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Tremendous Tootsies: Avoiding Blisters While Ski Touring
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Most people who have ski toured for long enough have had to deal with blisters at one time or another. There’s just something about stuffing your soft squishy feet into a rigid plastic shell that lends itself to turning said feet into hamburger. And once a blister has developed it’s all downhill from there… And…
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Five Reasons to Give to CTA on Giving Tuesday
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We’re firing up the ski season early in Vermont this year! As the snow falls and we finish digesting our Thanksgiving turkey, skiers have been out enjoying just about everything that the Catamount Trail and the Vermont backcountry has to offer. From long tours through quiet woods to telemark turns along the edge of a…
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Changing of the Guard: Thanks, Lynn Fisher!
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In this continuing series, we are highlighting some of the recent changes to the CTA Board of Directors. At the Annual Meeting in Killington, VT, we said good bye to several long time board members. While we are sad to see them go, we know that their energy and enthusiasm will be well spent in other…
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RASTA Glade Project Open For Comments
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We’ve been talking about the Rochester Area Sports Trail Alliance (RASTA) Glade Project for some time now and things are moving along nicely. The comment period for the project is now open and the Green Mountain National Forest (GMNF) is accepting comments until December 19th. This is your opportunity to voice any concerns…
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Fresh Tracks for Ski Cubs Program
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We are excited to announce that Ski Cubs, the CTA’s youth cross-country ski program, will be making fresh tracks in southern Vermont this winter. In its fifth year of offering ski instruction to underserved youth, Ski Cubs continues to grow with the addition of a pilot satellite program in Bennington, VT. Bennington Ski Cubs will provide cross-country…
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Review: Band-Aid Blister Bandages
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I don’t know about you guys, but in my experience backcountry skiers tend to be a fairly blister prone bunch. I’ve had them, and when I worked in a ski shop heel blisters were a pretty common complaint and reason for wanting new, better fitting boots. Now, nothing beats a good foot care plan and…
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We Won't Be Afraid To Ask… If You Aren't Afraid To Give.
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The other day I was in the car and all of the other stations were playing crap music, so I tuned into VPR and guess what? It’s fundraising season! At first I was a little annoyed as I was hoping to catch up on current events, not looking for a sales pitch. However, I…
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Changing of the Guard: Welcome, Angus McCusker!
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In this continuing series, we are highlighting some of the recent changes to the CTA Board of Directors. A few weeks ago in Killington, VT, at the Annual Meeting, we celebrated several retiring, longtime board members. While it was sad to see these folks go, we are thrilled by the new additions to our board.…
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Changing of the Guard: Thanks, Ed Miller!
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In this continuing series, we are highlighting some of the recent changes to the CTA Board of Directors. A few weeks ago in Killington, VT, at the Annual Meeting, we celebrated several retiring, longtime board members. These incredible and active community members do so much, and we are sure that their energy will be well…
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Bolton Conditions Update
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Just wanted to share a quick update before the storm hits… Alex Showerman and myself headed up to Bolton Valley Resort this morning and skinned a lap under the Wilderness Chair. Coverage is still kind of thin, but it’s good enough that you don’t have to worry too much about dinging your base or…
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Trail Work: Gettin' It Done
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Have we mentioned how awesome our members and volunteers are? Several times a week we get emails from folks who have been out there working hard to get the Catamount Trail ready for another season. I was fortunate enough to be out there with a few groups this fall, but for every trail work day…
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Ask And Ye Shall Receive: Reintroducing The Vermont Backcountry Community Forums
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Alrighty then… Last year when we updated the Catamount Trail website one of the things that we lost was the Community Forum. At the time we thought it was an acceptable loss as it wasn’t seeing a ton of use, and we were starting to put more effort into building our presence on Facebook…
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Changing of the Guard: Welcome, Brian Mohr!
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At the recent CTA Annual Meeting in Killington, VT, we celebrated several longtime board members who were stepping down. While we were sad to see them go, it’s always good to have new folks join the party. We are excited to welcome Brian Mohr to the CTA Board of Directors. Brian is a familiar face in…
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Changing of the Guard: Thanks, Bill Michels!
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At the recent CTA Annual Meeting in Killington, VT, we celebrated several retiring board members for their longtime dedication to the Catamount Trail Association. While we were sad to see them go, we know that these incredible and active community members have plenty of good work to do elsewhere. Bill Michels, you will be missed…
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10 Reasons To Be at the Ladies Nordic Ski Expo
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Lists are cool, right? Let’s dispense with the laundry lists and the to-do lists and get to the 10 reasons why you should be at the 7th Annual Ladies Nordic Ski Expo on Saturday, January 10, 2015 at Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, VT. 1. Skiing is awesome. The Ladies Nordic Ski Expo is all about…
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Hut, Two, Three, Four! Explore The Maine Huts & Trails With The Catamount Trail Association
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We stashed our take out cars and wedged our packs to be hauled in a sunny hut by a parking lot. Off we went this year on your choice of a three or four day Maine Hut to Hut ski tour. Four huts, a possible eighty miles of trails. We did sixty something. It really…
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Volunteer with the Catamount Ski Cubs!
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For me, learning to ski was a long adventure. As a kid, I pizza-ed my way down the bunny hill runs of Massanutten Mountain in Virginia, but never really got the hang of those slippery skis. Luckily, I had another chance twenty years later to learn the sport from a different angle. Some new friends took me out…
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Our Favorite Insulated Water Bottle: Hydro Flask
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So this is a public service announcement. Some people might believe that just any old steel insulated bottle will do. But, we’re here to tell you that’s not true. Two of our favorite bottles are the wide mouth insulated Klean Kanteen and the standard opening Hydro Flask, but even between these two there is a…
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Catamount Trail Work Report: Section 17
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It’s always good to get out on the Catamount Trail, especially midweek! Thanks to the hard work of CTA members and volunteers from Keurig Green Mountain, Section 17 is ready to rock and roll for another winter of backcountry skiing. Our project for the day required a hike through Green Mountain National Forest and several adjacent properties. Here, the…
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Raynaud’s: Cold Paws on the Catamount
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When it comes to coping with some of our most frigid outdoor temperatures, we all get cold feet (and hands) at times. Cold extremities result from sharply reduced peripheral blood flow which is a physiological response aimed at preserving core body temperature and warding off hypothermia. In normal people, the restricted blood flow…
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Sprucing Up Section 26
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Is there a world record for the fastest construction of a footbridge? Well, I think we set it last Friday on Section 26 of the Catamount Trail. Thanks again to Eric and Frank, our excellent volunteer crew from Keurig Green Mountain! It was a chilly start to the day, but we warmed up unloading lumber from…
