Cross-country skiing
So this is what I've got on the topic of which Vermont ski resorts are still open now that it's mid-April...
Many mountaintops were still looking white today. It's not too late to get some turns in!
Still OPEN in Vermont:
Jay PeakKillington (plans to be open daily through daily through Sunday, May 5)Stowe (plans to be open daily through this Sunday, April 21)Sugarbush (plans to be open daily through Sunday, April 28)Mt. Snow is closed this week, but will re-open for a final...[Read more]
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Craftsbury, Cross-country skiing, Jay Peak, Killington, Mount Snow, Spring skiing, Stowe, Sugarbush
Winter is resisting the change of seasons, and it’s alright with me!
The last couple of days brought some fresh snow fall on northern Vermont mountains. The temperatures also stayed cool. Although this will be the first weekend of April, we should see some nice snow coverage!
Check our Vermont ski conditions links on this page to see how the snow is at your favorite ski resorts. Visit this page for Vermont cross-country ski condition links.
Also this weekend,...[Read more]
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Cross-country skiing, Spring skiing
Isn't life funny sometimes?
Just as I started my climb up the Bryant trail on the Bolton Valley backcountry trail network today, an email was received and waiting on my iPhone in my backpack. The email announced that the Friends of Bolton Valley Nordic & Backcountry and the Vermont Land Trust had done it: we successfully completed the fundraising campaign!
You'll be glad to know that because of the effort and generosity of many Vermonters, the Bolton Valley Nordic &...[Read more]
Thursday, March 21, 2013
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Filed in: Backcountry skiing, Bolton Valley, Cross-country skiing
March 20th is the first day of spring and we're in the midst of a snowstorm today, the 19th. While some folks are lamenting more shoveling, we skiers and riders are psyched!
This morning Vermont ski resorts were reporting 2 to 9 inches of snow had fallen already. Today the snow continues. The National Weather Service is forecasting a foot or more of snow to fall in many Vermont mountain areas by Wednesday morning. I love seeing double digits on their snowfall...[Read more]
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Backcountry skiing, Bromley, Cross-country skiing
I think the snow that fell in the last day and a half was a bit of a surprise for Vermont ski areas. A welcome surprise, of course!
Ski resorts are reporting a couple of inches of new snow to nearly 10 inches atop a couple northern Vermont peaks. Nice.
Nordic ski centers also picked up snow in places like Stowe, where they report 2 - 5 inches. Check out our links to Vermont resort snow conditions.
While it's sunny this morning, look for snow to move in this afternoon and evening. The...[Read more]
Friday, March 15, 2013
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Cross-country skiing, Mad River Glen
Did you know Smugglers’ Notch has a Nordic trail network? Well they do, and it’s quite nice.
On Sunday afternoon, after finishing some house chores, I took off for a warm, spring ski. I wanted a location that was rather high and not baked by the sun, so after getting a ticket and consulting the trail map, I set my sites on the highest trail in the network.
It was mostly sunny and warm on Sunday, so I only needed a zip top on and I was not wearing gloves. I carried water and a snack,...[Read more]
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Smugglers' Notch
Congratulations to the ski racers at the 2013 NCAA Skiing Championships! The races were contested on the slopes of Middlebury Snow Bowl and trails of Rikert Nordic Center in Ripton, Vt.
While things were looking very good for UVM to take another title this year, they finished on the podium in third place. U Colorado and U Utah beat them out on the last day. Sigh.
The SkiMeister and I watched the last day of racing on Saturday. We saw the men's Nordic 20K freestyle and the...[Read more]
Sunday, March 10, 2013
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Rikert, Ski racing
The SkiMeister and I watched the last day of NCAA Skiing Championships racing on Saturday. Here' you'll find photos of the men's Nordic 20k freestyle at Rikert Nordic Center at Middlebury College's Bread Loaf campus.
Top 10 finishers in the men's race.
