Carrabassett Valley, ME – The wind had quieted. The sun had burned away the early-morning clouds. And when my husband and I slipped off the Timberline lift, the sign to our left was like a neon EAT ad beckoning to the starved. It told us that Sugarloaf’s famed Snowfields were open. n The views from … Continue reading Sugarloafer Since 2001
Bolton, VT – We here at First Tracks!! Online like to think we have a finicky audience. We like to think that our readers want a little more from their snow sliding experience than endless groomed runs, man made snow, and $7 burgers. Perhaps we’re wrong, but we believe that many of you out there … Continue reading Bolton Valley: Go Tele It On the Mountain
Jay, VT – Back in 1947, James Thurber’s story about a chap named Walter Mitty was brought to life on the movie screen by the zany and talented Danny Kaye. Mitty was an ordinary man who got himself into trouble with some extraordinary daydreaming. Charles Schulz’ Snoopy was loosely based on Mitty, especially the “World … Continue reading Extremely Jay
Hancock, MA – The charm of a “low speed” lift has always been decidedly lost on me. Lets get to the top … now! That was the only concern. Intolerable twelve- to fifteen-minute lift rides always seemed to be cruel and unusual punishment, especially those first few chairs of the day. If I wanted to … Continue reading Jiminy Peak: A Big Comfy Couch
Photos by Scott Murphy Snowshoe Mt., WV (January, 2001) – We drove for hours in the pitch dark. Past gas stations and mobile homes and shuttered barbecue joints. Up corkscrew mountain curves and through national forests, Orion burning brighter on the horizon with each mile into the middle of nowhere we pushed. Was this going … Continue reading Snowshoe: No Comparison
Magog (QC), Canada – We sat around the table chuckling arrogantly at the Mont Orford trail map. Triple black diamonds are the overzealous creations of a marketing department run amok, and we were certain that Orford’s were no exception. We prepared ourselves for a day of gentle corduroy cruising. Boosting our spirits was the steady, … Continue reading Mont Orford: A Rough-Cut Gem
Fayston, VT – Tucked into a sharp bend of State Route 17 in north-central Vermont lies a trip back in time, to a ski resort relatively untouched by the hand of "progress." A place where natural snow is the rule, a place where primary lift access is provided by the country’s last diesel-powered single chairlift, … Continue reading Mad River Glen: A Journey to Mecca