssh.upload!(StringIO.new(config_file), File.join(env.config.chef.provisioning_path, filename))
+        vm.ssh.upload!(StringIO.new(config_file), File.join(env.config.chef.provisioning_path, filename))
       end
 
       def setup_json
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ module Vagrant
 
         json = data.to_json
 
-        env.ssh.upload!(StringIO.new(json), File.join(env.config.chef.provisioning_path, "dna.json"))
+        vm.ssh.upload!(StringIO.new(json), File.join(env.config.chef.provisioning_path, "dna.json"))
       end
     end
   end
diff --git a/lib/vagrant/provisioners/chef_server.rb b/lib/vagrant/provisioners/chef_server.rb
index 6ae70b221..f69cf9547 100644
--- a/lib/vagrant/provisioners/chef_server.rb
+++ b/lib/vagrant/provisioners/chef_server.rb
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ module Vagrant
       end
 
       def guest_validation_key_path
-        File.join(@env.config.chef.provisioning_path, "validation.pem")
+        File.join(env.config.chef.provisioning_path, "validation.pem")
       end
     end
   end
diff --git a/lib/vagrant/systems/linux.rb b/lib/vagrant/systems/linux.rb
index 563ee7d4f..cf6fdc46c 100644
--- a/lib/vagrant/systems/linux.rb
+++ b/lib/vagrant/systems/linux.rb
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ module Vagrant
       #-------------------------------------------------------------------
       def halt
         logger.info "Attempting graceful shutdown of linux..."
-        vm.env.ssh.execute do |ssh|
+        vm.ssh.execute do |ssh|
           ssh.exec!("sudo halt")
         end
 
diff --git a/lib/vagrant/vm.rb b/lib/vagrant/vm.rb
index 175bd19c5..0183b776c 100644
--- a/lib/vagrant/vm.rb
+++ b/lib/vagrant/vm.rb
@@ -20,9 +20,14 @@ module Vagrant
       @env = env
       @vm = vm
 
-      load_system! unless @env.nil?
+      load_system! if !@env.nil?
     end
 
+    # Loads the system associated with the VM. The system class is
+    # responsible for OS-specific functionality. More information
+    # can be found by reading the documentation on {Vagrant::Systems::Base}.
+    #
+    # **This method should never be called manually.**
     def load_system!
       system = env.config.vm.system
 
@@ -31,9 +36,7 @@ module Vagrant
         error_and_exit(:system_invalid_class, :system => system.to_s) unless @system.is_a?(Systems::Base)
       elsif system.is_a?(Symbol)
         # Hard-coded internal systems
-        mapping = {
-          :linux    => Systems::Linux
-        }
+        mapping = { :linux    => Systems::Linux }
 
         if !mapping.has_key?(system)
           error_and_exit(:system_unknown_type, :system => system.to_s)
@@ -46,6 +49,13 @@ module Vagrant
       end
     end
 
+    # Access the {Vagrant::SSH} object associated with this VM.
+    # On the initial call, this will initialize the object. On
+    # subsequent calls it will reuse the existing object.
+    def ssh
+      @ssh ||= SSH.new(env)
+    end
+
     def uuid
       vm ? vm.uuid : nil
     end
diff --git a/test/test_helper.rb b/test/test_helper.rb
index 6f5eebd3c..6464a660d 100644
--- a/test/test_helper.rb
+++ b/test/test_helper.rb
@@ -73,6 +73,14 @@ class Test::Unit::TestCase
     environment
   end
 
+  # Sets up the mocks for a VM
+  def mock_vm
+    vm = Vagrant::VM.new(nil, nil)
+    vm.stubs(:env).returns(mock_environment)
+    vm.stubs(:ssh).returns(Vagrant::SSH.new(vm.env))
+    vm
+  end
+
   # Sets up the mocks and instantiates an action for testing
   def mock_action(action_klass, *args)
     vm = mock("vboxvm")
@@ -87,6 +95,11 @@ class Test::Unit::TestCase
     mock_vm.stubs(:actions).returns([action])
     mock_vm.stubs(:env).returns(mock_environment)
 
+    mock_ssh = Vagrant::SSH.new(mock_vm.env)
+    mock_ssh.stubs(:execute)
+
+    mock_vm.stubs(:ssh).returns(mock_ssh)
+
     vm.stubs(:env).returns(mock_vm.env)
 
