Cross-country skiing
This weekend we're looking forward to taking in some ski racing action! The UVM Winter Carnival starts today and goes through Sunday. It features the best collegiate skiers in the eastern US taking on the slalom and giant slalom courses at Stowe, and the nordic racing trails at Trapp Family Lodge.
The University of Vermont has a strong ski team again this year. Some of the racers have been competing across the country in NorAm races, and a few have even competed in their first World...[Read more]
Friday, February 3, 2012
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Cross-country skiing, Stowe, Trapp Family Lodge
With warm temperatures today and some sunshine, it was much like spring skiing on the cross-country trails of Trapp Family Lodge.
I arrived at lunchtime and the nordic center was buzzing with skiers enjoying the sun and skiing. I first tried my classic skis, but immediately found out that my wax didn't give me any "kick" on the fast snow and tracks. That's why I always bring a backup set of equipment! I returned to my car to put on my skating boots and...[Read more]
Saturday, January 28, 2012
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Trapp Family Lodge
Thursday featured skiing above the clouds at some of Vermont's ski resorts, while Thursday night and Friday featured a mix of snow, sleet and rain. Grrrrrrrrr.
The ski resorts are reporting that they picked up a couple inches of snow, but they also got freezing rain and plain old rain. The groomers will have to work their magic!
Check on the latest conditions on our Vermont ski resort snow conditions page, where we have direct links to snow reports.
In Print
In...[Read more]
Friday, January 27, 2012
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Cross-country skiing
Charities are making it fun to raise money for their causes by bringing the fund-raisers to the ski slopes and nordic trails. Here are a few events this winter that might pique your interest.
Tubbs Romp to Stomp Out Breast Cancer to benefitVT/NH Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure3k or 5k snowshoe, walk or raceStratton MountainJanuary 28Website
Camel's Hump Challenge to benefit Vermont Alzheimer's AssociationChallenging backcountry tour around Camel's...[Read more]
Thursday, January 26, 2012
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Cross-country skiing
What a day! My friend and I went for a lovely nordic loop at the Stowe Mountain Resort Cross-Country Center today. They received six inches of snow two nights ago, and this morning it was snowing when we arrived (and continued all through our ski) and there were a couple more inches of the freshest, lightest powder. The snowflake formations were amazing!
We enjoyed a ski on the Burt Trail, which at first follows the Ranch Brook. After a quick hot chocolate break at the...[Read more]
Saturday, January 21, 2012
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Stowe
We got out on the Stowe Recreation Path today for a short ski today in the cold. I wore a balaclava to keep my face warm and kept moving along to keep my body warm. It worked!
The good folks in Stowe have arranged to groom the recreation path a couple times a week for cross-country skiing. Today the classic tracks were excellent. Fresh new snow this week made the coverage great.
Today also featured the Stowe Tour de Snow and we saw families taking part in the...[Read more]
Sunday, January 15, 2012
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Food, coffee & après ski, Stowe
We’ve seen some nice photos of fresh snow around the state. We’ll be out in it this weekend — will you?[Read more]
Friday, January 13, 2012
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Bromley, Cross-country skiing, Stowe
With some new snow falling around the state (some Vermont resorts reported that up to 5 - 7 inches fell on Thursday, and more snow is expected on Friday), this weekend should shape up to be a good one for outdoor fun! Here are a few interesting nordic skiing related events this weekend that you may be interested in checking out.
1. Watch a biathlon race
Biathlon is a sport that combines heart-pounding cross-country skiing with accurate (hopefully!) target...[Read more]
Thursday, January 12, 2012
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing
I found some good spring skiing conditions today on the nordic trails at the Stowe Mountain Resort cross-country center.
I was impressed by the amount of snowcover on the Burt, Bruce and Timberlane nordic trails despite our lackluster snowfall thus far this season. Within the last few days we had been messing around a bit on the trails at Bolton nordic (quite thin) and the Catamount cross-country center (snow/grass skiing) just to get some much needed exercise. But...[Read more]
Sunday, January 1, 2012
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Stowe
Ski resorts in the northern and central parts of Vermont picked up another round of unexpectedly high snowfall yesterday. Depending on location, it was on the order of 6 to 12 inches of snow! (Check the snow reports on our Vermont Ski Resorts page for details.)
