Legends of the Thaw...

Well it's January here in Vermont and at times it can get warm, wet and windy! While the Ol' Ski Hill out back can get kind of.....well, lets just say it was beautiful..

Never let yourself second-guess getting out, no matter the conditions. In the end you'll always be glad you did.

Good thing I had the fat skis?! Where are my E99's when I need them most?

Good thing I brought some cold beer.

T.

Winter Beckons at Millstone Hill

Rider Kevin Jaques.

Here's some more two-wheeled love in our latest post from guest writer Cody Chouinard. If we weren't missing our bikes before, we certainly are now. Thanks, Cody, for sharing your story with us!

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If you're like me, every time you see your bike jammed in the corner of your garage you get a brief flashback of shredding single-track all summer long. Thanks to our friends at the Millstone Trails Association you no longer have to suffer. Whether you are whipping around the turns creating a snow wave or just the casual biker looking for some great views, the trails at Millstone have everything you want in a winter mountain biking experience. If you have ever ridden at Millstone in the summer you know how beautiful the quarries are, but there is something about them in the winter that is equally if not more amazing. The snow outlined pieces of granite create a skeleton-like look to the grout piles towering above you. Winter riding doesn’t compare to summer riding, but the Millstone Trails Association has done an amazing job creating trails that will help you cope with those single-track flashbacks.

CC. 

Cody Chouinard lives in Barre, Vermont, and likes to ride his bike. 

Our local hill finds the snow rolling; literally.

Odin doesn't like being left out of a good run. 

 A couple of weeks ago we found ourselves in the midst of some wonderfully unique weather out our backyard.  As the blue sky clashed with dramatic and intense clouds, the heavy wet snow and gusty winds created some beautiful skiing. This is what we found:

Snow rollers were something we had not seen before.  With the wet snow and heavy winds the snow is pushed and rolled into what looked almost like delicious snow pastry, ranging in size from a softball to a large exercise ball. A unique day, to say the least.

With today's fresh snow in the mountains (we needed it), I hope you'll find your way outside today - I know I will, even if for a quick lap out the back.


T.

From Wax to Waxless: Voile's Game-Changing BC Skis

We're so excited about the Voile Charger BC and Vector BC skis! These are our new skis for 2012-13 (well, the Vectors are still on back order ... ), and they're a favorite in our quivers. (Our small quivers include Rossignol BC 125s, and an old pair of Karhu Tenth Mountains - all of which are great skis, too.) To make these skis, Voile essentially put waxless bases on two of their very popular downhill skis.


Stepping into the Vector BC, mounted with a Voile  3-pin hardwire binding, was like love at first ski. It's sturdy and capable, yet light and tourable. And oh-so glide-y (is that a word?), yet climbs like a tractor. The revolution comes in the fat widths of these skis, but more importantly, it's in the rockered tip. Rocker is typically associated with keeping those skis afloat in the deep, deep powder days to our west, but they also really help with navigating dense New England backcountry by keeping your tips up and above debris, blowdowns, or crusty layers of snow. The Charger BC delivers all the same, but with a fatter base. Read on to get the low-down and our take on these fabulous new skis.

Voile Vector BC (a.k.a Sarah's New Love)
Dimensions: 92-96 under foot (a "mid-fat" ski)
Design: These have a mountain scene and cute fuzzy bear, which means I heart them instantly
They ski like: the dickens! I didn't want to stop skiing, despite painful blisters from a different boot/outing. This ski handled breaking trail in wooded terrain, climbing rolling hills and ravine banks, and descending tight down-hill trails with ease and grace. They edge beautifully, carving awesome turns through any conditions. Amazingly, they descend like a downhill ski while still being lightweight enough to climb comfortably - and climb you can, like a skidsteer with chains. Loggers should use these puppies to drag felled trees out of the woods. There is something both burly and sleek about this ski, simultaneously, that makes you want to ski them all day. Recommended set up: Voile 3-pin hardwire, light plastic telemark boot, an appetite for all-day fun (and the snacks to keep you going)

Voile Charger BC
Dimensions: 110-114 underfoot (like a fat powder ski, but built to take it all)
Design: These have a mountain goat on them, because they eat mountains for breakfast!
They ski like: a dream! This is a true adventure ski! It has the look, dimensions, and performance of a deep powder ski. But make no mistake, Voile excels at making this a really light, semi-stiff ski that is highly versatile. It's at home in the backcountry - either in powder or not, and can even handle your favorite groomed Nordic or downhill trails. I've taken this ski many times down the local snowmobile trail to make some laps on a local pasture hill - its a light, versatile ski that does it all well. Also, the rockered tip keeps the ski from diving in deep powder or rugged backcountry conditions, and it smooths the transition between turns.
Recommended set up: Voile 3-pin hardwire, light plastic telemark boot

Another plus for both skis: Made in the USA! Continue to support local, small shops by buying yours at ORS Cross-country Skis Direct - these guys don't just sell skis, they ski 'em!