     [mock_vm, vm, action]
diff --git a/test/vagrant/actions/vm/boot_test.rb b/test/vagrant/actions/vm/boot_test.rb
index f98dabcd5..82034acb3 100644
--- a/test/vagrant/actions/vm/boot_test.rb
+++ b/test/vagrant/actions/vm/boot_test.rb
@@ -43,13 +43,13 @@ class BootActionTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
   context "waiting for boot" do
     should "repeatedly ping the SSH port and return false with no response" do
       seq = sequence('pings')
-      @runner.env.ssh.expects(:up?).times(@runner.env.config.ssh.max_tries.to_i - 1).returns(false).in_sequence(seq)
-      @runner.env.ssh.expects(:up?).once.returns(true).in_sequence(seq)
+      @runner.ssh.expects(:up?).times(@runner.env.config.ssh.max_tries.to_i - 1).returns(false).in_sequence(seq)
+      @runner.ssh.expects(:up?).once.returns(true).in_sequence(seq)
       assert @action.wait_for_boot(0)
     end
 
     should "ping the max number of times then just return" do
-      @runner.env.ssh.expects(:up?).times(@runner.env.config.ssh.max_tries.to_i).returns(false)
+      @runner.ssh.expects(:up?).times(@runner.env.config.ssh.max_tries.to_i).returns(false)
       assert !@action.wait_for_boot(0)
     end
   end
diff --git a/test/vagrant/provisioners/base_test.rb b/test/vagrant/provisioners/base_test.rb
index 316d93cca..1820bfa46 100644
--- a/test/vagrant/provisioners/base_test.rb
+++ b/test/vagrant/provisioners/base_test.rb
@@ -7,13 +7,13 @@ class BaseProvisionerTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
 
   context "base instance" do
     setup do
-      @env = mock_environment
-      @base = Vagrant::Provisioners::Base.new(@env)
+      @vm = mock("vm")
+      @base = Vagrant::Provisioners::Base.new(@vm)
     end
 
     should "set the environment" do
-      base = Vagrant::Provisioners::Base.new(@env)
-      assert_equal @env, base.env
+      base = Vagrant::Provisioners::Base.new(@vm)
+      assert_equal @vm, base.vm
     end
 
     should "implement provision! which does nothing" do
diff --git a/test/vagrant/provisioners/chef_server_test.rb b/test/vagrant/provisioners/chef_server_test.rb
index 348a47366..fae97a331 100644
--- a/test/vagrant/provisioners/chef_server_test.rb
+++ b/test/vagrant/provisioners/chef_server_test.rb
@@ -2,8 +2,9 @@ require File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), '..', '..', 'test_helper')
 
 class ChefServerProvisionerTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
   setup do
-    @env = mock_environment
-    @action = Vagrant::Provisioners::ChefServer.new(@env)
+    @vm = mock_vm
+    @env = @vm.env
+    @action = Vagrant::Provisioners::ChefServer.new(@vm)
   end
 
   context "provisioning" do
diff --git a/test/vagrant/provisioners/chef_solo_test.rb b/test/vagrant/provisioners/chef_solo_test.rb
index 83b495eb8..91d3d6ca5 100644
--- a/test/vagrant/provisioners/chef_solo_test.rb
+++ b/test/vagrant/provisioners/chef_solo_test.rb
@@ -2,8 +2,9 @@ require File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), '..', '..', 'test_helper')
 
 class ChefSoloProvisionerTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
   setup do
-    @env = mock_environment
-    @action = Vagrant::Provisioners::ChefSolo.new(@env)
+    @vm = mock_vm
+    @env = @vm.env
+    @action = Vagrant::Provisioners::ChefSolo.new(@vm)
   end
 
   context "preparing" do
diff --git a/test/vagrant/provisioners/chef_test.rb b/test/vagrant/provisioners/chef_test.rb
index 1eda93676..d21fcd486 100644
--- a/test/vagrant/provisioners/chef_test.rb
+++ b/test/vagrant/provisioners/chef_test.rb
@@ -2,8 +2,9 @@ require File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), '..', '..', 'test_helper')
 
 class ChefProvisionerTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
   setup do
-    @env = mock_environment
-    @action = Vagrant::Provisioners::Chef.new(@env)
+    @vm = mock_vm
+    @env = @vm.env
+    @action = Vagrant::Provisioners::Chef.new(@vm)
   end
 
