XC near NH, MA coastline?

Hello All,

I am considering moving to be closer to my family. I am thinking about
somewhere along the coast between Boston, MA and Portsmouth, NH. Also
maybe somewhere south of Boston.

The problem is I need XC skiing, boating, and cycling to be ready at
hand. I have become spoiled by my current location (Tjøme, Norway) where
I drive an extra 15 minutes to go skiing before or after work during the
winter, and sometimes commute by boat or bike during the summer. I will
be working from home, so I am pretty flexible about location.

So the question is, how far from Portsmouth does one have to go for
prepared trails suitable for skating? And how long does the season last?
What about areas in MA?

Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Joseph

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

In article ,
Joseph Santaniello wrote:
Hello All,

I am considering moving to be closer to my family. I am thinking about
somewhere along the coast between Boston, MA and Portsmouth, NH. Also
maybe somewhere south of Boston.

The problem is I need XC skiing, boating, and cycling to be ready at
hand. I have become spoiled by my current location (Tjøme, Norway) where
I drive an extra 15 minutes to go skiing before or after work during the
winter, and sometimes commute by boat or bike during the summer. I will
be working from home, so I am pretty flexible about location.

So the question is, how far from Portsmouth does one have to go for
prepared trails suitable for skating? And how long does the season last?
What about areas in MA?


_ The coast is a really nice place to live, but consistent XC
skate skiing is not that close. There will certainly be times in
January and February where you can XC out your door, but the
ocean tends to moderate the storms some, you get more
precipitation than further inland, but most storms have some rain
in them. There's also the problem of access, there's not that
much public open space there and not consistent enough weather to
keep a private area in business. I seem to recall that there is
some attempt to keep trails open at UNH in Durham. There's
certainly lot's of places to poke around, but I don't know about
skate groomed trails. Things have likely changed and it's been
some time since I lived there.

_ However, there is a plethora of skiing within an 1-2 hours drive
and if you can deal with cold weather you can bike ride on the
days you can't ski. The big problem is the short days, I think
you know all about that in Norway anyway. I don't think you'll
find anywhere in the USA that provides as much XC access as
Norway. It's part of the culture there, and just a weird hobby
here.

_ The season runs something like this

November - Maybe if nature cooperates, and Waterville Valley
might have some trails open with man made snow.

December - Likely in the White mountains, a crap shoot
elsewhere. Some year's great other's a brown Xmas.

January - Definitely.

February - Definitely, often a week of very frigid weather.

March - First couple weeks okay, Late month skiing possible,
particularly if a late storm hits.

April - Tuckerman's or freak weather.

_ Booker C. Bense

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: 2.6.2

iQCVAwUBP6BItWTWTAjn5N/lAQGYPQQAgFM7n56HYZPtWe5n90cli9Plj0h2PJIo
XW/DoZ31uxOTD8U9Ic6QCWTrX4nO0kIYKCnSlqEoBr9bXNp3wv7tz zHuZzBM6hRf
KeY0DGqwNyLEWr+5n+IjfFhlCYjqpCQWP5BaSwazmmQsJv6/4DPJhSm3c774k92K
ScvgSnFA5QY=
=e63Q
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

In wrote:
The big problem is the short days, I think
you know all about that in Norway anyway.

Considering that I live at a latitude more than 1300 miles north of
Boston, I think the length of the days will feel tropical! ;-)

Your assessment of the conditions is about what I expected. Actually it
seems similar to here. I live on the end of an island poking into the
sea, and it is climatically speaking a huge difference just 10 miles
inland where there are several XC ski areas with lighted trails, where
here it can be bare and raining.

I guess it all depends on the specifics of any location. And traffic
always plays such a big role in relative distances. If the roads are
empty and slippery so I can pretend to be a rally driver, I don't care
how long a drive it is to good skiing.

Any suggestions on towns to look at?

Thanks,

Joseph

In wrote:
The big problem is the short days, I think
you know all about that in Norway anyway.

