Trip report
Easy XC skiing at Craftsbury, VT
Cross-Country Skiing DATE: 12/17/2016 - 12/17/2016
Trip/Event Location: Craftsbury, VT
US
Trip Leader(s): wildcat
Max # People: 10
Trip Guiding / Event Fee: No, I will not be asking participants for money
Difficulty Level: Easy to Moderate
Join us for an easy day of cross country skiing at Craftsbury, one of the larger xc skiing areas in the Northeast. The scenery is spectacular, remote and quintessential Vermont. They have an extensive
...Leaving Hardwick, VT and going North on Route 14, take a right turn at the "Craftsbury Outdoor Center 6 miles" sign (South Craftsbury Road). Pass through Craftsbury Village, go up a hill, through the village of Craftsbury Common (a collection of white houses at the top of the hill). Continue out of town approximately 3/4 mile past the Common. Follow the sign ”Craftsbury Outdoor Center” and bear right onto a dirt road (from here on, just follow the signs). Continue winding on the dirt road for just under 1.25 miles and turn right onto Lost Nation Road. The touring center is located approximately 0.6 miles down the road. You will see a large Craftsbury Outdoor Center sign. We will meet inside the touring center (a new wooden building).
Trip Report/Photos
This was a fun xc ski trip in really good snow conditions but only if you made it to Craftsbury on a snowy Saturday morning. Lew and myself carpooled from Stowe. Traffic was super slow on slippery roads. We encountered a couple of cars that got stuck in the middle of the road and we had to wait while friendly motorists helped push the stuck cars out of the way. It became clear early on that we’d be hopelessly late. Tom from Burlington had left earlier and avoided some of the heaviest snow arriving at the ski area ahead of time. Cell phone reception is intermittent at Craftsbury but at least we managed to let Tom know we are on our way. On top of the slow traffic there was the Eastern Cup ski race going on and finding a place to park took additional time.
Luckily, we all made it to Craftsbury safely and we found Tom among the racers who crowded the touring center. At 11:15, 45 minutes after the scheduled time, we were on our skis ready to head out. It was still snowing heavily and there were a few inches of fluff on top of the groomed trails. Temperatures were in the mid teens rising into the 20s, actually quite comfortable for xc skiing. We skied the easier trails in the morning, staying away from the race loop. The freshly fallen snow on the trees created a winter wonderland. It certainly put me in the holiday spirit.
We returned to the touring center for lunch. Finding a place to sit in a crowded room was like finding a free parking space in Boston, but after a while we managed and sat down enjoying our lunch. Warmed up and refreshed we headed back out to ski the more remote trails, doing a loop on Sam’s and Ruthie’s Runs. The weather had improved, but it was still snowing lightly. Away from the touring center and all the action of the race, the surroundings quickly became very quiet and we had the trails to ourselves. Sam’s run had not been groomed that day and we made our way through a few inches of powder. Once we hit Ruthie’s Run, the trails were perfectly groomed with tracks and the skiing was excellent. We took a little detour and skied up to Charlie’s cabin, unfortunately still closed for the season. The cabin sits on top of an open hill. The snow had stopped and the clouds had lifted and we had some nice views of the scenic hills and valleys all around us.
We made our way back and reached the touring center about 3 pm. Lew’s GPS said we skied about 17 km, not bad for a first day out. It was a wonderful day of skiing and conditions were really good this early in the season. The three of us headed back to Stowe and met at Doc Ponds for some drinks and snacks. It was a perfect way to end a day out in the snow.
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