Base areas first experienced some rain and then it changed to snow as the temperatures dropped through the day and, well, it just kept snowing! Today we have cold temperatures that are surely helping with snowmaking, as...[Read more]
Thursday, December 29, 2011
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Bolton Valley, Cross-country skiing, Jay Peak, Killington, Mad River Glen, Pico, Smugglers' Notch, Stowe, Sugarbush
Yay! My holiday wish was to go cross-country skiing ASAP, and my wish was granted!
An unanticipated Christmas snowfall across northern Vermont hills and mountains added up to five to eight inches of snow or so in higher elevations. So when I heard the snowplow outside my house this morning, I was excited to check in on our area nordic centers to see if we might be able to ski!
We packed up the Subaru and headed to Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, which opened up more terrain due...[Read more]
Monday, December 26, 2011
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Trapp Family Lodge
Boy there’s a lot of snowmaking going on lately! Seems like the ski resorts are opening new terrain every few days or — in some cases — every day!
Stowe Mountain Resort reported that it set a new record: “We had over 130 snowguns running continuously this past weekend.” And I saw the snowguns in action on the petite Cochran’s ski area this weekend.
All the ski resorts are talking up their snowmaking “firepower” and respect for their hard-working snowmaking teams. (A...[Read more]
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Cochran's, Craftsbury, Cross-country skiing, Mad River Glen, Magic, Northeast Slopes, Stowe, Suicide Six, Trapp Family Lodge
The Skimeister and I had an interesting day on Saturday at an adaptive nordic instructor clinic held at Bolton Valley. As large, fluffy snowflakes fell, we were learning about some of the equipment and strategies used for nordic sit-skiing.
You may recall that the Skimeister skied on a sit-ski a number of times over the last two seasons, after he blew out his knee. It was such a positive experience for him to get out into the fields and woods in the winter, that we wanted to...[Read more]
Sunday, December 18, 2011
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing
One to seven inches of snow fell around the state on Wednesday night to help make things look a bit more wintry in Vermont. Today and tonight some areas will see snow showers.
Dipping temperatures have helped with plans for three more ski resorts to spin their lifts for the first time this weekend. Bolton Valley Resort plans to open Saturday, as does Mount Snow. Bromley Mountain plans to open on Sunday.
Mount Snow will celebrate the "first flight" of the Bluebird Express, its...[Read more]
Friday, December 9, 2011
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Bolton Valley, Bromley, Cross-country skiing, Fall & Early season, Mount Snow, Okemo
One-third of the skinny skiers on the 2012 US Nordic team hail from Vermont. How cool is that?!
This week the US Ski Team named its 12-member nordic team. It's a rather small squad, but one that is increasingly finding success. The standouts on the team include Andy Newell of Shaftsbury, Vt., and Kikkan Randall of Anchorage, Alaska. They've both been on a World Cup podium, and they want more. Meanwhile, Vermonter and seven-time US Champion Liz Stephen of East Montpelier, Vt., is looking...[Read more]
Thursday, October 13, 2011
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing
On October 23 in Killington, four skiers will be inducted into the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum Hall of Fame. They are mogul champ Karen Huntoon Miller, longtime ski coach Greg McClallen, nordic expert John Morton, and resort leader Preston Leete Smith.
Here is a bit about the new hall of famers from the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum website.
Karen Huntoon, originally of Brandon / Rutland and a graduate of Rutland High School, won five world championships in mogul skiing and is now in...[Read more]
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Cross-country skiing
Updated 5/10/11
I've been checking in on the dates that Vermont ski resorts are closing. Typically the smaller ski areas close first because of lower elevations and smaller operating budgets.
This is not a complete list because the ski resorts don't always announce their intentions in advance. Please check the website of the resort you'd like to go to before you head for the hills! We have links on our Vermont ski resorts page.
