Resorts & Mountains > Trapp Family Lodge
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
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
A cold front has allowed snowmaking to resume across the state. Thank goodness! And a little bit of fresh snow has fallen over the last two days at higher elevations.
Inconsistent temperatures have forced a couple ski areas to push back their opening dates. Cochran's Ski Area is pushing its opening day back to December 22. Magic Mountain also changed its opening date; it's now December 21. Both ski areas are making snow now.
For an updated look at Vermont...[Read more]
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Cochran's, Craftsbury, Fall & Early season, Grafton Ponds, Magic, Trapp Family Lodge
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
This winter has been rough for most Vermont cross-country ski centers. Unreliable temperatures in the lower elevations and a lack of snowstorms have made nordic skiing tough in many places. However, there is some good nordic skiing if you look in higher-altitude spots.
This would include Bolton Valley nordic center, which sits above 1,500 feet. It's been catching some snow and the melt-downs have not been as drastic as they've been in the valleys. I did a classic ski tour today and...[Read more]
Saturday, February 11, 2012
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Filed in: Bolton Valley, Craftsbury, Cross-country skiing, Stowe, Trapp Family Lodge
Blue skies. White snow. Ski racing action. It was another gorgeous day to be out on skis!
Today's cross-country ski races at the UVM Winter Carnival at Trapp Family Lodge featured freestyle (or skating) races. Both men and women skied 10 km. This time, UVM's Caitlin Patterson came out on top. On the men's side, Middlebury's Patrick Johnson won for a second day in a row.
I photographed the women's race today. Enjoy the photos!
Today the conditions called for a skating on the trails...[Read more]
Sunday, February 5, 2012
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Ski racing, Trapp Family Lodge
We caught some of the racing action today at the 2012 UVM Winter Carnival. We watched the men compete in the classic cross-country race at Trapp Family Lodge. It was a 10 km race on a lovely, sunny day. Then we tried to emulate what we saw by doing some classic skiing ourselves on the snowy trails. Stowe had received about 1 to 2 inches of snow overnight.
Enjoy the photos! There's more racing tomorrow if you want to check it out!
Here are the top 10 women's classic results
1 ...[Read more]
Saturday, February 4, 2012
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Ski racing, Trapp Family Lodge
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, Ski racing, 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
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
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
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
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
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
On the Sugar Road at Trapp nordic center today — the first day of spring — we heard birds chirping away, saw families out enjoying mild temperatures, and watched die-hard cross-country skiers try to make the most of a melting ski surface.
With the extraordinary stretch of warm weather we have had lately in Vermont, Sugar Road — Trapp's major thoroughfare — is melting down in a big way. In many places we had to tip-toe around muddy or rocky spots. Otherwise we were scraping along frozen...[Read more]
Saturday, March 20, 2010
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Food, coffee & après ski, Spring skiing, Trapp Family Lodge
A friend and I took quite the cross-country skiing tour at Trapp Family Lodge today. We skied up to the cabin, around the hill called Roundtop and then down to the maple sugarhouse to see the sugaring in progress.
We arrived when the nordic center opened at 9 a.m. I had seen some blue sky on my drive up Route 100, but by the time I put my boots on, the clouds had moved in. We would see a few minutes of sun later during our outing and luckily not a drop of rain or sleet. I made use of my...[Read more]
Saturday, March 13, 2010
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Spring skiing, Trapp Family Lodge
What a gorgeous day it turned out to be in Stowe, Vermont, today. I headed to Stowe with two goals in mind: check out some of the 2010 Stowe Derby race action and then take a ski myself.
The 16km race course starts atop Mt. Mansfield and wends its way down into town to follow the recreation path all the way to the church in Stowe Village. Just think — most skiers do all this on skinny skis.
It was fun to see how they actually got people through the course — having to cross a couple busy...[Read more]
Sunday, February 28, 2010
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Stowe, Trapp Family Lodge
Vermont ski resorts are reporting between one to 8 inches of fresh snow this morning — the farther north you go, the higher the total. Some resorts have been getting a little bit of snow every day this week.
This will be an exciting weekend around Stowe, Vermont. The University of Vermont Winter Carnival takes place Friday to Sunday with both alpine and nordic ski racing.
The alpine events are at Stowe Mountain Resort, while the cross-country races are at Trapp Family Lodge. We're planning...[Read more]
Thursday, February 4, 2010
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Cross-country skiing, Ski racing, Stowe, Trapp Family Lodge
The two largest cross-country centers in Stowe, Vermont, are in the midst of a tiff over a forest trail that connects the nordic centers.
