Press Release: 4th Annual Vermont Backcountry Forum

 

Immediate Release: Oct 20, 2016

Contacts: 
Brian Mohr/VTBC  ph 802-989-0570 / email: brian@vtbc.org
Amy Kelsey/CTA ph 802-864-5794/email: akelsey@catamounttrail.org
Angus McCusker/RASTA email: angus@mapleridgevt.com

Green Mountains, VT – On Thursday, Nov. 3rd at 6pm, the doors will open at the Pierce Hall Community Center in Rochester, VT, for the 4th Annual Vermont Backcountry Forum & Celebration, co-hosted by the Catamount Trail Association (CTA), its VT Backcountry Alliance (VTBC) program, and the Rochester-Randolph Area Sports Trail Alliance (RASTA), a chapter of the CTA. In its fourth year, the event is a fun opportunity for Vermont’s growing community of backcountry skiers and riders to connect and learn about backcountry projects and programs around the state, and celebrate the coming winter season.

“From the evolution of community-supported backcountry zones around the state to the recent launch of the new VT Huts Association (VHA), Vermont’s backcountry community is building real momentum,” says Brian Mohr, a member of the CTA’s Backountry Committee. “Also, with the ongoing conservation of valuable mountain lands around the state, we are excited to collaborate around growing opportunities for human powered recreation throughout our beautiful landscape.”

The forum, presented by partners Voile and Outdoor Research, is free and open to the public. It will feature a community potluck, brief updates from groups like RASTA, Ascutney Trails, Northeast Kingdom BC Coalition and VT Huts Association, a big fundraising raffle, including a pair of custom made Parlor Skis, and more. Doors open at 6pm with the potluck, a social hour, cash bar and raffle ticket sales kicking things off. Proceeds from the event will directly support backcountry projects and programs in Vermont that are guided by the CTA/VTBC and RASTA.

This past summer, much progress was made on RASTA’s new Brandon Gap Backcountry Zone, which includes over one dozen downhill backcountry lines being developed and managed in partnership with the Green Mountain National Forest Service (GMNF), CTA/VTBC and the Green Mountain Club (GMC). A team of researchers from Dartmouth College have also begun monitoring related impacts on flora and fauna near Brandon Gap in order to better inform public land managers as backcountry skiing and riding grows in popularity. RASTA continue to make progress glading in the Braintree Mountain Forest bc zone, too, including the renovation of the Bell Gates Cabin.

“It’s exciting to see communities like Rochester and Randolph, as well as our public lands managers, embracing the evolution of backcountry skiing and riding,” says Angus McCusker, founding member of RASTA. “And none of this would be possible without tremendous volunteer energy and very generous landowners.”

CTA/VTBC is also working closely with the State of Vermont to help update land management strategies to better accommodate backcountry skiing and snowboarding on Vermont state lands near Lake Willoughby, Camel’s Hump and Mt. Mansfield, among other areas. This coming season, the groups will be promoting its Vermont Backcountry Ethics, as well as distributing a new Vermont Backcountry Handbook, which will give people the tools they need to pursue backcountry projects locally.

“There is no question backcountry skiers and riders are now more vertically-oriented than ever,” says Amy Kelsey, the CTA’s Executive Director, reflecting on the CTA’s nordic skiing roots. “More than ever, we view the Catamount Trail as the backbone, or gateway, to Vermont’s backcountry, rather than solely an end-to-end corridor.”        

Supportive backcountry skiers and riders are encouraged to join or donate to the CTA/VTBC and RASTA. For more info, please visit catamounttrail.org and rastavt.org.