Trip report - New Ipswich, N.H. - 29 Jan 2005

Hoping to avoid the crowds of New Englanders heading to downstate New
York, I skied today at the Windblown cross-country ski area in New
Ipswich, New Hampshire. Conditions were generally very good. (I found
one exposed rock on a steep section of the lower part of East View
Crossover, but that was about it.) Somewhat fast on the Open Slope, but
that probably changed later in the day as it warmed up.

Needless to say, the place was pretty crowded, but you could understand
why, because it was so great to be back there. (For those who are not
familiar with it, Windblown in probably the most widely beloved
cross-country ski area within a day trip of Boston. Despite the
ill-considered name. I suppose "Ice Patch" was already taken.) I
hadn't been there in a couple of years, so it was sad to say that one of
my favorite trails, Broken Dam trail, has been discontinued, except for
the S-curve at the beginning, and that has been renamed to "Turnaround."
But Al there is a new trail on the map, called "Future Trail." I
asked Al (the owner) about this, and he is not optimistic that the Trail
of the Future will be ready for next year, but he's working on it when
he can.

Lew Lasher
Stowe, Vermont and Cambridge, Massachusetts