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Ski Cubs weeks 2 and 3: No Snow, then Powder Feast!
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Winter being our favorite season here at the Catamount Trail Association, we are also at its mercy. In the latter half of January here in Vermont, we saw multiple snowpack meltdowns and re-freezes coupled with just a sprinkling of new snow. While many diehard skiers were out side-slipping through rain crust, thin cover, and refrozen…
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Ski Cubs week 1: Coach says, "No poles!"
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As announced in our e-bulletin, this past week was the first of the winter for our Catamount Ski Cubs program! This is the seventh year of the program, which aims to get kids in the greater Burlington area out on snow for six consecutive weeks. The overall goal isn’t to become the fastest possible nordic skier — although,…
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Quoted: Dickie Hall
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“I’ve never met anyone that used to backcountry ski. I know lots of people who used to alpine ski. I know lots of people who used to nordic ski. Where do they wind up? Back in the wild.” Dicke Hall – Founder: North American Telemark Organization (NATO)
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Cracking The Ice Dogma
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Author: George Terwilliger. George is an ER physician who lives in Brattleboro and is a lifelong Vermont Resident. He is an avid backcountry skier and has skied many sections of the Catamount Trail. On my first day of medical school at UVM, just before going upstairs for an introduction to our assigned cadavers, we met…
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Q&A With Dun Cochrane – Topic: Backcountry Ski Use And Public Lands
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Over 60% of the Catamount Trail is located on public conserved lands. This includes over 100 miles of trail within the Green Mountain National Forest, Vermont State Forests or Vermont State Parks. We’ve asked a few of the land managers who work closely with the CTA to share their thoughts on nordic and backcountry…
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2013 Catamount Volunteer Of The Year Awards
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Moira Durnin Anderson An avid nordic skier and runner, Moira has been a CTA member for nearly 20 years, much of that time living right on the trail near Sterling Gorge. She has served on the CTA Board of Directors since 2009 and is currently serving her third term. A bookkeeper by trade, Moira has…
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Enjoy Vermont’s Historic Ski Culture at Ladies Nordic Ski Expo
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Women in the United States are starting to make a name for themselves in the Nordic skiing world. Last winter, two members of the US team took home the top honor at the Quebec World Cup Relays. This summer, Olympian Liz Stephen set a new course record at the Catamount Trail Association’s North Face Race…
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In Their Packs & On Their Backs: Sarah Galbraith
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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…
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Poem: In Honor and Envy of the One Who Made Those Tracks
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In Honor and Envy of the One Who Made Those Tracks Above:a cobalt skyinterrupted only by the insistent greenof pine and fir,gray limbs and twig-fingersof bare treesthat even winter-druggedhave not forgottenhow to reachas far as arborly possibleinto that impossible bluewhere all is possible.Covering the earth:white sifted with diamond dustbetrothednestled to betrothedmounded everywherelike a tufted comforter.Ahead:two…
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Q&A With Gary Sawyer – Topic: Backcountry Ski Use And Public Lands
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Over 60% of the Catamount Trail is located on public conserved lands. This includes over 100 miles of trail within the Green Mountain National Forest, Vermont State Forests or Vermont State Parks. We’ve asked a few of the land managers who work closely with the CTA to share their thoughts on nordic and backcountry ski…
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Meet Our New Trail Chiefs & Board Members
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Alan Binnick, Trail Chief, Section 4, Somerset Dam to Kelley Stand Road & Newly Elected to the CTA Board of Directors Alan Binnick lives in Wilmington, VT and has enjoyed cross-country skiing as well as hiking for many years. For the past few years Alan has been active in the CTA as a trail chief for…
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12 Tips For Staying Safe & Comfortable In The Backcountry
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Author: Amy Kelsey. Amy Kelsey is the Executive Director for the Catamount Trail Association, the non-profit responsible for maintaining and conserving The Catamount Trail, Vermont’s 300-mile backcountry ski trail. Even when we are diligent in our trail clearing efforts, Mother Nature always throws some challenges we didn’t anticipate. As a backcountry traveler, it’s important to have…
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Happy Thanksgiving!
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Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! We hope you are with family enjoying some down time and stuffing your faces. We just wanted everyone to know how thankful we are to be a part of such a wonderful and supportive community! What makes this job, and our organization so special are the people that we get to…
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In Their Packs & On Their Backs: Dun Cochrane
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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…
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Vote for Ski Cubs!
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Do you remember the first time you went skiing? How much fun you had, how you were fearless, invincible, and no matter how many times you fell, you never seemed to get hurt? It was this type of experience, thanks to my active parents, that led me to become a life-long and passionate skier. I…
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Recent CTA Departures: Jim Fredericks & Dagny St. John
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Here at the Catamount Trail Association we are very fortunate to work with some of the most generous, inspiring and hard working people in the entire state of Vermont. Two of those people are Jim Fredericks and Dagny St. John. For the better part of a decade both Jim and Dagny have worked tirelessly to…
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Jan Rozendaal – A Man of Passion & Action
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Author: Jim Fredericks Since my retirement from the Catamount Trail Association, I’ve had time to reflect on my experience with the organization. It was about seven years ago when I sent an email to Jan Rozendaal about the open Executive Director’s position. Not an hour passed before Jan called me to ask me if I…
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Full House at the Catamount Trail Association’s 30th Annual Meeting
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The CTA welcomed a friendly and engaged crowed to its 30th Annual Meeting on Saturday November 16th. Following positive reports on the organization’s well-being from Chairman Rich Larsen and Treasurer Jan Rozendaal, Alan Binnick was elected to the Board of Directors for his first term. Trina Hosmer, Bob Jordan, Pete Lane, Rich Larsen, and Bill…
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Rewards Book Coupon Correction: Trapp Family Lodge
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In the 2014 Catamount Trail Association Rewards Book there is a mistake with the offer from the Trapp Family Lodge. Their offer of $2 Off A Single Day Trail Pass was supposed to appear on the back of the Membership Discount Card not as a one-time use coupon. We are working with Trapps to…
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Ski Movie – Valhalla by Sweetgrass Productions Playing at the Savoy!
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NOTICE: This Event Has Been Cancelled Due To A Low # Of Pre-Registrations… Sorry. What We Say: Come hang out with us and the Onion River Sports Crew at the Savoy in Montpelier on Tuesday, December 3rd. We’re getting together to celebrate the start of another season, to socialize, and to watch a…
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Multi-Day Tour Registration is Open!
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It is time to dust of your skis, scrape that old klister off, get a fresh new coat of wax on the bases, and turn on your favorite ski movie. Winter is just around the corner, and the CTA is ready! Our four Multi-Day Tours are open for registration today and people have already started…
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The Catamount Trail Association, Vermont Land Trust, & The Nature Conservancy Partner to Conserve Ski Trail in Craftsbury, Eden, Elmore, and Lowell
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The Vermont Land Trust (VLT) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) have recently donated trail easements on three segments of the Catamount Trail involving parcels located in four towns, Elmore, Craftsbury, Eden and Lowell. The total length of these 3 trail segments is approximately 4 miles and together the donated easements represent one of the largest…