Closed as of March 30:
Pico MountainMt. Ellen side of...[Read more]
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Bolton Valley, Bromley, Burke, Cross-country skiing, Killington, Okemo, Spring skiing, Stowe, Sugarbush
We did some cross-country skiing on a sunny Sunday at Ole's Nordic Center in Warren, Vermont. The snow coverage was excellent. In fact, the snow was very fast because it hadn't heated up much, even in the sun.
You might notice that in one of the photos above, the flags are standing straight out. The winds were strong on Sunday! Couple that with some not-so-spring-like temperatures, and I was happy to keep moving and keep generating heat!
Yup, still winter in Vermont, so we're...[Read more]
Monday, March 28, 2011
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Ole's, Spring skiing
Note: Photos may take a moment to load. Yeah, I was a shutterbug today.
Despite a rainy forecast, I made the journey to Stowe's Trapp Family Lodge today to watch the second day of nordic competition in the 2011 NCAA Skiing Championships. And rain it did.
The women raced a 15K and the men a 20K classic race. These were "mass start" races, which are always exciting as a big group of skiers thunders out of the start together. The women actually skied in the most rain, and you could...[Read more]
Friday, March 11, 2011
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Trapp Family Lodge
Top college ski teams after day one of NCAA skiing championships in Stowe, Vermont:
1 U. Colorado 2 Dartmouth 3 U. Utah 4 UVM 5 U. New Mexico 6 Denver U. 7 U. Alaska/ Anchorage 8 UNH 9 Middlebury 10 U. Montana
Let's go, Cats!
On Wednesday, in addition to the regularly scheduled nordic races, they also snuck Thursday's GS ski racing in a day early in anticipation of warmer temperatures (i.e. soft snow) and mixed precipitation....[Read more]
Thursday, March 10, 2011
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Cross-country skiing, Stowe, Trapp Family Lodge
The snowstorm that is currently hitting Vermont has been most ferocious in the northern part of the Green Mountains. (It's about time! Several of the storms this season favored southern Vermont!)
Here's what Vermont ski resorts are reporting for snowfalls via social media as of 7 and 8 am Monday morning. And it's still snowing in northern Vermont.
Note: Check with the resort before you drive there. Some are indicating late openings or ice (southern Vermont) and weather-affected lift...[Read more]
Monday, March 7, 2011
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Backcountry skiing, Bolton Valley, Cross-country skiing, Jay Peak, Mad River Glen, Smugglers' Notch, Sugarbush
We had a sunny stretch this week before some ugly spring-like weather was to hit this weekend (a bit of rain on Saturday and then snow coming Sunday night). I just had to get out into the sunshine.
But with a bit of rain that fell recently, a crust had developed in many places so I wanted to find a scenic cross-country ski center with very good grooming. Rikert Ski Touring Center in Ripton, Vt., filled the bill.
Located at Middlebury College's Bread Loaf campus, Rikert has a lovely network...[Read more]
Saturday, March 5, 2011
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Rikert
On Sunday the Skimeister and I heard that Monday would bring a “wintry mix” to northern Vermont, so we grabbed our gear and headed for Ole's Cross-Country Ski Center in Warren, Vermont.
It’s a scenic trail network and the trails had a thin blanket of fresh snow from the night before. We would ski a loop on Trails 5, 7a, 4, 7 and back to 5 for the return to the nordic center. Our ski tour brought us through meadows, passing brooks, birch trees, evergreens and crossing hay fields. It was quite...[Read more]
Monday, February 28, 2011
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Ole's
Skiers in Vermont are all a-twitter about today's snowstorm. It's been snowing heavily, starting in southern Vermont and working its way up to northern Vermont.
Here in the Champlain Valley, I was disappointed not to wake up to the sound of a snowplow, but by 10 a.m. the roads were getting white and the snow had been coming down hard. (Here's a shot of snow falling against my car at 10:30. The snowbank remains from past storms.)
Magic Mountain, Mount Snow and Stratton ski resorts already...[Read more]
Friday, February 25, 2011
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Backcountry skiing, Cross-country skiing
I slathered on sunscreen, put on a headband and sunglasses, and took off on an afternoon ski at Trapp Family Lodge's cross-country trails in Stowe, Vt. Sun and blue skies have been the norm for a couple of days, and today's warmer temperatures made it just heavenly for skiing.
My friend and I donned our classic skis and headed out under the early afternoon sun onto the Sugar Road trail. We would climb up and up Parizo Trail to the cabin. What's nice about Parizo is it's actually two slopes; it...[Read more]
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Stowe, Trapp Family Lodge
Oliver, the Smugglers' Notch telemark instructor who coached me this week, seems to have the same skiing philosophy that I do. Why stick only to skiing on the trails and why stick to just one kind of skiing? Branching out and trying something new will keep skiing forever fun and interesting!
This is what I've been doing for the last eight years or so. This lifelong alpine skier married a former nordic ski racer, so guess what new sport I picked up? Then I was introduced to...[Read more]
Friday, February 18, 2011
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Backcountry skiing, Cross-country skiing, Smugglers' Notch
Hey, have you noticed? The days are getting longer!
Later sunsets make for quality late-afternoon skiing sessions. With that in mind, the Skimeister and I grabbed our skinny skis and headed to the Intervale in Burlington, Vermont.
The Intervale is in city limits but it's an agricultural area. There are organic farms and berry farms and a large community garden. Located along the Winooski River, the place is hopping in the summer.
This would be our first winter visit, and it takes on a whole...[Read more]
Thursday, February 10, 2011
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing
Vermont ski resorts have enjoyed more fresh snow over the last two days! Four to 10 inches fell in the last 48 hours, depending where you were in the state.Bolton Valley reported 5-7" of snow during the day Tuesday, and 8-10" overall on Monday/Tuesday. Stratton reported 7 inches of snow fell on its slopes on Tuesday.
Mountain Top Nordic, near Killington, reported 6 inches of new snow in the last 24 hours, while Highland Lodge Nordic reported 5 inches in the last 24 hours.In some...[Read more]
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Cross-country skiing, Ticket discounts
What a fun, interesting weekend. It included skiing on the groomed Stowe recreation path in the sunshine, watching collegiate ski racers, enjoying apres ski in Stowe, experiencing a wild winter storm with "thundersnow," and trying my hand at raking a roof. I'm pooped.
Saturday's brilliant, blue-sky morning was perfect for cross-country skiing on the Stowe recreation path for the first time. This year a group of skiers has organized consistent grooming of this free path. What a...[Read more]
Sunday, February 6, 2011
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Stowe, Trapp Family Lodge
Vermont ski resorts are reporting 4 to 9 inches of new snow; some got an icing as well.
Mount Snow says the lifts got a coating of ice, so many have a delayed opening this morning. Magic Mountain, also in southern Vermont, said they also had received wet precipitation that created a layer of ice on top of the fresh snow that fell yesterday.
A few resorts, including Mad River Glen, are reminding skiers that this snowfall — which is not as fluffy light as recent storms — is actually a good...[Read more]
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Backcountry skiing, Cross-country skiing
I was jonesing for some outdoor exercise, so I looked at the snow reports for my area nordic centers and found that I needed to "go high" to find some trails that were doing OK after last week's thaw. And none are higher than the Bolton Valley nordic center. So off I went for a lunchtime skate.
I saved this tidbit about elevations from a recent Bolton nordic newsletter:
If you are looking on the NOAA.gov weather site, Bolton is located at approximately Lat/Lon: 44.42°N 72.85°W and...[Read more]
Thursday, January 6, 2011
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Filed in: Bolton Valley, Cross-country skiing
Ever wonder what all the fuss was about when it comes to cross-country skiing or snowshoeing? Well it's about time you found out.
Winter Trails Day
Eight nordic centers in Vermont are offering special events or freebies as part of Winter Trails Day on January 8. The goal: to get people out on the trails in the wintertime to see what they've been missing!
These are the nordic centers in Vermont that will participate in one way or another. Visit this site to read up on the details. Call the...[Read more]
Monday, January 3, 2011
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Filed in: Blueberry Lake, Bolton Valley, Craftsbury, Cross-country skiing, Mountain Top, Ole's, Smugglers' Notch, Stowe, Ticket discounts, Trapp Family Lodge
This afternoon I took a ski tour on the outer-most trails on the wooded side (north side) of Catamount Outdoor Center's nordic trails in Williston, Vermont. It was my first time in the woods here this season, and it was very pretty.
Soft powdery snow blanketed the side of the trails and it clung to tree branches. The ski trails had pretty good coverage. There were some icy-wet spots to contend with here and there, and a few rocks to avoid as well.
I had heard that Catamount had...[Read more]
Sunday, December 26, 2010
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Filed in: Catamount, Cross-country skiing
I think Mother Nature likes to dance. Her recent weather pattern sounds a bit like a ballroom dance step: Snow. Snow. Snow, rain, snow.
So it did rain in Vermont on Sunday/Monday, but it switched back to snow rather quickly in the mountains. Many places in Vermont picked up three to seven inches of fresh snow in the last 24 hours — and a bit more at some of the highest elevations.
Here in the Champlain Valley, I enjoyed some nice cross-country skiing on Saturday before the rain set in on...[Read more]
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Cross-country skiing
Thanks to a persistent snowstorm this past week, the Prospect, Catamount, Bolton Valley and Stowe Mountain nordic centers joined Trapp Family and Sleepy Hollow nordic skiing centers to open for cross-country skiing in Vermont.
I took my skinny skis out for the first time today. I enjoyed the trails at Catamount Outdoor Center in Williston, which is the closest nordic center to the Burlington area. Despite a shaky start -- it took a bit to get my balance at first -- I would catch a good...[Read more]
Saturday, December 11, 2010
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Filed in: Catamount, Cross-country skiing, Ticket discounts
Mother Nature has been cooperating with Vermont ski resorts by allowing for some serious snowmaking to take place recently. And, some snow squalls added a bit of natural snow to the mix today. Eight ski resorts are now open in Vermont — most with limited intermediate and expert terrain.
Gets a skier in the mood for skiing off some of their holiday overindulgence, and for saving some dough! On that note, I received my Catamount Trail Association member coupon booklet earlier this month and it's...[Read more]
Saturday, November 27, 2010
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Backcountry skiing, Catamount Trail, Cross-country skiing, Ticket discounts
The US Ski Team has named its cross-country team for the coming season. With only seven athletes, the team roster is lean, but mean.
Two Vermonters are among the nation's elite team: Andy Newell of Shaftsbury, Vermont — an alumnus of the Stratton Mountain School — and Liz Stephen of East Montpelier, Vt. — an alumna of the Burke Mountain Academy. (Both are pictured here.)
Also with Vermont ties is Simi Hamilton, an Aspen, Colorado, native who was an NCAA All American at Middlebury...[Read more]
Monday, October 11, 2010
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing
— UVM nordic ski team reorganizes; Change of leadership at Dartmouth — The University of Vermont Nordic ski program coaching staff has been reorganized. Patrick Weaver (pictured here) was recently named head coach of the men's and women's nordic ski program. Former head coach Paul Stone will continue on with the program as an assistant coach. Apparently he will begin work on a master’s degree while continuing to work with the team.Weaver, who has served as an assistant the past two seasons,...[Read more]
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Cross-country skiing
I went summer skiing on a glacier in Austria once. It was June. It was raining. We couldn't take in the view because of the clouds. The snow was very soft. And the wind was cold and howling — so it was blowing the trash-bag type ponchos we were wearing to stay dry. I can still hear the wild flapping noise of the plastic!
Luckily yesterday's "summer skiing" was nothing like that. Vermont is having some lovely weather for summer skiing this week and weekend.
The Skimeister and I went for...[Read more]
Friday, April 2, 2010
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Filed in: Bolton Valley, Cross-country skiing, Spring skiing
It was sunny but chilly on Saturday here in northern Vermont. The Skimeister and I went over to play around on the cross-country trails at Bolton Valley, then to watch some of the pond skimming action.
We skied around Picnic and the Valley Loop a bit. The snow was mostly frozen granular, and it was softer in the sunniest spots. They had done a good job grooming after the fluctuations of temperatures we've seen in the last couple of weeks! The snow coverage was still good in this part of the...[Read more]
Sunday, March 28, 2010
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Bolton Valley, Cross-country skiing, Spring skiing
