Telemark Skiing

The Life of an Alpine Skier Turned Snowboarding Tele Skier who Cross-Country Skis

My first time Alpine skiing was at Cannon Mountain in New Hampshire in 1983. I was ten years old and my family had just moved to Littleton, NH, from Portland, ME. My parents were nice enough to sign me up for the skiing program at my new school, which aside from providing me with a lift ticket and lunch, provided me with really lousy rental equipment.

Nordic Boots

Many winter foot injuries happen because of poorly fit, worn-out, deformed ski and snowshoe boots.

Muscles Not Motors Gear Review - March 2010

I just got back from the Outdoor Retailer Trade Show in Salt Lake City, UT, where 40,000 or so outdoor industry types like me converged for a week-long gear summit. By the last day, I was dehydrated from drooling. Here are just three of the items that I found particularly tasty.

GSI OUTDOORS VORTEX HAND CRANKED BLENDER

Honing Your Heart Rate?

For years and years we’ve been testing people in our Human Performance lab at UVM for all kinds of studies ranging from fluid intake to heat tolerance. One thing that has always plagued me is the accuracy of the maximal heart rate numbers we get. For the most part we don’t really question the data as it’s all carefully collected and monitored.

Eggnog Needs Eggs, Waxless Skis Need Wax

It's that time of year again, when, according to Andy Williams or anyone who has received royalties from a beloved Christmas tune, it is the most wonderful. Many others share that view as well, but when Christmas day is just one day off, wedged between two of the

Vermont’s Best Après-Ski Hangouts

Our steady supply of fresh powder and steadier supply of fresh microbrews means Vermont’s après-ski scene is now in full swing.

Canoes and Corn: A Day of Paddling and Skiing

Thanks to an abundant snowpack across most of Vermont this past winter, backcountry skiing at lower elevations has been unusually tempting. Why end our ski season when we can continue sliding effortlessly through hardwood glades, down logging roads and through open pastures … right down to the river?

Lateral Ankle Sprain and Chronic Ankle Instability

The commonly occurring lateral ankle sprain, also called an inversion sprain, can be the precursor to painful and disabling chronic ankle instability. The ankle twist, rollover, or sprain may be the most overlooked athletic injury, and for that reason may also be amongst the worst. A common ankle sprain can lead to ankle instability, cartilage damage, arthritis, and a lifetime of ankle pain.

The History of the Craftsbury Outdoor Center

For what it is today—a world-class facility that grooms top athletes and attracts Olympians to its races—the Craftsbury Outdoor Center had humble and even uncertain financial beginnings.

Skiing at the Vancouver Games

I’m really sticking my neck out here. My deadline for this article is February 1. The Vancouver Winter Olympic Games open on February 12, and the flame will be extinguished 16 days later, on February 28.

Ski Resort Roundup

Even though the majority of our nation’s citizens are feeling the financial pinch of escalating energy costs, which takes a major bite out of disposable income available for alpine skiing and riding, Vermont’s ski and snowboard resorts continue to invest in their facilities to remain competitive in a tight market. Here’s a look at the significant improvements for this season:

2009 Winter Gear

After a cool summer and a relatively early first frost, we have to wonder what Old Man Winter will have in store for us this season. We remember drinking lemonade in our shorts while building a deck at our house in December 2001. We also remember the truly world-class powder skiing we enjoyed back in late October 2005.

vtsports.com Launches The Vermont Sports Gear Exchange

vtsports.com is launching a website for outdoor fitness and adventure enthusiasts to buy, sell, and trade new and gently used gear and equipment online. The company has set-up and is testing gear.vtsports.com as an auction site.

Vermont Ski Academies

Vermont is home to four distinct ski academies spread out across the length of the state. Starting in the south is the Stratton Mountain School, founded in 1972. Heading north is the Green Mountain Valley School in Waitsfield, celebrating its 37th year of existence. Forty miles up Route 100 is Mount Mansfield Winter Academy, the youngest of the group, having been established in 1993.

