Place for XC skiing with kids
 

Hi,

I would like to do some cross-country skiing with 11 yrs old son medium
difficulty
in North-East US (VT, Quebec, NY, PA,...)

We've been to Lake Placid, NY a few times (liked it), would like to try
something else.
Could anybody recommend something with reliable snow before Christmas ?
We live in NJ. Should be within 9 hrs drive from NYcity and not very boring.

Thank you in advance,
Oleg.

Oleg Konovalov wrote:
Hi,

I would like to do some cross-country skiing with 11 yrs old son medium
difficulty
in North-East US (VT, Quebec, NY, PA,...)

We've been to Lake Placid, NY a few times (liked it), would like to try
something else.
Could anybody recommend something with reliable snow before Christmas ?
We live in NJ. Should be within 9 hrs drive from NYcity and not very boring.

Thank you in advance,
Oleg.

Mountain Meadows Lodge near Killington has snowmaking
as does Mountain Top Inn in Chittenden (also close to
Killington). Both are at quite high elevations
(2000' and up).

Oleg Konovalov wrote:

I would like to do some cross-country skiing with 11 yrs old son medium
difficulty
in North-East US (VT, Quebec, NY, PA,...)

I sort of remember this question coming up last year and I think I
recommended Parc de la Gatineau, but I can't remember whether you
actually ended up going there ...

Lew Lasher
Cambridge, Massachusetts and Stowe, Vermont

Lew Lasher wrote in message
news:l4vkf.2239$ad6.827@trndny08...
Oleg Konovalov wrote:

I would like to do some cross-country skiing with 11 yrs old son medium
difficulty
in North-East US (VT, Quebec, NY, PA,...)

I sort of remember this question coming up last year and I think I
recommended Parc de la Gatineau, but I can't remember whether you
actually ended up going there ...

Lew Lasher
Cambridge, Massachusetts and Stowe, Vermont

Are you referring to Gatineau Park, near Ottawa? Excellent choice, great
trails, and a great tourist destination for an American- Ottawa, and of
course Quebec.

Hi Lew,

Yes, we went there last year, and it was really good.

So what would you recommend this year?
Maybe Stowe ?


Thank you,
Oleg.


"Lew Lasher" wrote in message
news:l4vkf.2239$ad6.827@trndny08...
Oleg Konovalov wrote:

I would like to do some cross-country skiing with 11 yrs old son medium
difficulty
in North-East US (VT, Quebec, NY, PA,...)

I sort of remember this question coming up last year and I think I
recommended Parc de la Gatineau, but I can't remember whether you actually
ended up going there ...

Lew Lasher
Cambridge, Massachusetts and Stowe, Vermont

On Sun, 04 Dec 2005 02:45:18 GMT, "Oleg Konovalov"
wrote:

I would like to do some cross-country skiing with 11 yrs old son medium
difficulty
in North-East US (VT, Quebec, NY, PA,...)

We've been to Lake Placid, NY a few times (liked it), would like to try
something else.
Could anybody recommend something with reliable snow before Christmas ?
We live in NJ. Should be within 9 hrs drive from NYcity and not very boring.

Thank you in advance,
Oleg.

Aside from the Vermont areas mentioned, also look at Craftsbury Common
area further north.

There are a few in the North Conway, NH area at higher altitudes that
usually have reliable snow this early.

Jackson Village is a little higher than N. Conway, and some outlying
parts of their large system are a good bit higher.

Higher up in the nearby notches would be Bretton Woods Ski Touring, on
the grounds of the Mt. Washington Hotel (in Crawford Notch), and Great
Glen Ski Touring, at the base of the Mt. Washington Auto Road (Pinkham
Notch). Both over 2K above sea level.

