March — Latest Update — Benno Rawlinson

I was up in Vermont for the Martin Luther King weekend and it was turning out to be an epic weekend to be up north. Saturday had been a skimo race. Then overnight there had been about a foot of snow in some places of some fairly wet and heavy powder. The first day post snow dump turned into a fairly heavy day of moguls with a touch of powder up at Killington. As the day wore on the it slowly became mission impossible to find some clean untouched pow. A lot of the area had been tracked out by the time we got to the mountain.

I had Monday off for Martin Luther King day. After asking around as to where to go and looking at the various options I decided on checking out a place called Mt Ascutney. That morning I was not feeling my freshest the after an evening fuelled by chicken wings and beer. This is not my normal go to post ski day food. Due to the restaurant we being overwhelmed (we think because of the lingering bad weather) we ended up eating whatever was on offer which turned out to be some guests food who had left due to an inexplicably long wait. Slowly but surely I dug my car out with snow pilled high up the wheels, over the roof and it was bitterly cold. I hadn’t managed to get into the car or seen a thermometer to know how cold it was. I could feel the cold stinging my face particularly when the wind blew, whipping up the snow in great swirls. Even with some thick gloves on my hands were chilling pretty quickly when I paused between a few shovel loads. It brought back memories of decamping up in the Arctic.

One of the buses carting skiers up to the mountain pulled up and informed me Killington was delaying opening due to the high winds and low temperatures. All skiers and boarders apparently would need full facial cover as it was getting down to -40F (-40C) with windchill on top. Given the delay I was pretty happy to be going and checking out a new ski area.

Mt Ascutney is an old ski resort that shut down in 2010 after running for 80 years. Since then most of the infrastructure that supports a ski mountain from the lifts to the buildings have been stripped away. The woodland has begun to regenerate the once stripped slopes as it slowly returns to it more wild state. That was until it was recognised as a great spot for some back country skiing. With the trees already cleared for the most part it just needed the relatively recent growth to be slightly more controlled. Since then a whole bunch of volunteers have been banding together to help maintain the trails during the summer which also helps make it a perfect playground for hikers, runners and mountain bikers. As the snow begins to fall and the trails fill up with snow its become a little back country haven. Since the early days where it was just a bunch of cleared trails there is now a seriously impressive warming hut at the base. Which given the temperatures had risen a bit and were in the range of -10F to -15F (-23C to -26C) before wind chill made for a fantastic starting point before heading up the mountain. Check them out on the link below:

Ascutney Outdoors

I didn’t realise there was a warming hut prior to arriving as I got my skins on outside my car in the freezing temperatures whilst they flapped around sticking to anything apart from where I wanted them to. Trudging up the slope to the base I spotted the hut at the base and meandered in. I was welcomed to a whole bunch of skiers and split boarders chatting away and getting ready for a days in the mountains. Having not been to the mountain before and looking for some good trails to ski I asked if I could tag along. It was a complete mix of guys and girls, skiers and split boarders and ages which was awesome to see. It also transpired that a bunch of them had been on a bachelor party/ stag do that had made it through various news channels local and national including BBC world service online. You can read about that below:

BBC article

The first few strides up the mountain I could already feel the effects of the past few days mileage that I had put my legs through. They had certainly felt fresher. The hike up actually felt pretty warm as we were in amongst the tree line with a spot of sunshine and what ever breeze there was was on our backs helping keep us cool on the ascent. As we headed up you could still make out some of the structures used by the ski mountain before. The cut trails being the most obvious and then the occasional building or piece of metal work. A couple of the guys had skied the area when they were smaller and could remember and discussed the various cut throughs and secret ski spots that only the locals would know. As we got closer to the summit we could feel the wind picking up through the tree line. Coming out at the top we immediately felt the full force of the wind blasting our backs. Fortunately there was the remains of what I assume was the old mountain patrol building at the summit which we hid on the lee ward side of whilst removing skins and preparing to head back down. Having trekked up it was definitely time to get a whole bunch of layers on for the downward journey.

