Cross Country Skiing

[Pika]

First day of skiing today- the trails have been open for about a week now- we are going to go classic skiing today as I need new skate skiing boots and haven't found any yet.
soo excited..it has warmed up ( only -5C which means it will be about -10C on the trails compared to -20C last week when they opened) and we have all day to toddle along:)
(goal of todays workout- sustained low heartrate - another reason we are using our classic skis- my HR goes crazy skate skiing becaseu I am pretty inefficient at it)

[roadie gal]

We didn't go skiing yesterday. It was snowing like crazy all day. We had to go to Reno and then got caught behind a freeway closure. So we sat in a casino parking lot for an hour before they decided to let locals only through to get home. We crawled home in 4WD at 20 mph. Needless to say we were exhausted. (Maybe this should be a separate rant.)

I guess yesterday was a recovery day. :o

Today is beautiful, with about a foot of new snow. I'm going skiing today for sure!

[warneral]

I borrowed a jacket from my sister and picked up some ski pants and gloves from sierra trading post. I think I'll rent some cross country skis to try it out. We have no snow yet though.

I'd like to purchase a package from REI but I think I should probably try it out to see how I like it first. I'm excited to see there are many groomed trails in my area (when we have snow).

[roadie gal]

I'd highly recommend renting equipment and taking a lesson the first time out, even if you've downhill skied before. It'll make a big difference in your enjoyment.

[Crankin]

I didn't follow the rent equipment thing, but I have bought 2 packages from REI, and they were great. When I went to upgrade about 6 years ago after having crappy skis for ten years, I bought a pair of boots that just cut my feet to pieces. After trying 3 or 4 times, I returned them, no questions asked. The service was great. I upgraded my skis again last year, near the end of the winter and again, they were great. I decided to keep my boots, and no one pressured me into buying anything.
I did take 2-3 lessons, as I am not a down hill skier. It helped a lot. Although I do remember being so excited when I got my first skis, I drove to a local golf course and tried them out, without any instruction.

[ridebikeme]

Another great place to check for ski's is AkersSki.com. They are located here in the small town that I live in and have been in business for over 50 years! They are very helpful, have some great prices, offer closeouts when available, and defiintely will take the time to explain/answer questions for you. The wonderful thing about this shop is that they actually care about you and making sure that you enjoy the sport with the right equipment.:D

[roadie gal]

The first skate skiing day... Ugh. I made it 45 minutes before my legs just STOPPED. No matter how hard I try to cruise and take it easy, skating makes me red line every time.

[solobiker]

The first skate skiing day for me today. I felt great and felt like I was in better shape then last year. It must be from the running I have been doing. Last year at this time I could not do one of the loops without resting several times. Today I did the loop 1.5 times without having to rest:) Yeah me!! I wish I did not have to work tomorrow...I want to head back up.:D

[solobiker]

Went out today...this time with my traditional setup. DH and I got in about 10 miles on rolling trails. My legs were getting tired near the end of it, but it was still fun and I can't wait to get back out there.

[roadie gal]

Well,it finally stopped RAINING, so I went skate skiing yesterday. It went pretty well. The best part was finding out that one of my friends skis exactly the same way I do: slow but steady, aiming for distance rather than speed. So she and I are going again today. Yay.

But we are going to need snow again soon... maybe later this week.

[Crankin]

Still no snow here and none predicted for the next week. There's nothing I hate more than freezing weather with no snow on the ground. Yesterday and today are really warm (52), but we had torrential rain. It will be no higher than 30 for the rest of the week. Fine for running outside, but at the edge for me as far as riding goes. I only had one outdoor workout last week and it's disturbing.
Please let it snow!

[solobiker]

We need more snow out here too. They have been getting quite a bit on the west side of the divide but I want it on the east sid of the divide where I do most of my nordic skiing. The weather report is not looking to good for snow though...60s this week. I am taking Friday off so I hope to get in more skiing. Hope everyone is doing well.

[Jolt]

How hard is it to learn to XC ski? I will be interviewing for jobs shortly in Duluth, MN where it snows a ton, so if I end up moving there I would like to learn.

[Crankin]

It's not that hard. Believe me, I am not that coordinated and I taught myself the basics and then took 3 lessons to learn how to climb/descend. I skied on beginner trails for years, until friends got me out on the big hills. If you have consistent snow, your skills can ramp up fast. I am the same kind of skier as I am rider; I can climb and descend almost anything, but I am not super fast. Not slow, slow or a beginner, but steady. I actually think I have better skiing skills than riding. Not sure why, except that it's closer to the ground to fall!

[DebW]

I actually think I have better skiing skills than riding. Not sure why, except that it's closer to the ground to fall!

Not to mention that the ground is usually softer under your skis!

[solobiker]

Not to mention that the ground is usually softer under your skis!

Unless when you fall going at a fairly fast speed and your knee hits your ski...happened to me last spring and I ended up with a cracked knee cap:eek: Boy did that hurt. Still hurts at times. I went to my nemesis hill last weekend and was able to do it without incident..although I was going quite a bit slower this time:p

[roadie gal]

We've had about a week of snow/rain/snow/rain, etc. There wasn't a huge accumulation at my house (6700 ft elevation) but the higher elevations got about 10-12 feet. Today was marginally nicer, although still snowing a little, so we decided to go to the XC center with our touring skis. We took those skis because we had no idea what the conditions would be like and we knew we could handle anything with those skis, even if it was slower going than the skaters or track skis.

I'm glad we did because we hit everything from ice to hard pack to powder to mush as we changed elevation. But it was 2 good hours of exercise and still a lot of fun.

[roadie gal]

I took a downhill skate ski clinic yesterday. I'm pretty weenie about going downhill on those skinny sticks.

We went over to the local "beginner" ski hill and practiced there. Basically it was a beginner alpine ski lesson on the skating skis. We started with snowplow and progressed over a few hours to parallel turns.

I don't know if I'll be able to parallel in the groomed trails, but I think this did help a lot with my fear of going downhill.

I'm hoping to go skate skiing today after I do all of my "honey do's". So we'll see what happens.

[mudmucker]

Got 18" from the last storm. Great conditions everywhere!

Went to Wendell yesterday, Friday. I saw some guys over near the maintenance barn and started talking with them since I noticed Wendell hadn't been groomed yet and it was 2 days after the storm. Got the full low-down. About 52 DCR employees got laid off recently. That leaves 2 people to maintain 4 state parks that are near me.

However they will groom next week they said - they were waiting for some "traffic" and compression since the snow was so fine and dry. They did go out on snowmobiles to compress a little bit so right now the paths are 2 snowmobile widths. The conditions were excellent when I went out. They'll be grooming twice a week with a machine thereafter.

It was quite busy when I was there, for a weekday. There were 3 cars at one access and 6 at the main access. I passed 4 people while I was out. The guys said that because of the economy people are looking for cheaper alternatives for fun, and that forest usage during the winter has increased in the last 2 years.

Today I went to Dennision. This is always well maintained. I learned that DCR owns the groomers but Coldbrook does the maintenance which is why conditions are so good all the time. It was fairly busy with snowmobilers though being a weekend after some very good snow. I went to a part that was less busy and had an excellent ski but I might avoid Dennison on the weekends unless I go late in the afternoon or on a weekday.

However today I came across the dogmusher that goes out there. How fun.

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[Crankin]

That looks cool, Mudmucker.
I went to Northfield Mountain today. I went with friends who are faster skiers than me, but since I drop her on the bike all of the time, they understand. DH has been horribly sick, so he stayed home.
Northfield is a unique place. It's groomed and a regular touring center, but it's very down to earth. So, despite the fact my hip/back is killing me, I climbed to the top of the mountain, 1100 ft., on the blue trail and skied back down on a blue trail. No falls, one little slip where my knee went down, and feeling very tired from essentially climbing the whole first half, which took us 1 hr. 20 minutes. We ate lunch at the overlook, but didn't dawdle, since I felt really chilled, I had sweat so much. Going down took like 10-15 minutes.
There were lots of cars there, but only one other guy at the top, eating, and one other group at the summit, when we were getting ready to go down.
OK, gotta go clean myself up, now that all of the gear is put away.

[DebW]

I skied Windblown today for 6 hours. Nice conditions though bits of grass showing through in a few places. Tomorrow I'll be skiing at Great Brook Farm for the afternoon.

[jessmarimba]

Any of you Colorado folks (or anyone who'll be visiting CO) interested in a TE cross-country ski gathering/teach Jesse to CC ski day some weekend? :)

[solobiker]

Sure thing!! I was able to get out of work early on Friday and skied for a few hours at Eldora's nordic center and yesterday I went with DH to do some touring up near Ward. Very fun. I am bummed the weekend is almost over. What type of skiing are you thinking?? Skate or Traditional? Or would you be more interested in backcountry touring? Hmmmm..so many options:D

[bluebug32]

Today's skiing adventure consisted of 2 hours of trails along the ice-jammed Hudson River in Mills-Norrie State Park.

[jessmarimba]

I'm not sure. But I've known how to ice skate since I learned to walk - would skate skiing be easier then?

Anyone free at the end of the month - Jan 29 or 30?

[Crankin]

I went to Windblown for the morning. I skied with a friend for a couple of hours, about 11K. The conditions were pretty good, although the downhills were a bit slick. Not the worst I've seen, though. I still feel a little slow/weak on the flats, but I know it's just what happens to me after I have been sick. It was a gorgeous sunny day, about 11 degrees when we started and 18 when we left. Of course, after 5 minutes, I am sweating like a pig. The neck gaiter came off quite quickly. Although it was crowded because of the holiday, I didn't feel like the trails were crowded. So, I had Brant drop me off at another friend's house, as we had plans to have coffee when I got back. When I went to get my stuff out of the car, and transfer it to my friend's car, as she would be driving me home later, I didn't have my boots! :mad:. I called Windblown and they had them. So, I guess I am going skiing on Wednesday, as it seems silly to drive up there and get them without skiing. It's supposed to snow a little tomorrow and then turn to rain here, but up there, it should stay as snow.
I guess I was tired when I left, because I never do stuff like that.

[solobiker]

I am free at the end of the month as it stands now. I was supposed to go on a hut trip but can't for a few reasons. I have a season pass for Eldora which is a pretty cool place to ski, lots of trails. They do offer lessons up there too if you are interested. I would be more then happy to help you out too. Skate skiing is not my strong style...but I can still do it. You will be amazed at the people skiing there. Being so close to Boulder I am sure there are quite a few pros up there.

As for the trails...they are not flat by any means. I have heard that lots of people come down from Summit County to train at Eldora because of the hills. They have slightly more Traditional then Skate trails.

I am going to see if I can work a half day again soon to go up and play around. Let me know your thoughts. I think we live kind of near each other but can always meet up at Eldora.

[limewave]

I snuck out yesterday for a 8km of xc skiing. It was divine! Perfect snow conditions. Lovely groomed trails. A mile or so of breaking snow through the woods.

[Kathi]

Keystone Nordic is offering a "Women's Workout" on Jan. 29th and Feb. 5th. Lessons are "Starting Skating", "Next Step Skating" or "Improving Classic Skiing". $25.00 with equipment rental, $20.00 if you have your own gear. Not sure if this price is for 2 lessons or 1. Pre-registration required. Keystone's web site has no information so call the no. 970-496-4275.

Although I want to learn to skate ski I'm working on improving my classic skiing first, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to do the "Improving Classic Skiing" lessons.

Keystone does offer beginner classic lessons on Fridays and Eldora has a Women's program during the week.

No matter which you chose I do recommend lessons to start off right, especially if you don't Alpine ski.

The beginner trail at Keystone Nordic is pretty flat with a couple of little hills. The intermediate trails are hilly with some flat. I haven't skied other Nordic areas here because I can ski at Keystone Nordic free with my Vail ski pass.

[solobiker]

Keystone Nordic is offering a "Women's Workout" on Jan. 29th and Feb. 5th. Lessons are "Starting Skating", "Next Step Skating" or "Improving Classic Skiing". $25.00 with equipment rental, $20.00 if you have your own gear. Not sure if this price is for 2 lessons or 1. Pre-registration required. Keystone's web site has no information so call the no. 970-496-4275.

Although I want to learn to skate ski I'm working on improving my classic skiing first, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to do the "Improving Classic Skiing" lessons.

Keystone does offer beginner classic lessons on Fridays and Eldora has a Women's program during the week.

No matter which you chose I do recommend lessons to start off right, especially if you don't Alpine ski.

The beginner trail at Keystone Nordic is pretty flat with a couple of little hills. The intermediate trails are hilly with some flat. I haven't skied other Nordic areas here because I can ski at Keystone Nordic free with my Vail ski pass.

Jess, this sounds like it would be a great Idea for you and pretty cheap too. Eldora where I often go is known to be hilly which can be frustrating if you are new to the sport. I am still more then willing to give you some pointers if both you and I head up there at the end of Jan.

As for the Womens programs at Eldora the 1st session has already started and the second sessions start in the middle of Feb I think. Last year they had them on Tue and Wed (you pick which day works best for you) and it runs for 6 weeks. I did the womens telemark last year and it was pretty fun. I had to switch my days off to make it work.

Hope you find something that works for you. It is really fun and great exercise.

[jessmarimba]

Thanks for the info! The Keystone program sounds perfect.

[solobiker]

Have fun Jess!!!!

[Kubla]

We tried XC late last winter and were immediately hooked! (I'd been wanting to go for a long time, but DBF wasn't totally on board with the idea at first.)

I am middle-aged, fairly active-but not a 'natural' athlete. Group lessons (where I'm typically one of the oldest students and not as quick to catch on as the others) aren't my best learning environment.

Less than a week after taking a group lesson, he asked, "So are we ordering ski packages - or what?!" Unfortunately there was a problem getting the right size boots for me and it only snowed once after we got them.

In the past few weeks I've been out 3 times and it's starting to feel more comfortable. We live next to conservation land and can make our own trails to some extent, but hopefully I can improve my skills with a private lesson somewhere nearby to kick things up a notch.

[solobiker]

Had the day off from work yesterday so I headed up to the local nordic center for some skiing. It was a little on the cold side and windy..(my water bottle started to freeze) It was so nice out on the trails because I pretty much had them to myself. I only saw maybe 6 other people the whole time I was out. I manged to get in about 10 miles which felt great. Hope to get out over this weekend too. This time maybe hit the backcountry for some touring. Ahhhh to many choices;) I love Colorado!!

[Crankin]

Kubla, I don't think there are any x country centers in SE MA. You could try the Weston Ski Track, which would be the closest for you, for a private lesson. It's not that pretty (a golf course overlooking the highway), but it's good for learning. It's right near the intersection of 128 and the Pike. Great Brook Farm in Carlisle would be prettier, but further away. They have lessons, too.
I think you will find that this is a sport that is done by many older people. You can ski at any speed you want and find terrain that suits your needs. I skied for about 12 years on beginner trails, until 1) I got better skis with metal edges and 2) I found friends that were willing to coax me up and down the hills. It didn't take me very long to "get" it. Of course, taking up cycling in the interim helped more than anything else.

[Kubla]

Crankin,

We went to the Weston Ski Track for our group lesson last year. On a second outing, we rented snowshoes and hiked around the grounds. I fell a LOT the first time we used the groomed trails and was uneasy with people whizzing by in all directions.

A confident woman in her 60s made it look so easy; I envied her skill level. She laughed and said I'd be zipping along in no time.

This year I have already noticed a big difference while skiing around our neighborhood; maybe it is the powder snow instead of the icier surface at the ski resort that helped me stay on my feet?

On another note: does anyone know if replacement parts are available for bindings? One of the rubber accordion-like pieces on a binding has disappeared already. The mechanism still works; not sure what its function is.

It's not as if the skis were handled or stored roughly. Seems they shouldn't be breaking already...is this normal?

[Crankin]

I used to fall a lot, too. A couple of things helped. One, was getting shorter skis, with even better edges, and two, was just practicing and skiing under a lot of different conditions. One day it just clicked. Falling never bothered me, but it was embarrassing at times. I remember rolling around in the snow, trying to get myself up from a fall at Weston, when I took a "refresher" class with AMC about 7 years ago. And yes, the conditions make a huge difference. We *have* had more powder this year so far, so get out there!
Your skis shouldn't be breaking after this amount of time, but it does happen. If you got them at REI, they fix them pronto.

