Matthew Dickerson, Addison Independent, February 18, 1999 (reprinted by permission)
Excuse me while I whine. For the past several days, my cross-country skis have been sitting in my car crying out for attention. They've been strapped to my feet far too infrequently this month. Unfortunately, every time I look out my window I see brown--with but a few scattered blotches of crusty white stuff. Despite more than 30" of snowfall in January, it has been a disappointing winter for outdoor enthusiasts. Even the pittance of snow that fell last Friday night was mixed with rain and did little more than dust the bare ground. In fact, this has been the case all winter. I've just heard that another storm is expected some time between when I write this article (Tuesday ) and when you read it (Thursday or Friday). Optimistic ski areas are talking blizzard. But for Addison County, the National Weather Service is predicting light snow turning to rain.
Fortunately, I've lived in the northern half of New England long enough not to despair. Last year, the best skiing of the year came in March. Even now, despite how it looks out my window, the cross-country skiing isn't bad in the mountains. And to lure you up there, there are several interesting events scheduled in the next few weeks. Up north at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe (253-8511), there are excellent conditions with 18"-24" base in the woods and 10"-16" on the open trails. Though it tends to be a bit windy in the afternoon, this is one of my favorite cross-country ski centers in New England. "Owl's Howl" is definitely my favorite trail. For those who have never been there, next Saturday (February 27) is a good chance to visit. It is the annual Tour Day Stowe, where the main activity is skiing from center to center. Then, on March 6-7, Trapp Family Lodge hosts the annual Bill Koch youth ski league festival.
Closer to home, at Middlebury College's Rikert Ski Touring Center (388-2759) all trails are open with about 10km of tracked trails. They trucked in some extra snow for last weekend's high school ski meet, and another 5" of new powder fell during the night on Friday. Added to that several more dustings since then, they also have excellent conditions. Unless they get rain or exceptionally warm weather, they expect to remain open and in good shape through the month. The biggest event of the year there is Middlebury College's annual Winter Carnival on February 26-28, when top ski-racers from colleges across the northeast will come to compete. If the weather is nice, it could be an excellent spectator event.
The Blueberry Hill Inn and Cross Country Ski Center in Goshen (247-6735) reports 30km of open trails. They also have regular 5km citizen races, with the next scheduled for Febuary 24. And February 28 is their Skier Appreciation Day when you can ski for free on some of the most scenic trails in the Green Mountain National Forest. You can also try out Fischer demo skis and Yubashoes snowshoes free of charge. Their famous pig race is scheduled for March 14, and will run snow or no snow.
For those with kids, many of these events are great opportunities to
get the family skiing together. The festive atmosphere adds to the fun for
adults as well as kids, and centers usually work extra hard to get trails
in shape for these events. Even if you normally prefer a little more quite
and solitude in a day skiing, you should try at least one such event a year.