1 HAVLICK, Miles /U Utah
2 OEDEGAARD, Rune /Colorado U
3 ULSUND, Einar /U Utah
4 SODERMAN, Erik /Northern Michigan U
5 PERSSON, Niklas /U Utah
6 RESALAND, Mats /U New...[Read more]
Sunday, March 10, 2013
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Rikert, Ski racing
I had a first today: I saw deer roaming in the forest while I did a cross-country ski tour at Trapp Family Lodge Nordic Center in Stowe, Vt.! We saw three of them in the woods between the Russel Knoll Trail and Sugar Road. They saw us, but didn't raise their tails and take off—we were quite a distance away. How cool is that?!
As for the other animals I mention in the headline, they made up some of the trail names that we encountered today. Our rather long ski tour...[Read more]
Saturday, March 2, 2013
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Food, coffee & après ski, Trapp Family Lodge
Three to 14 inches of snow being reported this morning at Vermont ski areas! Amounts varied by location, with Burke Mountain reporting the three inches.
Check out our Vermont ski resorts page for links to the snow reports at your favorite hill or cross-country center.
Nice way to close out February, eh?[Read more]
Thursday, February 28, 2013
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Backcountry skiing, Cross-country skiing
Here are a couple shots from our cross-country ski today in Stowe, Vt. Soon after we started out, big flakes began to fall. They continued through our midday ski. Thank goodness I brought sunglasses with me so my eyes weren't pelted by snow on the downhills!
Hope you get out on the snow this weekend, too![Read more]
Saturday, February 23, 2013
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing
I'm happy to report that we're picking up some snow this week! This morning Vermont ski resorts were reporting between 3 and 6 inches of new snow. Now the National Weather Service is saying:
"A Winter Weather Advisory is now in effect for portions of northern and central Vermont for 4 - 8" of upslope snow from this afternoon through Thursday."
The ski areas in the Green Mountains are pleased with this news. And I bet you are, too!
Check out the NWS Burlington's snow info page,...[Read more]
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Backcountry skiing, Cross-country skiing
I travel up and down Interstate 89 quite frequently, but rarely do I have time to get off the highway to explore. Yesterday was the exception to the rule. I had time to ski in the afternoon before returning home so I decided to check out the Woodstock Nordic Center.
I've visited the quaint village of Woodstock, Vt., a number of times — but never in the winter. The Woodstock Inn's golf course is transformed with a blanket of white snow to become the base for...[Read more]
Friday, February 15, 2013
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Filed in: Backcountry skiing, Cross-country skiing, Food, coffee & après ski, Woodstock
Who was able to find some good skiing in Vermont this weekend? Anyone?
Yesterday's powdery backcountry tour was cold but beautiful, and today I did an afternoon cross-country ski at Catamount Outdoor Family Center in Williston, Vermont. The sun and temperatures were gorgeous! The views weren't too shabby either!
Williston didn't seem to get too much snow out of this storm — perhaps six inches or so. There are some thin spots and grassy spots on the trails,...[Read more]
Sunday, February 10, 2013
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Filed in: Catamount, Cross-country skiing
Skiers and weather forecasters are all in a tizzy about the impending snowstorm! As of Thursday evening, it looked like Vermont could get anywhere between 4 inches and 14 inches of snow. Things may change, of course, but it looks like southern Vermont will win the prize on this one. Because of the strong coastal storm, southern Vermont should get more snow than northern Vermont.
We'll see what happens. We'll take as much snow as Mother Nature feels like dumping on us!
Please...[Read more]
Thursday, February 7, 2013
3 Comments
Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Cross-country skiing
You’ve heard the term “frozen granular,” right? Well I was on the definition of frozen granular today while doing some cross-country skiing. The Skimeister and I went for a ski at Stowe Mountain Resort Nordic Center and they had done their best to chop up previously frozen snow, mixed in with a dusting of new snow.
It was fast stuff!
It was great to get outside, and we were very thankful that a few cross-country centers have held on to their snow. We skied across a bunch of wind-tossed...[Read more]
Saturday, February 2, 2013
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Food, coffee & après ski, Stowe
After another thaw that closed out January — this time hitting us on Wednesday and into Thursday — we're now heading back into winter weather. A couple of ski areas closed on Thursday to help retain the snow they had on their trails. As temperatures dropped on Thursday, the ski resorts were turning their snowmaking guns back on and planning their grooming attack on the trails.