Considering that I live at a latitude more than 1300 miles north of
Boston, I think the length of the days will feel tropical! ;-)

Your assessment of the conditions is about what I expected. Actually it
seems similar to here. I live on the end of an island poking into the
sea, and it is climatically speaking a huge difference just 10 miles
inland where there are several XC ski areas with lighted trails, where
here it can be bare and raining.

I guess it all depends on the specifics of any location. And traffic
always plays such a big role in relative distances. If the roads are
empty and slippery so I can pretend to be a rally driver, I don't care
how long a drive it is to good skiing.

Any suggestions on towns to look at?

Thanks,

Joseph

posting a message with title like "skiing in MA, NH: where?" is like
asking "Safari in Africa: where?" or "Kingaroos in Australia?". Of
course you can go skiing in NH and MA. Don't want drive for more than
an hour? Well, excuuuuse me.

Andrey in Long Island, who drives 5 hours to get to decent skiing.



Joseph Santaniello wrote in message ...
Hello All,

I am considering moving to be closer to my family. I am thinking about
somewhere along the coast between Boston, MA and Portsmouth, NH. Also
maybe somewhere south of Boston.

The problem is I need XC skiing, boating, and cycling to be ready at
hand. I have become spoiled by my current location (Tjøme, Norway) where
I drive an extra 15 minutes to go skiing before or after work during the
winter, and sometimes commute by boat or bike during the summer. I will
be working from home, so I am pretty flexible about location.

So the question is, how far from Portsmouth does one have to go for
prepared trails suitable for skating? And how long does the season last?
What about areas in MA?

Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Joseph

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

In article ,
Joseph Santaniello wrote:
In wrote:
The big problem is the short days, I think
you know all about that in Norway anyway.

Considering that I live at a latitude more than 1300 miles north of
Boston, I think the length of the days will feel tropical! ;-)

Your assessment of the conditions is about what I expected. Actually it
seems similar to here. I live on the end of an island poking into the
sea, and it is climatically speaking a huge difference just 10 miles
inland where there are several XC ski areas with lighted trails, where
here it can be bare and raining.

I guess it all depends on the specifics of any location. And traffic
always plays such a big role in relative distances. If the roads are
empty and slippery so I can pretend to be a rally driver, I don't care
how long a drive it is to good skiing.

_ There aren't many empty roads in Southern NH these days.


Any suggestions on towns to look at?


_ Portsmouth is a really fun place to live, especially if
you can live within walking distance of downtown. Traffic
is a drag in the summer though. It's been quite a few
years since I lived there so I have no real clue about
what the housing market is like.

_ Booker C. Bense


-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: 2.6.2

iQCVAwUBP6GzAmTWTAjn5N/lAQFdWAQAhbv287U7IsZijK0TKa8iATFb+m7D5XMl
LCJm64f0c4JaKLf/xHNqUdBy3SNQOBmCcmB4Sb/gCk1cQdmxyUBkd34trbOs7w8Z
aaeBNXZuQWAzXl1T9DJuX1qhEt78I3HCx2vLIFZtZWBWap88qA lCOxRCAyqTrshg
YyR7NEbnSmU=
=yg9K
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

. stanford.edu wrote in
message ...
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

In article ,
Joseph Santaniello wrote:
Hello All,

I am considering moving to be closer to my family. I am thinking about
somewhere along the coast between Boston, MA and Portsmouth, NH. Also
maybe somewhere south of Boston.

The problem is I need XC skiing, boating, and cycling to be ready at
hand. I have become spoiled by my current location (Tjøme, Norway) where
I drive an extra 15 minutes to go skiing before or after work during the
winter, and sometimes commute by boat or bike during the summer. I will
be working from home, so I am pretty flexible about location.

So the question is, how far from Portsmouth does one have to go for
prepared trails suitable for skating? And how long does the season last?
What about areas in MA?