Another glorious morning at Windblown today. We didn't have a lot of time, so we got there by 9:45. They were having an orienteering event and I thought it would be mobbed, but it wasn't. It was busy, but again, once you are out on the trails, the people disperse quickly. My DH is recovering from bronchitis and hasn't skied since our New Year's weekend in NH, so we took it a little easy, since he's still coughing. We skied about 9.5K, doing some good climbing at first, some downhills, and ending with a couple of long flats. The conditions were awesome, packed powder, but very fast. There was ice clinging to the tree branches, glistening in the sunlight. This is why I love New England. Yesterday, I snow shoed on my neighborhood trails/conservation land for about an hour... should have brought the poles this time. It was tough getting up the big climb in deep snow.
More snow coming on Wednesday!

[Kubla]

I went out for about an hour today. The additional snow we got yesterday seems to be too deep for my BC 65 (Rossignol) skis. (We chose that model so we could use grooved tracks or venture out on our own.) I got around ok, but it was more of a compromised shuffle than a glide today. It was easier in the woods where the snow wasn't as deep.

DBF still owes me a Christmas gift, so I may be getting a wider pair for deep snow eventually...caught him researching ski equipment online when I got home.

That missing rubber 'accordian' piece apparently keeps the binding from collecting snow and ice and prevents the release mechanism from jamming. Which is exactly what happened. It wasn't a problem last week, but with the additional 6 inches of powder from yesterday, it filled up. I had to ski home and take my foot out of the boot because the binding wasn't going to release the boot until it thawed.

We bought everything at Onion River Sports online. I Emailed them Monday and got no response when I asked if I could get a replacement part. Not too surprised; couldn't reach them by phone but will try again.

[mudmucker]

So it was perfect conditions out my way. The snow was still dry with little moisture so nice and powdery. A temperature of 24 F. The kind of snow where your glide is long and effortless and you can trot up the hills without a herringbone because all is perfect; wax and excellent grip at the kicker, and no ice. I usually wait until later in the afternoon to ski because it is typically the fastest then and there are fewer encounters with people. Sometimes I end up coming out as the sun is setting or dusk and wonder that after 33 years I haven't become a pre-nocturnal dinner for coyote. I'm kidding, sort of. .. But it's all worth it. So just when I thought it couldn't get any better than this today...it did. The groomers came through about 3:15 pm.

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ghv7T6ztD3g/TTtOwHuGb8I/AAAAAAAACRI/R9ScGTV6Bmc/s640/DSC02182.JPG

I haven't been so excited to see machines in the woods in a long time. My heart was warmed when I saw them and I just couldn't stop smiling.

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I was ready to wrap it up but until I saw the groomers I couldn't resist. I stayed out later and followed in the wake of their path and it was pure bliss. Pure unadulterated fresh groom was ALL mine. Few were left in the park at that time.

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http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ghv7T6ztD3g/TTtOylnCQDI/AAAAAAAACQU/zpfS8uklJ_U/s640/DSC02189.JPG
All mine free and clear for as much skating as I wanted. Talk about chi.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ghv7T6ztD3g/TTtPEZYjupI/AAAAAAAACQ8/c7HYtnGQMI0/s640/DSC02191.JPG

[Kubla]

What nice-looking trails! Sounds like you had a day that will always be remembered.

Too bad we can't put those special outings in a bottle and save them to be savored over and over...

[rubywagon]

That looks like perfection mudmucker. Glad you had such a great day!

[windhorse]

Is that by any chance Wendell State Forest? I was thinking of heading out there today(sunday). I have only mountain biked there.

I have been skiing locally @ Fairhaven Bay behind Walden Pond. The conditions are pristine, single tracks through the woods. Last week a barred owl swooped over head as I glided over the silent snow.

[Crankin]

I went to Great Brook today for the first time this season. Despite the huge crowd, once you got into the trail system, it didn't feel too crowded. Except when I started and got stuck behind a group of skiers who were on an outing and getting instruction. I finally got to pass them after I crossed the road, necessitating me to take off and put my skis back on. I could hear them crossing behind me, but there was a little climb and a downhill, so I lost them.
But, I felt discombobulated today! I didn't fall, climbing and descending were fine, but I just felt wobbly on the flats and I was going slowly. Some of it was I think I was just a bit "on guard" with all of the skaters whizzing by me and the newbies falling, kids, etc. The conditions were still powdery, but slick. When I got to the ridge it was nice and quiet there. Lots of cyclists there today, too. One older guy (well, he's probably my age), made a comment about my "two water bottles" in my pack. I told him and the woman he was with that I sweat and drink a lot. When I got back to the center, I was putting on my regular boots when they sat down next to me. He started yacking about how was a cyclist and he had this special drink in his bottle... I realized he had been on one of our rides awhile back, but I just said that he looked familiar. He went on for like 15 minutes about people we know in common.
I skied about 10K and I am pretty tired.

[mudmucker]

Is that by any chance Wendell State Forest? I was thinking of heading out there today(sunday). I have only mountain biked there.

That was Dennison. It's only 3 miles fom the house and I'll go there if I'm short on time as I was yesterday. Great conditions as it is well maintained but it is a state forest that can get a lot of snowmobile traffic if you go at the wrong time. I don't mind encountering snowmobiles at all as they are very considerate but I do mind the fumes if the air is still.

I ended up going to Wendall today but I didn't get there until 2pm. I rarely use the main access - I go to other less used access points. If you've mt biked there you likely know of them. Today I noticed that some of the trails were a little slick, depending where in the park you were skiing. The northeast side trails were good. I meandered over to the west side to parttake in the wood stove and noticed the western trails were a bit icy, but then I was there late too.

[DebW]

I skied Saturday at Prospect Mt. near Bennington Vt. It was great snow and good trails. A group of us did the Moonlight ski that they have once a month. You get a dinner in the lodge, then ski ~2 km to a pond where they have a bonfire. A guy does a visual dance swinging firepots while shirtless in 5 degree weather. We were supposed to be skiing by moonlight, but the moon hadn't risen yet, so most of us used headlamps. Did a lovely but not hard snowshoe hike today.

[Crankin]

Just got back from another great day at Northfield Mountain. It was 30 when we started and went up to about 35. We did the same climb up to the top of the mountain, which felt long, but getting to the top was awesome. This time, we didn't eat at the top, though, and skied right down the blue trails. It didn't feel hard or scary at all.
After lunch, the 4 of us went up a green trail we had skied down previously, but then switched to a blue trail we had no idea about, as far as if it was a climb or a descent. It was probably the longest climb I've done on skis. Not super steep, but bad enough that I was saying "I am going to die," about half way through. Once I stop, like for lunch, I find it is a lot harder for me when I go back on the trail. But, we were finally rewarded with the long downhill on the green trail, where I got in a tuck position and sped down really fast. I kept hearing the voice of the guy on my winter training core video, saying " If you do this, you'll be able to stay in the tuck position for a longer time, on the bike." I have to say, my legs were screaming, but all the core work has helped.
A total of 9 miles. I am going to have ribs and beer tonight!
Next weekend we are going to Franconia for 3 days.

[mudmucker]

I have about 18,000 acres of either state forest or WMA within 6 miles of my house. About 2000 of those have access about a quarter mile from my house. This doesn't even include Wendell SF or the Quabbin, which is 25 minutes from me. First thing I do when I move to a new place is get myself a map and compass and head out to the woods, or explore by mt. bike. I've lived here for 7 years and have done a lot of exploring and am familiar with a lot of these places.

But today I went to an area to ski that I hadn't thought of which slipped off the radar years ago. You can connect to parts that I do know from it. I have to say after all these years I actually was in an area I had never been. I didn't recognize a thing, not a landform, nothing. It was great. It was so wonderful to not know where I was, to have this woodland experience be so fresh and new and full of antipation. I kept wanting to go further to discover what was around the bend, to see if it did finally connect to something I recognized. It never did. It was a larger area than expected. It was getting near 4pm and because I was unfamiliar with the area, wanted to get back to the car before dark. Nor did I have a topo map and it was cloudy with no sun. There were all sorts of diversions and offset paths heading to different areas. I wanted to explore all of them and see where they went. There were so many I'm not even sure I'd be able to explore them all with what winter is left. I'll have to come out on the mt bike to be able to cover greater area. But then it started to snow and there was one trail that was just too darn inviting. It went through a grove of white and red pines so you felt you were going through a tall cathedral forest. Likely a pine plantation of an old management practice that was once commonly used to quickly reforest abandoned deforested land. You see them a lot around here. The snow was falling softly. All was quiet. It was cleared. A snowmobile had gone through once but it looked like it had been few days ago. A thin veneer of snow was laid over the snowmobile tracks making for perfect snow conditions. So I shuffled through the pines, just me and the quiet. The snow and ski in such harmony that the uninterrupted kick and glide gave a zen like quality. I was in a zone. The fresh cool air, flakes falling so slowly and peacefully. It was heavenly, a perfect feeding for the soul.

Never know what fresh experiences lie ahead in the day when you wake up.

[jessmarimba]

I learned today - we spent about 5 hours at Eldora between the lesson and the trails we went on. It was much easier than I was expecting, though I don't think I weighed enough for the ridiculously long skis I had. Hard to get the part beneath my feet to ever touch the ground, so going up hills was stupid slow sometimes. Next time I want to learn skate skiing.

[Becky]

We got ~8" of snow on Thursday, so DH and I finally got to try out our new skis! Rossi BC65s for me and BC70s for him. I am pleased to report that we chose well for our conditions- they're beefy enough for breaking trail without being overwhelming for our typical snow amounts, short enough to turn easily, and metal edges really do help when it turns icy.

Hooray! :D

[DebW]

I
But today I went to an area to ski that I hadn't thought of which slipped off the radar years ago.

Never know what fresh experiences lie ahead in the day when you wake up.

Cool.

[lph]

Ooo. Went skiing today in our local woods, after shuffling my feet for two weeks. It was excellent. Brilliantly groomed, even though the base is a bit hard and icy. I have new skis. Ooo. My 13 year old son is now an efficient and strong skate skier, almost as good as my dh, but I can report that I can still double-pole the h*ll out of both of them. ;)

[Kubla]

This afternoon DBF and I took our skis and explored the conservation land behind my house. It was his first outing this year-and my fourth.

Our skis (Rossignol BC 65s) don't do well in in deep snow, but we were lucky enough to find some trails that had been packed down by snowmobiles, so it worked out ok.

We've been looking for backcountry skis that would handle the deep snow more efficiently. Does anyone have experience with the Rossignol BC 90, Alpina Lite Terrain or Madshus Epoch? We don't need anything too aggressive for steep downhill. We'll stick to trails and fairly gentle slopes.

[solobiker]

Whaaaaa...I didn't get to go out this weekend. I had a bad cold all week and by Friday just as I was starting to feel better I ended up with the stomach flu:( Oh well, There is always next weekend. Hope everyone Had a fun time. LPH way to go!!:D

[mudmucker]

This afternoon DBF and I took our skis and explored the conservation land behind my house. It was his first outing this year-and my fourth.

Our skis (Rossignol BC 65s) don't do well in in deep snow, but we were lucky enough to find some trails that had been packed down by snowmobiles, so it worked out ok.

We've been looking for backcountry skis that would handle the deep snow more efficiently. Does anyone have experience with the Rossignol BC 90, Alpina Lite Terrain or Madshus Epoch? We don't need anything too aggressive for steep downhill. We'll stick to trails and fairly gentle slopes.

I just saw this. Funny, I've been looking at the same 3 skis over the last 2 weeks. I don't have any personal experience but I've been doing some research and can offer some thoughts. Can see if it matches yours. I think our terrain and goals are similar...100% off trail use on rolling topography. No wilderness. No long gladed descents. No mountain type environment.

I too have a pair of older backcountry skis that have tip and waist similar to your Rossi 65s. I don't seem to want to do as much distance with those skis. And I'd like to better be able to carve out a couple of lazy turns in deeper snow if I want.

I'm looking for more float. Don't want anything too heavy.

I'm leaning towards the Epochs.

I have not seen any of these in person yet. I've called a couple of places to talk with the reps but I hope to go to a shop this weekend. The Alpinas have great float but appear to be more "telemarky" and I don't really have any extended long terrain that would warrant them. They are probably heavy because of it and I think there would be too much comprise of kick and glide.

The Rossi 90s on the other hand seem like they'd be lighter and have some control on the turns, and maybe better kick and glide on the level. But I'm wondering if the dimensions would actually offer that much more float over what I/we already have. Not sure if 26 mm extra of tip and 7 mm extra of waist would make that much of a difference with the deep snow that we have. Our snow usually has moisture and packs well but how comparable would it be? I'm thinking pretty similar.

So I'm leaning towards the Epochs. They have healthy dimension for float. A healthy sidecut for carving on a hill if you want that option. And I think still a fairly soft camber for quick responses for turning and navigating through tight trees for when I want to go through those areas. I have a lot of more open logging roads and access roads though that would probably be my predominant route but it's nice to have the extra option. You'd probably give up some kick and glide but I have fast skis if I want to do that. Can add skins I think if I want to climb something bigger. I don't mind slowing down for the remote and "no one's been through here yet or ever" experience that I'd like to get back to lately.

The verdict is still out for me. I hate to fork over all that money. I don't mind putting out for the skis. I already have an SNS system on my skis with a Salomon backcountry boot. I might be able to get away with that with the Rossi 90s but I probably would have to change out with the Epochs.

Let us know what you decide if you go forward with one of them.:)

[Crankin]

All this snow is making me dizzy! I cannot wait to get out there. Hoping to go out tomorrow after the storm ends.
We are going up to Franconia Friday for the weekend. I will be skiing at some places I haven't been to before, and the inn we are staying at is ski out the door.
On Saturday I said that I think I like x country skiing better than riding. My friends thought I was kidding, but I am not. I think it's because I feel more confident and I actually like the descents. I feel like I have more control descending on skis than on my bike, where I am a wimp.
I am not giving up cycling, obviously, but I am very happy with all of the snow that is falling, and I am sick of everyone else complaining about it.

[beccaB]

We just started cross country skiing, been out maybe 6 times. Is there a good source for learning stuff about it? There's quite a learning curve, and we just have cheap skis and even cheaper poles and sometimes my hands hurt. Maybe it's that death grip thing. I would like to know if I'm even using the right ski for the conditions. Not something I learned from growing up in Florida, that's for sure!

[Kubla]

I just saw this. Funny, I've been looking at the same 3 skis over the last 2 weeks. I don't have any personal experience but I've been doing some research and can offer some thoughts. Can see if it matches yours. I think our terrain and goals are similar...100% off trail use on rolling topography. No wilderness. No long gladed descents. No mountain type environment.

I too have a pair of older backcountry skis that have tip and waist similar to your Rossi 65s. I don't seem to want to do as much distance with those skis. And I'd like to better be able to carve out a couple of lazy turns in deeper snow if I want.

I'm looking for more float. Don't want anything too heavy.

I'm leaning towards the Epochs.

I have not seen any of these in person yet. I've called a couple of places to talk with the reps but I hope to go to a shop this weekend. The Alpinas have great float but appear to be more "telemarky" and I don't really have any extended long terrain that would warrant them. They are probably heavy because of it and I think there would be too much comprise of kick and glide.

The Rossi 90s on the other hand seem like they'd be lighter and have some control on the turns, and maybe better kick and glide on the level. But I'm wondering if the dimensions would actually offer that much more float over what I/we already have. Not sure if 26 mm extra of tip and 7 mm extra of waist would make that much of a difference with the deep snow that we have. Our snow usually has moisture and packs well but how comparable would it be? I'm thinking pretty similar.

So I'm leaning towards the Epochs. They have healthy dimension for float. A healthy sidecut for carving on a hill if you want that option. And I think still a fairly soft camber for quick responses for turning and navigating through tight trees for when I want to go through those areas. I have a lot of more open logging roads and access roads though that would probably be my predominant route but it's nice to have the extra option. You'd probably give up some kick and glide but I have fast skis if I want to do that. Can add skins I think if I want to climb something bigger. I don't mind slowing down for the remote and "no one's been through here yet or ever" experience that I'd like to get back to lately.