Because of the falling out between the Trapp Family Lodge and neighboring Stowe Mountain Resort, the Ranch Camp trail will not be groomed for at least part of its length — causing skinny-skiers to think twice about moving between the two resorts.
And the Catamount Trail Association is now saying that those who want to ski the Catamount Trail, which follows...[Read more]
Monday, December 21, 2009
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Filed in: Backcountry skiing, Cross-country skiing, Stowe, Trapp Family Lodge
What a day!
Saturday was a warm and sunny day to strap on some skis. Enjoy our photos from Trapp Family Lodge Nordic Center, where spring conditions prevailed and the sap buckets were collecting maple sap. The snow cover was very good, and conditions called for waxless skis or Klister wax (very, very sticky stuff!).
In the afternoon we stopped in to see what was new at the West Branch Art Gallery, next door to the Rusty Nail. We then had a maple latté at the Stowe Coffeehouse near the...[Read more]
Sunday, March 15, 2009
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Food, coffee & après ski, Spring skiing, Trapp Family Lodge
Wow—along with some amazing new snow (it kept snowing yesterday in the mountains of Vermont), there are some hot skiing competitions happening here and abroad, as well.
As for the snow, Bolton Valley is reporting an overnight total of just over a foot, on top of the 6 inches from yesterday! Sugarbush is also reporting 17 inches in the last 48 hours. Yeow! I'm going to have to go out for a "business meeting" in the backcountry this afternoon.
Check this NOAA site for details on additional...[Read more]
Friday, February 20, 2009
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Backcountry skiing, Bolton Valley, Cross-country skiing, Ski racing, Sugarbush, Trapp Family Lodge
Seems like several Vermont resorts are celebrating anniversaries this year. Killington is turning 50, Sugarbush is 50 and Trapp Family Lodge's cross-country center has turned 40. To commemorate four decades of skiing, Trapp Family Lodge cut a new trail and named it "The 40 Year Trail." I would have called it the Back 40, but hey, they didn't ask.During what must have been a 14-km loop, the Skimeister and I tried out this new trail on Saturday morning and also skied for the first time on Hare...[Read more]
Monday, February 9, 2009
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Food, coffee & après ski, Stowe, Trapp Family Lodge
This weekend's UVM Winter Carnival 2009 brought fast skis and fit racers to the courses at Stowe Mountain Resort and the Trapp Family Lodge. We caught some of the action at the Men's 10K Freestyle cross-country race on Saturday at Trapp's.
It was the inaugural event on Trapp's newly designed race course. It starts in the field right outside the cross-country center and proceeds down the practice slope, then sharply left and over to a long hill near Deer Pond. From there, the course switchbacks...[Read more]
Sunday, February 8, 2009
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Stowe, Trapp Family Lodge
The snow remains in great shape here in Vermont. Yesterday the Skimeister and I took a quick cross-country ski nearby and the coverage was excellent. It was very chilly, however, so we retreated to the warmth of our home rather quickly.
The weather will warm up by Saturday, when we expect to watch nordic ski racing in Stowe at the UVM Winter Carnival and ski around Trapp Family Lodge's cross-country trails.
With Valentine's Day coming up next week, I thought I'd share this article about...[Read more]
Thursday, February 5, 2009
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Cross-country skiing, Okemo, Stowe, Sugarbush, Trapp Family Lodge
Saturday dawned with clear, sunny skies and the Skimeister and I cemented our plans for the day over breakfast. Despite the expected drop in temperatures during the day, we would head over to Stowe, Vt., to tackle the lower Steeple trail. It would my first time on this backcountry skiing terrain to the west of the Stowe Mountain Resort nordic center, and to the south of Mt. Mansfield. It's a historic Vermont trail that I had read about in David Goodman's "Backcountry Skiing Adventures" book,...[Read more]
Sunday, January 25, 2009
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Filed in: Backcountry skiing, Cross-country skiing, Food, coffee & après ski, Mt. Mansfield, Stowe, Trapp Family Lodge
Friday afternoon update: The Skimeister and I took a longish lunch and did some cross-country skiing at Catamount nordic center in Williston, Vt. The coverage was good. My poles punched through about five inches of snow on the side of the trails. So, the higher elevations should have even better snow conditions!