Rain turned to snow, as well. A few resorts are reporting 2 - 3 inches of new snow...[Read more]
Friday, February 1, 2013
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Cross-country skiing
With temperatures expected to rise to 10 degrees or more today, and a bright, sunny start to the day, it was clear that I had to get out and hit the trail!
On colder days I really prefer to stay warm while I ski. This typically means backcountry or cross-country skiing. I checked the snow report at Ole's Cross-Country Center in Warren, Vt., and headed out in the late morning.
When I stopped in to get my trail pass, a helpful staff member gave me the low-down on conditions. One section of...[Read more]
Saturday, January 26, 2013
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Ole's
We have had a Stowe kind of week. The two biggest Nordic centers in Stowe held on to much of their snow after last week's thaw, so we ended up skiing there again on Saturday.
My friend and I enjoyed a loop at the Mt. Mansfield (Stowe Mountain Resort) Cross-Country Center. We made use of a Catamount Trail Association coupon for two-for-one skiing in the afternoon. (Gotta love that member coupon book!)
Stowe had received 2 - 3 inches of fresh snow Friday night into Saturday morning,...[Read more]
Sunday, January 20, 2013
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Food, coffee & après ski, Stowe
We drove to the Stowe area to do some cross-country skiing today after lunchtime. We had heard that the Stowe Mountain Resort and Trapp Nordic centers got about two inches of snow in the last day, so we thought we'd check it out.
We lucked out as the afternoon grew sunnier and we skied under bright blue skies. The trails were well-covered at the Trapp Family Lodge cross-country center despite the recent January thaw. The snow is definitely firm underneath the groomed...[Read more]
Thursday, January 17, 2013
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Stowe, Trapp Family Lodge
The Vermont Land Trust and Friends of Bolton Valley Nordic and Backcountry have planned some fun events this winter as part of the campaign to save the Bolton backcountry land from development.
Two of the events take place this week and weekend, and they include a chance to get out and experience the property in wintertime with some folks who know it well.
The most recent communiqué from the land trust reported that we're 95% of the way to the fundraising goal, with $93,000 left to raise...[Read more]
Monday, January 14, 2013
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Filed in: Backcountry skiing, Bolton Valley, Cross-country skiing
Spring was in the air and in the snow today as we visited Rikert Nordic Center in Ripton, Vermont. It was Winter Trails Day and Rikert (pronounced rye-curt) was offering free skiing, rentals and a group lesson. Can't beat that deal!
The Skimeister was helping with the Northeast Disabled Athletic Association's free sit-ski clinic. I took a tour that would bring me in a clockwise triangle of sorts through the Nordic network, which is based at Middlebury's Bread Loaf...[Read more]
Saturday, January 12, 2013
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Rikert
As luck would have it, after compiling a nice depth of powdery snow over the last couple of weeks, we are now in a warming pattern. Call it a January Thaw if you'd like.
The Skimeister and I took a quick cross-country ski today to get some exercise in the bright sunshine. Here in the Champlain Valley the sun was warm and the snow was soft.
Friday or Sunday may provide unpleasant precipitation; it may be warm enough for rain up in the hills. Aargh. But hopefully it...[Read more]
Thursday, January 10, 2013
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Cross-country skiing
One of the benefits of buying a season pass to a Vermont Nordic center is that typically you get one free pass to most of the other cross-country centers in the state. It is a good incentive to try new Nordic centers or revisit those you haven't skied for years. The latter was the case for me as I drove to rural Huntington, Vermont, today to ski at Sleepy Hollow Ski Center.
Nordic centers are reveling in all the snow that dropped during the holidays. The skiing is great pretty much...[Read more]
Sunday, January 6, 2013
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Sleepy Hollow
The snow continues to be great thanks to Mother Nature serving up frequent “refresher” snows overnight. Today was a cold one (a good day to get work done), but the temperatures will warm up for tomorrow and the weekend so you can be sure we'll be playing in the snow!