The verdict is still out for me. I hate to fork over all that money. I don't mind putting out for the skis. I already have an SNS system on my skis with a Salomon backcountry boot. I might be able to get away with that with the Rossi 90s but I probably would have to change out with the Epochs.

Let us know what you decide if you go forward with one of them.:)

We are really new to this so we're learning as we go along. Since the winter is zipping along, it will have to be a crash course. Neither of us minds checking out product reviews and FAQ information. After one outing/lesson, we were hooked enough to want to get away from renting and dealing with the 'traffic' at a resort.

But-like other sports we are involved with-(cycling, kayaking, etc.) it's hard to choose one set of equipment that will serve fairly well in multiple situations. We have touring bindings on our BC 65s (part of the package they came with) and touring boots. They do well on groomed/packed trails or a few inches of snow but flounder in the depth of white stuff we've been blessed with in the past couple weeks.

We'll probably skip over the backcountry bindings/boots option and go to a 3-pin setup with removable cables this time. Hopefully that strategy will serve us well in deeper snow and on hills. Our plans are similar to yours: trails in the woods, slogging through deeper snow and ungroomed trails in a state park or conservation land. No extreme or mountainous terrain. (At 57, I have no desire to fly down a mountain at warp speed. I do want to learn to navigate efficiently.) Turning and stopping would be handy skills... :)

John wanted to order the BC 70s, but I pointed out that they would not be different enough from what we have. I leaned toward the BC 90s at when the search began but-like you mentioned-they may not be aggressive enough. In retrospect (which is always 20/20), the 90s might have been a better choice for the first set of skis-although the 65s will still fit in a groomed track. We do like them.

I believe you can use either a backcountry or 3-pin system on the 90s, but think the Madshus Epochs require a 3-pin setup. Of course, this means another pair of boots, but it seems inevitable that we'll need another collection of equipment.

I don't know much about Alpinas yet, but the Madshus brand seems to be well-regarded. After what I've read (so far), the Epochs appeal most to me of the 3.

[mudmucker]

Since the winter is zipping along.......white stuff we've been blessed with in the past couple weeks.
YES we have been blessed. And it's quality snow too.

I liken our xcountry skiing to corn on the cob in our parts. Sweet and delicious, but the season is so darn short it's over in the blink of an eye.

I'm thinking of the 3 pin setup as well because I know it'll give me the versatility and experience that I'm looking for. Which means more cash for another set of boots and binding. Cripes I already have 4 different pairs of skis for various kinds of skiing and conditions. It's like bike math. N+1= more better


I am sick of everyone else complaining about it.
Just let it be. It's all part of the New England spirit. We'll complain about too much snow. We'll complain about not enough snow. We'll complain that the snow isn't good enough. We'll complain that there's too much snow on the roads, snow banks are too high, too much shoveling. Too cold. Not cold enough. Then we'll start complaining that it's too hot, too much rain, too cloudy, too humid. Then we'll complain that it's getting too dark earlier. Rinse and repeat.

[Cataboo]

I've got alpina cross terrain bcs & 3 pin bindings. And really, I mostly just take myself into the woods or up the ridge nearby and play. They're my first cross country skis and bindings, and I figured that set up would be the most versatile since i probably will not ever drive myself to a track.

I've been pretty happy with them, but I'm not going to say I actually know what I'm doing :)

[Crankin]

Yea, Mudmucker, I'm a native New Englander, so I understand the "complaining" psyche. But, I still am sick of it. I think it's more the reaction I get when I say I love the snow, for the very reason you stated... the season is so short here and I get to ski for about 5-8 weeks.
I guess I also have the perspective of someone who has lived in 2 other places where there was no winter. Believe me, endless summer does not solve all of one's problems, as most New Englanders believe.
All of this talk of back country skis is making me want to get some different skis! I ski at groomed areas, but sometimes I do go out in conservation land. While my skis have edges, they are pretty skinny and I don't find it that fun to ski in the woods. DH has the back country boots, but I still have the softer Rossignol ones, because when I tried the bc ones, my feet just got chopped up... serious blisters, cuts, and bloody feet. I really tried to make them work, but I took them back to REI.
This might start to be like cycling; how many pairs of skis can I have?

[Kubla]

Yea, Mudmucker, I'm a native New Englander, so I understand the "complaining" psyche. But, I still am sick of it...... All of this talk of back country skis is making me want to get some different skis!..... This might start to be like cycling; how many pairs of skis can I have?

I hear you on the issue of constant weather complaints. I'd much rather live in New England, where each change of season has something interesting to offer. With no offense intended to other areas of the country-I wouldn't want to live where I'd have to worry about finding a 10 foot Burmese python, giant rat or alligator on my back step in the morning. Forget long periods of humidity, too. :(

As a "late-blooming enthusiast", I'm realizing that having my own gear often blooms into a variety of equipment. Renting is a great option at first, but once on board with a sport, there is nothing like having your own "stuff" that works and fits correctly.

If someone had told me I'd ever need more than one bike, I wouldn't have been able to fathom the idea. But here I am with 4 (count 'em!)...and all are used during the season, depending on the ride.

I have one kayak for ocean paddling and another for flatwater. Like bicycles (and skis) the design dictates the best function; it's impossible to find one that does it all. Thankfully, I'm content with owning just one horse. (Not that I don't look wistfully at horses that have been placed in rescue due to the economy-and wish that I could save them all.)

As interests evolve, our goals often change-why not experience them to the max? Go get yourself some backcountry skis and enjoy...the end-of-season deals are pretty good right now!

[Cataboo]

I actually have boots & bindings for another 2 pairs of skis - one nnn boots & bindings, one nnn-bc boots & bindings... I'm somewhat waiting to find a great deal on some skis sufficiently different from my alpinas for them.

I do have a couple sets of sns-bc bindings that are new in box if anyone's interested. I'd bought them because they were labelled nnn-bc which was wrong.

[Kubla]

We just started cross country skiing, been out maybe 6 times. Is there a good source for learning stuff about it? There's quite a learning curve, and we just have cheap skis and even cheaper poles and sometimes my hands hurt. Maybe it's that death grip thing. I would like to know if I'm even using the right ski for the conditions. Not something I learned from growing up in Florida, that's for sure!

BeccaB, we are new to this, too. I have found the Onion River Sports site to have quite a bit of information. Their videos help demystify the equipment.

But-like bicycling-first you need to have an idea what style of cross country skiing appeals to you (groomed tracks at a resort?, skate skiing?, backcountry?, etc.) then you can focus a more on the equipment needed for the chosen discipline: http://www.orscrosscountryskisdirect.com

www.backcountry.com has a live chat feature that might help with your questions, as does www.skinnyskis.com (I'm sure there are others.)

There are XC forums out there too; the ones I've found so far are www.wintertrekking.com and www.xcskiforum.com

[roadie gal]

We just started cross country skiing, been out maybe 6 times. Is there a good source for learning stuff about it? There's quite a learning curve, and we just have cheap skis and even cheaper poles and sometimes my hands hurt. Maybe it's that death grip thing. I would like to know if I'm even using the right ski for the conditions. Not something I learned from growing up in Florida, that's for sure!

Do you have a cross country ski area (or a downhill area with XC trails) around you? If you do, I'd recommend taking a lesson. I've always found lessons so much more helpful than videos or books. There's a lot of technique to even simple striding. The better your technique the more you'll enjoy the whole thing. You can also try out better equipment to see if that makes a difference for you.

[roadie gal]

I went out for a skate yesterday. It was one of the few days that I didn't have a time limit. So I decided to go to one of the warming huts on top of the mountain that I've never made it to on my skaters, although I have on the striding skis.

Well, I huffed and puffed and stopped and went all of the way up to the hut. It seemed like it took forever. The only other person I saw was one of the nurses from work. She and I took turns passing each other and then stopping to catch our breath. At one intersection, she turned off onto a different trail and I kept going. I was VERY tired by the time I got back to the lodge, but I'm so jazzed that I made it! Maybe next time I can do it without stopping so many times...

[Kubla]

I just found (what seems to be) a pretty good online deal for a backcountry ski package at Akers Ski in Maine. Here's the catch: the skis will be pre-drilled, but the bindings will need to be installed by the buyer.

Does anyone know what is involved for installation of 3-pin bindings? Do they just snap into place-or is there a lot more to the task (glue, brute force, etc.)?

I plan to write to them, but they are closed on Sundays and it doesn't appear initially that installation is available at an additional cost.

[DebW]

I just found (what seems to be) a pretty good online deal for a backcountry ski package at Akers Ski in Maine. Here's the catch: the skis will be pre-drilled, but the bindings will need to be installed by the buyer.

Does anyone know what is involved for installation of 3-pin bindings? Do they just snap into place-or is there a lot more to the task (glue, brute force, etc.)?

I plan to write to them, but they are closed on Sundays and it doesn't appear initially that installation is available at an additional cost.

3-pin bindings install with screws. If they come predrilled, it takes alot of the work (positioning and alignment) out of it. You need elmer's glue or slow-cure epoxy on the screws/in the holes to seal out water. You also may need a special posidrive phillips screwdriver. I did a set from scratch recently with a friend's help.

[mudmucker]

Well, I lost a weekend of skiing - I had dental surgery on Friday and the dentist said no exercise. Not that I feel like it since my jaw has ballooned out and I'm a little under the weather. Painkillers are working though. So I did a little armchair gardening and made my final order of seeds for my grow lights.

And on the brighter side, I did some armchair skiing as well. I decided on the Madshus Epochs and ordered them online last night. Earlier in the week I went to a shop to see them in person. They are much lighter than I thought they would be. They also had the Rossi90s as well. The Rossis were a lot wider than I expected. But here is my decision. The Rossis had a stiffer camber and actually seemed heavier than the Epochs. I felt although it seemed more of a Point A to Point B ski with the stiffer camber, it might have a little less float and maybe more difficult to initiate a telemark turn. I was also a bit skeptical of their deep snow capabilities. They didn't have the Alpina Lite Terrains to look at but I more or less removed that from my list. I felt the sidecut was too drastic and would get a little too squirrelly on the level kick and glide. That and my kick and glide would be more of a shuffle because of the flexy single camber. Shuffle = not too fun and more geared for up to destination, then more control downhill. The Epochs seemed just right. Light. They have something called single camber plus, which is probably camber and a half - meaning a little stiffer and some Point A to Point B kick and glide capabilities, yet the sidecut allows for easier initiation of telemark turns.

The next concern I had is that my current backcountry skis tend to submarine in the snow rather than flexing enough for the shovel to stay level or seek the surface of the snow for better travel through. The ski seems flexible enough to do this. Then, in weight I was nearer the high end of the shorter ski and was concerned that I would collapse the kick pocket and have too much drag. I went with the next longer ski because I am confident in my abilities and I would salvage more kick and glide.

I am pretty excited. I have 2000 acres to access within walking distance of my house where there are 1600 to 1800 foot hills I can break trail and bushwhack to, to get some height in which to carve out a few turns. Twenty years ago I spent a couple of seasons trying to telemark. It'll be fun to practice the telemark turns again and mix that up with some of the rolling terrain too. I wonder if I'll even remember how to do them. It'll be fun to get out there with my map and compass again (yes I am old fashioned and still use that over gps) and explore off trail areas. And at about a half hours distance I can try out some other small hills like Mt Grace and Watatic, or even the back side of Wachusett. All without having to travel far.

[mudmucker]

Well, I lost a weekend of skiing - I had dental surgery on Friday and the dentist said no exercise. Not that I feel like it since my jaw has ballooned out and I'm a little under the weather. Painkillers are working though. So I did a little armchair gardening and made my final order of seeds for my grow lights.

And on the brighter side, I did some armchair skiing as well. I decided on the Madshus Epochs and ordered them online last night. Earlier in the week I went to a shop to see them in person. They are much lighter than I thought they would be. They also had the Rossi90s as well. The Rossis were a lot wider than I expected. But here is my decision. The Rossis had a stiffer camber and actually seemed heavier than the Epochs. I felt although it seemed more of a Point A to Point B ski with the stiffer camber, it might have a little less float and maybe more difficult to initiate a telemark turn. I was also a bit skeptical of their deep snow capabilities. They didn't have the Alpina Lite Terrains to look at but I more or less removed that from my list. I felt the sidecut was too drastic and would get a little too squirrelly on the level kick and glide. That and my kick and glide would be more of a shuffle because of the flexy single camber. Shuffle = not too fun and more geared for up to destination, then more control downhill. The Epochs seemed just right. Light. They have something called single camber plus, which is probably camber and a half - meaning a little stiffer and some Point A to Point B kick and glide capabilities, yet the sidecut allows for easier initiation of telemark turns.

The next concern I had is that my current backcountry skis tend to submarine in the snow rather than flexing enough for the shovel to stay level or seek the surface of the snow for better travel through. The ski seems flexible enough to do this. Then, in weight I was nearer the high end of the shorter ski and was concerned that I would collapse the kick pocket and have too much drag. I went with the next longer ski because I am confident in my abilities and I would salvage more kick and glide.

I am pretty excited. I have 2000 acres to access within walking distance of my house where there are 1600 to 1800 foot hills I can break trail and bushwhack to, to get some height in which to carve out a few turns. Twenty years ago I spent a couple of seasons trying to telemark. It'll be fun to practice the telemark turns again and mix that up with some of the rolling terrain too. I wonder if I'll even remember how to do them. It'll be fun to get out there with my map and compass again (yes I am old fashioned and still use that over gps) and explore off trail areas. And at about a half hours distance I can try out some other small hills like Mt Grace and Watatic, or even the back side of Wachusett. All without having to travel far.

[mudmucker]

Hmm. Double posted somehow. Sorry about that.

[Crankin]

OK, I was humbled pretty quickly at Franconia this weekend. I challenged myself, though, and laughed through most of it. I feel as if I am a confident intermediate level skier for groomed trails. I can climb anything and my descending skills have greatly improved. I've skied down a couple of black trails, too.
Basically, Franconia has narrow trails that are tracked. So, for someone like me, who gets out of the tracks to descend/climb, the challenge was there. Not so much the climbing, as I learned pretty quickly how to herringbone in a narrower stance after one face plant, going up. Serious, serious climbs here.
The issue was descending. I am not skilled enough to descend and turn and keep my speed regulated in the tracks, as there was not enough room to snowplow or turn if you were in the very small area that was groomed next to the tracks. Some of these descents were definitely black diamond rated. We finally found one yesterday where the steepest part was untracked, but the groomer had left a huge ridge of snow in the middle of the trail, which caused even my expert skier friend to go down. Friday was hell for me, but I improved a little yesterday. I was able to do 2 descents without falling, very slowly, but I had 2 falls that have my arms and wrists aching today. I think this would have been easier if they had left it ungroomed (with the right skis). We actually climbed one of Cannon's black alpine trails that is a shared nordic trail. That was fun.
Today, after we left the b and b, we drove to Bretton Woods, where it was quiet, because of Super Bowl. We skied 10.5 great miles, over to the AMC Highland Center for lunch, and back. At least I left with my confidence restored.
Pictures coming.

[Crankin]

Pictures from Franconia, NH

[limewave]

A friend gave us some children's xc skis. I took DD out this weekend. We just went around the backyard and around the block. She's a natural! I can't wait to take her out on some groomed trails!

[Kubla]

3-pin bindings install with screws. If they come predrilled, it takes alot of the work (positioning and alignment) out of it. You need elmer's glue or slow-cure epoxy on the screws/in the holes to seal out water. You also may need a special posidrive phillips screwdriver. I did a set from scratch recently with a friend's help.

Good news-and more food for thought. I heard back from Akers Ski first thing today. They will install the bindings for $15 per pair if I decide to buy a ski package such as this one-which features Alpina Lite Terrains. A no-brainer for me; I'm happy to have someone else install them- if this package is what I decide to go with ultimately.

I had been leaning slightly more toward Rossignol BC 90s or Madshus Epochs. But...I was also researching the Alpina Lite Terrains-which do not seem as readily available as the other two. I'm torn between sitting it out (and risk missing the boat due to size availability) in hopes of a better deal...or just waiting until next year. We shall see...

