Skiing

Ole Punxsutawney Phil crawled out of his Gobbler’s Knob hole and delivered his annual Groundhog Day weather forecast yesterday. He saw his shadow and thus we’ll have six more weeks of winter. With skunk cabbages and dandelions already sprouting in Boston during 60-degree days this week, I’m wondering what type of winter is that groundhog talking about. Certainly not the winter weather the Farmers’ Almanac predicted back in August, “a season of unusually cold and stormy weather.” I happen to like the occasional snowfall in winter, the reason why I live in New England. Still the warm climes won’t deter me from skiing at Stowe this weekend, which received over 15 inches of snow this past week. Have a great weekend, and whether you hike, walk, ski, snowshoe or jog, get outdoors and keep active!

As I was leaving the office on Friday, I received a flurry of press releases from ski areas across the country. Utah’s Snowbird had just received 30 inches of snow and another storm was on its way today and tomorrow. Just down the road, Park City was getting dumped on pretty heavily. Here in New England, where my yard was green until Saturday, Vermont and New Hampshire ski areas both received up to a foot of snow this past weekend. Also on Saturday, I received word that the Lake Tahoe region would receive up to three feet of snow, snowing more than an inch an hour. So if you were looking forward to calling in sick and hitting the slopes, this would be the week. Check out Liftopia to get discounted lift tickets. 

This morning, Maine Huts & Trails will be holding a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate their latest addition, a new 14.2-mile section of the trail that connects Grand Falls Hut to the Forks. This completes the first phase of the Maine Huts & Trails effort to create a 180-mile, 12-hut recreation corridor.  They now offer 45 miles of groomed trails and 3 backcountry lodges located between Rte. 27/16 in Carrabassett Valley and Route 201 in West Forks. If you haven’t yet checked out this gem in the Maine wilderness, put it on your schedule for 2012. You’ll thank me.

Home to 14 downhill ski areas, including the renowned Tremblant, the Laurentian Mountains is Quebec’s foremost winter playground. Once the white stuff starts to fall (an almost daily occurrence in these parts), a lineup of SUVs and minivans make the hour drive north of Montreal. Yet, from 1920 to 1940, the favorite mode of travel in the Laurentians was aboard “Le P’tit Train du Nord,” the snow train. Connecting Saint-Jérôme in the south to Mont-Laurier in the north, the 218 kilometer railway helped spur on tourism at villages along the route. 

The last train stormed through the region in 1989.  Nine years later, Le P’tit Train du Nord reemerged as a rail trail. The so-called Linear Park is now a beloved biking locale in summer and an excellent cross-country skiing destination in the cold weather months.  From Saint- Jérôme to Val-David, a 42 kilometer section of the trail is groomed daily in winter, creating the perfect three-day, two-night inn-to-inn skiing adventure. No snowmobiling is allowed, so you’re guaranteed a peaceful glide through towering forests of pine, snowcapped peaks looming overhead, stepping off for a meal or bed in one of the French-Canadian towns.

The first day, a 14 kilometer run from Saint- Jérôme to Prévost, is relatively flat, requiring little snow to get cruising. Most of the time will be spent in the National Park, Parc Régional de la Rivière-du-Nord. Day Two is an 11 kilometer ski from Prévost to Sainte-Adèle, home to the Mont Rolland Train Station, one of the many restored stations along the route that now serves as tourism office and café. The final day is a slight uphill climb to either Val-Morin (12 km) or Val-David (17 km), depending on how limber those legs are. If you’re still aching for more, simply head to any of the hills you see from Val-David. The Laurentians features 1000-plus kilometers of Nordic skiing. 

From Montreal, take Route 15 to Exit 43 and follow Rue de Martigny to the east. Turn south on Labelle Boulevard to Rue Parent, where you’ll find the old train station and parking lot in Saint- Jérôme. Motel de la Rivière in Prévost, Auberge de la Gare B&B in Sainte- Adèle, and Le Chalet Beaumont in Val-David are all good lodging choices. Visit Tourism Laurentides for a map and listing of lodgings, restaurants, ski shuttles, and rentals. 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving! I’ll be back next Monday.