_ The coast is a really nice place to live, but consistent XC
skate skiing is not that close. There will certainly be times in
January and February where you can XC out your door, but the
ocean tends to moderate the storms some, you get more
precipitation than further inland, but most storms have some rain
in them. There's also the problem of access, there's not that
much public open space there and not consistent enough weather to
keep a private area in business. I seem to recall that there is
some attempt to keep trails open at UNH in Durham. There's
certainly lot's of places to poke around, but I don't know about
skate groomed trails. Things have likely changed and it's been
some time since I lived there.

I live in Durham and we have a snowmobile with grooming equipment where I
work. We primarily groom for skating on a small trail network that runs
along the Lamprey river and connects to snowmobile trails. For better
skiing we head up north. Some years we have skiing from mid December to end
of March. On average January and February are pretty reliable for skiing.

Biking is pretty good here if you know where to go. I mostly mountain bike
but I know some good 20-40-60 mile loops on the roads. The UNH Cycling team
would be a good contact.

Great Bay and its tidal estuaries are good for rowing and kayaking. It has
an 8 to 10 foot tide so if you don't know the channels it's best to hit it
at high tide. There are many access points throughout the seacoast area.

A good source for skiing info in the northeast US is www.nensa.net.

- Mike

The problem is I need XC skiing, boating, and cycling to be ready at
hand.

Depending on the relative importance of the skiing and boating, you could
choose a location near Lake Winnipesauke.

Lew Lasher
Cambridge, Massachusetts and Stowe, Vermont

"Joseph Santaniello" writes:
Your assessment of the conditions...similar to here....
I guess it all depends on the specifics of any location. And traffic ...I
don't care
how long a drive it is to good skiing.

Any suggestions on towns to look at?

Property prices/rents are pricey these days in coastal NH. Employment often
drives the decision of where to locate.

Higher elevations enjoy a more favorable season, so the great interior of
NH/ME, well away from the coast, provide the best backdoor ski
opportunities. Rural life plays well there, for those willing to commute to
employment.

For cities, Portsmouth is the class act of the region, one of New England's
great small cities, with interstate highway allowing escape, albeit with
lots of company.

Why coastal NH?

G

I live in Bedford (near Manchester, NH), there are a host of XC ski
locations in the White mountains and around Lake Winnipesauke, as can be
found a number of websites including http://www.xcskinh.com/ . Of course,
don't take my word for it, since I have been here for only 6 months, and
have spent the summer road biking, and mountain biking. And have yet to
live through a winter.

Can anyone recommend a good XC Ski shop in the S. New Hampshire area???

Thanks, Mark
Bedford, NH

(Unrelated to rec.skiing.Nordic...
The road biking is OK around here. Quiet roads... but the pick-up-driving
locals take road-kill as a serious side sport. The roads are very narrow.
The mountain biking is good. Rocky though!!!!!

I have been windsurfing on the coast only once. It's a 35 minute drive.
There is rowing here on the Merrimack, and down in Boston.

If I had to dream, I'd forget the coast and live at Lake Easton, or Sunapee.
Better access to mtn biking and snow sports. Lots of people have gasoline
powered craft, and the lakes are pretty sizable! So I am not sure what your
boating flavor is. Though one of these days I'll get a sailboat and keep it
down on the coast!)


"Guido" wrote in message
...
"Joseph Santaniello" writes:
Your assessment of the conditions...similar to here....
I guess it all depends on the specifics of any location. And traffic
....I
don't care
how long a drive it is to good skiing.

Any suggestions on towns to look at?

Property prices/rents are pricey these days in coastal NH. Employment
often
drives the decision of where to locate.

Higher elevations enjoy a more favorable season, so the great interior of
NH/ME, well away from the coast, provide the best backdoor ski
opportunities. Rural life plays well there, for those willing to commute
to
employment.

For cities, Portsmouth is the class act of the region, one of New
England's
great small cities, with interstate highway allowing escape, albeit with
lots of company.

Why coastal NH?

G