[jessmarimba]

Anyone ever been to the nordic center at Beaver Creek? I'll be there on Sunday for a concert and thought I'd try it out, but there are plenty of other places on the way.

[mudgirl]

DH has the back country boots, but I still have the softer Rossignol ones, because when I tried the bc ones, my feet just got chopped up... serious blisters, cuts, and bloody feet.

Crankin,
Are the they BCX 2 or 3s? Everyone I know who has these boots hates them. I think they give anyone who wears them blisters, and mine, literally, kept falling apart at the seams, and I had to keep sewing them back up. I suffered with a pair for 3 seasons, and I finally went down to the ski shop earlier this winter and bought a pair of Fischer BCX3s. Oh my gosh, WHAT a difference!!!

Now, I have some friends who have the top-of-the-line Rossi BC boots who are very happy with them, so I think it's just their bottom-of-the-line boots that are like this. But, there are other boots out there for the same price that are much, MUCH better.

[Crankin]

I have no idea what brand of boots chopped my feet up. It was five years ago; DH and I both had a terrible experience. We got new skis at the end of last winter. He was able to find a pair of bc/stiff boots (I think they are either Fischer or Alpina) that are fine and I decided to stay with the softer Rossignol touring boots, as I have a bunion that seems to get annoyed with harder boots, especially when I wear my hiking shoes to go snow shoeing. Since I have touring skis with edges, it's fine.
Though, I am not opposed to buying a second pair of bc skis and boots as others here have done.

[Crankin]

Went to Windblown today, for what looks to be the last time until we get more snow. It's supposed to get up to nearly 60 between Wed. and Friday, so there is going to be significant melting, even with a 30 inch base. Hopefully, it will snow again, after it cools down. Conditions were slick, and a little icy in a few spots, but still, I have been there when it's worse. And they had a dusting last night, so there was powder in the open fields.
Didn't get there until noon, skied until 1:30, had some awesome butternut squash/apple soup in the lodge and went back out until about 3:30. DH had issues climbing after lunch; the ball of his foot and knee were hurting and he couldn't turn his ankle in to herringbone on one steep hill. We figured out he had hurt it snow shoeing yesterday, when the conditions were kind of difficult because of the icy layer on top the deep snow.
While I am looking forward to riding at the end of the week, it better snow more. We have tentative pans to go to Stowe, the first weekend in March and I am hoping to get out to western MA in between. After that, it's cycling season...

[Cataboo]

I got out to White Grass in West VA to cross country ski a couple days this weekend.

I was pleasantly surprised by the snow for this area of the country and had a lot of fun. Lots of climbing and descending. I was fairly pleased with my ski/boot setup. The technician guy told me what a good pair of skis they were when he was waxing them for me. He also told me that REI had mounted the heel plate on my 3 pin bindings upside down and that REI stood for "really expensive injury"

I seem to have the rossignol bcx boots that were being complained about above. I don't find them terribly comfortable, but I spent $20 on them, so I'm not complaining. I haven't gotten any blisters or anything like that, they're just small in the toe box and a narrow boot in general.


https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_WfCe0A3iU1c/TVigaQtyiFI/AAAAAAAAdAc/66UAyyoXlf4/s720/IMGP6386.JPG

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_WfCe0A3iU1c/TVigcBpALqI/AAAAAAAAdA0/rukLbB3CDNA/s576/IMGP6392.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_WfCe0A3iU1c/TVighQdBcAI/AAAAAAAAdBk/cmgo-2Xh3ko/s576/IMGP6417.JPG

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_WfCe0A3iU1c/TVigmaxmTyI/AAAAAAAAdCQ/qQipzyCbXto/s576/IMGP6429.JPG

[Kubla]

Wow, what nice trails! We have huge inviting fields like that in town here, but they are privately owned. :(

What is the purpose of the colored banners in the hut? Are they put there to make it more visible from a distance? (As you can probably guess-I don't get out much.)

[Cataboo]

I think they're prayer flags:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_flag

[roadie gal]

Yep, prayer flags.

I waited until it warmed up yesterday and went over to the XC center with my track skis. Perfect. The folks on skaters were struggling because it had gotten so sloppy but I was a happy chickie. My little waxless skis just grabbed onto the slush and up I went.

I was out for an hour and then packed it up for home.

[jessmarimba]

12648

Here's what Frisco looked like yesterday! 29 degrees out and ridiculously sunny.

I think I did every non-black trail they had...I'm feeling it today.

[mudmucker]

This week has been a period of melt and refreeze. So, either slush, or ice crust for skiing. I hadn't taken my new backcountry skis (Madshus Epochs) and boots out for their maiden voyage yet and I've had them a week. Yesterday I had the stitches taken out of my mouth and, feeling somewhat human again, decided to take the skis out regardless of conditions. Yesterday, was a slush day as the temperature rose to (a glorious) 55 degrees. My intention was to do some lift-service telemarking half day at Wachusett Mountain with the new skis. After the dental appt I drove to a nearby state park since I had an hour or so before the afternoon time slot. It was pretty slushy and not a good way to determine the performance of the skis. I went and did a quick jaunt up to a small ridge and was pleased at how they gripped. (This is my first pair of waxless skis - all I own are waxable). Along the way, and on the way down I was pleased that I was able to get some decent kick and glide. There was more slippage than usual, since there was a water layer under the snowslush but at the same time I was glad I had a wider ski. And the ski tips wanted to stay near the top of the snow. All together, conditions were too poor to understand how they'd really perform in the deeper powder that I bought them for. I might get clobbered for this but I'm hoping for a couple of more substantial storms. At any rate, the angle of the sun now is such that anything we get won't last too long. If no powder snow here then I might have to seek it elsewhere.

Because of poor local conditions for xc, I wanted to use the time to go to Wachusett for some lift-service telemarking, to get many practice runs in and to really see what the boots were capable of. I bought the Alpina 1575s which is not intensive telemarking material at all, but merely a comfortable 3-pin boot made for longer backcountry ungroomed touring which is mostly what I'll be doing. The boots are extremely comfortable and I like them a lot. But I just wanted to see, and practice.

I learned to downhill ski 15 years after I started xc. I still marvel at the concept of metal edges and being lifted up the mountain and not having to work for it. Going to Wachusett reminds me why I avoid the whole downhill scene pretty much but I went on a Friday afternoon and it really wasn't too busy, relatively speaking for Wachusett. The weather was glorious and warm and I needed only a vest. It felt so good to bask in the warmth of the sun while being lifted up the mountain. It felt good not to be shivering.

The boots and skis performed pretty well on a longer steeper angled slope (steeper and longer than what I'll typically be using them for) and I never felt out of control - the boots held well even though they're somewhat flexy compared to a real telemark boot. I was cautious at first because I didn't know if I'd over extend their function. The first few runs were more like edge carving until I understood the limits of the boots. The skis themselves were fine for this kind of thing. I know - from using more hardcore telemark boots before- that I'd probably be able to punch out better turns if I had a stiffer boot. But if I was going to consistently do lift-service telemarking, or off-piste deep bowl runs (not), well then I'd get the proper more hard core equipment. Finally after a few runs I was performing a semblance of a telemark turn based on what I remember. It was not pretty though I presume, but I began to get a feel for it. At any rate, I am happy with the way the boots and skis performed but I definately need much more practice with the tele turns. If conditions continue to be poor, I just may do a few more afternoons for practice. I'm still aching to get them in deeper powder though.

[Crankin]

Nope, you are not alone. I am hoping for at least one more storm, too. And now, I can't go to Stowe in 2 weeks, as I have to go to AZ for a family thing (and it's too short of a trip to take my bike). I am hoping to get out next weekend, maybe to do a quick trip to Notchview on Sat. and to Northfield Mt. on the way home Sunday.
Your experience sounds fun, Mudmucker. I also am amazed that people pay to be brought up a lift, to ski down, but then, I have only gone alpine skiing once: a lesson and 2 hours going up and down the green slope at the Dartmouth Skiway. When I was in Franconia, we climbed one of the black trails at Cannon (it's a shared trail) and saw 3 alpine people coming down. Our friends, who are "expert" x country skiers said they had skied down this run on their touring skis, which amazed me. But, they also said they both fell going down.
We are supposed to get 2-4 inches Monday, of course right when I have to go to my internship. Since my clients will all probably cancel, maybe I can get to Great Brook.

[beccaB]

So, we lost all our lovely snow and I got to go for 2 bike rides this week:)
However, I just got my order for dog skijor equipment in the mail and I can"t wait to try it out with my dog. Hopefully, we"ll get some more snow and I won't break every bone in my body!

[Kubla]

Nope, you are not alone. I am hoping for at least one more storm, too.

Never thought I would be echoing this sentiment-but I too am hoping for more snow in the next few weeks. My wider skis are finally due to arrive today. (Note to self: going forward, opt for expedited delivery of seasonal equipment when ordering from an unfamiliar source.)

In contrast-the boots were here in 2 days, via regular delivery. While I expected the skis to take a bit longer, the 11-day wait has been a lesson in patience. We have more new powder this morning and-if it doesn't rain on top of it this afternoon-are going to Borderland State Park in Easton tomorrow.

[roadie gal]

We got over 5 feet of snow over the weekend. Yesterday I took the dogs out for a short ski down one of the local roads that is dirt in the summer. Luckily other people had been out snowshoeing and skiing before me. There was a knee deep trench that we were able to follow. If the trench hadn't been there it would have been too deep for my (fairly large) dogs to walk in. As it was, we went for about 3 miles. They seemed to have a good time. I know I did.

[Crankin]

These are pictures from our ski today. We had just finished skiing down the Old Farm Trail at Windblown and were about to take our skis off and walk across the parking lot.. we were done. Conditions were perfect; I skied down the Open Slope from the top of the blue part of it (sorry, the Black trails at Windblown are like Alpine trails) for the first time. Did about 7 miles. This might be my last ski of the year :mad:, since I will be away next weekend.

[mudmucker]

Today I went out with my new backcountry skis for the second time under more favorable conditions. I got 4 inches of fresh new snow last night. However in ungroomed areas, underneath was classic New England crud from melting and refreezing as well as an existing crust from the last sleet storm. So I went out to land behind my house where no one else goes so that I had to break trail. No travel, car stays in yard. If I tried to use my touring skis or even my skinnier backcountry's in this kind of stuff I know from experience I would have a miserable time, since the crud underneath gives unevenly, the skis would twist in or out, and the skis would tunnel under the crud getting caught. So I tested out the fat bc's with metal edges.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE them! I had SO MUCH FUN. I didn't think I would have so much fun. Take it down a notch for speed and it was just this lovely uninterrupted rhythm of kick and glide through untrodden quiet woods. One concern was that I thought the width would be overkill for what I want to do. But no, the width worked out great. I had great float, the ski can cut through anything and I was able to maintain control (while cutting through submerged ice crud buried lower) and able to carve out a couple of turns without the ski hanging up. The wide ski underfoot gave a really nice stable platform. Secondly, I thought maybe because the skis are on the verge of being more tele-like I'd get more drag than glide. Again, not so. They glided so beautifully and I could feel some of the camber working underneath. So glad I got the longer skis. Plus the tip stayed near the top which of course is great for float but also I could always see it - would not be good to hook a ski under an unseen buried log beneath the snow. I was unexpectedly surprised at how nice of a glide I got. These being my first waxless skis I was skeptical of the grip. They climb great with little slippage. Boy, these are keepers! I'm confident these skis can go through anything, and the beauty is that I bet my xc ski season will be greatly extended since these skis will be able to get through all the spring crap.

It was really fun today, just going where no one else was. So quiet. No people, no snowmobiles. Right outside my house, 2 miles into the woods. (Just gotta make sure keep checking cell reception since I go out alone). XC skiing is soul-saving for me but these skis will make it doubly so. I've been wanting to get backcountry skis for 12 years now - finally glad I did.

Untrodden, inviting and all mine
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_ghv7T6ztD3g/TWrUo7LQMDI/AAAAAAAACcE/fVtENXo8dVc/s400/DSC02237.JPG

Pond and ridge
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_ghv7T6ztD3g/TWrUvtTnfXI/AAAAAAAACcQ/I7z16BVpcgk/s400/DSC02236.JPG

Other side of pond
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_ghv7T6ztD3g/TWrUwiYARvI/AAAAAAAACcc/BTpYnJhW8F8/s400/DSC02234.JPG

[Kubla]

My wide skis (Rossignol BC 90s) finally arrived late last Monday afternoon. There was only a half hour of daylight remaining but I was able to take them out back for a short test run. They seem to glide well and I'm looking forward to one last big storm in the next few weeks.

Tuesday we brought the 'skinny' skis to Borderland State Park for 3 hours and almost had the place to ourselves. The trails had seen foot traffic and were not ideal-lumpy ice covered by a thin layer of snow-but the scenery and quiet made up for it.

The heavy rain we got Friday did not melt all the snow but left crust and ice behind, now topped with 2 inches of snow received earlier today. The footing was tacky, but I went out for an hour just to get some exercise. Rain is predicted for tomorrow, so any "trails" I made today will disappear.

[lph]

Anyone following the Nordic Ski World Championships? Marit Bjørgen is such an AMAZING athlete, I'm speechless! :D Maybe I'll even go jostle for the pleasure of seeing her live on the womens 30 K on Saturday.

[lph]

Anyone following the Nordic Ski World Championships?

I guess not. :D Oslo is going a bit insane here now so I tend to forget that nordic skiing barely exists outside of Northern Europe, at least as a spectator sport.

New question: anyone try the Kuzmin steel scraper on their skis, instead of glider? You basically scrape away all the worn surface until you get to fresh, "new" sole - and leave it that way. Just refresh with a light scrape-over once in a while. The afficionados say it's at least as good as glide-waxing, and a lot less mess. We've bought one and tried, but so far I've just played around with it on other peoples skis ;). Mine are that new still that the original sole is pretty good. Curious to see how the treatment holds up over time.

www.kuzmin.se if anyone is interested. The guy has written a whole thesis on the subject...

[Susan]

Anyone following the Nordic Ski World Championships? Marit Bjørgen is such an AMAZING athlete, I'm speechless! :D Maybe I'll even go jostle for the pleasure of seeing her live on the womens 30 K on Saturday.

I do, whenever I can. However they tend to show only the mens runs and not the womens, sadly. Unless, like in the Ski World Championships, the men don't win anything and the girls do, then they hype them for 2 weeks and forget about womens sports afterwards :mad:

[lph]

It's rare that I break off a ski trip because of bad radio reception. But today my plan was to ski about 15K listening to the mens relay (they were doing 4x10 K :D) for inspiration. Once I got over the hill though the reception was so bad I had to go for plan B - turn around, zip home, and plonk myself in front of the tv. So I got to see Northug do the winning leg... hushing the audience and braking over the finish line.... Men. I much prefer Bjørgens way of celebrating a clear win - a flag in her hand and a huge smile.

[mudmucker]

Yesterday I went to Wachusett for some lift-service telemark skiing again. This time I went with a friend who is a more experienced tele skier than me. We knew it was going to warm up and rain so we wanted to get out there before the weather got here. The season is getting short. It was a beautiful sunny day with very good conditions. Got there nice and early and basically had the slopes to ourselves till about 11am or so. It was really nice to have someone watch my form and be able to critique it and give good pointers. It really is awful hard to see yourself. We came across another tele skier, an older fellow, who was just art in motion and beautiful to watch. We three ended up hanging out together for quite a spell and I was able to get excellent tips and advice from the other guy too ( I've never come across other women doing this). Tele Man gave my friend a helpful hint also, where he felt a great improvement after making one adjustment.

Both these guys had the hard core tele equipment. I was using my more flexy type boots so in order to speed up my learning curve I decided to go over to the ski shop and demo some beefier boots. I tried out some Garmont Veloce's (only $15 for the day). Went back out to the slopes and met up with the guys again. Sure enough the boots helped and by end of day my form was getting a lot prettier. Always room for improvement but even Tele Man said I was was "pretty much there". Just need to keep practicing.

I'm not going to want to do lift-service telemarking often but maybe once in a while. So the day was loads of fun but boy are my legs feeling it today. This weekend I'll probably get out to do a little more gentle backcountry - I still have over 2 feet of snow.

