Cross Country Skiing

[Crankin]

Today we skied for 2.5 hours at Jackson. Brilliant sun and pretty warm, 29? Because so many of the trails are not shaded, there was a good deal of slickness. The grooming was great, but, by the end of the ski, there were some bare patches at the higher elevations. Anyway, I liked it a lot, but was kind of sore from yesterday and myback was acting up. Nothing horrible, though. Did a monster climb in the beginning, then lots of smaller climbs, in between the long green loops. It took longer to get back than we thought, as one of the trails was not groomed. Anyway, we had to go down the monster climb, to get back to the center, but right before that, you have to take your skis off and cross the road. I coldn't clip in to my right ski and had to take time to clean the ice out of the binding. Hence, I did the monster downhill alone. I was fine, but probably not looking so elegant at the end. I was starving and tired! We had a good sandwich at a deli and then my friend drove off by herself to a conference in southern NH and we took her DH home.
This was a successful ski trip, and maybe the last of the year. The snow coming Wed./Thursday is going to hit north of here in a big way, we are only going to get 1-2 inches. We have theatre Friday night and staying in town, so no weekend away. I'd really like to be on my bike next weekend, but my feeling is there's going to be lots of melting and refreezing and it may not be optimal. I'll always take another ski.

[Jolt]

They're saying 6-10 inches of snow here Wednesday/Thursday...looks like more skiing and snowshoeing will be on tap. I have been enjoying the winter sports but am about ready for spring!

[ridebikeme]

Skiied today and the conditions were the best of the year! Although we have lots of snow, we also have ice under that, so it tends to come to the surface when there is melting or other tracks.

JOLT: AS Crankin mentioned, I would ve very patient with yourself. Although Southern Maine has received more snow than we have, we've also received lots of rain as well. As I'm sure you've learned, conditions change everyday, whether you are at a ski center or not. I try to remind myself that it is only making a more skilled skier, although I struggle with those thoughts all the time. HA!

More snow this week, so the trails should become even better!!! Great time to get out on ski's and the FATBIKE:)

[SheFly]

FATBIKE after the snow this week, not so much. The conditions for riding have been AMAZING up there though, and we have been doing A LOT of it. This snow will actually make it considerably worse, at least in the short term. The skiing, however, has been FANTASTIC. I've been hitting the Bethel Inn and/or the Outdoor Center every week. The Outdoor Center tends to have better grooming, and the trails are a bit more fun, but the Inn has Apps and Taps (1/2 price appetizers and beers) from 4-6 pm :D.

Definitely bringing the snow shoes up this weekend.

Crankin - Great Glen is actually pretty fun to ski if it's not too cold, and there really isn't anything that is too hard there. A couple of good climbs, but definitely do-able. Two weeks ago, they let fat bikes on the trails after being closed for the day - we went and had a blast! And Jackson is my favorite place to ski, but we haven't made it over there yet this year (too much fat biking...).

SheFly

[ridebikeme]

Well, after our last storm and another 20" of snow I was anxious to get out on skis today. Shanna, my chocolate lab is generally my partner in crime, so she was excited to be out as well. It's a beautiful blue bird day here today, so we opted to go out for a couple of miles even though the trails had not been groomed yet. What a gorgeous day, can't wait until tomorrow :)

[DebW]

Did my (probably last) day of skiing for the season yesterday at Windblown. Went up with 2 friends and met 2 more friends from RI. Conditions were crusty and coarse granular, as you'd expect from recent rain and then below freezing temperatures. Grooming was well done on the green and blue trails - black trails were not groomed and best avoided. Skiing was fast but controllable (at least for those with metal edges). The sun was shining all day. Great day to be out.

[ridebikeme]

I got out on ski's over the past few days, and have to admit that this freeze/thaw cycle is really doing a number on the trails. I met the groomer yesterday(snowmobile) and thought perhaps it would be a bit better, and although the trails were indeed a bit smoother... I now had huge ice chunks under my feet. Some of these ice chunks were bigger than my feet! Needless to say, it was great to be outside BUT the ice really made things very difficult with simply standing up. Ice continued to push your feet/ski's all over the place... hopefully I'll be able to get out later in the week when the temps get a bit warmer.

Unfortunately, today was one of those days that even the Fatbike would have had issues, but more good days to follow :)

[ridebikeme]

Got out yesterday and temps were warm enough to soften at least the top coat! Surprised this morning as we received 6-8" of new snow and still snowing as I type this.

[ridebikeme]

Well, after receiving another foot of snow this week, the conditions are great!! My four legged friend is extremely anxious to get out each day, not sure what will happen after the snow is gone. :) Although in reality, that will be quite awhile yet...

[Crankin]

Sounds wonderful, Ridebikeme. But, the switch has gone on for cycling down here... I really need to be on my bike.
I am sure the conditions at Windblown were awesome today, from the pictures I've seen. If I were up north, I'd be skiing!

[ridebikeme]

Crankin: the weather here isn't really good enough to ride outside unless you are on a FATBIKE. So, I go and ski and then come back and hop on the trainer. It's too soft for the Fatbike on the trails, and with all of the snow, roads are too narrow. Bug weather will get cooler tonight, sp we'll see what happens. I will admit that I'm definitely envious with you being able to ride outside>:)

[Crankin]

Well, I could still be skiing, if I wanted to drive for an hour, but, like i said, the switch went on in my head! I didn't do much cold weather riding last fall/early winter, or even last winter, so I've been forcing myself out the door if it's above 38 degrees. And, when I actually get out there, it's enjoyable. I think part of the reason I like skiing so much, is that the season is so short, I get "crazy" with it.
Some of the roads here are still melting, but except for my first ride, last Saturday, the rest has been fine. Of course, we are going to get some more snow on Wednesday, but it looks like, not more than a couple of inches, so the roads won't get too messed up again.

[ridebikeme]

Oh! I'm definitely envious when I hear about your road conditions! Although we have had snow melt, the snowbanks are still high and roads narrow here... but I keep reminding myself that will change. Of course, waking up to -11 this morning, well now I'm VERY anxious :)

[Crankin]

Bump!
Snow is on its way. I might have a week that involved riding and skiing. Six to ten inches predicted, especially in the area where my favorite semi-local touring center is.
On another note, we just booked a one week vacation in the Methow Valley at the end of Feb.

[Crankin]

I most certainly did have a week with riding and skiing.

[Crankin]

No snow. Anywhere.
It's just too cold for me to ride outside. I guess I'm a wimp. Looking for some local hiking with elevation today.

[solobiker]

Got some backcountry touring in 2 weeks ago. Last weekend it was below zero so we decided to stick at home.

17505

[Crankin]

Is anyone skiing????
I've been out a few times, thankfully, we have snow!

[solobiker]

Been out a few times in the backcountry. The mountains still need more snow. Feb and March are our big snow months

[Crankin]

From Day 2 of skiing this weekend. Saturday was a high of 10 F, with sustained winds of 20 mph, gusts up to 40. I was almost blown over more than once. Today was perfect.

[DebW]

I had a delightful 2 days of skiing at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Vermont Jan 24-25. Skied 16.7 km Saturday morning, 11 km Saturday afternoon, and 13 km Sunday morning. Came back to a blizzard in Boston 2 days later. Unfortunately too busy shoveling and working to ski much on the local snow. But did get to Great Brook Farm last Sunday for 4 hours. Where were you skiing last weekend, Crankin?

[Crankin]

We actually spent 2 days at Windblown. Kind of a spur of the moment decision to stay up in Rindge before we left Saturday morning.
We were up at Bretton Woods the weekend before. I went to Great Brook last Thursday afternoon, but not sure if I can get there today. Snow shoed on my local trails yesterday (the one you hiked on a few years ago) and it was challenging with all of the deep snow.