No Sleep Til April

We have been blessed with snow - lots of it, and all high-quality, with continuous flakes refreshing our favorite powder stashes every couple of days. Vermont's skiers are excited - we've all got big smiles. We're taking advantage by getting out almost daily, from lunch-time tours in the City Park to long half-day adventures in our Town Forest to full-day excursions into the backcountry. And we've brought our friends along! Our Sunday night ski-dinners have been a hit. Last Sunday, we had over ten skiers out on the trails at night, then back to our place to enjoy a dee-licious potluck dinner and a rambunctious round of "Celebrity." (I am terrible at that game and should stick to skiing and feeding people.)

Check out a few photos from our latest adventures. We hope to see you out there!

Exiting the Town Forest at sunset onto one of our favorite hills - and views.

Skinning up

The night crew

Fresh local turns, then fresh local dinner from the farm (upper left)

Odin knows the way back up

Homegrown Singletrack

Trail crew Mike, Zack and Chris

Don't get us wrong, we're loving all this great snow. But there's not a day that goes by that we don't think of our bikes. Partly that's because they're hogging one-third of our mudroom, and we have to step over them to get to the ski poles, but we also just really love two wheels.

This love got us thinking back to last fall, and ahead to next spring. That's the beauty of this spinning planet: we will ride again.

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November in Vermont is a unique time of year. Snow in the mountains lures one for early season turns, while sweet single track below can be had amidst Vermont's short hunting season. This year the focus for us has been singletrack in our back yard.  After a year of cleaning up our woods by removing blow downs and piles of brush, the real work has finally started: trail building.

So this year that wonderful cold, frosty lure of early season turns, that itchy anticipation of scratching down the mountain hasn't quite happened for us. Instead, we're hearing the call to build.

r

Rider Chris Lee on R.I.P.

Sarah and I are no strangers to driving to some of the best hard built, hard fought singletrack in VT, like Perry Hill, Carse Hill, Adams Camp, Northfield ... the list goes on.  But driving there can be the least fun of the whole experience, so when we searched for a place to call home, land was certainly of most important interest. As a child I can't ever remember driving to ride my  mountain bike; it was a home grown affair. We would get out of school, get on our bikes, and ride 'til dinner. I remember not being able to stay awake all day in class, only to be magically awakened as the last hour of class slowly ticked away and I looked forward to getting on my bike.  This is something I want to recreate from my youth, out-the-door riding. And Patrick Kell, formerly of VMBA and now of IMBA, once told us that everyone should have a trail to ride within 15 minutes of their front door. We're shooting for 15 seconds.
 
Riding - plain and simple. Absolutely no driving.

Late night brush burning.

So what can you do with 5 acres?  Well let's just say there's no world- class caliber XC trails to be had here(this will hopefully change). But we do have some great contours to play with. So with that I called  friends, gathered some tools and beer, and started digging.

So far we've put together some great lines, like R.I.P and B-line, that are all collaborations of riders'\builders' ideas. Next year we hope to bring in more than a bit of dirt and build a pump track, all ready in the design and recruitment stage, plus a skills course, and as much flowy singletrack as 5 acres can handle.

Winter warmer

What better way to stay warm than to keep moving and enjoy the winter's amazing natural powder snow?

Poetry

Birch in Winter

"Sometimes I need only to stand wherever I am to be blessed."

From Mary Oliver's poem, It was Early

Clearing the Way

This past Friday, Tristan, Odin and I set out into the woods with hammer and saw, headed to prep the route for the upcoming Camel's Hump Challenge, a fundraiser backcountry ski tour (just a tour with friends, not a race) to benefit the Vermont Alzheimer's Association.


Tristan and I share the Camel as our favorite Vermont peak - we find ourselves often dreaming of its pointy undeveloped summit, and scheming for our next chance to get there. There is a mystic for us in the Huntington approach, particularly the longer Forest City route, which brings the hiker up from beneath the sheer face of the couching lion (or Camel, as it were). This is a long route, prefaced with a long drive, but it is always worth the trip. Even the shorter Burrow's Trail approach from the western Huntington side is worth the drive. But on this day we approached from the eastern side via the Monroe Trail. And it was not the summit we were after this time: We were planning to take a left off the Monroe Trail somewhere past the junction with the Dean Trail, and head into the woods for terrain seen only by the skier of the Camel's Hump Challenge, or the volunteers who prep the trail for this fabulous once-a-year ski day. (Please note, we are very familiar with this area and the route we were taking, we planned our route ahead, and also carried a map and compass, which we know how to use. Additionally, we carried headlamps, matches, bright clothing, and emergency supplies. If you are inexperienced with hiking or are unfamiliar with the terrain, please leave this type of off-trail adventure for experienced hikers - there is plenty to see and do on the many beautiful marked routes up and around the mountains of the Northeast.)