[roadie gal]

It was doing the rain/snow thing yesterday so the snow was really sticky. We took the dogs out for a ski out our back door in the morning. Poor Toby, our rough collie, he had HUGE snowballs in his ruff and between his legs. We had to keep stopping to pull them off of him. I had sprayed his paws with Pam so they were OK, but his poor belly and chest...

In the afternoon I got a little housebound, so I went over to the cross country center for a short ski. The lodge was right at the transition zone. It was raining at the bottom, but snowing after just a short climb. The conditions were weird, but at least I got out of the house.

[7rider]

Finished up a week in Colorado today - downhill at Breckenridge. Texas is on Spring Break this week, and I think the entire state decided to ski Breck today. Good grief, what lift lines!!! :eek:

But on Saturday, we broke up our week of downhill with some xc skiing at the Keystone Nordic Center. My friends from Boulder drove up for the day to join us. It was pleasantly warm....loads of sunshine, but not too mushy. It was my first time on xc skis in several years - the first time on (paid) groomed trails in an eon! It was DH's first time ever on xc skis. As predictable...he did great. We stuck to the green "easy" trail, as it was only the second time on skis for our friend's 8-y.o. daughter.

Nice way to spend a day.

http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z85/7rider/Colorado%20-%202011/2011-03-12_12-22-43_844.jpg

[Crankin]

Jealous.
Ski season is over here, unless I want to go up north.

[roadie gal]

Going to the XC center for probably the last time this season today. The center closes next Sunday and we'll be going away for a few days this week. This has been my best season. I got out there 47 times! That's at least double what I've been able to do before. Yay!

[ayasoso]

My God, Can Cross Country Skiing is a cool action, I'm so envy you!:eek:

[solobiker]

It is almost that time of year again!!! Snow storm heading to CO tomorrow!!:D

[Crankin]

Oh... I was just about to dig up this thread and someone else did it for me!
We got our Vermont Ski Magazine yesterday and there's a pair of skis in there I am interested in. Anyone have or know about the Fischer Silent Spider 62s? The ad says they are skinny enough for tracks, but have an "off track"pattern on the bottom, good for back country, full metal edges, and are shorter, for control. Sounds exactly what I want....

I can just hear DH now. "What a custom bike isn't good enough?"

[Jolt]

I think this is going to be the year I finally try it...there's a place a couple towns over that sounds like a good one to start out at.
http://www.harrisfarm.com/skiing.html

[solobiker]

Snow is on its way!! Up to 12inches in the Front Range!!:D

[roadie gal]

We bought our XC passes last week. Ready and waiting now...

[Trek-chick]

I am also looking forward to XC ski season. DH and I have dreams of going to Yellowstone NP and doing some backcountry XC skiing there. How cool would it be to ski around some Bison and thermal features in winter.

[surgtech1956]

Trek-chick, that sounds fabulous. I'm here in Michigan too, wonder when we'll get our first snow. Where do you ski in Michigan?

[Crankin]

Might be skiing tomorrow. Already 2 inches on the ground. I'll have to go to conservation land trails, but, hey better than nothing.

[Kubla]

We're still getting rain in this part of the state, but maybe there will be a blanket of white in the morning...skis are waiting, and ski boots have been brought to the front of the closet.

[roadie gal]

How many of us here are from the California/Nevada area? Would any of you be interested in coming up to the Tahoe area? I was thinking about setting up a group day at one of the local XC areas if some of you are interested.

(My first choice would be Tahoe Donner. That's where I have my pass and I know the owner, but if people had a preference I could look into Royal Gorge, Lake Tahoe XC or Northstar.)

Should I post this in the California section?

[jobob]

Might be skiing tomorrow. Already 2 inches on the ground. I'll have to go to conservation land trails, but, hey better than nothing.

I went to grad school in Waltham, and took up XC skiing while I was there. If memory serves, there are tons of great trails to ski on up around Concord -- at least there were, oh, 20-plus years ago :o :o

I sure hope they're still there. Have fun!

[Crankin]

Did you go to Brandeis?
Oh , there are plenty of trails around here, but I really prefer tracked and groomed. It's not that I don't ski in the conservation land, I just prefer the other. But, I do a lot of snow shoeing on the local trails, as well as hiking.
There's so many trees down, I didn't even attempt it. In fact, friends went for a hike on a trail near their house and the police were there, so no one would go down it. The snow is mostly melted, too.
Kind of looking forward to my "shoulder" season. Still riding outside some, some hiking, and going to the gym. It's rare for me to ski before January and the season usually only lasts until the end of February. Even though there's awesome skiing up north in March, the one time I went to Stowe, VT in March, it rained and we ended up snow shoeing, as the trails were just too degraded/muddy for skiing. Planning a trip probably to the Northeast Kingdom in February.

[Trek-chick]

Trek-chick, that sounds fabulous. I'm here in Michigan too, wonder when we'll get our first snow. Where do you ski in Michigan?

I like to XC ski at Boyne and add in some downhill too.

We have been taking a yearly weeklong trip to the Porcupine Mountains (excellent cross country trails and warming huts). Cute backcountry cabins/Yurts you can rent too. It is a true Up North backcountry skiing experience-- I love it there!!! Great downhill skiing too.

Locally, we usually go to Stoney Creek Metro Park (mountain bike trails) but, have to wait forever for decent snow on the trails.

We just got back from hunting up North and checked out Silver Valley and the Corsair XC ski trail system. That one is on the list for this coming season for sure.:D

[solobiker]

Almost time!! The mountains got about 15 inches last week and another storm is heading in tonight with estimates of close to 15 inches again:D

[Kubla]

Aside from a late-October Nor'Easter whose precipitation did not last 24 hours, we have barely had any snow in southeastern Massachusetts this season.

We finally got several inches of fluffy powder overnight Thursday and throughout the day Saturday. DBF and I reacquainted ourselves with our skis and enjoyed our backyard trails for an hour this afternoon.

It felt good to get out again; hopefully Mother Nature will give us more opportunities in the next month or two.

[Crankin]

See the other thread....
it was great to get out today.

[Crankin]

Reviving this thread.
Snow forecast, possibly a little Monday and maybe more on Wednesday. Since I sled a total of 3 times last year, I am ready!!!

[solobiker]

Wow do we need snow out here. Pretty much nothing so far. :-(

[ridebikeme]

Well, we are in luck today, I would say there is 8" of new snow and it is supposed to snow throughout the day. Hopefully it stays all snow this week!

Too bad that I couldn't play hookey from work and get out and ski... but considering that I work for a ski shop well.... I guess you get the picture HA!

[Crankin]

Grrrr...
just ice and rain here.

[solobiker]

The mountains are supposed to get quite a bit over the next couple of days. I will keep my fingers crossed.

[jobob]

I went to grad school in Waltham, and took up XC skiing while I was there.


Did you go to Brandeis?

Yikes, I never saw your response to my post from over a year ago, Crankin, sorry about that! :o

And the answer is, yep, I went to Brandeis. It was so much fun to meet up early in the morning with some classmates to go x-c skiing at one of the nearby parks, then we'd tromp back into the lab, oh, very late morning ... which helps explain why it took me 6 years to get my degree ... :rolleyes: :D

[Irulan]

Learning how to skate ski is on my to-do list. We have a great nordic area here; I just spend so much time on the alpine slopes I don't get over there, even with my classic gear.

[Crankin]

JoBob, you probably had a lot more fun than me when I went to grad school. Twice.
It's pouring rain this morning. I am severely worried about our warming winters in the Boston area. At least there's snow up north!

[jobob]

JoBob, you probably had a lot more fun than me when I went to grad school. Twice.

It had its moments. :cool:


It's pouring rain this morning. I am severely worried about our warming winters in the Boston area. At least there's snow up north!

Oh geeeze. Once in a great while I miss the snowy winters in MA (mainly when the topic of xc skiing comes up), but the icy rains and slush I am very happy to do without! You have my sympathies.

[ridebikeme]

Well, over a foot of new snow, although with a bit of rain last night, it has definitely become very heavy. Home from work today because of schools everywhere being cancelled, but will have to wait for the snow to settle a bit... extremely heavy at this point. However, I'm excited to see it and thinking about buying some back country ski's.:)

[Jolt]

Well, over a foot of new snow, although with a bit of rain last night, it has definitely become very heavy. Home from work today because of schools everywhere being cancelled, but will have to wait for the snow to settle a bit... extremely heavy at this point. However, I'm excited to see it and thinking about buying some back country ski's.:)

Lucky you to have good snow! Here in York County it has been raining all day today so we have puddles and slush and yuck; about three inches of snow fell yesterday where I am but it's mostly gone now. Was going to do the group run from the Y this evening but it doesn't sound too appealing in this weather, will probably swim instead (once the swim team practices are done for the night...). Hoping for some decent snow this winter to learn to XC ski--got all the equipment last year (good Craigslist find) and then didn't even get to use it!

[ridebikeme]

Jolt... I will admit that it has been raining/snow here all day as well. Temps are pretty warm, so there is a bit of slush, but I would expect that with the warmer temps. here's to hoping that you receive some snow as well... can't wait to get out on ski's!!!

[solobiker]

12plus inches so far and more tonight!! Woot woot. Hope to head to the backcountry this weekend.

[Artista]

Solo, I trust you aren't in Denver right now? We got a little snow last week and I've heard forecasts of only 1" - 4" tonight and tomorrow. Not enough to XC or snow shoe but too much to mountain bike:(

[solobiker]

Yes I am in Denver..but where DH and I go backcountry skiing they got 12 inches over the last 24 hours and more is on the way. :-) I have been keeping an eye on certain web cams and the road has been covered in snow. :-) Now as long as my back behaves I will be good to go.

[roadie gal]

We got our first real storm since an early storm in October. We've had well over 2 feet of snow at my house. All of the ski areas finally opened. I'm going to try to go XC skiing today if the wind calms down. Yay!

[Crankin]

We are getting a little snow on XMas, but not enough to ski. There was a big storm predicted for Thursday, but now it looks like it's going to be too warm. While I appreciate the weather not messing up my work schedule, I really want to ski :mad:.

[Norse]

We had a nice snowstorm in mid-December that allowed me to get out ONE NIGHT after work for a nice outing in excellent conditions. Those conditions disappeared before the week was over thanks to RAIN. Since then, meager flurries. Sigh... getting tired of our recent pathetic winters. :( Heading up to the North Shore this weekend, hoping for better conditions.

[solobiker]

We are finally getting some much needed snow. It is still a little thin in some areas but very enjoyable despite the few rocks that I found.

15851

[ridebikeme]

Well, not sure what the "Northeaster" will bring here, but after shoveling the driveway and getting some lunch.. I'm headed out on my 'maiden' voyage for the year. I just shoveled about 8", so there should be enough coverage over all of the ice/crusty snow to get in a short ski. More snow will only mean more coverage:)

[Crankin]

The snow here turned to rain, but there's 10 inches at Windblown and they are opening tomorrow!
I will be there Saturday.

[lph]

We have snow, and my lungs (and nose and throat and sinuses) finally consented to let me out of doors. Aaaahhh.... :-)

[Kernyl]

Snowing here! Maybe heading out for some XC tomorrow! First time this winter!

[Crankin]

Finally.
Perfect packed powder conditions today. Skied about 11K at Windblown.

[ridebikeme]

Sounds like you had great conditions Crankin!! I too got out today, second time this week and it was great!! The only bad part of the day was that I didn't take my camera !

[Kernyl]

Congrats! I didn't end up making it out today. Stupid cough kept me up all night. Did get out for a winter walk, but will try for nordic again on Tuesday.

[Crankin]

I am now regretting our plans to stay with friends in Harwich and do a very fancy New Years Eve at the Chatham Bars Inn. I want to ski.
But, I may get out Wednesday morning. My client at 2:30 lives in Pepperell, not very far from Windblown. But, I will have to clean myself up before I go. Who wants to see a sweaty therapist? Or, if the snow is still decent, I can go to Great Brook Farm, 6 miles from my house.

[ridebikeme]

I love it when we figure out our schedules so that we get everything accomplished that we need/have to, BUT also find time to get outside and play!! :) Have a great time on your ski's, and I'm sure your session with your client will benefit from your ski outing as well!!

[DebW]

I did my first ski of the season yesterday on the Western Greenway trail near my house in Waltham. It was wonderful. There are some wide carriage roads and some narrow winding woods trails that made for interesting skiing. Did 6 miles and could have gone further. More trails to explore. This afternoon I'll be skiing at Estabrook Woods in Concord.

[ridebikeme]

Well, it's a beautiful day here, although perhaps abit cool with 15-25MPH wind... but all in all, no complaints here. Shanna (my four legged friend) and I got out for about 4-5 miles, not a huge distance but nice to be out and have time to get some projects done around the house, ride the trainer etc...

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

[Crankin]

Deb, how were the conditions in Estabrook? Every time I've gone to ski there, it's been incredibly icy and I gave up. I have done a lot of snow shoeing there, though.

[DebW]

The snow was nice packed powder, but it was thin and you had to watch out for rocks. I started in Carlisle, skied down Estabrook Rd., then up Two Rod Rd. to Stearns Rd.


Well, it's a beautiful day here, although perhaps abit cool with 15-25MPH wind... but all in all, no complaints here. Shanna (my four legged friend) and I got out for about 4-5 miles, not a huge distance but nice to be out and have time to get some projects done around the house, ride the trainer etc...

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

[SheFly]

Deb - were the blowdowns on Two Rod Rd (down close to the pond) out of the trail? Riding in there has been an issue since a microburst went through around the time of Hurricane Sandy. HUGE trees down in just one section of the woods.

We skied at Foss Farm on Monday. Conditions were good, but we need a bit more snow. The section that runs along the Concord River was all ice - added to the adventure ;).

And Ridebikeme - we were in Bethel over the holidays. Snow-shoed Mt Will in the Thursday storm, snowmobiled up to Andover from Newry, and skied at Great Glen in the Saturday snow! We did have to plow about 6 times, but I LOVED it! So happy to be out on the skis for a change of pace.

SheFly

[DebW]

Yup, we found the blowdowns, dozens in one spot. The ski track went around them and took us back to Two Rod Rd. Seemed like they were just west of Two Rod Rd. and not on the road as we found them making our way from Estabrook Rd to Two Rod. Either that or the trail has been routed around the blowdowns.


Deb - were the blowdowns on Two Rod Rd (down close to the pond) out of the trail? Riding in there has been an issue since a microburst went through around the time of Hurricane Sandy. HUGE trees down in just one section of the woods.

SheFly

[Crankin]

I ended up not skiing today. I was going to go to Great Brook, but it was freezing this morning and I just wasn't in the mood. Cold doesn't usually bother me. I did an hour on the trainer and then wished I had gone skiing. Maybe I can get up north this weekend, cause warmer weather is coming.

[Crankin]

Went to Windblown again today! Conditions were not quite as awesome, as it was about 30 degrees, but still much better than I expected. We went with our friends and we skied in the AM, about 10K, then in the afternoon we snow shoed there for the first time. They do have dedicated snow shoe trails, which it appeared some had skied on, but for the most part, we felt like we were in the wilderness, except for when we had to cross the ski trails at several points. There were 2 very challenging climbs, one of which was quite long. We had thought we could climb to the top of Barret's Mountain, but it's 12 miles round trip and it was already 12:45 when we started.
What a fun day and yes, I will be sore tomorrow.

[DebW]

Some of the snowshoe trail at Windblown is part of the Wapack Trail, which goes from Pack Monadnock over Temple Mtn and Barrett Mtn. to Mt. Watatic in MA. I've backpacked that trail in 2 days and spent the night at one of the shelters at Windblown. You need to reserve the shelter ahead of time and pay a modest fee.

[ridebikeme]

Sounds like a great day Crankin!! The temps were nice here, although the winds kept the snow just perfect... so we got in about 4-5 miles after running errands all morning and hopped on the trainer after we got home. Tonight is some much needed 'couch' time HA!

Have any of snow ever skiied in Jackson NH?