[Jolt]

Was in Stowe, VT at a conference for a few days this week and XC skied at the Trapp Family Lodge today before driving home. There had been a few inches of new snow overnight so the conditions were excellent; I skied out to the cabin where you can get lunch and the place was packed (word to the wise: try to do that trip on a weekday and not a weekend, especially if you really don't like crowds). Going to the cabin is a workout--lots of uphill! Coming down from the cabin was a little sketchy in a couple of places where it was a steep downhill (I ate snow a few times), but mostly pretty good. I think the route I took coming back down was probably the most gradual downhill there was.

[Crankin]

That is a really fun trail. And the cabin is always busy, even on weekdays during good snow season.

[Crankin]

Had a great early morning ski at Great Brook today. They opened at 8:30, got there and we were skiing by 8:45. Trails were not even completely groomed, but it was awesome. Snow falling and only saw about 10 people while we were out. Did the usual outer loop of about 10.5K, all the hills and we were done by 10:00. Drove back to Concord and had a second breakfast and latte at a great café. Got to spend the rest of the day relaxing and finishing up some paperwork.
Just got the call that my office is closed tomorrow.... this is almost as good as teaching.

[lph]

I've been off both bike and skis for a couple of weeks because of a bout of flu, but am up and running again now. In the meantime the good ski conditions have gone :-( and we're left with.... uh, "enthusiast conditions". Which in practice means wet or icy grainy hard snow, klister (gooey ski wax out of a tube) and lots and lots of poling. We did manage to string together over 30 km on Sunday though, once you find a flat enough trail and get poling you can pick up a fair amount of speed. But I'm limp in lots of strange places today, hardly used my legs but used lots of balancing muscles instead.

[Crankin]

Just came back from a 2 day ski in western MA. We went to Notchview on Saturday. Didn't get there until around 1, and it was already snowing. I am not sure about this place. It was pretty, in the woods, but it was hard to judge, since the grooming was completely obliterated by the snow falling. Also, the trails were kind of easy, even the blue ones. There was a black trail, but it was nearing 4 PM and we decided we needed to head back to the center. This place is run by the Trustees of Reservations, a private, non-profit that manages land/recreation areas and historic houses. We headed east a bit to our B and B in Greenfield, about 5 miles from Northfield Mountain, where we have been quite a few times. The B and B was great, and we had 2 awesome dinners in restaurants in very small rural towns I had barely heard of. Skiing at Northfield was fantastic. It was really cold and windy yesterday, so hardly anyone there. We climbed up to the summit on blue and black trails, and skied down a green trail (not a good choice, it was too exposed and windy). After lunch, we did more climbing and descending on some good hills.
Getting ready to head out to the Methow Valley in WA on Saturday. Just spoke to our tour guide. It is warm there, but the skiing is OK. We are going to take a skate ski lesson the first day, and then see how we do. Otherwise, we'll stick to the classic and do some snow shoeing.

[DebW]

I skied a section of the Catamount Trail in Vermont last weekend. Stayed at the Landgrove Inn and skied Section 7. Untracked backcountry snow. Hard work but beautiful.

[Blueberry]

Wonder how safe it is to drive to NC.

I should check the weather report. ;)

Interstates are clear in Central NC - but the snow is pretty much gone (and it was mostly sleet anyway). Not sure about the Boone area - they might still be good.

[Crankin]

I remember when I lived in Miami, lots of people went to NC to ski. Of course, this was downhill skiing in 1970, but I assume there's touring centers there now. X country skiing has become super popular since I started in 1992.
I skied again at our local touring center in the next town. It's vacation week here in MA... so lots of kids, but really, once I got out just a little ways, it was fine. Not quite as powdery as the past few weeks, as it's above 30 today and there's been a lot of use at this place, I am sure.

[Crankin]

The Methow Valley was awesome, despite the poor snow conditions... We skied every day and snow shoed once. There were only 2 other people on the trip and our guide was perfect. We all got along and there were no weirdo type incidents! I would highly recommend Bicycle Adventures for a supported trip. It was low key and first class at the same time.

[zoom-zoom]

Wow, how did I not know about this 36 page thread before now?!

Anyhow, I'd love to pick all y'all's brains about XC skiing. As a pre-teen I had a nice pair of skis. My entire family was equipped. We had a lot of fun. Nowadays I have a fat bike...but in the Winter it's REALLY cold and can be icy on the beach and after busting my wrist mtn. biking 3 years ago I don't really want to ride trails, even though we're seeing more and more groomed specifically for fat bikes. Trees scare the bejeezus out of me at any speed. Add slippery ice and snow to the mix and...meh.

14 year old DS had a field trip 6 months ago to a nearby Winter sports complex and XC skied for the first time and LOVED it. We have running snowshoes and neither of us enjoyed that (I'm a year 'round runner and found that my strides are too narrow and I couldn't keep even the minimalist running snowshoes from whacking against each other with each step).

Tonight a friend was telling me that she thinks I'd really like skate skiing, since I'm so aerobically active and have strong legs. I'd never given that much thought, before. I had been thinking if we bought new ski packages that we'd just look at classics.

So I guess I'm curious to hear what you ladies might recommend.

[Crankin]

I *love* x country skiing. I may not be as fast as others, especially other cyclists, but I am definitely a better skier than rider. I think cycling has improved my skiing skills. That said, I do classic. I was peer pressured into trying skate skiing last winter, when I was in WA. It was too much to think about. Do this, do that, push off, blah, blah. It wasn't the endurance aspect, it was more that it's pretty technical and I am not good with that stuff. Maybe, if I kept taking lessons it would click, but at this point, I am not going to try. My DH, who is a very coordinated athlete, was even worse than me! I've been skiing for 25 years, but it wasn't until 10 years ago, after I'd been cycling for about 5 years, that I ventured into more difficult stuff. I can climb really hard stuff and I have become pretty good at descending, unlike in cycling, where I am a very cautious and slow descender. I love winter, and the fact that the x country ski season is short here, 8-10 weeks at the most, unless I travel further north, makes me love winter even more. I'd say, go for it. I also snow shoe, but not running snow shoeing, more like hiking, although I occasionally run down hills. I get your point about fat biking. I want to try it, but I stopped mountain biking because I was just freaked out all of the time about hitting stuff or crashing.

[antimony]

Tonight a friend was telling me that she thinks I'd really like skate skiing, since I'm so aerobically active and have strong legs. I'd never given that much thought, before. I had been thinking if we bought new ski packages that we'd just look at classics.

So I guess I'm curious to hear what you ladies might recommend.

I have to be stronger (or really be at a higher strength-to-weight ratio) than I currently am to enjoy skating -- I have to be able to get a fast rhythm going, whereas with classic there's several different speeds at which I can get a groove. I will say that I used to skate on trad skis just fine -- you don't have to buy skate skis to see if you like it, although the salesfolks will insist you need two sets because sales. And you can only skate on groomed trails -- you can classic ski anywhere.

I wish I'd bought metal-edged skis when I bought my trad skis -- they're great skis, and I got nicer skis at the price point I was looking for, but the terrain in the northeast ends up rockier and rootier and hillier, all of which would be nice to have edges on.

(I agree on snowshoes -- they force me to have an unnaturally wide stride, and I just don't enjoy it.)

[zoom-zoom]

And you can only skate on groomed trails -- you can classic ski anywhere.

This is the thing that gives me pause. We have a few groomed skate trails, but probably 80% of what we have around here are set up for classic. And there are parks without trails (and beaches) that are groomed for anything, but people go and ski, so there are tracks to follow. I already know I like classic. Spending the money on skate ski setup seems like it could be a $$$ risk. There are classics that are designed more for performance/racing, which seems like it would be a good compromise and probably more suitable to how I'd likely use skis. Plus I don't see my kid (or DH) wanting to skate ski at all...and I'd likely be going out with him most of the time.

So now the question is...wax or no-wax? I had no-wax as a teen and liked them just fine.