I headed to the Boston Ski Show this past weekend and found some decent deals. If you book by 11/23/11, you can get round-trip tickets on American Airlines from Boston to Steamboat, Colorado for $300 round trip. You can also save an additional 20% on lifts and lodging. Steamboat has one of the premier teen programs in the States. “Rough Rider” clinics are offered daily for kids 13-18. Afterwards, teens can mingle among themselves in Night Owls, partaking in such activities as tubing and indoor climbing. Or drag the entire family over to Steamboat Springs for a look at an authentic Wild West town. Closer to home, Omni Mount Washington Hotel and neighboring Bretton Woods Ski Area are offering a Stay Here, Ski Free package. Simply book a room and you receive free lift tickets. Book by December 15^th and mention the promo code “BOSSKI.” 

A powerful nor’easter that swept up the East Coast this weekend dumped snow in Boston and the New England peaks. In fact, a few ski resorts like Sunday River and Killington opened early to get the first taste of winter weather. In northern Vermont, Jay Peak received 7 inches of snow. That’s no surprise. Bordering Quebec, Jay Peak receives more than 370 inches of powder, more snow than any other ski area in the East. Being this far north, Jay also accommodates far more Quebecois than New Yorkers. This might change now that the resort has poured more than $200 million into renovations in the past two years as it tries to rival Stowe as the premiere ski resort in northern New England. The Tram Haus Lodge, a 57-suite ski in/ski out lodge, made its debut last winter, along with a new nordic center, and ice skating arena. Set to debut this December is The Pumphouse, an indoor waterpark in the new Hotel Jay that will include a fully retractable open air roof and the longest indoor lazy river in America.  The park also features a 50-seat bar overlooking the rides, a slide that drops its passenger into a free-fall, and the Double Barrel Flowrider—a standing-wave ride that will allow visitors to “surf” in Vermont.
 

I just finished a story for The Boston Globe on the impact of Tropical Storm Irene on the ski areas of New England. The deluge of rain forced rivers to overflow, washing away bridges, collapsing roads, and causing structural damage at base lodges at ski areas. Well, we’re a resilient lot in New England, with work crews quickly coming to the rescue. The good news is that less than 2% of roads in Vermont are still closed and that number will surely decrease by the time ski resorts open in mid-November. The entirety of Route 100, which travels south to north along the spine of the Green Mountains, is now open. Not only is accessibility no longer an issue, but Vermont ski areas have made improvements. Mount Snow is installing America’s first high speed detachable six person bubble lift this season. Killington plans to unveil a new lift-served tubing park, a new outdoor bar overlooking Roaring Brook, and will introduce Olympic Gold Medalist Donna Weinbrecht as a women’s clinic instructor. Sugarbush is featuring a new Lincoln Park base area, while Stowe has replaced the FourRunner chairlift on Mount Mansfield with a new high-speed detachable quad. The fun continues at Okemo on their four-season mountain rollercoaster and at Jay Peak, which will open a new indoor waterpark. Good riddance, Irene. Don’t let the door smack you in the ass on your way out. 
 

Those same summer guides that took my family rock climbing and white water rafting in the Canadian Rockies this summer are hardcore skiers once the first snow falls. And which ski area were those guides raving about? Revelstoke. Located about two hours northeast of the Kelowna Airport in eastern BC, Revelstoke has the most vertical in North America, attracting the expert skier who wants a taste of the Selkirk powder, via traditional ski trails, heli-skiing, or cat skiing. The only knock against the ski area was its lack of terrain and infrastructure for young families. That’s all about to change. New for the 2011/2012 ski season is a new beginner’s slope with snowmaking, a tubing park, a kid’s outdoor center, and new child care facilities. Watch out Whistler, because Revelstoke is starting to make a big push for international clientele.