[Crankin]

I have been to Jackson 3 times; only one of the times was there enough snow to (barely) do any skiing. It looks like the trail system would be great, but I guess I just haven't hit it at the right times. We ended up driving far to find snow, although we were lucky enough to stay at the Thorn Hill Inn.
Thinking of doing an impromptu trip either next weekend or the one after. We have theatre in Boston next Friday night, so I am not sure how getting up early on Saturday would be, but there's going to be more snow up there and I am in the ski mode.
Deb, I would not be doing any overnight camping in the winter, but I we did think we could make it to the top of the mountain and back if we started early in the AM. The trails don't seem to be as well marked as the ski trails. While I haven't done a snow shoe as long as 12 miles before, I am pretty sure I can handle it.

[roadie gal]

Our local cross country area opened 2 weeks ago. I've been out striding twice and skating twice. Ugh, skating. It really kicks my butt. If I can go 45 minutes, I'm a happy camper. My partner and I also took the dogs out to a local OHV trail on Christmas day. We had a freshly groomed trail and we were out early enough that the snowmobilers weren't out yet. What a blast! I hope the rest of the season stays this good.

[BikeDutchess]

Went cross-country skiing today for the first time in decades. That sure was a lot of fun! My dad is visiting and it was his dream to ski one more time. He can't do downhill anymore, so we decided on XC. It was a gorgeous day, and while the inversion-caused pollution was creeping up to this area a little bit, the air was much clearer than in the city. Here's my dad in the front, my son skating on the left, and DH in the back. We had such a blast, we'll have to do this more often!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8092/8351839552_cc2e244346.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/48330200@N04/8351839552/)
Fun day ski day. Go pap! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/48330200@N04/8351839552/) by DutchRosie (http://www.flickr.com/people/48330200@N04/), on Flickr

[Crankin]

Here's a pic from the beginning of our snow shoe. This is taken by a pond, just below the main trail hill that we often climb up to the view field where you can see Mt. Monadnock. It's pretty cool, given the fact that I have been skiing here since 1993 and I had never seen this spot.

[ridebikeme]

It's always nice to see something NEW!!! It certainly leaves lasting impressions during the week when one can only dream of getting out on ski's! :)

Just got back from a ski myself, same course as yesterday although a bit warmer so snow was a bit softer. The kicker was that I didn't realize how hard I had skiied ( for me) yesterday until this morning HA! Needless to say, it was a much slower ski and one where I actually met others out as well. All in all, a great day...

[roadie gal]

It has been SO COLD here this week. The low yesterday was -13F and the high was about 18F. Today, since it was so pretty out, I decided to go skate ski for an hour. It was a balmy 8F when I got to the XC center. Ugh! So I had to layer up well beyond the usual for skating. Then, I had waxed my skis last week when it was a little warmer. The pink wax that was perfect last week just didn't cut it today. I had zero glide. It was so bad that I finally gave up trying to skate and got into the tracks and WALKED uphill on my skate skis. It was a tremendous amount of exercise but no fun at all.

So when I got done, I went and bought some blue wax and rewaxed my skis. Tomorrow is going to be better!

[ridebikeme]

It's interesting to hear your weather report roadie girl, as here in Maine it is just the opposite! Last week was warm, with temps finally hitting 50 yesterday!! Most of the snow in nearby towns is gone, luckily we were in a belt with some of the most snow in the northeast... so we survived. I did get out yesteday for about an hour, and definietly planned to ski BEFORE the temps hit 50. At any rate, I was surprised at how good the snow actually was!!! I can't wait to get out again... perhaps Wednesday.

[Crankin]

Booked a weekend in Franconia on the 25th-27th. Very excited. Since I've only skied twice this year, I am thinking it might not be such a good idea to do the ski from our inn to the Franconia Inn and back thing. Those trails were definitely the hardest I've done, more like back country, including one that is a black diamond downhill trial at Cannon. I went UP it. Probably the most falling i've ever done on the downhills, as the trails were tracked, but the area outside the tracks weren't groomed wide enough for me to snowplow down. Hopefully, we'll start at Bretton Woods and then see.

[ridebikeme]

Sounds like a lot of fun Crankin! I hope that the weather changes here soon and gives us some more snow. It's a bit strange as a cyclist 'wanting' more snow, BUT the reality is that although some roads are rideable, most still have icey spots and TONS of sand. So, I say let's ski and truly be ready to ride outside. LOL

Let us know how your trip goes.... that's a beautiful area!

[ridebikeme]

Well, the snow gods answered some prayers here in New England today... YIPEE!! Got in a short ski with about 3" of new snow and it's continuing to snow as I type this. Hopefully we'll receive about 6" or more.... here's hoping that all of you are able to get back on your skis as well!!

[Crankin]

We had about 5 inches here in the NW burbs, but it looks kind of like wet snow. Both of my clients cancelled, bah, I could have at least gone skiing in the woods by my house this afternoon.

[ridebikeme]

Ahhh that's too bad that you weren't able to get out! Like you, we received 5-6 inches of snow, but it's dry. Although underneath all of it it's a bit crunchy.... but at least we have more snow and we can get out. I'm hoping to spend some time on my ski's this weekend.. hope all of you are as well!

[Crankin]

Not a ski, but a snow shoe. Went to Northfield Mountain in Northfield, MA, which is a great place to ski, when there is more than a 0-3 inch base! The thing about this place, is that you are either going up or down, unless you are on the true beginner trails. It is a "hill" after, all (1100 ft.). There are dedicated snow shoe trails and we went up the hardest one. 900 feet of elevation in about 2 miles. Quite a bit of suffering involved, but you are rewarded with a beautiful view of local mountains and the Green Mountains of Vermont (Sugarbush and Mount Snow). We went down a different way and ate our lunch at the hot chocolate hut (I didn't have any). On the way home, we stopped at this place I love, a funky antique store with a cafe, in Erving. DH and I shared a slice of apple pie and ice cream and I had coffee. We only saw 2 skiers near the top of the mountain, but there were a few near the base when we got back. Lots of rocks on the downhills, glad I didn't ski. We snow shoed about 4.2 miles.

[ridebikeme]

Sounds like a beautiful day!! I hope that you receive snow soon so that you can get back out on your ski's.

Got out for a short ski today after running errands, but it was a great day and beautiful with snow still hanging on the trees.... not sure why I can't remember to bring my camera. LOL

Enjoy tomorrow everyone!!

[DebW]

Just back from 2 days of skiing in VT at Groton State Forest. Stayed at Seyon Lodge with a small group of women and had some excellent skiing. A bit of snow falling on Saturday with temps starting above freezing. Today was cold, 3F in the morning, maybe 17 by afternoon, so skied on green wax with a nice snow base and 3-4 inches of powder. Heavenly!

[nuliajuk]

I'm just getting back into skiing after a 15 year absence from it. (Car accident knee injuries) So far it's just been a short 2.5k circuit on a golf course, when the wind chill isn't into the -30ºC and lower range. The brilliant sunshine makes up for the sketchy conditions that have resulted from wind drift and a brief thaw a few weeks back. Got a blister and a bruised toenail yesterday - my old boots didn't fit and the new ones don't fit as well as they seemed to when I was just walking around the house in them.
Hard to believe I used to go out to the mountains west of Calgary and do 20 to 30k skis, then go back the next day and do 10 to 15k the next day. My whole body is tired from 5k right now. At least I can ski in the city here. Calgary rarely had enough snow for that. Now that the sun sets later than 5:30, I'll be able to go right after work in the evenings.

[Crankin]

Skied at Bretton Woods today, 15k. It was a balmy 9F when we started and about 12 when we finished. There was brilliant sunshine though. We were going to ski a loop right to the restaurant at the Mt. Washington Hotel, but we missed the trail and had to backtrack. By that time my friend was getting frostbite on her hands, so we headed back to the Nordic center and drove up the road to eat.
Conditions were good in the beginning, but the trail on the way back was more heavily used and had lots of twigs and grass on the tracks. Then, the wind picked up in the open field and that was not fun. Tomorrow we are going to ski at Waterville Valley Nordic on the way home. They all want to take a skate ski lesson and I do not. It looks way too hard and I generally hate trying new things that may make me look like an azzhole.

[Crankin]

Well, our trip to Waterville Valley was interesting. We decided against the skate ski lesson, due to the temperature, although it turned out to be quite a bit warmer (+10 degrees) than yesterday. So, there's 2 very separate areas for skiing and out friends had been to one of them a few times, but not in a couple of years. We went to the center and asked if a route we had planned to do a short ski before lunch, was OK. They told us a couple of the trails were closed, but we were able to plan a 5k route. OK, the trails started out fine, although it definitely was not what our friends described, which was wide and rated easier than most places we ski. We climbed up, up, and up, conditions getting worse by the second. Icy, with twigs and rocks sticking out. We went down a twisty downhill, which under good conditions would have been great, but it was scary. I managed to stay up, though. Then we climbed even more; my edge on my left ski skid out on the ice, and I did go down in what I call a "stupid fall." We got to the trail we were supposed to take to get back and it was closed. Our only other option was to ski down a black trail with the word "chute" in the name. Given the conditions, that was not something any of us wanted to do, so we took our skis off and walked down the closed trail, about 1.5 km or a little more. There were bare rocks where water bars had formed, and lots of twigs, and ice. Thankfully, it was not too hard and we got to the trail to get back to the nordic center. On a small downhill, our friend, who is a really excellent skier (the one who broke his hip cycling a couple of years ago) fell, which scared us, but he was OK. There was a pile of snow in the middle of the trail, with ice on the side. When we were almost back, there was (no kidding) a guy with his shirt off :eek:, standing on the side of the trail, getting some sun. His hands were raised to the sky and it was very weird. I averted my eyes, so as not to make any contact. Not sure what the deal was, but it was a good laugh after a hard ski.
After lunch, we drove to the other (which were the trails our friends described) side, but by this time it was 2:00 and I was getting chilled for some reason. We skied just about 2K, around a loop, the conditions were great, but we had lost our mojo. Since we had a 2 hour drive home, we called it quits.
I will go back here, but under better snow conditions next time. Overall, a great weekend, especially the eating.

[ridebikeme]

Glad to hear you had a great weekend Crankin! I would dare say that there's a good chance that manya reas have such conditions.... the week of warm temps simply killed us and then the cold this past week. It sounds as though we could get a bit of snow over the next couple of days, but again, the temps are going to warm this week ARGH!!! Hopefully we'll receive a good snow fall here at some point.

I got out yesterday(and will go today as well) and like you, there were lots of pine cones/needles on the trail, although I was happy not to see bare ground anywhere... although it was pretty hard. But here's to hoping that the snow gods look down on us again here soon!

[roadie gal]

We haven't had any snow for weeks. The conditions are going to start to get sketchy soon.

I went for a skate ski today. I concentrated on technique and going slow with a good glide. I tend to just blow up skating, but this worked well. I was able to go for over an hour and made it up a long, not too steep hill without stopping. Yay.

[ridebikeme]

Well, we survived all the rain and wind, and although the trails are scratchy...we still have snow. I did get out today, although probably the worse conditions I have seen in quite some time... even beats last year! Although there was still snow coverage on the trails, they were 'boiler plate' and covered with branches, pine cones and twigs. Although the conditions beat me twice today by throwing me to the ground a couple of times, it was a beautiful day and interesting to see all the huge ice chunks that got washed downstream. I'm thankful that we still have coverage, but truly hope that the snow gods will bless us with some more of the white stuff.

[nuliajuk]

Got out at dawn this morning. The trails were drifted over, but another skier had been out even earlier, so it was possible to follow those tracks at least. The colour of the snow changed from peach to pale gold as the sun got higher, with violet-grey shadow. Will definitely go out at this time of day next week.
Tomorrow I'm volunteering for the local loppet. It will be interesting to see if they can set the tracks close enough to start time to overcome the wind drift - it's amazing how fast the tracks get buried in this gusty place.

[Crankin]

Praying it snows in the Northeast Kingdom, before we leave on 2/14.

[ridebikeme]

I hope so .... I know right now that most of their trails are either closed or VERY scratchy!! Although, I don't believe that we have seen the last of the snow. Perhaps we should all get out on our road bikes for a couple of rides, that's a sure way of getting more snow LOL!!

[Crankin]

Sigh, the Kingdom Trails are closed. There's predicted highs of 35 down here next weekend, so I probably will be out on my bike. Maybe that will work. Not much else to do up there, maybe hike, as I doubt there's enough snow even for snow shoeing. None of us are downhillers, so that's out. We are bringing our passports, so perhaps there's snow north of there?? Somehow, I doubt it.

[ridebikeme]

There seems to be some sort of pocket that has some snow, while others have very little. In my area, I know that Bethel is very scarce, and so is the area near Twin Mtn, Gorham NH etc... It seems so strange this year, as these areas generally have lots of snow and have the ability to recover when warm weather makes an appearance. I keep telling myself that we aren't out of the woods yet with snow, so hopefully it's in the near future!!

Have fun on your bike today!! The roads here are pretty dry here as well, although a bit of ice on the edges. I've been saying all winter that I need to put the studded tires on my mtn bike, and it's time that I did! It would be tremendous riding today :)

[SpeedyChix]

So little snow here this winter we finally made the trip north into Canada. Four days of outstanding skiing and a bit of snowshoe time as well. Trails at Stokely Creek are outstanding.

Fresh fluffy snow falling today but we're going to need it to keep this up for a day or two to make a base. For now, it's back to gravel road running and the trainer.

[Crankin]

Snow and lots of it, coming Friday. It will be great skiing around here. Can't wait.
Of course, I am going to Vermont next Thursday, and they are getting like 3 inches.

[Crankin]

Ok, totally missed skiing in the perfect powder last Sunday, and I've been sick all week, but heading off to the Northeast Kingdom tomorrow. Hoping for some new adventures and decent snow. Will hopefully post with pictures.

[ridebikeme]

Sounds like a great trip Crankin... definitely let us know how it is!

We didn't receive as much snow as you, but what we did receive was extremely dry... so absolutely no glide at all. But I'm excited that we did get some to cover of the spots that were very thin. Got out Sunday, Monday and today.. todays conditionds were better. The temps have been a bit warmer, so the melting/freezing action is helping to put moisture back in the snow.

Hope you have a great trip and are feeling better:)

[Norse]

We've had such little snow here in the Twin Cities this winter and what little we've had always seems to be preceded or followed by freezing rain and/or sleet. Bleck. Up north is a different story though and we are headed up to the North Shore of Lake Superior for what should be a glorious extended weekend of nordic skiing! :)

[Crankin]

We arrived in the NEK yesterday around 2. Everyone was in agreement there would be nothing more strenuous than drinking wine and dinner, which is what we did. Of course, I come to the coldest place in VT and today was about 40 degrees. Since the snow was thin and mushy, we snowshoed about 10k on the Darling Hill Trails. It was awesome, did mostly black trails that are really hiking, winter and summer mtb trails. Since it's my first exercise in almost 2 wks., I think it was a better idea. Lots of climbing and saw several fat tire tracks on these very narrow single track trails. We saw a large sugaring operation in the woods and also saw the sugar shack.
Later, after lunch we went to E. Burke Sports Shop and they had Vayas with huge fat tires. I bought a top and hat on sale and chatted with the sales guy who was very happy that we had flattened the trails with our snow shoes, for his bike. He was also mildly impressed 4 old people had gone that far on that terrain.
Tomorrow we will ski on the groomed and tracked trails at Dashney Farm, which in 1992 is where I took my first x country ski lesson, while the rest of my family was alpine skiing at Burke.

[Crankin]

Skied about 11k at the Dashney Trails Nordic center, part of the Kingdom Trails network. Conditions were on the edge of being horrible, but we planned a route with the help of the staff, where we would be going up in the spots that were exposed.
This is a gorgeous place. I have to come back here when there is powder. It was fast and slick today, but no falling, just some very spazzy moments in the beginning.
We were done around 12:30. Went into town and had lunch at the Country Store and then went to the home of the man who runs the sugaring operation we saw on the trails yesterday. We bought some syrup from him, it was cool to just knock on his door, as our innkeeper told us to.

[ridebikeme]

Isn't it wonderful when people are so friendly that you can knock on their door for something? I have not skiied in the NEK, however I know the terrain fairly well,a dn always smile when I think of the first time riding there and coming up on the sugar house... great memories! I've also enjoyed eating several lunches at the general store, love the atmosphere!!

