Main content

Springy Nordic skiing under the sun at Ole's Cross-Country Center

Posted Thursday, March 26, 2015
— Cross-country skiing, Ole's, Spring skiing

Nordic skiing at Ole's Cross-Country Center in Warren, Vermont — with Sugarbush in view.

On the "runway."

Heading east on the Deer Run Trail.

Off-piste on the Warren Pinnacle.

Birches on the Warren Pinnacle Trail.

Spring sunshine and temperatures were forecast today so we made plans to enjoy the day outside. We put a couple pairs of Nordic skis in the car and headed to Ole's Cross-Country Ski Center in Warren, Vermont. We hadn't been to Ole's this winter for some reason, so we wanted to get there before the season ends. 

We started for the Deer Run Trail, first crossing the wide-open expanse that serves as a runway in the summertime. (Ole's is located at the seasonal Sugarbush-Warren Airport.) The sky was bright blue, the snow a blinding white, and there were handsome mountains all around. It's a lovely and quiet corner of Vermont. 

Depending on where you are on Ole's trail network, you can get views of the Sugarbush ski trails, Camel's Hump or distant Mt. Hunger. I guess that is why we head to Ole's on gorgeous days! 

The sun had softened much of the snow, but it was still powdery or icy in the shady spots. We had sticky klister on our waxable classic skis, and if we didn't keep them moving they would ice up. Going in the counter-clockwise direction, Deer Run would take us downhill past a few homes and a horse farm. Then we'd follow a small stream before climbing into a large meadow. We passed skinny birch trees and eventually entered a corn field with a view of Sugarbush's Lincoln Peak. Nice.

We decided to leave the klister behind for our next loop. We put on our waxless, three-pin touring skis and struck out on the Warren Pinnacle Trail. First we climbed up an open field and then we passed more birches and entered the woods.

We followed the trail a bit and then decided to ski alongside the snowshoe trail that leads to the top of the Pinnacle (1,675'). We weaved our way around trees and moose tracks. The pinnacle only offered mountain views through the trees, but it was fun to bushwhack our way up there on a stunning spring day!

Ole's Cross-Country Ski Center at a Glance 

  • Located at 2355 Airport Road, Warren, Vermont, at 1,500 feet in elevation
  • 45 km of machine-tracked trails
  • Half of Ole’s trails are in the fields and half are in the woods
  • 30% of trails are rated easy; 50% intermediate; and 20% difficult
  • Rentals and lessons are offered
  • Free skate skiing clinic weekly & occassional free classic clinics (not for novices)
  • Snowshoe trails available, too
  • Small café at Ole’s is open 10 - 4 on weekends and holidays
  • Beware of muddy dirt roads and parking area in springtime

Share This Blog Post

 

Post a Comment

No Account Needed! To post a comment without any kind of account, you can type in a name, nickname or trail name and an email (which we do not collect or use) then select "I'd rather post as guest." We'd love to hear from you!

Link to get a Protect Our Winters membership

 


Fresh snow in the woods

Thank goodness the snow is back!

Posted 3/13/24

Thanks to a rather long-duration storm, some of Vermont's higher elevations saw 2 feet of snow through Monday. This was a very welcome development! The first wave of snow was heavy and wet, while the…

Skier in pink makes a turn in knee-deep powder

Enjoying some fluffy new snow in northern Vermont

Posted 2/18/24

So grateful for new snow! At higher elevations in northern Vermont, we've seen quite a bit of fluffy new snow in the last couple of days. Above 1600 feet or so there's often a decent, frozen base, as…

Late-afternoon Nordic ski in soft snow

Posted 2/9/24

With Saturday looking like it will hit 45 degrees at 2,000 feet with possible rain showers in northern Vermont, it was time to hit the cross-country trails today! We took a late-afternoon ski at…