The Best of This Weekend
From cross-country ski marathons to winter bike commuting workshops and epic pond hockey tournaments, here’s what’s up across Vermont this week and next.
And if you’re looking to get inspired for Super Bowl LIV, be sure to check out our recent interview with this Vermont Sports Medicine Doctor who is also a record-setting quarterback.
JANUARY
29 | Local Motion Winter Bike Commuting Workshop, Burlington
A seasoned year-round bike commuter offers tips for staying warm, outfitting your bike for winter use, dealing with ice and snow and staying safe on the roads. Starts with a classroom discussion and ends with practice on the bike path. localmotion.org
30 | The Taylor Series: A Long Trail Hiker’s Climb of Denali, Waterbury Center
Green Mountain Club executive director Mike DeBonis shares photos and stories from his June 2019 journey to summit Denali. At the Green Mountain Club Visitor Center. greenmountainclub.com
FEBRUARY
1 | 8th Annual Grafton Winter Carnival, Grafton
Go tubing, skiing or snowshoeing with new demo equipment from Rossignol, Dion and Nevitrek snowshoes or take a sleigh ride at Grafton Pond Outdoor Center. Grab food and beer at the Grafton Inn. facebook.com/events/910126979366277/
1 | Winter Wildlife Tracking Snowshoe, Woodstock
Catch a one-hour lecture about animal prints and tracks and then head out for a snowshoe hike and learn to identify them as you go at Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historic Park. nps.gov/mabi/index.htm
1 | 5th Annual Snowshoe “Face Race,” Suicide Six
Race by snowshoe up Suicide Six’s black diamond trail, “The Face” and back down “Easy Mile” to a post-race party. suicide6.com
1 | The #EqualPay Game, Essex Junction
Green Mountain Roller Derby hosts their first home bout of the 2020 season at Champlain Valley Expo. Catch all of the excitement of flat track roller derby in a kid and family-friendly environment and support equal pay for women and non-binary athletes. gmrollerderby.com
For more about roller derby in Vermont, see “Roller Derby Revolution,” from our October 2019 issue.
1-2 | Craftsbury Marathon Ski Festival and AXCS Masters National Championships, Craftsbury Common
Head to Craftsbury Outdoor Center for a Nordic skiing marathon event with 33K or 50k classic Saturday and a Freestyle 33K Men’s race and 17K Women’s race on Sunday. craftsbury.com
2 | 33rd Camel’s Hump Challenge, Huntington
A rigorous wilderness 13-mile ski tour and race where backcountry Nordic skiers traverse around the perimeter of 4,083-foot Camel’s Hump to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementia. act.alz.org
8 | Green Mountain Club Full Moon Snowshoe Dinner, Smugglers’ Notch
Hike from Route 108 in Smugglers’ Notch for 2.25 miles to a candlelit dinner at the Hearth and Candle Restaurant by the ski area’s summit. greenmountainclub.org
8 | The Bowl, Middlebury
The third USSMA-sanctioned skimo race in the Northeast Randonnee Race Series for 2019-2020. Choose the full competitive course or the shorter recreational course, as both climb and descend for multiple circuits on the Middlebury Snow Bowl. nerandorance.blogspot.com
8 | Komen New England Snowshoe New Hampshire, Gilford, N.H.
A beautiful, twilight snowshoe walk held on the Nordic Trails at Gunstock Mountain as the sun sets. Dion Snowshoes will provide demos. komennewengland.org/snowshoe
8-9 | Canadian Ski Marathon, Mont Tremblant, Canada
This annual two-day event features a double-tracked ski trail divided into 10 sections spanning 160K (100 miles) from Mont Tremblant to Lachute. skimarathon.ca
5 Classic Pond Hockey Tournaments This Week & Next
Jan. 31-Feb. 2 | 11th Annual New England Pond Hockey Classic, Meredith, N.H.
Live music, food and beer on the ice are all available at this weekend of wild pond hockey spectating and competitive play on Lake Winnipesaukee. pondhockeyclassic.com
Feb. 1-2 | 11th Annual Vermont Pond Hockey Championships, Fairlee
Competitors of all ages head to Lake Morey for a weekend of open-air, competitive pond hockey on groomed ice. lakemoreyresort.com
Feb. 7-9 | 9th Annual Lake Champlain Pond Hockey Classic, Colchester
Three days of pond hockey on Malletts Bay with an on-the-ice beer garden. pondhockeyclassic.com
Feb. 8-9 | Put Cancer On Ice Pond Hockey Tournament, Fairlee
New for this season, Lake Morey is host to a 4-on-4 pond hockey tournament with proceeds benefiting Norris Cotton Cancer Center. lakemoreyresort.com
Feb. 9-10 | Memphremagog Women’s Pond Hockey Tournament, Newport
Kingdom Games hosts two days of women’s pond hockey for teams of six players plus one referee. memphremagogpondhockey.org
Featured Photo: Across Vermont on frozen lakes and ponds, hockey players will be lacing up their skates to compete fiercely (for fun) in some of the region’s top pond hockey tournaments.
