A Vermont Backcountry Intro

Working at my desk, I catch my mind drifting off to fluffy, marshmallow-laden landscapes. Often it’s Plattekill I envision, the closest good powder skiing for us in northern NJ. For me, nothing closer comes close.

But over the last couple years, like others here, I’m driving further to find snow. In early February, winter storm “Kade” brought me to Smuggs. My most recent excursion was deep into northern VT, touring the backcountry near Jay Peak, for the first time.

Last week was winter break for schools in NJ. I’m a teacher and this was my best window for adventure. The last few years featured great trips to British Columbia with good snow and a tight crew.

Continue reading

Bolton Valley: Vermont’s ATV Indy

Thanks to some strategic scheduling, I found myself in northern Vermont with some free time on Friday. After talking with Harvey and checking the Indy Pass resort list, I loaded up my car early and made the short trip to Bolton Valley.

As I approached, I started getting excited. It’s the kind of mountain road that feels like it will lead you to a promised land. Bolton reveals itself slowly; a few miles up the access road, you’ll pass the quaint Timberline Lodge. I continued on to the base lodge a few minutes further up.

Rolling in to the main base area, I saw other early-bird AT skiers. Bolton has a friendly uphill policy, and quite a few locals take advantage of it for early morning workouts.

Continue reading

Skinning: Junior Steps Up

Saturday night Junior slept soundly for twelve hours straight. Like any teenage boy, he’s accustomed to sleeping in on weekends until somebody makes him get up but that’s usually because he stays up late playing XBox, watching YouTube or TV or some other crap.

On Saturday he crashed early and was immediately out. I’m proud to say it was all my fault. That morning, at my insistence, he skinned up to the top of Plattekill with me for the first time. He did great.

I don’t want to give the impression that my son is in bad shape or anything. He’s a typical high school kid who plays sports. But when I told him we were gonna do a skin before riding the lift the rest of the day, he wasn’t into it.

Continue reading