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Fall Trail Work: Honors Society Students Help Out on Section 31
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Fall trail work season is in full swing on the Catamount Trail, and we couldn’t be happier to get out in the woods and clear trails before the snow starts to fall (soon, we hope!) Of course, all the trimming, lopping, sawing, brushing-out, and scouting that we have going on over the next two months…
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Tales from the Trail: Tim Marr and Brian Sharlach
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With the spring rains starting to turn toward summer’s dry dirt, it may seem all out-of-season to write about skiing and ski adventures. But dreaming about skiing is a year-round pursuit, and at the CTA office it never stops! As far as we’re concerned, the ultimate Vermont winter adventure is to ski the Catamount Trail…
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Bolton Valley Ski Pass Giveaway!
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Bolton Valley Ski Pass Giveaway Win FREE Skiing At Bolton Valley! Winter is coming and the Catamount Trail Association and Bolton Valley want to help you get after it. For the next 3 weeks we will be giving away (2) Free Bolton Day Passes on Fridays from now until November 14th! To enter just follow…
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Hydration on the Trail
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It may seem ridiculous to worry about dehydration while skiing. Though surrounded by water (snow), skiers risk dehydration from a variety of factors. First, people tend to drink less while skiing. Cold diminishes feelings of thirst and raises the hassle factor of drinking: water bottles freeze, fingers get cold, and near frozen drinks are…
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Vitamin I: a Pill for every Ill?
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My work as an ER physician routinely shows me not only the good that modern medications can bring, but also their potential to do harm. On one hand, drugs can ease pain, cure infections, prevent strokes, and save lives when used judiciously in the right circumstances. Bombarded with constant pharmaceutical marketing and a stream of…
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Overuse Injuries in Cross-country Skiing
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Review of the medical research on cross-country skiing related overuse injuries reveals a “Catch-22”: 60% of overuse injuries in competitive cross-country skiers are caused by preseason fitness training. Experts advise that cross-country skiers engage in preseason fitness training to prevent injuries. This paradox bedevils elite athletes of all sports and raises high-level competition to…
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2nd Annual Vermont Backcountry Forum (& Celebration)
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Are you curious about what Vermont’s growing backcountry skiing/riding community has been up to lately, and what it’s got in store for the future? Please join us on the evening of Thursday, Nov 6th, starting at 6pm, for a delicious potluck, great discussion, a big raffle, live music, dancing some multi-media on the walls… and…
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A Puffy Predicament: Picking The Perfect Puffy Parka!
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During the winter months one of the most valuable and likely to be used pieces of kit one can own is a good puffy jacket. But, with all of the different options out there how is one to choose? Should you go with down or synthetic? Lightweight and packable, or heavier and warmer? Hood or…
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Scouting the Streams
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On Tuesday, Amy and I took a ride over to Section 26 to scout trail work projects. We drove along the Lamoille River, admiring the brilliant fall foliage as we wound our way up into the hills near the Green River Reservoir. It was a crisp 47° F as we stepped out of the car to…
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Leave Nothing But Tracks? Your Input Needed on DRAFT VT BC Ethics
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In case you missed the update about this back in August, we’re spreading the word again about the need for your feedback and comments on a DRAFT Vermont Backcountry Code of Ethics, which we are planning to have ready to go by this coming winter season. We’re seeking comments on the current draft through September…
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A Visit to Craftsbury
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The many miles of dirt road were the first thing I noticed about Craftsbury. The second was the complete absence of cell service. We’re not talking about spotty cell service. You can drive around all you like – it won’t do you any good. Because of these two things and my lack of…
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Bridge Work in Ripton
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Here at the CTA office, we decided we needed a break from our computers last Friday. Instead of a more traditional coffee break, though, we packed up our sledgehammers and headed down to Ripton, where Amy, Emily, and I met trail chief Dave Scott. The four of us spent an hour or so taking…
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Upcoming Event: Trapps Brewery Tour – July 24th
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Join the CTA staff and Trapps Brewmaster JP Williams for a private brewery tour! BIG things are happening up at the Trapp Family Lodge. They are in the process of building a new brewery and we will get to walk through the new facility and see what all the fuss is about. We will meet at the…
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Some Great Exposure For The Catamount Trail
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Every week the Burlington Free Press runs a feature called Sense Of Service and this week the Catamount Trail Association was fortunate enough to be the featured non-profit! It ended up being a much larger and longer piece than we expected and it’s always exciting to get this kind of exposure. If you’re…
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Uphill Running and Biking Tips: North Face Race To The Top Of Vermont
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So it’s almost June and the North Face Race To The Top Of Vermont made possible by KLMOUNTAINSHOP.COM is just around the corner. Running uphill for 4.3 miles is a special type of fun and it requires special training, form changes, and a tough mental attitude to succeed. That said, finishing a race like…
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Volunteer For Summer Trail Work with The CTA
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We are thrilled that Volunteer Work Weekends have become a staple summer event at the CTA! It’s a great way for us to accomplish necessary trail projects, and a whole lot of fun to do it with other friends of the Catamount Trail. For 2014, CTA will host 2 Volunteer Work Weekends and 1 Volunteer Work Week (that’s…
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How Hard Should You Go?
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A few weeks ago I ran (and walked more than I care to admit) 2,550 vertical feet up the Mt. Mansfield toll road as a competitor in the Catamount Trail Association’s 2011 Race to the Top of VT. There were hundreds of us participating. Some were elite athletes but many were like me: middle-aged with…
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Am I Just Getting Old Or Is Exercise Intolerance A Sign Of Something Bad?
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You are skiing the same trail you’ve toured nearly every late January for the past 15 years. Conditions are just right: a cold 6 inches of powder over a firm base. There is a long hill towards the end and, as usual, you push it up that difficult half-mile or so. This time something…
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Backcountry Basecamp 2014: Smugglers Notch
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This past weekend was Backcountry Magazine’s Basecamp event at Smugglers Notch Resort here in Vermont. This was our first time at the event and it was a blast! We were there representing the Catamount Trail Association and the recently announced Vermont Backcountry Alliance. The Backcountry Basecamp is an event that focuses on education and…
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Kroka Expeditions on the Catamount Trail
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As I approached a winter campsite deep in the woods, it was impossible not to notice the thick scent of balsam fir. The group I was about to meet had collected piles of balsam bows the night before to make their beds. By the time I arrived, they’d taken down their “circus tent,” which they…
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In Their Packs & On Their Backs: Tad Davis
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In Their Packs & On Their Backs is a recurring feature here on the CTA blog where we take a peek inside the packs of seasoned backcountry skiers to see what they take with them when out exploring Vermont in the winter. By exposing some of the choices these winter professionals have made, we hope…
