Page 8 - Nov_13

early Birds

Get the tracks

Get on your Nordic skis earlier this year

with our guide to pre-season snow

By Heidi Hill | Photos Courtesy xcearlysnow.com

IT HAPPENS EVERy yEAR: my hus- the Willoughby State Forest and on the
band, Tom Thurston, tells me he’s going twisty trails at Mount Hor. Now, she says
skiing, and I look at him like he’s crazy. I she won’t go much farther than the trails
haven’t heard reports of snow anywhere. at Craftsbury since they open up with

Our yard is green, I’ve seen no flurries, man-made snow in mid-November.
and his Nordic ski friends are still calling The increasing prevalence of snowmak-
to arrange running times.
ing at Nordic centers means that high

Over the years, though, I have school and college teams are less likely
learned that there is no stopping him from to drive to remote backcountry locations,
the search. If he thinks the opportunity preferring the predictability of a groomed
to ski will quickly pass, he’ll take a head- man-made course with access to a Nordic

lamp and go after work. If he learns that center and bathrooms. Drive to Crafts-
there is snow at the stake at Mount Man- bury the day before Thanksgiving, and
sfield and the forecast is cold, he might you’ll see more skiers than you will at

invite the family for a weekend trek. No Smugglers’ Notch road (Route 108). And
matter what, if there is skiing to be had, not long ago, Dick Dreissigacker, now the
he’s going to find it.
co-owner of Craftsbury Outdoor Center, never give them up, now he’ll make the gotten easier thanks to Liz Hollenbach
My husband may sound obsessive, groomed the Notch road (with the Peo- trek to Craftsbury occasionally. Trapps, and Eric Tremble, creators of the site

but “snow-chaser” is the label that I like. ple’s Academy groomer) so that early sea- the closest to us, actually does very well xcearlysnow.com. Hollenbach and Trem-
And he’s not alone. There are others just son skiers had access to groomed snow.
with natural snow because of elevation ble are former St. Lawrence University
like him in the Nordic and Alpine circles. Last year was the first year that my and exposure. Though they have snow- ski team members who reside in Jericho.
making around the initial field, they tend They get in a lot of early skiing. Rather
They search for snow before it officially family bought a pass to Craftsbury. The
has arrived to blanket ski areas and back- snowmaking lured us. We skied there the to hold snow so well that they can have than just share their findings by the tra-
yards. Any day that they can count as a day before Thanksgiving, and the snow skiing when many other locations around ditional word-of-mouth, they created the
ski day is a bonus.
was excellent. I tired of the 1.25K loop, the state do not.
site for sharing and receiving ski reports.

This hide-and-seek game with but it looked like the college skiers were Hollenbach and Tremble approve
Mother Nature has changed for some enjoying it (and not tiring).
where to Go
posts and edit them, when needed. Often,
Nordic skiers. Craftsbury Green Racing My husband says that he loves the they post a quick rundown on early sea-
son conditions at Nordic centers. Though
Project skier Ida Sargent grew up skiing Mount Mansfield Toll and Smugglers
the early season on the CCC roads in
Notch roads for early skiing. While he’ll
Deciding where to go for early snow has
anyone can post a report, the intention is

8 vtsPorts.com
November 2013