[Jolt]

This is the thing that gives me pause. We have a few groomed skate trails, but probably 80% of what we have around here are set up for classic. And there are parks without trails (and beaches) that are groomed for anything, but people go and ski, so there are tracks to follow. I already know I like classic. Spending the money on skate ski setup seems like it could be a $$$ risk. There are classics that are designed more for performance/racing, which seems like it would be a good compromise and probably more suitable to how I'd likely use skis. Plus I don't see my kid (or DH) wanting to skate ski at all...and I'd likely be going out with him most of the time.

So now the question is...wax or no-wax? I had no-wax as a teen and liked them just fine.

I've never tried skate skiing, but enjoy classic and have started to get halfway decent at it with all the snow we have had the past couple of winters. I agree about skate skiing being too limiting in terms of trails...even regular XC skis are limited compared to snowshoes as far as what trails can be used (I snowshoe also). As far as wax/no wax, I have no-wax and think that, especially given the variable conditions we have here in New England, that is the simplest way to go.

[Crankin]

+1 on the no-wax. I am no purist about that, and as Jolt noted, here in NE, the weather/conditions can change in a millisecond. And, +1 on the metal edged skis. So much easier to climb with.
When I was out west in February, the trip leader suggested we rent classic skis that were more performance oriented than my Fischer Spyders that are good both in the tracks (which I prefer for the flats) or a little bit in more rugged terrain. The skis were skinnier and did glide faster, but for the terrain in New England, what I have is perfect. I wouldn't mind getting a pair of true back country skis to do more skiing in conservation land that isn't groomed.

[zoom-zoom]

Oh, yeah, West MI snow conditions are all over the map. I suspect I'd still be happy with no wax.

[lph]

Up until last year I would have said wax, definitely. Waxless skis have IME way too poor a glide phase, and I don't know a single avid skier who would not use wax skis (and XC skiing is BIG in Norway). But modern waxless skis really have changed, and there are types that are a lot closer to a classic wax ski in performance. Soooo... now I want a pair of waxless as well ;-) especially useful for those hard to wax days around melting point. I don't have skate skis, and would have trouble finding enough tracks to skate on. (Skating totally wrecks classic tracks, so please please don't skate unless there's plenty of room.) Skating a little from time to time with classic skis is quite doable, though.

[Crankin]

Bump.
Just booked a weekend up in Franconia next weekend. I've seen enough pictures from various nordic centers to make me crazy! Not a ton of snow, but enough. Will ski at Bretton Woods and either Bear Notch or Waterville Valley.
So excited!!!

[Catrin]

Bump.
Just booked a weekend up in Franconia next weekend. I've seen enough pictures from various nordic centers to make me crazy! Not a ton of snow, but enough. Will ski at Bretton Woods and either Bear Notch or Waterville Valley.
So excited!!!

Sounds very interesting! Will this be on tracks or on open ground? Unsure how to define the difference, I've become interested in the different types of XC skiing.

[Crankin]

I think you mean are the places groomed nordic centers or just conservation land trails in the woods. The answer is #1. Bretton Woods Nordic Center is at the base of Mt. Washington, across the street from their huge alpine ski area. It is diverse, lots of trails, a variety of terrain, and well groomed. There are tracks and wide areas for skate skiing and climbing/descending on almost all of the trails. You can also connect to some state owned trails from here, too. Sometimes we ski from Bretton Woods over to the Highland center, which is an AMC lodge, eat lunch there, and ski back. Some of this is over less groomed trails. But, that won't be happening next weekend, as it's an 11 mile ski. Not for a first ski of the season. Bear Notch is a tiny ski area near there, that is at an elevation that always has snow on the more advanced trails. It is very bare bones, in terms of the nordic center (though awesome homemade bread and soup), but also excellent grooming. Waterville Valley is on the way home from Franconia, so it is also a choice. It has a huge nordic trail system. I have only been there once; not so many b and bs there, as it's mostly set up for the alpine skiers, with condos, etc. We also just were reminded of a new area, near our inn, that just opened last year. So, we could also go there on Sunday.
I have skied enough on conservation land trails to know it's not my favorite thing. I don't hate it, though. I am just spoiled. I would like slightly different (wider) skis for skiing on ungroomed territory; back country skis. But, I can't let myself get into the n+1 thing with skis! And, I would like new snow shoes first.

[Catrin]

Sounds wonderful Crankin! From what I can tell if I want to XC around here, it will simply be on trails in the woods in several local parts. Obviously I'm not about to try it until this little neck "glitch" is settled, but it really does sound like fun! Do let us know how it goes, and if you have any pictures share those as well. So thankful I can at least live vicariously though all of you right now :cool:

[lph]

Enjoy yourself Crankin! Skiing is awesome here now, we have snow and proper cold weather, clear and beautiful. I've been out skiing five times in the last seven days :-D

[Crankin]

Catrin, I don't want you to think that you can't enjoy yourself on trails in the woods. I did a lot of that when I first got back to the sport, in 2005. But, I would suggest that if you do get into next year, go somewhere where you can take a lesson. You can get out there and move without this, but from experience, you start developing bad habits. I took 2 lessons, in the early 90s, when the rest of my family was downhill skiing. The most important thing I learned was how to get up from a fall, with those long, skinny skis attached! Also, learning the basic technique for climbing and descending, too is something that is good to have someone show you.
Last winter, when we went out to the Methow Valley, WA, we both took a skate ski lesson. We both failed! Our trip leader, who arranged the lesson with a friend of hers, was surprised, based on what she saw us do the day before, on the classic skis. It's what a lot of the serious cyclists do here, for winter training, but believe me, you get enough training doing classic x country skiing. There seemed to be too much to think about, technique, almost like mountain biking, but worse. I did better than DH, but I just couldn't see doing things like climbing or descending on skate skis, and I am pretty good at those things on the classics. What I am trying to say, is that there is something for everyone in this sport.

[Irulan]

We are learning to skate ski- the learning curve is BRUTAL! I totally sucked for the first lesson, too. I hear everything from "10 times" to 20-30 hours to get the hang of it. I'm progressing slowly. DH is picking it up really quick. We go up a couple of times a week and practice. That's the only way I'll get it.

[Catrin]

Good advice Crankin. Hopefully my neck will be in condition to try something next season, time will tell. I am quite good at learning things on my own...along with the bad habits that come along with that. Hopefully I will be able to find a location in Indiana where I can take a lesson or two without having to purchase equipment first. Anyway, I'm enjoying reading the discussion.

[Irulan]

Many places offer lesson rental packages. XC skiing is a sport where you do want lessons. Our nordic club has 2 hour lessons for $30...what's not to love about that?

[lph]

OMG, skiing under a full moon through snowladen trees is possibly one of the most magical experiences possible these days. Still on a buzz after last nights outing :-) <3

[Crankin]

That sounds awesome, lph.
The only time I've been skiing at night was many, many years ago, when I went alone to the local nordic area, where they have lantern lit skiing on one of the loops 2 nights a week. The lighting was such that I could barely see, and I discovered that the night skiing was like a singles bar!! All the singles from Boston came out to the country for this. I was only in my 30s at the time, but felt so out of place, that I escaped to the health club where I taught, showered, and ate dinner at a restaurant! I had paid for a babysitter, and I needed to get my money's worth.
But I would love to ski under the moonlight.

[Crankin]

Skied at Bretton Woods yesterday. A balmy 10 degrees at the start! There was a race going on, so we had to avoid 2 trails that we often take. So, we started off climbing Coronary Hills. About 4K of that. Got to the yurt, had a snack, then planned a nice descent. Well, they are doing logging, so there were some cross trails that we had to gingerly step over. Then, boom! The trail became ungroomed. It wasn't roped off, and others had made tracks, but it was really hard. There were steep drop offs, ice, debris/trees, and random holes in the snow. DH fell a lot, as he was going a bit fast. But, we made it to the next section and had a decent long downhill. After that, I was descending a small hill and I avoided some ice, but fell after that. It is rare that this happens, but I was exhausted from the "backcountry" experience earlier.
At least I didn't fall in front of the race officials who were near this point.
Not sure how far we skied, but I think around 12k.