Here are a couple of events that can help you try out a new sport, or get a friend introduced to your favorite snowsport.
Winter Trails Day
On January 12, some Vermont Nordic centers are offering special lessons or...[Read more]
Thursday, January 3, 2013
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Cross-country skiing, Ticket discounts
We're going to be skiing into the New Year in style! The snow's great for all kinds of skiing and riding. Plus, there are torchlight parades and/or fireworks at resorts such as Burke Mountain, Jay Peak, Bolton Valley, Sugarbush Resort, Stowe Mountain and Stratton Mountain this evening.
On the “bummer” side of things on this New Year's Eve, however, Magic Mountain in southern Vermont is closed today and tomorrow because of lift maintenance issues. Really bad timing. At Bolton Valley,...[Read more]
Monday, December 31, 2012
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Bolton Valley, Catamount, Cross-country skiing, Magic
Nordic skiers are rejoicing with all the new snow! And the Nordic ski area operators from northern Vermont to southern Vermont are pretty darn happy, too!
We went to our local cross-country center, Catamount Outdoor Center in Williston, Vermont, for a nice classic ski today. There was plenty of snow and the trails we skied were all groomed with classic tracks.
There were some wet spots to avoid on the trail, so some long-term freezing weather would be great! (You really don't...[Read more]
Saturday, December 29, 2012
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Filed in: Catamount, Cross-country skiing
I love it when the National Weather Service forecast uses two-digit figures. As of Wednesday late-afternoon, we're looking at a storm from tonight to Friday morning to drop more than 10 inches of snow around Vermont. Likely more in the mountains.
Yippee!
Follow this link to keep track of NWS storm forecasts (like the image below) and snowfall totals in Vermont. You can probably guess that I'll be checking it often, too!
And if you are going to be driving sometime...[Read more]
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
1 Comment
Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Backcountry skiing, Cross-country skiing
Hope you got out to play in the fresh snow today! All I wanted for Christmas was some snow, and we got it!
We enjoyed a ski tour today on the cross-country trails at Bolton Valley. A few trails were groomed (but no classic tracks set), most were not groomed. Lots of water crossing the trails (it needs to freeze up) but it was lovely to ski through about 10 inches of light, powdery snow. Beautiful!
Nordic and downhill ski areas throughout Vermont are opening new terrain with the...[Read more]
Sunday, December 23, 2012
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Filed in: Bolton Valley, Cross-country skiing
Well, elevation means everything this week in Vermont. While many towns and villages and base lodge areas have seen rain and sleet, there's been a mix of snow, sleet and rain up higher on the mountains.
Yesterday morning 2 to 5 inches of new snow were being reported at many Vermont ski areas. And this morning a couple more inches were being reported at the tops of some peaks. Middlebury Snow Bowl, Sugarbush, Stowe, Jay, Bolton, Burke and Killington were among those reporting snowflakes this...[Read more]
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Bromley, Burke, Catamount Trail, Cross-country skiing, Killington, Middlebury Snow Bowl, Mount Snow, Sugarbush, Ticket discounts
Ooh la la! We had the good fortune to take in the World Cup Nordic sprint races in Québec City this weekend and what a weekend it was!
First of all, I'd estimate that one-third of the crowd was from the US — many representing Vermont. This was the first World Cup event to be held in eastern North America in 27 years, and lucky for us it was withing driving distance of the Green Mountain State. With a handful of racers hailing from Vermont, you bet they had friends and family lining the...[Read more]
Monday, December 10, 2012
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Ski racing
Today the SkiMeister and I were looking to get on our skinny skis for the first time this season. We decided there might be enough fresh snow to ski on if we found some flat terrain. We headed for Jericho, Vt., and the Mills Riverside Park.
We knew there wasn't a ton of natural snow at that elevation, so we didn't take our best skis, but hoped there was enough to slide across. We were in luck, as we found five fluffy inches of snow — enough to cruise on!
