Backcountry skiing

We explored snowy wooded trails today, and boy are we glad that we did! High in Bolton, Vermont, we found about a foot of light powder to ski in. The tree branches were heavy with snow. It was…

Today the Skimeister and I drove up to about 1,800 feet elevation here in northern Vermont to see what the snow was like. We brought our light ski touring gear, including older waxless* skis. We knew…

We went to our local ski hill here in northern Vermont, which isn't open yet, and we skinned up to earn some turns. It was our first telemark / skinning outing of the season! We're thinking there…

On Saturday morning I headed up to about 1800 feet in elevation here in northern Vermont. I found five inches of fluffy snow. And no base. But that's OK because I had on my old waxless, three-pin…

On Thursday, October 17, it rained a lot in Vermont. But when the clouds later lifted, they revealed bright white high peaks! The highest spots in the state had snow on them and it was lovely. On…

In addition to spending time with family and doing some yard work, we also earned some turns on Sunday. At Bolton Valley (which is no longer running its lifts) you'll still find a bunch of snow. The…

We skied in two inches of fresh cream cheese today. We went in the backcountry trail network at Bolton Valley. The fresh snow clung to tree branches, which started to drip while we were skiing.  The…

Wow! I think Friday's snowstorm was an over-achiever! This morning when we ventured into the Bolton, Vt., backcountry trail network, we measured at least 18 inches of new snow! It was a good thing we…

We hit the backcountry network at nearby Bolton Valley, Vermont, this morning to earn some turns. It was a lovely, windless, warm morning. We found 4 - 6 inches of fresh snow piled up from the last…

It was a stunning day on the snow today! Not a cloud in the sky, a deep snowpack and warm temperatures. So very nice indeed. The Skimeister and I headed to Stowe, Vt., to do a backcountry ski tour.…

I was in my happy place today. We did a ski tour that had us climb up to 3,000 feet and then ski down through the sunny, snowy woods.  It was so nice to be able to leisurely switch over to downhill…

We noticed a change in depth of the snowpack today as compared to a week ago. While doing a backcountry tour we had to duck more often than usual to pass under branches. That's a good sign! (Have you…

This past week's weather was weird in northern Vermont. We had a copious amount of snow fall last weekend, followed by frigid temperatures. (It was so cold and windy that we didn't ski on the Monday…

Today we enjoyed soft, powdery snow in the backcountry trail network in Bolton, Vermont. And that was this morning before the snow started to fall. We are salivating at the snow totals that the…

Hooray for this week’s snow! The Skimeister and I went backcountry skiing this morning and the recent snow made a BIG difference. We found 4 to 6 inches of snow over a crusted base between 2,700 and…

Sunday brought day two of sunshine and day two of skiing in the backcountry in northern Vermont. We had discussed exploring the forest on the flanks of Camel's Hump. So off we went this morning. …

We didn’t see many people on our ski tour this morning. Probably because it was darn cold! We started our ski tour in the bright sun but in temperatures around 0 degrees Fahrenheit. The new snow that…

Bolton Valley Resort opened for the weekend today. While folks flocked to the chairlifts, we skinned into the backcountry to the north of the ski area.  We found a deep snowpack, some open water…

The latest low-pressure system to slowly spin its way over the Northeast has dropped even more snow across Vermont. This morning I skinned up the well-packed track on Bolton Valley’s Wilderness Peak…

The 24-hour snow totals at most Vermont ski resorts are being reported in the teens. You know, like 13 inches or more! Some southern Vermont ski areas are reporting about 20 inches. There was so much…