[Crankin]

The skiing yesterday was 13K.
Today we left for Bear Notch, which is north of where we were, a little bit. It was 14 when we left Franconia and 33 when we got to Bear Notch. The sun was shining, and I knew I was overdressed. But, I unzipped and dealt with the too heavy base layer and jacket.
Bear Notch is a small, family run place that seems like it is back in the 70s. The grooming is great and they often have more snow than other places. Today was no exception. The only negative is the trails are not marked as well as they could be; we've been there before, but after climbing a long time, we headed down, and when we knew we were near the center, we couldn't get there from where we were, because there was a river, with no crossing. So, we skied out to the road, and walked just a teeny bit back. We had a trail map, too, but the trails didn't have names, just numbers, and the signs weren't plentiful!
There was hardly anyone on the trails where we were. A few more across the street, on the easier trails. We suspected the football game kept most people home. I think we skied about 8K-10K today. I was really hurting when I woke up, but felt pretty good today. But, we were tired. DH hit something on a descent and crashed, so we decided to stop while we were ahead! A good first ski of the year.

[lph]

Sounds good, Crankin. The first skis of the season often feel a bit awkward to me, it takes a few trips for especially my hips (hip flexor?) to remember what that odd motion is and how to avoid overstraining it.
I've been in a groove for the last two weeks because we've had proper cold and decent snow, with white trees and all, but we knew it wouldn't last. Tonight the temps will rise above freezing and tomorrow it's going to rain :@ so I'm squeezing in one more session tonight. Cloudy, so no moonlight skiing this time. But it could be weeks until good conditions in my backyard woods again.

[zoom-zoom]

Sounds good, Crankin. The first skis of the season often feel a bit awkward to me, it takes a few trips for especially my hips (hip flexor?) to remember what that odd motion is and how to avoid overstraining it.

Between Fri. and Sun. my kid and I skied 8 miles. What hurt worst on me was my groin/inner thigh muscles. DH skied with us on Fri and that's where he felt it, too. Granted, everything has become pretty icy (and now it's raining and no real wintery weather in the extended forecast, so it could be a while before we are able to XC, unfortunately. What a weird Winter here in the snowbelt), so it made keeping the skis going forward a bit tough in a lot of areas.

The rugrat has taken to XC skiing like nothing else. He was bombing down hills...total shocker, since he tends to be very cautious and risk-averse. We couldn't keep up with him...and this kid is a total couch potato who shuns exertion (even though he's built like an elite endurance athlete...all lanky arms and legs and massive ribcage). He was hollering "this is the best sport ever" and trying to bunny hop (unsuccessfully). My MIL has been wanting to take him downhill skiing, but we never encouraged it, thinking he'd be too out of his element to have any fun. But now we're rethinking that entirely. Given how he behaved on XC skis, I suspect he may take to downhill like a duck does to water.

[Crankin]

Oh yeah, my groin is toast. Better today, though, after lots of stretching, Power class yesterday, and the foam roller.
Rest day today. We will be having snow showers/rain on Friday and it's going to be in the 30s-40s next few days. Perhaps it will be cooler and all snow at the touring center that's about an hour away. It is at elevation, so it is possible. But, this winter is turning out crappy for skiing. I may actually go on the group ride if the roads aren't too bad tomorrow.

[SpeedyChix]

OMG, skiing under a full moon through snowladen trees is possibly one of the most magical experiences possible these days. Still on a buzz after last nights outing :-) <3


LOVE night XC skiing.

[lph]

Yup. Trying hard to hang on to that feeling now that we have wind, rain and high temps and all the snow has fallen off the trees and turned to slush...:-(
Zoomzoom, that's so cool that your kid likes skiing! Skinny little kids can be amazingly good at it with a little basic technique, I have clumps of preteens blasting by me on a regular basis on my evening outings.

[Crankin]

Bumping this thread up, since it's becoming more of a topic in the cycling thread.
And.... we are getting snow! Not so much here, but lots of it in the White Mountains, where I am headed on Friday morning. Like at least a foot, maybe more. So excited, and now don't feel guilty about not riding outside for the last 3 weeks.
For once, I planned a trip and the conditions will be stellar.

[north woods gal]

Ha! Didn't even know we had a ski thread, here, or I wouldn't have cluttered up the bicycling thread, though in my defense, I sometimes ski and bike on the same days. :)

Yup, heard about the blizzard headed your way, Crankin. I'd also take snowshoes if you hit a foot of snow. Have fun.

[Crankin]

It is snowing like hell up north and we did not have a flake. Saw some snow showers at noon, and now torrential rain. However, about 10 miles northwest of my house, it's snowing. Just looked at the camera feed from Bretton Woods and it is all white.
Our plan is to drive up in the AM and try out a new nordic center that opened last year. Our friends have been there and report stellar trails, wide, one way, with good climbing. We'll get our ski legs back and then head to the inn.
We always bring snow shoes, though I am a bit nervous about heading out in the National Forest trails with DH.... despite our tracking devices, it is not a place one would want to be lost. We can either snow shoe at nordic center trails with separate snow shoe trails, or climb up Mt Willard, which is a small mountain, with a great view, and a start by the AMC Highland Center, where we can eat and buy gear.

[north woods gal]

Me, I might try the Nordic center trails, just because I so rarely get to ski with anyone around or have company. Just something different for a change, but would probably head out into the boonies before too long. :)

My trails are still to ice covered to be safe. When you slide sideways on your skis as much as forward, it's time for the snowshoes with teeth. My Crescent Moon Back Country shoes are perfect.

[Crankin]

First day of skiing done!
We left home at 10 am and drove to Hearth Farm Nordic, a new ski area. We brought our lunches, ate, and got out on the trails about 12:45. Only 2 intermediate trails were open, sonwe warmed up on a green loop and off we went. It was beautiful, wide, one way trails, and not hard. We skied about 6k, just perfect to retool our skills.
I didn't fall and while the conditions weren't super, it was good.
Tomorrow we'll be at Bretton Woods, where they had 1.5 ft of snow.

[Crankin]

Day 2 and 3 of skiing are done. Yesterday we went to Bretton Woods Nordic, at the Mt Washington Resort. It was fairly quiet for this place, when we arrived; beautiful, the most clear, sunny, and calm I have ever seen there. We wanted to do some different trails, so we did a couple of blue trails that were not that hard, and then an easy trail back to the center. I appreciated the scenery and quiet. We got back and ate lunch, and 40 minutes later, it was gray, flurrying, and a bit windy. We skied for another hour, again on a blue trail and headed back. We were exhasted from a total of 2.5 hours of skiing.
Had a great NYE dinner at our inn, allowing us to have lots of wine! Got up this morning very stiff, my SI joint screaming and my upper body feeling it, too. Went out to ski a little later than normal, as we went to the Franconia Trail system down the road. It's a collaboration of the Franconia Inn and local landowners. We did the most difficult skiing of our lives here, a few years ago, not just because of the serious elevation and descents. The trails are narrow and they lay the tracks in the middle, which makes it hard for me to descend, as I get out of the tracks to do that and here there isn't enough room. It would be better for them not to track these trails. So, we chose the intermediate loop, with a small loop of flats at the end. It is warmer today, about 35, so we lubed our skis, but it was sticky and lots of bare-ish spots. That, plus the above issues made it slow going. It was hard work and made me feel like a crappy skier, which I am not. Let's just say my descents were inelegant, but not falls, just spazziness.
Resting now and we will not ski tomorrow. Conditions will be deteriorating.

[north woods gal]

I'm with you on the steep descents. Would rather have fresh snow, than tracks or the ice hardened stuff we have, now. We really do need some fresh snow. That's the skiing game, though. Mostly stayed on the level to gentle stuff, today.

[Crankin]

At Bretton Woods on Saturday.

[north woods gal]

Love the pic.