The plan for the day was to clear the trail and mark it periodically with Forest Service-approved trail markers for the Camel's Hump Challenge. The plan was also to see some beautiful terrain reserved only for those roughing it on this 13-mile backcountry ski loop, which is open for skiing only on the day of the Camel's Hump Challenge (February 10, 2013). There are unusual vantage points of the summit, beaver ponds-aplenty, and fabulous birch glades that go on for as far as the eye can see.

There were several big blowdowns to clear along the way, and many, many downed branches and debris from recent storms.The scenery along our trip was outstanding. In particular, the backcountry ice was like art work.

The trail winds through mature hardwood stands, dark evergreen forests, birch glades, and meadows. Every now and then, we would pop out of the woods on to the edge of a high-country beaver pond. These were tricky to navigate in early-winter conditions, but the views these openings afforded were stunning and made the rough-going worth it.

Happily, our faithful and trusty trail companion accompanied us the whole way.

Our turn-around point was Wind Gap, from where we planned to loop back to the Monroe Trail via the Dean Trail. We popped out of the woods on the Dean Trail and took a break and drank warm tea as we listened to the wind howl through the Gap just above us. Wind Gap is one of our favorites, and is one of only a few named "Gaps" in the Greens - it always reminds me of the many southern "Gaps" on the Appalachian Trail: Woody Gap, Neals Gap, Stecoah Gap, Newfound Gap. They marked our progress for us on that 1,200-mile hike.

We crested the sag to Wind Gap, where we stood and took it in. The view to the west showed an almost-setting sun, painting  the sky with pastel colors through the naked tree stems. A raven soared on a wind current overhead. There was total silence, save for the rushing wind and the trademark caw-ing of an on-wind Corvid.

The Trail North beckoned, as it always does - but not this day. Today, we were headed back down the mountain for a friend's art show, and some warm supper. In the end, we cleared and marked the section of the Camel's Hump Challenge route from the Monroe Trail west towards Wind Gap. Tristan tells me I saw only about one-sixth of the trail, and I am looking forward to seeing the rest of it on skis later this winter.

It is a good feeling to see the Vermont wilds, climb mountains, and give to a good cause.

Technology Has its Place

On the day before Thanksgiving, my iPhone died its final death. It died on the one-month anniversary of our forced disconnect from the world wide web. The onset of a mysterious computer/internet problem, in which the two wouldn't speak to each other, but would happily hook up with others, left us confused and frustrated, and ultimately swearing off the whole thing. We could get by! We have our iPhones. Er, had. As I watched it crash its last crash, the little white wheel of death spinning, spinning, spinning, then nothing, I felt calm and freaked out at once. Well, I'll fix it. They'll warrantee it. (It had been dying short-lived deaths for some time already...) Everything felt fine, that is, until as the day carried on, I couldn't check in on anything. My phone's calming effect on my anxiously needing to know what was going on in the world was not to be had. The computer couldn't bring me my fix, either. What if I had an email? Facebook update? News? What if someone needed me?! OH MY GOD, SOMEONE COULD NEED ME!

Well, the first thing I learned from this ordeal is that I'm not that important. No one died because they couldn't reach me. The second thing I learned: life is really nice up here, away from your screen. There are people to hug and talk to, walks to be enjoyed, puppies to be wrestled with, hats to be knitted, guitars that have been waiting patiently to be picked back up again. There is life up here away from the screen, ready to be touched, breathed, felt, seen, and shared, once you're ready to look away from the pixelated version.

Don't get me wrong. I restored my phone. There are too many benefits to having it to go without it: easy communication from anywhere, and a plethora of apps that I use for yoga, meditation, or managing my money. Never again will I be unable to find something - anything - because I can now google, call, and map it all from one place. Phones are super useful: You can call in breakfast from the top of your morning ski run so that its ready and waiting when you get to the bottom of the mountain. You can find your way out of the woods when you're sure you've passed that rock at least twice already, probably from a different direction each time. And you can text your honey just to say, Hey. What it can't do, though, is replace real live living. Human interaction, subtlety, nature, green space, fresh air, love.  You have to look up from the screen/put it down/ turn it off for that good stuff.

I have all of my technology back again. My computer has decided it will sometimes talk with the old internet, although it will always talk with the new internet. And my phone is behaving, for the most part. What's different is my relationship with the stuff. I've been reminded of one important thing: Technology is supposed to make my life better, but its not supposed to get in the way of living. Now I'm shutting this thing down and going for a sunset walk with the dog.