I have to admit that losing the snow that we just received is a bummer; I'm hoping that the weather will change here again adn give us some more snow. I see the snow changing here each day and I'll admit that it does make me sad... probably not something that I should admit since I own a bike shop LOL!!

Here's to hoping that your day of skiing is good today and that the snow gods will come back and make another visit.

[Crankin]

We didn't ski yesterday, as it was about 9 degrees with a 20 mph wind, gusts up to 40. If the snow had been powder, yes, but as it was, my lungs were starting to act up again. So, we drove to Montpelier, where we spent quite a bit of time in a bike/ski shop and I bought a Marmot jacket for 30% off and DH bought some new ski pants and then had a late lunch. I was seriously looking at real estate ads in the NEK at breakfast!
I am hoping the snow Gods pay another visit, too. Next weekend may be a possibility, but tomorrow is going to be 47 here in the Boston area, which is bad enough, but it's supposed to rain, too. Maybe that rain will be snow up at Windblown :rolleyes:.

[ridebikeme]

Ohh I hope you're right about the snow!! It has definitely been windy here the past couple of days, gusts over 50MPH and that was quite often. In fact, the wind is still blowing ARGH!! But I guess it is better than rain.


I too, thought about a move to the NEK!:) Wondered if I could move the shop and actually survive over there; I'm sure many people have shared those same thoughts.

Have a good week and hope that you are feeling better!

[DebW]

I skied a piece of the Catamount Trail past Stratton Pond on Sunday. Joined an official Catamount tour, where the leader was the maintainer of the section we skied. It was cold, below 10 all day, and quite windy, though a beautiful day in the woods. The original plan was to ski 9 miles with an optional bail-out at 6 miles, but the leader decided we would all stop at 6 miles given the weather and trail conditions - the last 2 miles of the longer tour would have been a steep downhill on crusty snow. The route included some woods roads, part of a hiking trail, and some snowmobile track and was well-marked and maintained. We started on the Arlington-West Wardsboro Road, stopped for lunch at the shelter at Stratton Pond and finished near some condos at Stratton Ski Area. A really nice day of skiing.

[Norse]

We had a glorious weekend skiing up along the North Shore of Lake Superior! Snow conditions, perfect. Weather, perfect. Ski trail, in perfect condition! Beautiful. :)

16029 16030 16031

[Crankin]

Here's a view from the Dashney Farm Trails in the NEK.

[ridebikeme]

Thanks for sharing Crankin!! How much snow have you received at home this weekend?

I just got back froma short ski, absolutely gorgeous out! The snow falling from the trees was tending to amke things a bit sticky, but nonetheless it was great!! I would guess that we received about 8", so received another 9-10" earlier in the week, so as of now things are pretty nice out. But as you know, temps are going to be warm this week.... we'll see what happens.

[Crankin]

It was raining/sleeting until about 9 AM. We have a couple of inches of wet snow, but it will come down hard for awhile and then stop, start again. It's supposed to snow until 5 AM, and we are supposed to get 4-8 inches here in the western suburbs. I am planning on skiing tomorrow; hoping Great Brook Farm in Carlisle will open, so I can do it close to home. Otherwise, I will drive to Windblown, that has received a lot more snow, and go directly to my one client from there.
Am about to go out and do a quick snow shoe on my neighborhood/conservation land trails.

[ridebikeme]

Glad to hear that you received some snow instead of just rain! I would guess that we reeived well over a foot in this last storm, so about 2 feet this week. I just finished shovelling the driveway for the second day in a row, I'll eat some breckfast and then head out for a ski. It's supposed to be warm all week, so it will be interesting to see how the snow lasts....

Have fun on your snowshoe today!

[Crankin]

Just got back from 10K at Great Brook Farm in Carlisle. It was great to sneak in a ski during the week, but I should have driven to Windblown and just gone to work from there... it was 35 degrees when I left, so I knew I had to get out there when they opened at 10. The conditions weren't awful, as I've seen it really bad there, but they just don't groom like other places. The tracks were slushy, which I'll take over icy or twigs and rocks, but there was plenty of powder in the skating lane, so I skied there a lot. Other places will take the new snow and put it on the tracks. I went on one new trail there, which is kind of hard, since there's only ten miles of trails, but it was the best of the day, since it's rated black and mostly beginners go there... great powder and good hills.
It was getting very busy there when I left at 11:15 or so and it's already 40 degrees. More snow on Wednesday!

[roadie gal]

We haven't had any substantial snow since late December. It's getting scary for the upcoming fire season.

I hadn't skied in about 3 weeks. I just lost interest for a while. But I went out and skate skied the last 2 days. I tried out the "Map My Run" app on the cell phone for my skiing distance. I have no idea how accurate it is. I 'll have to do a road run and compare the app with a known distance. But both days it says I did about 5 miles. I'm good with that.

[ridebikeme]

Well, the past week and a half has dropped about 2 1/2 feet of snow here, although the warm temps have made the snow melt/freeze several times. Got out for a short ski today, and although the sun was missing it was AWESOME to be out!! With all of the snow, more than likely it will be quite some time before we are riding outside on a regular basis.. so here's to cross training!:)

[Crankin]

Skied about 11-12K (no GPS today) at Windblown. While it wasn't perfect powder, it was great packed powder/granular. No ice at all. Did the very bottom part of the Open Slope successfully. DH did not do so well, as he fell twice going down, as well as once from a standstill. He laughed though, and it's good for me to have a day when I do better at a sport than he does. Going back tomorrow, or maybe to Northfield MT. in western MA.
Ridebikeme, while we don't have as much snow down here, the roads are just yucky with sand/remelting, ice. I thought tomorrow might be the day for my first ride, but I am going to wait.

[ridebikeme]

Glad to hear about your day Crankin! It does indeed seem a bit strange to truly be wishing for snow earlier in the season and not receive a whole lot, and now that it seems most people are 'finished' with winter sports, we start receiving it ! HA! I guess that leaves more room for the rest of us.

AS for rides on the road, if I were to get a mtn bike out, I could certainly ride that.... and may start doing just that. The roads are abit too sandy here still, not including the hidden sections of ice here and there. But in the meantime, there's still plenty of skiing to do and the occasional ride outside.

Enjoy your ski team!

[Crankin]

Well, it appears DH tweaked his ankle and shoulder a bit in one of his falls, so we are axing the skiing today. I normally would go alone, but I am a bit sore myself and sort of enjoying a lazy morning. It looks like yesterday may have been my last ski of the year :mad:. We could take a trip north next weekend, but it's going to be 45-50 here and the bike is calling. We'll see.
If I had a mountain bike, I'd definitely be out riding. But, I'm basically down to 2 road bikes, so it will wait.

[Norse]

We received a nice little 8-9" snowfall the other day. Rain and sleet is predicted for tomorrow night and Saturday so last night after work I got out for a wonderful 4 mile outing under the lights on the trails at the local French Regional Park on Medicine Lake. Just after sunset along one of the lagoons, I heard two owls calling to each from across the water. What a great way to spend a weeknight and forget about work!

[ridebikeme]

Crankin you're right about predicted temps for the weekend. My plans are to get out early AM for a ski, and then head back and take my mtn bike out for a ride. It feels as though it's Christmas Eve; I'm soooo excited. :)

[Crankin]

Yup, I plan to do the same. Snow still falling here, and it looks like there will be about 8 inches at my house. Plan to ski tomorrow morning, before it gets too warm (just heard New Ipswich, where Windblown is has 9 inches now). The plan is to ride on Sunday, but since I don't have a mountain bike, it will depend on the condition of the roads.
Just got an email from my local (7 miles away) x country ski center and they are saying they'll be open at 11... I don't think I can ski fast enough to get it done, drive home, cleaned up, and to my client 30 miles away by 2:00 PM :mad:.

[roadie gal]

We got between 6-12 inches over the last 2 days. Yay! Since it was still snowing I took the touring skis to the cross country area. I'm glad I did. It was deep in some places and icy in others. But it was still a good day.

[Crankin]

Today was probably the most amazing x country ski day I've had. Blue sky, 13 inches of new powder, and temperatures between 45 and 52. I was skiing in my Sugoi sub zeros, a base layer, and a fall cycling jersey. The jacket was off in 20 minutes, the headband in 5, and the gloves came off after 30 minutes. It's the first time in 20 years I've skied without gloves. Could have been wearing a short sleeved shirt and a vest.
We did the hard part first, skied up the Back Forty to the first "Zig Zag," where we entered the Open Slope at a much steeper point than last week. Lots of people skiing down. For your edification, the Open Slope would probably qualify as a blue trail at an alpine ski center. I've skied it from the highest point of the "blue" designation, but it goes up higher, into black territory. I will probably never do any black trail at Windblown, as they all are steep mountains, although I have skied down a few black trails in other places, and climbed up many. I let the experts descend ahead of me, got some courage from some young skiers who told me I could "just walk down," (are they kidding?) and went off. No falling, not so elegant looking descent in a very dug in snowplow. DH fell again this week, and this time he listened to me as I could see what he is doing wrong.

[ridebikeme]

Don't you just love it when there are days like this? It sounds like you had a wonderful day, this is one of those days where you can be very thankful for the crazy weather! :)

We did not receive any snow here, although there still is plenty to ski on. I went out early before the trails became soft, so I could take my dog as well. It's tough on her when the snow gets soft. At any rate, we had a great ski, then I met up with a friend and we went out for ride! I have commuted back and forth to work over the winter, but this is officially my first road ride. My area has tons of sand on the road still, but I rode in an ajacent town and the roads were fairly clean for this time of year. I wasn't sure what I would get in to, so I opted to ride my mtn bike. Generally, I'm not one to ride a mtn bike on the road, but it was a great ride and I felt 'safe' with not knowing their road conditions.

Hope your day tomorrow is great as well... it's another to get outside and play!

[DebW]

I had 2 days of delightful skiing in Vermont last weekend. Stayed 2 nights at the Blueberry Hill Inn with a couple of friends. We were the only ones at the inn. It snowed Thursday and Friday night, so we had 3 inches of fresh powder to ski on Saturday. Skied a 9 mile section of the Catamount Trail from near Rikert Ski Center back to Blueberry Hill in 5 hours. No groomed trails, all backcountry powder. Saw 7 other skiers and one dog all day. Sunday morning we skied a loop on the Blueberry Hill trails with some climbing to a gorgeous viewpoint. Sunday afternoon I drove from the western side of the Green Mountains into the Conn River valley and skied 2 hours with a friend at the Strafford Ski Center. Not as much snow and groomed trails that were somewhat glazed but still nice. It was cold enough all weekend that I was skiing on extra blue and special violet wax. If that was my last ski of the season, I'll hang up the skis happy.

[Crankin]

Skied today at Great Brook Farm, as I had proactively moved all of my clients except one to other days, due to the impending storm. They said they were opening at 11, which they were, but they weren't done with the grooming. Usually I don't mind, even though my skis are really made for the tracks and not skiing in the skate lane. Today, the skate lane had little and some not so little piles of snow/clumps, so it was slow going for awhile. I finally saw the groomer guy and then I had a bit of tracks that were clear. When I got to the top of the one sort of hill there, half of the ridge had not been cleared, so I skied up and down the other steeper (not really) hill there, which I've only done once, since it has a terrible patch of roots and stumps near the end, that are always exposed. Today they weren't exposed, but I was constantly being slowed by the snow piles and then I realized the snow had become very wet. In fact, it was sleeting/raining when I got back.
I can't believe this stuff used to scare me. It was fun to be outside, but I have been disappointed in the conditions at Great Brook the last few times I've been there. However, it's 8 miles from my house, so I can't complain. Fresh snow and I am glad I went, since I skied about 11K, almost the whole place.
On Friday I may go up to Windblown, and ski there in the AM, as I have a client about 20 minutes south of there at 1:30. They got about a foot or more of snow, and no rain/sleet like here. While I do wish I was out on my bike, I love this opportunity to ski.

[ridebikeme]

It is amazing how quickly we can turn from one activity to another...:) I too, went out on ski's this morning. At the time, the snow was minimal and dry, which meant that I had very little glide. It did get a bit better once I turned around to come back to the car though. It was a beautiful day to be out, hopefully I'll get out again in the next couple of days... especially since I had to reschedule our Chili ride which was on Sunday.:(

[ridebikeme]

It's amzing how an hour can tire our fourl legges friends out, although if yours are like mine, well she runs more distance than I ski HA!

We had about a foot of new snow this week, and although today was supposed to be the 'Chili ride" for the shop, it turned out to be a day on ski's.(way too windy to ride outside today) Unfortunately, my four legged friend had to stay home today because the snow was too soft... too hard on her hips. But, I will say that the conditions are probably the best of the season, and like you Roadie, I too did a semi backcountry ski today. I followed someone elses tracks, and it was a blast although a LOT of work HA!

[roadie gal]

Wow. Our season is completely done. The cross country centers closed April 1st. The one closest to me had to cancel a bunch of special events. There is dirt all around the house. The snow level is up over 7000 feet! We're at a 50% snow pack for the year. That's really scary for the fire season this summer.

[ridebikeme]

I did a short late day hike yesterday (elevation only 1100-1200 feet proabably) and saw evidence that we still have lots of snow in soem areas... 2-3 feet. I'll definitely have to get out on ski's before its all gone though. We are in that in between season, where you can still find snow to ski on and some days are nice enough to get out and ride... others not so much.

[Crankin]

Bumping this thread up, because we just made a reservation for our annual x country ski trip we do in February! We are going back to Stowe, staying in a new place, and I am hoping, this time, there will be snow. Last 2 times, we ended up snow shoeing, with one day being about 45 degrees, drizzle, and huge amounts of melting snow. The mud at our inn was so bad (it was around March 1st), that even DH's 4 wheel drive, with a special heavy duty thing for getting out of places, needed some extra coaxing to work.
We had originally planned on going back to the Northeast Kingdom, but about 2 weeks ago, we got an email from the inn saying, "good news," the out the door trails are now all for fat tire bikes :eek:. Not good for us, though. We snow shoed there, and the only reason we didn't ski was the snow cover was a bit sketchy. There is a dedicated x country center, but it's not that big and not worth going there for a few days. I know that Burke is promoting fat bikes/mountain biking to make the area more desireable to people, but that is one sport I will never do. Since most of the clientele at the inn looked like families with kids, I am wondering how this will play out.
There's still lots of riding time left, but I am getting excited.

[ridebikeme]

Although at present I don't own a Fatbike, more than likely I will buy one at some point. I don't think that there will be much of an issue, there's plenty of room in the NE Kingdom to do what one wants...

When I moved back to Maine in 2000, I judged the conditions of the snow by what I took out on the trails... great snow I'm on my nordic ski's, if it was icey than I went with my mtn bike with studded tires or chains. Nothing has changed, although a Fatbike would me allow me to get more outside miles over the winter than simply being on the trainer. And of course, I'll always be on ski's when there is snow:)

[Crankin]

1st ski of the season at our local touring center. I am always doubtful about the conditions here, but today they were fabulous! All powder, even though we had some ice under the snow on our driveway. Did about 10.5k, and even though it was crowded, we do an outer loop which includes the only 3 bigger climbs (nothing compared to other places) here, after about the half way point, we hardly saw anyone. Lots of parents teaching very little kids to ski, also.
I'm pretty tired, from skiing, 2 hours of snow shoveling, and still recovering form my dental surgery. Nobody fell, so that's good. I did feel a little more wobbly than usual, but I always think about when I started skiing at this place, about 22 years ago, when I never left the little beginner loop and the one teeny hill used to scare the crap out of me. I didn't *really* begin to ski until 2005.
Happy.