[Crankin]

Went for a nice 2 hour ski at Windblown today. Somehow they preserved their base through all of the rain last week and had about 4 new inches. It was beautiful out, but18 degrees up there. So, the conditions were OK, some trails closed and others not in the tip top shape they usually are, as this more local place has the best grooming south of northern Vermont. We were shocked how quiet it was; there was lots of parking and although more came as the day went on, it was not busy. There's a lot of climbing here, so that was good. I did descend probably the second hardest trail i usually do here, with no problems. The hardest one, we thought about doing it from a lower elevation, but the trail to access that was closed.
I seem to feel tired at the beginning of my skis, but I always perk up. Still feel slow, but no falls. I think last winter of only 3 skis left me with some catching up to do on skills. Not terrible, but I feel it.
It's going to be 55 and rainy Wednesday. Sigh.

[north woods gal]

Good for you, Crankin'.

I've been getting a little nutty waiting for some decent snow (all my skiing is on un-groomed trails), but we finally got just under two inches, overnight. Not much, but just enough to cover the icy stuff and allow me to ski without breaking my neck. Got a good two hour workout, so feel much relieved. Supposed to get another 4" over the next day or so. Good news, of course, but also means I'll be breaking trail a lot, too. Have the skiing all to myself, though, so don't mind a bit.

[Crankin]

Just booked our annual trip to Stowe, VT today. We didn't think we would be going this year, as our friends are in new jobs, without a lot of time off, but realized they both have Presidents' Day off. Unfortunately, this is also the start of school vacation week in southern New England, so we are actually staying in Morrisville, VT, a cool little town outside of Stowe, with at least 5 craft breweries. We will be close enough to ski in Craftsbury, also, one of the most awesome nordic centers around.
Last year when we were in Stow, I was deathly ill, it went down to -21 degrees one night, and there was no snow for skiing. So, I will take 3 days of good health and snow, vs. that!
There is going to be snow here in northern MA/southern NH tomorrow. I think we will be able to ski at Windblown this weekend.

[north woods gal]

Have a great trip in every way. Sounds like a vacation as much as a ski trip. Great combination.

I'm hurting for decent snow. Oh, we have plenty, but it's half ice, with the soaking it's had from rain and drizzle we've had for the past month and it's sleeting and raining, again, today. Not at all typical for us, this time of year. Tried skiing, yesterday, but too treacherous even on the flats. Went snowshoeing, instead.

[Skierchickie2]

I haven't weighed in here in a long time - currently spending too much time skiing (when not at work, of course). Our snow was late this year - my first ski day was December 2nd, and that was on rocks and dirt, but after a week we started getting hit hard with snow, and the real grooming started. There was about a week of 30+ temps, when we lost a bunch of snow, but it never ruined the skiing. I've missed a total of 6 days: 2 for a December blizzard, 2 in January (one of those because I needed a rest day, and needed to rake snow off the garage roof), and 2 last week because I was sick. So I added it up last night (I've been tracking it as I go, and keeping weekly & monthly totals), and I have 1107 km in so far for the season. That may be my best ever at this point of the season, in about 42 years of skiing! Fortunately, DH is very supportive, and has only grumbled a little a couple of times - generally after he spent a bunch of time moving snow while I was out playing.

I also had my best race in about 20 years 2 weeks ago! So I am really happy with this winter! Well over 200" of snow so far in the Keweenaw.

[Crankin]

We have snow! The first real snow since 2015. I have the next 3 weekends planned for skiing, local and in NH and VT. Plus, I may get at least 2 weekday skis in.
Very happy and will report back tomorrow, after our ski at Windblown.

[Crankin]

Awesome ski at Windblown today. We got up to mid point of the "Open Slope," and skied down, which was great, because it was all powder. This is a trail/mountain that could easily be a downhill ski run. I don't think I will ever get further than I have, as the downhill is black diamond further up, and while I can ski black trails in most places, not here! We got there at 9:40 and it was quiet, but by the time we came in for lunch, it was busy. A cloudy day, and colder that I thought it would be, but I had brought an extra vest, which I wore for the morning. The only bad thing was, I lost one of my fleece gloves. Thankfully, I had brought another pair, which is unusual.
Tomorrow, we will get up and go to Great Brook Farm, our local x country center. We can ski the 10K outer loop and get a good workout, and then hunker down, as we have another 12-18 inches coming. Maybe no work Monday?

[north woods gal]

Have been seeing the new reports on those storms you've been getting. Wow! Looks like you're set for skiing for a good long while.

[Crankin]

Yes! It was lightly snowing/flurries when we left to ski this morning. But, when we got to the trails, it stopped. On and off flurries as we skied. Sunday is truly a busier day for touring centers, but we got there at 9:15 and skied super fast for the first half, where we tend to see more people. DH was behind me, and I like to say I am paying him back for the summer on the bike! Got to the "climbing" section and was definitely feeling it in my back/SI joint, thus I had one fall skiing down the end of the bigger climb. It's a little difficult to negotiate, with a turn and almost mogul like terrain, but although I was on my butt, I stood right up and continued skiing down. DH saw it and told me my recovery looked very professional. Normally, I stop to set up the descent, but I was feeling confident.
As soon as we left skiing, it was snowing heavier. We stopped and had brunch at our favorite café, did an errand, and now hunkered down. My boss just texted me that we are closed tomorrow, so I have to call all of my clients and cancel. Yay.... I may try to get out in the storm tomorrow. We could get up to 18 inches. And the best thing is, the blizzard watch has been extended to Vermont, where we will be next weekend.

[zoom-zoom]

What a frustrating year for the West MI snowbelt. We typically get ~100" of snow. This year I don't think we're even close to half that. And when we did have snow it was too cold to go out. Long-term forecast has NO snow. Now, I really loathe Winter, BUT...if it's going to be cold, it sure would be nice to be able to make use of it. Haven't been out even once on the skis that we got new last year and only got 4 uses out of. This Winter has been even less conducive to skiing than last year. By next year DS (just turned 16) will be way over the weight range for his skis. Fat bikers are miserable, since trails are too muddy to ride.

[north woods gal]

We're up here in NE Wisconsin, so getting much the same weather, though still enough snow for skiing, but only if on groomed trails. Way too icy, otherwise. Been riding the fat bike on my ski trails, though, because they're still frozen. Unfortunately, that's soon to change with a week of 40 and even 50 degree weather headed our way. That's still okay, because I'll just head out on the roads with the fat bike. One thing about a fat bike, you can always find a place to ride one.

[Crankin]

First day of ski trip.
Got here late yesterday afternoon. Had pleasant drinks and conversation with other guests at the inn, went to dinner, and the our friends arrived a bit after we got back. The breakfast here was unbelievable. Today we skied at Craftsbury. It's a nordic center with rooms and cabins, a big training center, and site of races in the Northeast Kingdom of VT. So, it was warm, between 32 and 50, but it was awesome. The snow got progressively sticky before lunch and after lunch, it just felt slick. We only skied for an hour after lunch.
There was a juniors race going on; very much like a bike race! Kids were skiing sleeveless or with no shirts. It was warm, but not that warm!
Nothing hurts and I am drinking wine, in preparation for dinner at a Cuban restaurant. However, tomorrow looks like rain. It may be a shopping day.

[zoom-zoom]

We're up here in NE Wisconsin...

Where abouts? I grew up in Door Co. and my sister and mom still live in Sturgeon Bay.