   context "preparing" do
@@ -67,14 +68,14 @@ class ChefProvisionerTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
       ssh = mock("ssh")
       ssh.expects(:exec!).with("sudo mkdir -p #{@env.config.chef.provisioning_path}").once.in_sequence(ssh_seq)
       ssh.expects(:exec!).with("sudo chown #{@env.config.ssh.username} #{@env.config.chef.provisioning_path}").once.in_sequence(ssh_seq)
-      @env.ssh.expects(:execute).yields(ssh)
+      @vm.ssh.expects(:execute).yields(ssh)
       @action.chown_provisioning_folder
     end
   end
 
   context "generating and uploading chef configuration file" do
     setup do
-      @env.ssh.stubs(:upload!)
+      @vm.ssh.stubs(:upload!)
 
       @template = "template"
       @filename = "foo.rb"
@@ -88,7 +89,7 @@ class ChefProvisionerTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
       Vagrant::Util::TemplateRenderer.expects(:render).with(@template, anything).returns(template_data)
       StringIO.expects(:new).with(template_data).returns(string_io)
       File.expects(:join).with(@env.config.chef.provisioning_path, @filename).once.returns("bar")
-      @env.ssh.expects(:upload!).with(string_io, "bar")
+      @vm.ssh.expects(:upload!).with(string_io, "bar")
 
       @action.setup_config(@template, @filename, {})
     end
@@ -124,7 +125,7 @@ class ChefProvisionerTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
 
   context "generating and uploading json" do
     def assert_json
-      @env.ssh.expects(:upload!).with do |json, path|
+      @vm.ssh.expects(:upload!).with do |json, path|
         data = JSON.parse(json.read)
         yield data
         true
@@ -155,7 +156,7 @@ class ChefProvisionerTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
     should "upload a StringIO to dna.json" do
       StringIO.expects(:new).with(anything).returns("bar")
       File.expects(:join).with(@env.config.chef.provisioning_path, "dna.json").once.returns("baz")
-      @env.ssh.expects(:upload!).with("bar", "baz").once
+      @vm.ssh.expects(:upload!).with("bar", "baz").once
       @action.setup_json
     end
   end
diff --git a/test/vagrant/systems/linux_test.rb b/test/vagrant/systems/linux_test.rb
index 6c654944f..f66b0499b 100644
--- a/test/vagrant/systems/linux_test.rb
+++ b/test/vagrant/systems/linux_test.rb
@@ -4,8 +4,7 @@ class LinuxSystemTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
   setup do
     @klass = Vagrant::Systems::Linux
 
-    @vm = mock("vm")
-    @vm.stubs(:env).returns(mock_environment)
+    @vm = mock_vm
     @instance = @klass.new(@vm)
   end
 
@@ -14,7 +13,7 @@ class LinuxSystemTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
       @ssh_session = mock("ssh_session")
       @ssh = mock("ssh")
       @ssh.stubs(:execute).yields(@ssh_session)
-      @vm.env.stubs(:ssh).returns(@ssh)
+      @vm.stubs(:ssh).returns(@ssh)
 
       @real_vm = mock("real_vm")
       @real_vm.stubs(:state).returns(:powered_off)
diff --git a/test/vagrant/vm_test.rb b/test/vagrant/vm_test.rb
index 4791318e0..1a4b902b6 100644
--- a/test/vagrant/vm_test.rb
+++ b/test/vagrant/vm_test.rb
@@ -39,6 +39,28 @@ class VMTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
       @mock_vm.stubs(:uuid).returns("foo")
     end
 
+    context "accessing the SSH object" do
+      setup do
+        # Reset this to nil to force the reload
+        @vm.instance_variable_set(:@ssh, nil)
+
+        @ssh = mock("ssh")
+        Vagrant::SSH.stubs(:new).returns(@ssh)
+      end
+
+      should "load it the first time" do
+        Vagrant::SSH.expects(:new).with(@env).once.returns(@ssh)
+        @vm.ssh
+        @vm.ssh
+        @vm.ssh
+      end
+
+      should "use the same value once its loaded" do
+        result = @vm.ssh
+        assert_equal result, @vm.ssh
+      end
+    end
+
     context "loading associated system" do
       should "error and exit if system is not specified" do
         @vm.env.config.vm.system = nil