Bundle up and have fun this weekend. Many Vermont ski resorts are nearly 100 percent open now.
Now onto winter carnivals, which take on two forms in Vermont. The first is a collegiate...[Read more]
Friday, January 23, 2009
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Backcountry skiing, Burke, Cross-country skiing, Food, coffee & après ski, Okemo, Stowe, Trapp Family Lodge
I thought I'd share a few photos with you from Stowe and the Trapp Family Lodge cross-country center. I had a really fun and informative day of nordic skiing on Saturday as part of the first-ever Catamount Trail Association's Ladies Expo. More than 100 women descended on the center to get coaching in classic and skate cross-country skiing and backcountry ski techniques.
Everyone I spoke with had a terrific day. The sun was out most of the day and we were doing all sorts of drills so we...[Read more]
Sunday, January 11, 2009
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Filed in: Backcountry skiing, Cross-country skiing, Food, coffee & après ski, Stowe, Trapp Family Lodge
Skiing marathons, ice harvesting and a Wassail Weekend are all on the list of Vermont's Top 10 Winter Events for 2008/2009. The list is issued by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce after judges comb through hundreds of snow-season festivities—big and small.
Take a moment to chill out this summer by perusing these Vermont winter events. Of note to skiers and riders: This year marks the 27th running of the Craftsbury cross-country skiing marathon; there's a nordic ski race benefit in Stowe; and the...[Read more]
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Burke, Craftsbury, Cross-country skiing, Killington, Trapp Family Lodge
What a difference a day makes.
On Saturday I was bundled up against the wind and cold while backcountry skiing, and by Sunday afternoon I had no hat and only wore a midweight fleece as I cross-country skied at Trapp Family Lodge nordic center in Stowe, Vermont. It was heavenly!
Before I skied, I stopped at the Stowe Coffee House, located near the three-way stop in Stowe Village. It's tucked back behind the Stephen Huneck gallery—you know, the dog art guy. I read the Sunday paper over a small...[Read more]
Monday, March 31, 2008
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Filed in: Cross-country skiing, Food, coffee & après ski, Mt. Mansfield, Trapp Family Lodge
I love checklists. It gives me great satisfaction to tick things off as I complete them. Yesterday I had the pleasure of checking off the Bolton-Trapp Trail on my skiing to-do list for this season. It was the first time I had done this backcountry excursion and it was tiring, but extra snowy and fun!
The Skimeister, his step-mom and I dropped a car on Nebraska Valley Road in Moscow (a section of Stowe), Vermont, before driving to our starting point at the Bolton Valley nordic center. The car...[Read more]
Sunday, March 2, 2008
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Filed in: Backcountry skiing, Bolton Valley, Catamount Trail, Trapp Family Lodge
The Catamount Trail Association (CTA), the group that cares for the 300-mile trail that runs the length of Vermont, got some good press a couple of days ago in the Burlington Free Press.
The article is not online (sorry, the Free Press site is extremely lame) but it reported that the organization is hosting the most ski trips and events this winter than ever before. About 30 individuals are leading nearly 60 ski tours.
The tours are rated for different abilities and you must sign up in...[Read more]
Friday, February 22, 2008
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Filed in: Backcountry skiing, Bolton Valley, Catamount Trail, Trapp Family Lodge
Middlebury College squeaked by the University of Vermont to win the UVM Winter Carnival in Stowe, Vermont, this weekend. The Skimeister and I caught some of the nordic action on Saturday, which featured zippy 1.2 km sprints.
These were really short, fast races and from the meadow at Trapp Family Lodge you could see the racers for nearly all of the course. Real fun to watch! I just had to go inside once for a $1 cocoa to defrost. Ahhhh...
At a UVM aprés-ski event, UVM Director of Skiing Bill...[Read more]
Sunday, February 3, 2008
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Cross-country skiing, Stowe, Trapp Family Lodge
Snow is on its way this weekend, but not before a potential mix of precipitation on Friday. Hopefully Mother Nature tosses out more of the white stuff than sleet!
The ski resorts are currently reporting good conditions and they are offering an abundance of open trails and lifts. Check the snow report links on my Vermont Ski Resorts page before you go. By Saturday you may be pleasantly surprised with reports of fresh powder up high in the hills!
This weekend is UVM Winter Carnival Weekend...[Read more]
Thursday, January 31, 2008
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Filed in: Alpine / downhill skiing, Cross-country skiing, Stowe, Trapp Family Lodge