[Crankin]

So, we did not ski Sunday. It was predicted to be warm, with rain. We thought we might get out in the AM, but the sketchy rain forecast nixed that. So, we shopped in Stowe, drank beer and ate lunch, did a little walking and got back to the b and b at 3:30. It never rained, but was about 58 F :eek:. Went out to another brew pub at about 7:30, when it did actually start raining. We managed to eat, but no one could have more than a 3 oz. pour! Went to sleep praying it didn't totally mess up the trails. When we got up, it was not raining, but flurrying, with the sun out and 30 degrees. Everything by the inn was mud. We ate, packed up and drove to Von Trapp ski touring. It's a huge resort, with a brewery now, restaurant, etc, and the most expensive nordic skiing around. But, they have awesome grooming and we knew it would be a sketchy day. The trail we went out on was slicker than hell, loose granular, although it had just been groomed. After a long descent, it got better. But, looks like I saw my last powder last weekend. We skied for 2 hours, ending with a very steep and somewhat icy climb; just as I was nearing the top, my edge on my left ski skid out and I went down on my knees. I had to really use a lot of upper body strength to get up, but it was just a knee down thing and not a fall on my azz, splayed out on the trail thing.
Got back to the lodge and it was 35 degrees. We were all tired, so we ate our sandwiches and decided to head out back home. Got home at around 4:15.
So, next weekend, we booked an inn near our favorite local-ish ski place for Saturday night. We had hoped to go up Saturday, ski, get to the inn around 3, have our dinner there in the restaurant, and then ski Sunday and be home by 2-3. Now, it's going to be 50-60 on Saturday and rain in the PM, after 2 days of being in the 60s. Sunday is supposed to be in the high 30s, so we will probably just ride or go to the gym Saturday, drive up and enjoy some wine at the bar, eat dinner, sleep and head to the touring center Sunday. We've already planned to snow shoe to the top of the mountain (I could never ski it, it used to be a dowhill run) if it's too crappy for skiing.

[Crankin]

I went skiing with my bike club at the local nordic center this morning. There were 7 of us and also a group of snow shoe-ers who went off on trails on the other side of the road.
I have learned that it's important to get out there early at this place, and it is really only good when there's powder. The grooming at this place is not like the other places I go to; it's great to have it in the next town, but there's a few woodland trails with twisty, not steep downhills, where it's narrow, there's piles of snow on the side, moguls and basically not a lot of room to maneuver. The snow was not icy, but crunchy, as it went above freezing at the end of the storm. The leader is a slow cyclist, a good hiker, and apparently a faster than me skier! Two other guys were also pretty speedy, two women who were a bit faster than me on the flats, but coud not climb or descend as well, and a guy who was really struggling. He went back before the rest of us. It was beautiful out, but I fell more today than all of the other times I've skied this year. Almost every time i ski here, I feel like a terrible skier, which is weird, since it is where I learned to ski.
So, in the end, about 8K, I worked hard and I got outside. I did go to lunch with the group, where the 2 women who are similar to me were annoying me, making fun of others who are scared of steep hiking ascents and calling someone who had trouble getting up from ski falls a beached whale :eek:. I am not sure what is going on with this... one I have never liked. Her bike skills have become horrible and she always tries to drop me, until of course, I drop her on climbs. The other one I like more, mostly because I feel badly for her, since her DH got killed in a bike accident, when he left a group ride early for an appointment. Generally, I hang out with the guys in this group, who even if they are fast, are more forgiving in nature.
I wish I could go to NH tomorrow, but work is calling. Will be doing that on Saturday.

[north woods gal]

Where abouts? I grew up in Door Co. and my sister and mom still live in Sturgeon Bay.
We're a bit north yet. Up the road from Rhinelander.

[Crankin]

Skied for 3 hours at Windblown today. Very weird conditions. First, it was so sticky, we had to stop and put Glide on our skis a second time. Then, it improved, albeit a bit mushy in spots and slick in others. The weirdest thing was there seemed to be huge post holes in the middle of the trails at times. This place has fabulous grooming and separate snow shoe trails. Where snow shoers do have to use a ski trail, they stay way out of the way. It's like some renegades got out and walked on the trails. But, a gorgeous, bluebird day, close to 40 degrees. Skied with no head cover and unzipped. Wish I had brought my vest.
At our inn and resting. DH does not want to ski tomorrow, but I do, despite developing a disturbing back issue last night. Skiing did not make it worse, so lots of stretching and heat.

[Crankin]

We did ski this morning. Got out about 9:30 and the conditions were much better today. It was about the same temperature (between 28 and 35), but cloudy, so the no effects of the sun on the snow. Did all of the trails we missed yesterday, including one loop I haven't done in years. It's the one where I taught my kids to nordic ski, and I have bad memories of my younger son complaining like crazy. Of course, he turned out to be really athletic, but he was a lazy younger kid! We decided to ski until noon. DH wanted to go back and ski the Open Slope (difficult downhill), but something was telling me no. You know how you hear those stories how people get hurt at the end of their day? So, we went to ski the next biggest downhill, which we did yesterday, too. DH went a little ahead of me, while I stopped at the top to set up my descent, he went whizzing down. Next thing I see, is him crashing out at the bottom. It was slick, but not all chopped up like yesterday. So, I skied down and he says, "My nose is bleeding." We thought it was a nosebleed, but it was actaully just a tiny cut on his nose, which occured when he did a face plant. First, I get out the tissue, but it wasn't stopping. So them, I take my pack off, get out the first aid kit I usually use when I lead rides and had him clean the thing with a wipe, then put a band aid on it. We ski back to the car, hoping no one sees him... we put the skis up, he takes off the band aid, cleans it again, and we ran to the lodge to get our shoes. By the time we left, it had stopped bleeding. Oy.
I felt sad, saying goodbye to my skis for the season, but it was a better season than I thought it would be. I am very concerned about my back. I was fine skiing, but as soon as I sit, it hurts. Sure it is disc related, but I will treat it with heat and stretching until Thursday, when I have a PT appt. The PT was for my SI joint on the other side, which is doing much better. This does not bode well for sitting on a bike, but next Saturday is going to be 57...

[ny biker]

It's too bad your skiing season ended with blood, but at least it was a minor injury. Good luck with your back!

[Skierchickie2]

We're getting into that in-between season when the skiing would be fantastic if a person didn't have to go to work in the morning. By the time I could ski yesterday, it was pretty soft & painfully slow. The trails are still covered, but starting to get a bit dirty, and they've stopped grooming part of one or two loops. The sun is just too high in the sky now. So I guess it's back to running until the weekend. And dreaming about next season. I did a great 3-hour crust ski with friends on Saturday.

[Crankin]

Bump!
Did my first x country ski today. Our wonderful semi-local center, which has owners who are geniuses at grooming, opened last weekend. They had a few "rock ski" days, and then some overnight snow on Tuesday, which we did not have. So, there's 8-10 inches of packed powder, with 75%tracked and/or groomed. They discounted this weekend, not for conditions, but because they knew most people are out shopping! It was a bluebird day, temperature around 25 up there, which is just perfect. Hardly anyone there, too. The conditions were pretty good, not exactly powder, only a little slick, and not icy. We did all the easy and one harder downhills, with some climbing, too. The intermediate trails here would be expert in other places. The most difficult trail i do here would qualify as a downhill ski run; I can do it from about 2/3 up the mountain. But, the trails that access this were closed and you could only get there in a round a bout way. Probably not a good idea to do it on the first ski of the year anyway. We skied for about 1.5 hrs., went back to the lodge, had some soup, and then went back out for another 45 minutes, to do the hard downhill.
No crashes, good fresh air, and all is right in the world.

[north woods gal]

Good for you, Crankin. My skiing is all right out my back door and, uh, shall we say, "back country" or even "expedition". Be nice to try a lodge with groomed trails and maybe a nice meal, afterwards. I think I'd enjoy that. Must be something in the area. I'll have to check it out.

Like I said, my trails are what I make them. I have to break them after a deep snow, then work them down until most, but not all, of the loose snow is gone. When the trails are good, they really are good and I have them to myself, but most of the time I have to take what the weather gives me. When they get too icy to be safe, I have to wait for a weather change or new snow. I have no way to groom them.

This week was my first week of skiing, though, what with a nice 6" snowfall. Temps have been steady in the teens all week, but we'll be up around the freezing point, today, so I may get icing, overnight. I usually get more miles in by skiing out on the lake when it's iced over, enough, but that may be awhile, this year. A fresh cover of snow on ice that is forming makes for iffy ice. Usually when I see my neighbors pull their ice fishing huts out on the lake, I'm good to go.

[Crankin]

Well, my back country skills are not as good, but I don’t have much experience with that. Conditions in New England are sketchy and changable even in the best grooming!