We strode around the large field...[Read more]
Saturday, December 1, 2012
1 Comment
Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Fall & Early season
As part of the fundraising campaign to purchase the exceptional Nordic and backcountry terrain next to the Bolton Valley resort, the Friends of Bolton Valley Nordic & Backcountry (FOBVNB) and Vermont Land Trust have been coming up with a variety of special events. I attended a meeting this week and I can share a few of the events to look forward to this summer.
Some of the events strive to get more people familiar with this beautiful piece of land, which is enjoyed by...[Read more]
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
6 Comments
Filed in: Backcountry skiing, Bolton Valley, Cross-country skiing, Ski towns in summer
Craftsbury Outdoor Center in northern Vermont has been hosting many of the country's best nordic skiers all week — first with the USSA Super Tour Finals and then with the 30k & 50k National Championships.
The Skimeister and I hit the road early to catch today's men's race. The gun went off at 9 a.m. with 90 racers starting because juniors were also racing in the group, although for a shorter 20k distance.
Craftsbury has been creative this season with...[Read more]
Saturday, March 31, 2012
2 Comments
Filed in: Craftsbury, Cross-country skiing, Ski racing
Two inches of new snow on the shady trails at the Stowe Mountain Resort cross-country center made for some nice skiing today. I took a cruise on the Ranch Valley Cruise. It was my inaugural ski on this trail, and I loved it.
After a fast ski down the very steep hill on the Stowe Derby Trail, I arrived at the Adams Camp bridge. I climbed up a hill from Ranch Brook and found myself in a quiet, north-facing corner of the nordic network. I passed two snowshoers, and at the...[Read more]
Saturday, March 10, 2012
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Stowe
It was a year ago that I first got word that the owners of Bolton Valley Resort were selling a large parcel of land to an individual. And the shocker was that it would include the nordic trails and hamper access to a wonderful backcountry trail network. Most of the nordic center trails were not supposed to open for the 2011-2012 season.
Tears came to my eyes while reading that news. But thankfully, that was not the end of the story.
Luckily for skiers,...[Read more]
Friday, March 9, 2012
2 Comments
Filed in: Backcountry skiing, Bolton Valley, Cross-country skiing
Today was a day for passing snow showers in the Mad River Valley of Vermont. We enjoyed a nice cross-country ski tour at Ole’s nordic center in Warren, Vt.
The temperature was in the 30s with little wind, so it was a day when you could unzip your jacket much of the time. The snow on the sides of the trail had crusted over in the last couple of days, but the groomed trails were good for skate skis and waxless classic skis. In most places, the classic tracks were too...[Read more]
Sunday, March 4, 2012
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Ole's
Wow! I just skied in a bunch of new snow today!
Take a look at the snow in the photos. And it kept coming down all day...
I knew the wind would be an issue today, and the Skimeister was volunteering at at an adaptive skiing race at Trapp Family Lodge. Those two things led me to come up with a plan that didn't include a high mountaintop. We would stay in the woods and ski from Trapp Family Lodge to the Mt. Mansfield/Stowe Mountain Resort cross-country...[Read more]
Saturday, February 25, 2012
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Filed in: Backcountry skiing, Cross-country skiing, Mt. Mansfield, Stowe, Trapp Family Lodge
We're hoping that this snowstorm that is now passing through Vermont will leave a decent amount of snow in its wake! The timing of the storm was later than they expected, and the storm totals have vacillated a bit. Bottom line: We'll have to wait to see what happens by the time the storm winds down by Saturday night!
One thing that seems to be clear is that the winds are now blowing in the mountains and they are expected to blow tomorrow, too. Bolton Valley ski resort canceled night skiing...[Read more]
Friday, February 24, 2012
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Backcountry skiing, Cross-country skiing
The Skimeister and I headed to Stowe for some cross-country skiing today. It's one of the few places that has had consistently good nordic skiing during this up and down winter. At the Stowe Mountain Resort nordic center, conditions weren't as good as a couple of weeks ago, but they were pretty nice once you got off of the sunlit field and past the first pine trees. The snow got better the farther into the network we skied.
We had hoped to do classic skiing, but the...[Read more]
Saturday, February 18, 2012
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Stowe