SWEET STATEWIDE DEALS FOR SKIING AND RIDING IN VERMONT

Grab your gear and hug your helmet; the love affair has continued! With the last two years of snow-filled February memories, the honeymoon of a Vermont Valentine’s Day and President’s Week is packed with dozens of discounts to get skiers and riders on the snow affordably.

Muscles Not Motors Gear Review - November 2009

Whether you’re a snowboarder or snowshoer, mountain hiker or mountain biker, Nordic skier or Nordic walker, you need gear. Each month, I review, right here, three items that I personally feel are especially cool. Here are my picks for this month.

Swix 2 in 1 Split Mitt

Vermonters in the 2010 Winter Olympics

When the 21st Winter Olympics kicks off in Vancouver, British Columbia, on February 12, as many as eight Vermonters might be dashing from some sort of starting line, hoping to become immortalized in the pantheon of Olympic medalists.

It’s June 1st—Time to Focus!

Before coaching, before college, before any encroachment of real responsibility, I spent a few years training for cross-country skiing only. I lived in Minnesota and trained with a group led by Nikolai Anikin, a former Soviet coach and gold-medal winner. There were routines to the training that were clearly founded in Nikolai’s Soviet background. For example: Monday’s were off-days.

Reader Athlete June 2009: Hank Stokes

Age: 32
Residence: Burlington
Family: Girlfriend, Gretchen Fry
Occupation: Registered Nurse and student
Primary sport: Cycling and Telemark Skiing

Put Sports Injuries on Ice: Play it Safe and Glide through the Winter Season

ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. - The tragic death of actress Natasha Richardson this past March put a spotlight on the potential risks inherent to skiing, as well as the deadly consequences that can result from head trauma. Richardson died two days after suffering an epidural hematoma and slipping into a coma.

Skiing and Me

Growing up in 1950’s Baltimore, outside of movies, I’d never seen a ski.

When I left for college in cold and mysterious Vermont, my mother’s friend gave me a pair from her college days. They were ancient even by 1958 standards: taller than an NBA center, with primitive beartrap bindings, and lacking that newfangled invention, steel edges.

My Summer Job History

“So what do you do in the summer?”

FIRST WIND TURBINE AT A VERMONT SKI AREA UNDER CONSTRUCTION AT BOLTON VALLEY RESORT

(September 10, 2009) BOLTON VALLEY, VT.-- Bolton Valley Resort, a locally owned and operated family ski and snowboard area, has announced construction of a wind turbine that will be operational in late autumn. It is the first wind turbine to be constructed at a Vermont ski area.

Governor Douglas Proclaims January as Learn a Snow Sport Month in Vermont

MONTPELIER, Vt. (Dec. 31, 2009) - For the first time, Governor Jim Douglas proclaimed January as Learn a Snow Sport Month, endorsing Vermont ski resorts as learning destinations for Vermonters and all winter visitors to the Green Mountain State.

Working Hard, Like Dogs in Fact, in Utah

It takes a lot of hard work to make it in retail, but the rewards of offering quality products and great service make all that hard work worth it. The Boss, three of my favorite fellow coworkers, and I just got back from a lot of hard work out in Salt Lake City, UT.

Best Vermont Ski Area Deals

ASCUTNEY MOUNTAIN RESORT

Ascutney’s Two for Tuesdays program returns again this season. Show up with a friend and you both ride the lifts for $30 a piece on typically sedate Tuesdays. There’s a special deal just for telemarkers on Thursdays: a $29 ticket price. Friday afternoons lands Vermont and New Hampshire residents a $27 tariff and the same deal repeats on Sunday afternoons.

The Jay Cloud: Fact or Fiction?

If, like me, you grew up in a place like Long Island, NY, when it came to skiing, you probably unfairly lumped all of Vermont together into a kind of single, large Great White North. Of course, now that I’ve spent my share of time tromping around the Green Mountain State, I know that the reality is more nuanced. All ski areas are not created equal.