[Crankin]

Skied at Windblown today (again) and I admit the cold got to me. There was hardly anyone there, despite being school vacation and all trails being open. After an hour and 10 minutes, we were done! The conditions said powder, but I found there was a layer of ice under it,in some places, which was noticeable. Not horrible, by any means, but between my sunglasses fogging and my fleece gaiter getting soaked with sweat (I hardly ever have to wear this), I felt hot and cold at the same time. It was 10 degrees when we started and 5 when we finished. I told DH I would go back out if he wanted, but he said he was done, too, after we ate our soup. We mostly stayed on easy trails, which is not like us; did one good climb and one medium downhill, but nothing big. I guess I did more than 99% of the people around here, so it's enough.
Tomorrow we leave for 3 days in the Berkshires. It is going to be a bit warmer tomorrow (20), so we are going to drive to and try out a new place in southwestern Vermont, to ski, and then head south to Great Barrington. Sunday is supposed to be frigid. We found a ski place that also has a winery and is 10 miles from the inn, so we will either try to ski there, or snow shoe and then do some wine tasting before New Year's Eve. We plan to stop at another place on the way home, we go to fairly often, but we didn't get there last year. However, frigid temperatures may have us opt out and her and head straight home.
Ah, winter.

[Crankin]

Wow, I’m the only one skiing?
So, looking at the weather, we decided to leave the side trip to Vermont until another time. Drove directly to Hilltop Orchards, near our inn, in a small burst of snow, which led to a lowering of the speed limit on the MA Pike to 40 for part of the trip. The place is interesting. An orchard/winery/nordic center. The trails were not groomed, and North Woods, you’d be proud of me. We got on a black trail by accident, figured out we were going the opposite way that most do, so lots of climbing, with an easy descent. Some ice chunks and twigs, though. Didn’t see anyone until we were back in the fields, and they were snow shoeing.
Did the wine tasting afterwards. Quite nice! Most of the others were guests of the inn in Lenox which owns the orchard. So, that means they are from that city south of here, who overrun the Berkshires in all seasons. Grrr... saw lots of rudeness, including people walking into the center with snow shoes *on.* Also saw an unruly kid throw a ski pole at bis dad in a fit of anger, with the staff having to intervene. The dad had a serious gash in his face from it. Oy.
Heading out soon to another place. Wind chill is -15.

[Crankin]

Guess none of the other skiers are still around, but I'll keep posting.
Last Wednesday I drove out to western MA and skied with a friend. Bluebird day, really hard climbing and great conditions at Northfield Mountain.
This weekend, we went to Franconia, NH with our friends. We made the reservation, after there was a big storm, then within days, rain was predicted for last Friday, with 50 degrees. We had a scary, foggy drive up there, taking 45 minutes longer than normal. The rain stopped, temperatures plunged, and about 3-4 inches of snow fell. Woke up Saturday to 5 degrees F. Went into Littleton, NH to Lahouts (an awesome ski store), as I forgot my tights orpants. Ended up buying downhill ski pants, as all the x-country pants were too long. They will be use for playing in the snow or walking, definitely warm, but too wide at the bottom. But, they worked for skiing, but not snow shoeing. We snow shoed in the afternoon, right out the door of our inn, it was exhausting.
Sunday, we went to Bretton Woods Nordic center, where the grooming is excellent, so we figured it would be the best of bad conditions. Basically, no tracks for classic skiing and 3 inches of snow over ice. We skied for about an hour and 10 minutes on easy trails, ate lunch, and then went back out for about 2 hours. We did some good climbing and descending on a blue trail, but it was getting really cold, about 2 degrees and the sun was going down. We got back to the nordic center at 4 and we were exhausted. I had a bit of frostbite on my chin! I get so overheated and wet when I wear a neck gaiter made of fleece. I basically cool down through my head, and I ripped the gaiter off after 20 minutes! On the way back, the wind picked up and I think that's when it happened. It went away, though by this morning. I have to buy a buff that's thin; used to have 2 for cycling, but I never used them.
The place we were going to go to today had only a few easy trails open, so we snow shoed in the Franconia Trails. Beautiful, and challenging. We did about 3 miles, with 500 ft. of climbing, then had lunch and headed home.
Another great weekend, despite the lack of good snow. A few years ago, I would have been upset, but I like snow shoeing and we have a big storm coming Wednesday.

[north woods gal]

I been doing a bit of skiing, but mostly it's been the snow biking, this winter. Last winter, too. Still love the skiing and will always do some, though. It's just that all my skiing is on my own trails and those are never groomed. Just whatever Ma Nature gives me, one day to the next. I find that the fat bikes are less picky about snow conditions.

[Crankin]

We had a great ski trip! Except me being sick, that is, but I know as soon as I book this trip every February, something happens. But, I pushed through.
We got to the Northeast Kingdom (Greensboro) around noon on Wednesday, stopped at a general store to buy a sandwich and made our way to the house we rented from Air B and B. Truly a Vermont experience, at the end of a dirt road, with a spectacular view. We unpacked and our friends arrived mid afternoon. It was gloriously sunny, but by the time we all unpacked, we were exhausted and it was time for happy hour. We had planned to eat in that night, so we started with happy hour and then I cooked a Valentines Day dinner.
The next day was cloudy and warmish (got up to 40 or so), so we applied plenty of Glide to our skis and were off to Craftsbury Outdoor Center. This place is the best, and midweek, not so crowded. We skied 10K (exactly) of moderate trails, with an equal amount of climbing and descending. That night we went to a new café, that is in a new community arts center. There seems to be a never ending supply of organic, farm to table food and craft beer in this part of the world.
Friday, we decided to try the trail system at a place that is an inn that has been closed for the past few years. The Craftsbury center has been grooming it though, kind of sporadically, and now that the inn is reopened, regularly. These are the most beautiful trails around; we have both skied and snow shoed there many times. The snow was kind of slushy and icy and ungroomed, so we snow shoed for 3 miles, as skiing would have been not too fun. Thick, pine tree lined, woodsy trails, punctuated by big fields. We had to go alongside the ski trails to get back into the woods, to end up doing a loop. When we were done, we had to kill some time, as we had called the owner of the house to get someone to sand the driveway, after our friends skidded off the side when we were leaving. So, we went to the Craftsbury General store and had coffee, and bought a few things. We were exhausted and decided to eat leftovers that night.
It snowed a little overnight (an inch or two) and we headed back to ski at Craftsbury. Of course, being the weekend, and the start of school vacation week in MA, it was more crowded. The trails were fast and although we did a few of the same trails as Thursday, it felt harder, I think because of the conditions. We skied about 8K and then headed off to shower and then drive up to Newport, VT, on the border, where we had reservations at a really nice place. We decided to get there early (we had already changed our reservation from7:30 to 6), so we ended up doing a cider tasting, where they poured portions way too big. I was the only one who told the pourer to tone it down. Hence, we really needed to eat, so at 5:30 we walked in to the restuarant, feeling like we were now part of the early bird special crowd. But, they were gracious and we had an awesome view of the lake, where Canada is on the other side.
Yesterday we packed up and went back to the now groomed Greensboro trails, where we had snow shoed. What an awesome experience. We did some really hard black trails, climbing, and then a long, meandering descent that had outstanding views. None of us had been on most of these trails. Again, we skied about 10K. It had really warmed up, gone from cloudy to sunny, and at the end, was really sticky skiing. I was exhausted, so after doing some really tough skiing for 4 days, I actually had a couple of "stupid" falls, all when I was climbing up little hills and my edge slid out. We headed over to Hardwick, where we all had sandwiches and onion rings, eating stuff we never touch!
So glad we have today off. I went to the dr. and I do have a sinus infection; got my meds and resting, because it will be 70 here on Wednesday, and i plan to ride!

