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…

Mountain Bike Racing as a Team Sport - Matt Williams

Mountain biking is not often seen as a team sport. Sure, many of us ride for a trade team of one kind or another, but for the most part we don't train with our teammates, or race with them for that matter. When the gun goes off it's up to you to ride the course as fast as you can, and fix your bike if it breaks. There's not a whole lot a teammate can do to help you go faster; unlike a road race, drafting doesn't help much.

This summer my partner…

Mountain Bike Racing Vermont-Style - Nina Otter

I started getting serious about riding and racing mountain bikes almost five years ago as a student at Warren Wilson College. Located outside of Asheville in western North Carolina, the school nestles into the valley just east of some of the best riding this side of the Rockies. Even though these mountains are the tallest in the east – Mount Mitchel peaks at over 6,800 feet – the snowfall is pathetic. If you really wanted to ski, lifts spin and there is some carvable ice, but I never strapped on any boards in the four years I lived down there.…

Interval Training on my Ride to Work - Nina Otter

I figure the backpack is more of a training tool than an annoyance. It holds my change of clothes, salad lunch and purse as it bounces around on my ride to work. It's mid-May, the weather is warm, roads have been clear of snow for a couple months, and interval training is underway.

I bought a Specialized Crux last fall after moving from the big town of Montpelier to Moretown. It's just seven miles down Route 2, but since this is Vermont, it's country. I still work in Montpelier, and the Crux rides well on…