[Crankin]

Skied again today, same place, same loop. We had 5-8 inches of powder last night, but conditions were not as good :mad:. It's gorgeous out, bright, sunny and was 28 when I left. I got there at 10:30, about a half hour after they opened. Didn't start too well when the about 80 year old woman selling me the ski ticket asked if I was a senior :eek:. I know I don't look great without make up, but geez, my hair wasn't even sweaty yet. I told her i had 5 years to go, according to their standard. Anyway, it was really gorgeous and things were fine until I did the first part of the climb and got to the top, which is an open field, exposed, with no trees. As I was skiing around the loop to catch the second part of the climb, I almost did a face plant. I realized it was getting warm out, I didn't put any Glide on my skis and the snow was getting sticky. When I got back into the woods, it was better, but then I started getting annoyed at the poor grooming. The tracks were fine, but the skating lane, where I usually ascend and descend was not groomed and the sticky snow, combined with lots of powder and big lumps kept slowing me down on the downhills. I do have edges on my skis, but they don't do well in deeper powder. Getting back was slow and one guy near the end told me pass him, as his skis were no longer functioning!
Glad I went, though. Crossed paths with an AMC group skiing, I hung with them for a bit, but they were going even slower than me. I cringed when one of them yelled, "There's my bike leader."
It was 33 when I got back, so no wonder my skis were sticking.

[ridebikeme]

Sounds like a great day to be out! I remember those days well with sticking snow etc... Those are the days the days when we all need the "Zero" base ski's which are made for those conditions:) Ummm... maybe I'll have to think about getting a pair HA!

[Crankin]

I've felt the need for a second pair of skis, but not sure what. DH is not so convinced about this... tell me more about those zero based skis.
Maybe I should get some back country skis so I can play in the real woods a bit more.

[Jolt]

Managed to get out and ski yesterday for just under an hour on the local rail trail (that the snowmobilers use, and pack down nicely for skiing). Unfortunately it is going to rain this weekend so will probably have to wait until the next snowfall to go again. Next time I will have to try some of the side trails for more of a challenge since the rail trail doesn't give me any practice turning or going up/downhill.

[Crankin]

Snow shoed in our neighborhood/conservation land trail late this afternoon (Jolt, the one we hiked on years ago). Really warm out, about 50. The snow was pasty and it was quite a work out. I didn't do quite the whole thing as I have neighbors coming over for dinner and I had to start preparing. This is the trail that has the really steep (20+%) climb back up to the street. Although I only went about 3 miles, it felt like 30 between the snow and the climb. I kind of am hoping to ski at Windblown tomorrow, as it's always colder up there and the conditions may be OK, if it doesn't start raining. There's going to be a lot of ice in northern NH and Maine, Vt., so I hope everyone is safe up there.
I love winter.

[Crankin]

Snow shoed on Friday and skied yesterday. I have never seen so many people at Great Brook Farm. Since it was about -5 early in the AM, we went at 1 PM. Conditions were Ok, but I was just off, feeling like my arms and legs were dead, back was hurting, but, hey, I went and skied about 10K. Saw She Fly early in the ski, which was about the only time I smiled! There were a lot newbies out, with poor trail etiquette, as well as many skaters, who fly by and make me feel like an old lady. I slipped and fell going up the bigger climb, just from pure tiredness. Only I would fall going up a hill.
Going to Windblown today, which, no matter how crowded it looks, never feels crowded, once you get out a bit from the lodge. And, the grooming is much better.

[ridebikeme]

Sounds like a great day Crankin! It seems as though this last bout of weather has really wiped people out... in terms of effort, holidays etc... I'm hearing from people everywhere that they are tired, and those are the folks that "never" say they are tired:)

Hope you have a great ski today!!

[SheFly]

We went back to Great Brook this morning for a skate before things got busy. Much better, but still lots of newbies out standing in the middle of the trail, or skiing two abreast. Did manage to get in a solid workout though! Great to see Crankin and her DH out yesterday, if only briefly! I am pretty beat now - 3 days of nordic in a row, using muscles I didn't know I had.

SheFly

[Crankin]

Windblown was awesome today, albeit, a bit icy in spots. Now I know why I go here to prepare for trips further north. Climbing like crazy. Some of the descents had moguls and it was slick. No falling on those, but 2 stupid falls sort of trying to be coordinated :).
I am also feeling like SheFly, after 2 days of nordic and one of snow shoeing. Tired, but happy. DH and I left before our friends, as he was starting to fall a bit and had a blister. I did not fight this decision. There's an AMC ski at Windblown on Wednesday, but I will have to check on the conditions. Don't want to drive an hour for ice.

[Crankin]

Skied yesterday at Great Brook, after a "surprise" 6-8 inches when a "dusting" had been predicted. Went at 9:15 AM, by myself, with no expectations of conditions. They had stated it was a bit dicey in the woods, but I have actually seen worse, much worse. Was debating on whether to go down the steep, but short descent on one trail, as this is where I once had to take my skies off when there were rocks and roots poking through the snow! But, I like the climb, so I ditched the alternative route and up I went. The conditions were getting a bit slick and mushy, with snow piles on the sides of the descent (which curves). My edge caught and down I went. No one saw, but my back was already hurting, and I do feel the fall today.
I feel like I haven't had a really perfect ski day yet, except maybe the first one. Hoping for some snow for next Sunday, maybe, but I hope I get to ski somewhere more challenging before my trip to Stowe!

[Jolt]

OK, so today I realized what a rotten skier I am. I went to a local XC ski place with a Meetup group of people I hadn't met before, and warned them that I am not very good yet. A couple of others said they weren't either. We split into two groups based on skill level, with the idea that the less advanced group (of which I was a part) would stick to some of the easier trails. First of all, I was by far the worst skier in the group and was the straggler, which I absolutely can't stand. It is so awkward to be slowly trying to get up a hill without sliding backward and having everyone else waiting at the top and staring at you...I finally advised them to just go ahead rather than wait, knowing how annoying it can be to stand around waiting a long time for someone slow as well as not wanting an audience for my klutziness. Also, the trail junctions weren't always well marked and somehow we ended up on what I suspect was a black diamond trail, with lots of ups and downs that I really wasn't ready for. I lost count of how many times I wiped out...going downhill is scary right now especially if there is a curve and there are trees etc. along the sides of the trail. Not being very good at turning yet, there were quite a few times where I had to fall down in order to avoid hitting something. Time to take a lesson...or two or three. Preferably without a lot of other people around. I suppose I should just be thankful I didn't get hurt in the process of crashing that many times...unfortunately one woman did, right at the end. She hit a fence that was next to the trail, injured her shoulder and had to go to the ER. Haven't heard what the outcome of that was, but hoping it isn't serious and that she has a quick recovery. Really a bummer too, as it was her first time skiing.

[Crankin]

Jolt, it's better to go alone, or with one person at first. Take a lesson or two, it helps.

[lph]

First really good day of skiing. Aaaah :-D Last weekend I was out both Sat and Sun on a short round, but there was only just enough snow and everybody and their grandmother was also out, so it was a crowded and busy affair. Today, 25 km on good, soft snow, well groomed, just enough people to smile and nod to :-)

[DebW]

I spent the weekend at Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Vermont. Skiing was great. Skied hard Sat morning til about 1 pm, rested most of the afternoon, then another hour on the trails. Today we did a long snowshoe hike combined with some animal tracking. Temperature 2-4F today but it was sunny.

[Jolt]

Went back to the place I went with the group Saturday, but this time took a private lesson and then stayed and practiced for a while. I think I am getting the hang of things more now, and it was nice to not be worrying about keeping up with anyone. There was a small hill in a wide-open area that I practiced climbing and descending a few times...it helps to not have the possibility of crashing into trees while working on downhill technique!

[Irulan]

I'm taking a private 2 hr skate ski lesson on Friday. I can classic OK. We've got miles and miles of trails around the corner from the alpine area. I figure I should pick it up ok becasue I am in reasonable shape, and I can skate in my alpine gear like nobody's business. Yes, I know there are differences but i hope it will help me catch on.

[Crankin]

I had an awesome ski today, at Northfield Mountain, in western MA. This is actually a mountain (small) that was bought by a power company. In exchange, they had to develop the land for recreation. While there are a good deal of green trails, some of them great for warming up, there's mostly difficult climbing/descending. However, you can even ascend to the summit on a moderately built road that is a green trail. There's no food here, the center is bare bones... but the grooming is stupendous, as is the scenery. I finally feel like I got my ski legs back. Good thing, we are leaving for Stowe in 3 days. I am not sure how far I went, but we skied for 2 hours.

[Jolt]

Lots of good snow lately for skiing! Have gotten out a few more times, including on the trails at a farm here in town which are open to the public and often groomed. They are a little more challenging than the XC ski center a few towns over, partly because of more ups and downs (with curves on or at the bottom of many of the descents) and partly because people walk there with bare boots and tend to mess up the snow. So far the best I have done on that loop is to "only" fall down twice (yesterday)...will feel pretty good when I get to the point of being able to complete it without wiping out, eating it or crashing once! I have tomorrow off so am planning to take advantage of the new snowfall and get some skiing or snowshoeing in.

[Crankin]

Day one of skiing in Stowe
We went to The Stowe Mountain x country center. The skiing was awesome and challenging. Even the green trails were full of ascents. Had one great long and wide downhill, a couple of scary, twisty, narrow downhills with moguls, and one super steep one that turned and ended at a bridge. My friend the super skier fell. That and one of the others was a black diamond. After lunch, we went back out and did a green/blue loop with one big climb.
On the way back to the cottage, I stopped and got some Epsom salts.

[Jolt]

I did NOT have a good ski day today! Went to the place in town again; it had been groomed but the middle of the trail was higher with depressions on each side (they groom with a machine that has tracks on each side and pulls a big roller, and the roller didn't compact the snow as much as the tracks did) so there was a pretty narrow area to try and stay on. This did not go well when trying to snowplow on descents, particularly since the snow was pretty hard after a warm day yesterday followed by refreezing of what was already some pretty wet snow. I did not even try to do the main loop; the first gradual descent was so scary that I wimped out, turned around and went to a different trail (which was also difficult in spots, especially the curve on a downhill where the trail sloped down toward the outside of the curve--that was good for an awkward crash when I slid to the outside, into the rut, couldn't make the turn, and caught my tip under the hard crust outside the groomed trail). It is just so hard to have any kind of control on this hard packed snow...anyone have any helpful tips? It would be nice to be able to effectively avoid picking up a lot of speed on downhills when the snow is like this. At least when the snow is a little softer the snowplow works! I must have fallen at least five or six times...can you tell I'm frustrated with myself today?

[lph]

On sharp descents with cross-country skis I try to "pulse" my snowplow, as in: plow hard, let up, slide a little to one side, plow hard etc. That gives me better stopping power as I edge harder. Or I'll plow harder on one side, let up, then harder on the other side. It can resemble slalom turns. But on the icy stuff it's sometimes better to just push through, especially if it's narrow, and look for softer patches to snowplow on.

If I find myself picking up a bit too much speed towards a turn crouching down and dragging the inside pole gives me just a little bit of added balance and control. Maybe it's just in my head, but it does work :-)

[Crankin]

I think LPH's advice about pulsing the snowplows is good. For icy downhills, you just have to dig those edges in and slow the snowplow down. The quality of the grooming makes a big difference, as does temperature and sun. You should try another place and experiment with conditions/ different types of grooming.
Days 2 and 3 in Stowe:
Yesterday was snowing like hell and wind gusts up to 30 mph. Out we went at Von Trapp (the hills are alive...). Once in the woods the wind was not much of an issue and it was not that cold. But, blowing snow had pretty much obliterated the grooming, tracks were non-existent and the packed lane was almost back country conditions. Two hours of slogging through that was enough! At the end, we were in open fields, and it was pretty miserable. Not hard terrain, but not fun. Chalk it up as a htfu experience.
Today went back to Trapp and it was perfect. Still some flurries, no wind and 30 degrees. We skied up to the cabin, ate lunch, and skied down, about 20k. It was not technically hard, but long. Tired but happy. No skiing tomorrow, we will shop and drive home.

[DebW]

I did a day of skiing at Windblown yesterday. The snow was excellent packed powder with temps in the 20s and sunny skies. Unfortunately, my leather backcountry 3-pin boots died the day before, so I had to rent boots and use some waxable in-track skis with SNS bindings that a friend loaned me. I wasn't used to the narrow skis, as they felt much less stable than my BCs, but by afternoon I'd forgotten about the difference and was running up hills and taking more speed on the downs. Now waiting on mail-ordered 3-pin boots to see if they'll fit and do the job - I've got weekends of skiing in VT planned the next 2 weekends. Meanwhile I found a pair of BC NNN boots for $30 that fit well and bought an NNN binding that I may put on a pair of old skis.

[Crankin]

So much snow! I don't want it to rain, nooooooo!!!!
Going to Great Brook with my cycling group today. I am sure they will be slow and sociable, but that's why I am going (the sociable part). I finally have Wednesdays totally free.
We kind of impulsively booked a night at an inn in the Berkshires for Saturday when we were up in Stowe. We plan to get up Sat. morning, go to a x country center that is on the way, ski, then drive to Pittsfield to the inn, get up the next day, head back east, and ski somewhere else. With the impending rain and warm temperatures, I am doubtful we'll be skiing. However, maybe it won't rain out there. Will bring the snow shoes and ice spikes in case we hike or snow shoe.

[Catrin]

Have fun, and I hope your weather cooperates so you can have a nice weekend in the snow! WE are starting the "Great 2014 Snowmelt" that will, no doubt, end in flooding. That is the way of things after a winter like this one. 50's today/tomorrow. Storms tomorrow. More snow this weekend and back to the 20s..

[Crankin]

Yup, our weather is pretty much on the same path. Just got back from skiing/lunch. It was fun, but it was so warm, all of our waxless skis were sticking, despite the fact I used the maxi glide before I left. We stopped and one of the group let some of use hers again. Nothing was very "fast," but it was good to be outside. The people who showed up for the ski were not my favorite members of the group and I was most likely the youngest :eek:. I now have to go out and try to shovel some and get some ice melt down. DH is away and I cannot use the snowblower. The main driveway we share is plowed but the huge area in front of my house is not. I shoveled a small area before I went skiing, but I didn't want to get tired. Well, now I am exhausted, but if I don't do it, it's going to be nice and icy after the rain/freezing drizzle, and my cleaning people come tomorrow. They have a 4 WD, but I don't want anyone to fall. Plus, I have boot camp early in the AM.

[Jolt]

So much snow! I don't want it to rain, nooooooo!!!!


Agreed! It is snowing here (pretty heavily) right now but I think it is supposed to rain some. If it doesn't rain, maybe I will ski tomorrow morning; otherwise will plan to snowshoe since it is no fun to ski on ice! I did get out skiing before work Monday at the big XC ski center about 25 minutes away and had a much better ski than Saturday, just one "almost fall" so maybe I should chalk Saturday's fiasco up to the poor conditions on the local trails.

[Crankin]

Jolt, the conditions really matter when you are starting. And, they matter to me still, after 20+ years of skiing. I always feel totally uncoordinated at my local center, where I went today, because the conditions are marginal a good deal of the time compared to others. It's the combination of the open fields, poor grooming, and other environmental things. I did trails that were 50X more challenging up in VT and today I felt like I was going to lose it. I didn't fall, but this happens routinely at this place for me.

[Crankin]

Going up to North Conway, NH in a bit, maybe the last ski of the season? We were going to go to Franconia, where we have an inn we love, but found out that Bretton Woods is actually closed to the public as they are having a x country ski marathon this weekend. So, given the conditions I researched, there seems to be good snow further north, so we'll probably ski at Bear Notch, a small, funky, but excellent place that always has good conditions when others don't. I think on the way home, we'll drive down to Waterville Valley and ski there on Sunday.
Right now, looking forward to the lounge and dinner at the inn tonight!

[Catrin]

Crankin, you make this sound so fun :)

[Crankin]

Today we skied at Great Glen. I've never been there before; really nice people and good grooming. We did all do the green and blue trails and determined we could definitely do the black trails here next time. Skied for 2 hrs., ate lunch, and went back out for about an hour. Then we shopped in the store, where I bought some new ski pants 25% off. We went back to the inn, showered, and went off to the PI outlet in N. Conway. My friend spent 400.00 but PI does not fit me well; I bought some running/gym capris and some gloves and DH bought a couple of things. Got back to the inn and had wine, some free appetizers and then ate dinner.
Going to bed soon! We are going to ski at Jackson tomorrow.
It is fun, Catrin. Last blast of winter.

[ridebikeme]

Sounds like a great day Crankin! I should definitely get over there since it's so close to where I live:) Although everytime I pick up my boots, my four legged friend is ready to go... somehow I'll have to find a way to sneak out HA!

Enjoy your day today!!