All three have sufficient scenery to avoid being boring ,and staying
in North Conway or Jackson will get you to any of them rather quickly.
Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
--
At the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

Gary S. wrote:

Higher up in the nearby notches would be Bretton Woods Ski Touring, on
the grounds of the Mt. Washington Hotel (in Crawford Notch), and Great
Glen Ski Touring, at the base of the Mt. Washington Auto Road (Pinkham
Notch). Both over 2K above sea level.

Great Glen is at a relatively high elevation and gets good early season
snow. But Bretton Woods is not and does not. According to their trail
map, their main trail system (on the north side of US 302) covers
elevations from 1700 to about 1980 feet above sea level. Only a few of
the more advanced trails in the "Stickney" trail system (on the south
side of US 302) go above 2000'.

Lew Lasher
Cambridge, Massachusetts and Stowe, Vermont

Gary S. wrote:

Higher up in the nearby notches would be Bretton Woods Ski Touring, on
the grounds of the Mt. Washington Hotel (in Crawford Notch), and Great
Glen Ski Touring, at the base of the Mt. Washington Auto Road (Pinkham
Notch). Both over 2K above sea level.


Great Glen is at a relatively high elevation and gets good early season
snow. But Bretton Woods is not and does not. According to their trail
map, their main trail system (on the north side of US 302) covers
elevations from 1600 to about 1980 feet above sea level. Only a few of
the more advanced trails in the "Stickney" trail system (on the south
side of US 302) go above 2000'.

Lew Lasher
Cambridge, Massachusetts and Stowe, Vermont

Are you saying that the higher the elevation, the more chances of snow?
Is that because it's supposed to be colder there ?
But we are talking about XC skiing there, not alpine...
So we need a plateau with high elevation.

In this case, how about the Prospect Mountain?
On their web site they claim that they have snow when nobody has it,
although they are a way to the south from Stowe.
Is that a good place to stay and ski with the family for 4-5 days ?

OK, suppose it's warm before Christmas.
Any good places in Canada which are not too far (Quebec, Ontario) ?

Thank you,
Oleg.

P.S.: All that might be an empty precaution, it was snowing in Princeton
this night ;-)
But I would like to have a backup plan just in case.


"Lew Lasher" wrote in message
news:tmIkf.1435$ew5.1067@trndny04...
Gary S. wrote:

Higher up in the nearby notches would be Bretton Woods Ski Touring, on
the grounds of the Mt. Washington Hotel (in Crawford Notch), and Great
Glen Ski Touring, at the base of the Mt. Washington Auto Road (Pinkham
Notch). Both over 2K above sea level.

Great Glen is at a relatively high elevation and gets good early season
snow. But Bretton Woods is not and does not. According to their trail
map, their main trail system (on the north side of US 302) covers
elevations from 1700 to about 1980 feet above sea level. Only a few of
the more advanced trails in the "Stickney" trail system (on the south side
of US 302) go above 2000'.

Lew Lasher
Cambridge, Massachusetts and Stowe, Vermont

On Sun, 04 Dec 2005 20:31:21 GMT, Lew Lasher
wrote:

Gary S. wrote:

Higher up in the nearby notches would be Bretton Woods Ski Touring, on
the grounds of the Mt. Washington Hotel (in Crawford Notch), and Great
Glen Ski Touring, at the base of the Mt. Washington Auto Road (Pinkham
Notch). Both over 2K above sea level.

Great Glen is at a relatively high elevation and gets good early season
snow. But Bretton Woods is not and does not. According to their trail
map, their main trail system (on the north side of US 302) covers
elevations from 1700 to about 1980 feet above sea level. Only a few of
the more advanced trails in the "Stickney" trail system (on the south
side of US 302) go above 2000'.

I guess I rounded a bit.

Depends on the year, of course, but quite a few years when Jackson has
had poor conditions, Bretton Woods has had decent snow on the north
side once you get past the golf course.

Great Glen is the best bet in that area, but staying nearby gives you
the option of any of those three large XC areas, a few smaller trail
systems and areas, and one or two backwoods trails.
Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
--
At the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom