Our well-worn Suburban churns up the steep, snow-covered logging road with our skis, snowshoes and luggage bouncing along in the back. Feeble flakes of snow drift down from a heavy, dark sky, but our driver, Chris Hanson, assures us that bright sun and lots of powder await us in the high country.

Twelve skiers are hoping to conquer Vermont’s state-long Catamount Trail during February. Throughout the entire month, the non-profit Catamount Ski Trail Association is offering an end-to-end ski tour on the backcountry trail, which also utilizes parts of cross-country ski centers in the state. The intrepid dozen are trying to ski the whole thing. Some other hardcore skiers are tackling the trail in two- and three-week periods while most are taking part of the journey in daylong tours.

Turn your winter fitness routine into a new adventure!

In the surrounding wilderness are 12 cabins owned by the 10th Mountain Division Hut Association, as well as four privately operated shelters. Linked by 300 miles [480 kilometers] of trail, these retreats compose the 10th Mountain system, one of the West’s oldest and best-known hut networks.