Getting Winter while Winter’s Good - Nathan Belz

The man with the fancy radar and color gradient maps says there is going to be snow. Suddenly, it’s hard to focus on anything but the barometer. Reading at 9 pm is 29.85” and falling fast.

Sometimes I feel like a crotchety old man when I complain about the winters not being what they used to, but they’re not. Regardless, snow is on its way and you best bet I’m going take advantage of it. I’m staring, for literally tens of minutes, at the wall on which I have all…

The Backcountry Came Alive Again: Finally, my Day in Big Jay - Tina Centofante

The winter season has been a bit whacky: Vermont had some great snow fall through the holidays, but then January came and brought some big warm-ups followed by deep freezes – which created some interesting skiing. I ski coach at Jay Peak on the weekends, and didn’t mind being on a resort mountain when conditions were less than favorable in the backcountry. Luckily, February and March shifted back to a more eventful season, and the skiing has been top-notch, especially in the northern Green Mountains. Through February the snow storms came frequently and with a vengeance; winter…

The Magic of Winter - Tina Centofante

I can remember the butterflies, that too-good-to-be-true feeling bubbling up inside me. It was 6:15 a.m. My mother didn’t bother to turn my bedroom light on, the first clue. I heard her whisper to me softly, with a hint of excitement: “Honey, school is cancelled. It’s a snow day.” Immediately, I jumped up from my warm covers and tripped over to the window. Through the dim light of dawn, I could see snow falling like blankets, insulating the surrounding trees. Normally dreading the early school day wake-ups to catch the bus, I bounced…

First Turns: Early Season Skiing - Matt Williams

Nina and I recently stood at the top of a ski run that probably won’t be officially open for at least a month. Good idea? Maybe. Probably. Sure, things were white and wintery at 3500 feet in the Green Mountains – the trees had that white veneer covering them, but the long blades of grass were still poking though the two or so inches of snow on the ground. In short, the snow coverage was minimal. Still, it was enough to have tempted us to strap skis to packs and start hiking – knowing that those first turns…

The Millstone Grind Race Report - Dan Mahoney

As we wind down into fall – and the end of the race season – I've decided to report on my experience this past summer racing the Millstone Grind. I have helped to promote this race for many years and decided to see what the suffer fest was all about. I'd handed out Gu gels to many a distraught face at the feed zone in the past. What could go wrong?

I got up early on race morning to have a hearty, satisfying breakfast, then packed up all my gear and loaded stuff so my…