[north woods gal]

That sounds like a wonderful trip, Crankin. Good for you. Someday, I'd like to try that getaway kind of ski trip, seeing different places, staying at a nice place and sampling the local cuisine. I'd need to get in a bit better ski shape, though. It's been awhile since I put in those kinds of distances. Anyway, thanks for sharing. Makes for a nice winter daydream. :)

[Crankin]

I love this part of Vermont; unless you are into winter endurance sports, most New Englanders never go this far north. There are 2 downhill ski areas here, but it’s a 3+ hr drive, so families don’t like the drive. We have pretty much decided no more Stowe area. It is too crowded, less dependable snow, and not that much closer. Skiing at Von Trapp Lodge is great, but the most expensive nordic center around. You do get to see the grandchildren of Maria, of the Sound of Music fame, running the place. They are all my age...
I am feeling much better and the most exercise I will do tomorrow is a walk at lunch.

[north woods gal]

I get the crowd thing. The older I get, the more I avoid crowds. The, too, I am now very spoiled, living where we do. Can't see a single neighbor from our property. Just a lot of forest and our lake and all the wildlife. I am so very blessed.

[Crankin]

We had a great and unexpected xc ski trip to Prospect Mountain, in southern VT this weekend. I have not spent any time in this area, so it was an adventure. The ski area is at 2,290 ft of elevation, used to be an alpine hill, so they get snow when it is raining just 5 miles down the road. We stayed in Bennington, VT, a nice place, in a great small B and B. We were the only ones there. So, the snow shoe Nationals were at the mountain this weekend, so it was crazy there on Saturday, less so today, as it was a snowshoe marathon and we did not cross paths with that! On Saturday, it snowed the whole time we skied, so much so, it was like backcountry conditions. We skied to the summit, hard, but doable, and descended an easier trail for a bit, until we had to descend a pretty steep hill that was intersecting with the racers going up on a cross trail. I had stopped to size up how I was going to descend and then stop without running the racers over. DH had already gone to the point where he had to stop; as I was standing, getting ready to go down, I just fell over. From a standstill! Problem was, I was on the side of the trail, in deep snow. My pole was in deep and one of my skis was buried. I could not get up and my knee was feeling twisted from the position I was in. I screamed and screamed until DH came up and pulled me to a sitting position, where I managed to stand and not fall down on the descent. What a dumb thing! No worse for the wear, and after I got through the racers, I realized I was skiing down on what was once a downhill trail. A lot of concentration there!
Today we stayed on mellow trails until we got lost and climbed a lot, and I convinced DH to turn around. I think we were on the trail up to the summit, but since it was groomed, it seemed different than yesterday. The downhill was awesome and then we made our way around some beautiful forested trails. We only skied 3.7 miles today, but we were both sore from climbing Saturday, so we headed home around 12:30, stopping at a great diner in Wilmington, VT. It's near Mt Snow, so filled with downhill skiers on their way home.
We are getting hit with another 6-12 inches of snow on Tuesday.... probably one more ski day.

[north woods gal]

You folks are really getting nailed with these big storms. Unbelievable.

Your adventure in that deep snow sounds very familiar to my skiing, since all my skiing is backcountry in nature. No groomed trails. Just trails I make on my own. Oh, yeah, burying the skis is oh so familiar. More than once I'e had to unclip from a ski while on my back in the snow. Not very glamorous, but at least no one other than some squirrels to see me. :)

I have wide, relatively short expedition type skis for my use, though. Can't imagine what you went through in that deep snow with typical trail skis. Sounds like you managed very well, though, all things considered.

[Crankin]

My skis are long, but not as long as the ones I used to have! They are Fischer Spyders, billed as skis for New England skiing, a kind of hybrid between regular touring skis and back country skis. They handle ice and powder.
Yes, I was about to unclip from my skis, but I couldn't figure out how I was going to do that, in the weird position I was in!
When we went to the Methow Valley in Washington 3 years ago, the rental skis we were given were short and really skinny. I thought they were skate skis at first, but they were not. I definitely could ski faster, but I doubt I could climb the way I do here, as they didn't have edges. I didn't get a real chance to test them as the conditions were horrible, with like 3 inches of snow in a place that usually gets 200 inches a year.
Our snow prediction for tomorrow is now 12-18 inches in my area.

[north woods gal]

12-18" ? Good grief. Well, you won't have to drive anywhere else to go skiing. When I lived in my Chicago suburb apartment, I used to ski over to a local park and have some fun. Found a few other folks were skiing there, too, when we had enough snow. Would even ski out in our residential area streets before they were plowed. Lots of fun. Good memories.

[Crankin]

They are too vigorous with plowing here to really do that. We tried last year, in the neighborhood behind our little condo street, and there was not enough snow on the street, despite a foot on the ground and still snowing. So, we snow shoed on the unplowed sidewalk, and that, in a nut shell is how I hurt my back! Heavy, wet snow.
So, our private road has had the contractors out here at least 5 times since 6 AM. They have plowed the street, shoveled our walks, and the driveways of those who have garages. I don't, so I went out twice and brushed the snow off of my car. First time, at noon, had about 8-9 inches. At 6 pm at least the same amount, but light and powdery, thankfully, because this morning, it was heavier. The snow between my car and my neighbor's was up to my knees or higher. Thankfully, DH is out of town, so they plowed his spot. I live off of Main St., a numbered state road, so it is always plowed well. Yes, some neighborhoods are not plowed so vigorously during the storm, but are down to the ground, the next day. Kind of amazing.
I have lowered my expectations for tomorrow; I wanted to go to NH (just about 45 min-hr away to the best ski place), but I am not sure the roads up to there will be OK, so I will go to the local ski area in the next town. With this amount of snow, it will be fine. When the snow gets sketchy, too many rocks, twigs, etc. And, most golf courses around here don't allow skiing, because of liability. That's how I taught myself to ski, in 1992. I will report back tomorrow!

[north woods gal]

Best of luck. Hope you can get out. Please do report back.

[Crankin]

OK, here's my report. As I drove to the nordic center, I realized I maybe should have applied Glide on my skis, as it was 32 out already. But, I didn't go back and hoped for the best. Got there about 40 minutes after opening and they were still plowing the large lot. Got my pass and off I went. I do the same 10k loop every time I go to this place.
Scenery was outstanding, but the conditions were weird. There didn't seem to be as much snow on the trails/woods as I thought, maybe because the storm started out as wet snow, then turned to powder. Gliding in the tracks was fine, so it wasn't sticky like do an endo sticky, but when I went to ski downhill (hills are smaller here), it was like I couldn't turn my skis, they were sticking, which made for some awkward descents. Skiing on the corduroy on flats was OK, too, but there were a lot of dumps of blown snow in the middle of the trails, as the wind was gusting about every 5-10 minutes. So, that was interfering with descending, too. The downhills at this place often have moguls from the rocks or just natural variations in the land, but when there is a lot of snow, it doesn't make a difference. For all of the powder we had, these bumps were quite noticeable. Anyway, the hardest trail was open, so I climbed up it with no issue, hardly had to herringbone. Right before the final short, curvy, and steep descent, there's another very short curvy descent and I kind of fell there, as my ski got caught in a snow pile and I just couldn't turn. I wasn't splayed out on the trail, though, kind of on my bum, so I got up quickly, there was a couple behind me, but they had slowed, so they didn't see it! I skied a little bit extra on a loop right near the end, so I did about 10.5K
When I got back, it was *mobbed.* Lots of fit moms with very young kids and lots of teens, as a lot of districts are closed today. I saw a friend who was just starting out when I left, but I declined to go out with her and her group again, as the conditions were deteriorating.
The parking lot was a pile of slushy mud. Ugh. I leaned my skis against the car and they fell in it. Oh well, they dried by the time I got home.

[north woods gal]

Sounds like you were hitting snows that differed in temperature and consistency. I notice that variation in consistency of snow when we get snow that falls a few degrees, one side or the other, around the freezing point. Even the small difference between snow falling out in the open versus snow falling backing the woods gets you different snow. Nomud for us, yet, because we still have a lot of packed snow, but it's coming.