Photo(s) of the Week: Fresh (Single)Tracks

NEWS FLASH: Adventure skiing slideshows kick off this Weds 10/24 and Thurs 10/25. More info HERE. Although a micro-dusting of snow graced many northeastern mountaintops over the weekend, it wasn’t enough to lure us to break the skis out of the shed, as we had the week before. Meanwhile, after last Friday’s rainstorm gave way [...]

Six Years Ago This Week: Remembering Doug Coombs

Six years ago this week, the Northeast-bred, steep skiing pioneer, Doug Coombs, passed away while skiing and attempting to rescue a friend near his home in La Grave, France. After skiing in Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine as a child, Coombs left a lasting mark on the adventure skiing world with his exploratory descents in [...]

Photo(s) of the Week: Fresh Tracks and Fresh Ice

The ice capping many ponds, lakes and slow-moving streams is as good as it gets right now in the Northeast, thanks especially to persistent cold temps and minimal snowfall at lower elevations. Meanwhile, a nice coat of powder snow, although seldom more than boot deep, continues to characterize the off-piste and backcountry skiing in the [...]

POSTPONED til March 3: SKI THE THUNDERBOLT!

****UPDATE 2/3**** Due to lack of sufficient snow on the course, the race has been postponed until Saturday, March 3, 2012. :FOR RELEASE: January 12, 2012 CONTACT: Jonathan Butler, Town Administrator, Adams, MA, 413-743-8300 The Thunderbolt Ski Race Offers a Wild Ride on a Historic Trail (Adams, Mass.) On February 11, one hundred intrepid backcountry [...]

The Friday the 13th Storm…Honoring MLK

The storm we’ve all been waiting for dumped 10-20″ of fresh snow across the mountains of the northeast on Thursday and Friday, January 13th. By early Saturday morning, Vermont skiers like Justin Chapman and Dave Bouchard (ahead and back, in the first photo, respectively) were easily belly deep in powder on steeper, leeward aspects surrounding [...]

Photo of the Week: Freshies with Family

Every winter, my sister, Lindsay, and her husband, Sean, kick off nearly three months of “down-time” (from their gardening/ landscaping business on the MA coast), by skiing with us here in Vermont. Sean’s a ripping surfer with whom we’ve enjoyed some incredible swells over the years, and he’s skilled on both skis and snowboard. “Sis” [...]

Photo of the Week: Halloween Turns

After skiing like a super hero who we began to call “Ski-Ra”, a smiling Ski-Ra turned to us and declared, “I think I’m always going to ski with a cape. It’s so fun!” Meanwhile, Matt Davis (below), our maple-sugaring, yurt-living, science teaching friend, dressed up like a regular skier, not wanting anything to interfere with [...]

Photo of the Week: Ski Towns Need Your Help

Update: A fun triathlon/fundraiser for the flood-ravaged towns of White River Valley is planned for this coming Sunday, Oct. 16. This is another great way to pitch in. Check it out HERE. It should be no news by now that historic rains from Tropical Storm Irene nearly devastated many homes, businesses and farms, as well [...]

The Mountains Claim a Friend: Joel Levenberg,

Photo: Heading into the Never Summer Wilderness Area, Colorado – May 2002 The mountains claimed the life of a wonderful soul this past Saturday, May 21, 2011. Our longtime friend, Joel Levenberg, (third from the left w/snowboard) passed away after getting caught up in an avalanche on Colorado’s Torreys Peak. He was accompanied by two [...]

Northeast Skiers on Tour: Iceland Anyone?

Our Vermont friends Pennie Rand and Poppy Gall have organized two backcountry skiing adventures in Iceland this April. One trip (which is full) is an all-ladies trip, while a second trip (co-ed / April 22-29) still has a few spots remaining. If you are feeling rather spontaneous and would like to treat yourself to the [...]

Skiing with the Skidder

Some of the logging taking place in the northeast these days is opening terrain and in some cases helping to improve the off-piste skiing. This is true for a while at least, or until the underbrush starts to flourish with all the new sunlight passing through the canopy. However, if enough good-sized trees are left [...]

Chickering-Ayers Boys, Vermonters, Win US Extremes

Update 1/21am: Head to this link for some highlights from the final day at the event. Brothers Lars and Silas Chickering-Ayers, who were raised skiing Vermont’s Mad River Glen, skied away with first and third place finishes, respectively, at this year’s US Freeskiing Extremes in Crested Butte this past weekend. Their wins follow Lars’ first [...]