Heading down and we picked our way through powder snow and some small undergrowth. It was this first lap when I began to wish for some fatter skis. Occasionally my backcountry days have involved powder but the vast majority has been more like hard pack with a splash of ice and rocks. In some of the less steep terrain I was just sinking in the heavy snow and occasionally being driven to an almost an immediate stop on other sections. Which certainly added to the odd fall or ski loss. Nevertheless getting in a bunch of powder day turns was great. Having seen photos and videos from friends up north getting midweek morning powder sessions before heading to work it was great to have a shot at it myself.

After warming up at the base in the hut to let some of the facial hair icicles melt it was time for lap two. The hike up went surprisingly quickly once I knew the route, meandering our way back up the mountain. Arriving at the summit and with a bit of a larger group we bundled into the open basement of the old ski patrollers building to remove our skins. The temperature had dropped a bit so we made the most we could from what remained of the building whilst the bitingly cold winds roared on. It was a touch of luxury sheltered from the elements whilst having a quick bite and getting some layers on.

For this lap we chose a different trail in search of more powder. It is safe to say the combined factor of the previous days skiing and the prior lap I could definitely feel my legs burning on the descent. I think before next season I need to spend a lot more time on the bike and doing some leg weights to get into a better ski shape but I wasn’t about to change my ski fitness over night or mid lap. Coming round the corner and hitting a slightly flatter section I suddenly ejected from one of my skis. Fortunately after a short hunt I found it buried beneath the snow. Clipping back in and I was back on my way down the mountain to join the rest of the group. It made me think about the old ski tracers we used to use years a go for powder days back in Europe with my family. A bit old school but maybe worth bringing out for the next season either that or some new fatter skis….

Reaching the end of the run my legs felt done. Back in the hut and grabbing a seat I decided it was time to hit the road. After a chat with the guys I was told about a great spot for some post ski grub down at the Brownsville Butcher & Pantry. If you are in the area I would definitely recommend making a stop with delicious food it made for the perfect pit stop. They also have a fantastic beer selection, perfect for post drive when I finally managed to get home.

Photo courtesy of the Brownsville Butcher & Pantry, Vermont

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Amazingly this was my third time doing the Berkshire east beast skimo race. I say amazingly because since near the end of my university time I have not really stayed in one place for any particular length of time to do the same race twice never mind three times. Equally when it comes to other types of racing I also love the excuse to do different races in part to see new places along the way. Skimo races I have found to be different though as the conditions each year can totally vary adding to the experience. First year I did the race one guy was racing in shorts and a t-shirt, second year we had enough snow to have a bit more of a backcountry experience and this year you can read about below.

Despite growing in popularity and the growing number of Skimo races on the east coast of the US, especially the night time series, skimo has yet caught up with the level of running races with events all over the place every weekend. The races themselves tend to be held in Vermont, Massachusetts and Maine. All of which are a decent drive from New Jersey. If you are closer to these areas then lucky you!! Apart from the physical challenge of the skimo races, the camaraderie at them is a real pull to keep coming back. You have a complete mix of guys and girls or all ages and abilities nailing it up and down the mountain. On top of this it is great winter training and there are a whole bunch of cyclists, runners, climbers and triathletes amongst, I’m sure many other sports who are getting in a solid base before the summer season.

This year I was staying up north for a long weekend. So Friday night was spent making the dash north with many others who love the winter season. It was Martin Luther King weekend, so a long weekend for those that got it off. Our progress was slow, as our expected time of arrival o the GPS slowly ticked in the wrong direction. Following the guidance of the Skimo and backcountry touring workshop I went on and my evening preparation for a good pre-race meal was equally not going to plan. Pulling into a service station a choice of McDonald’s, pizza or quesadillas were the options. I opted for quesadillas hoping that it would be marginally healthier. I did however manage to get my pre-race hydration going well with no beer on the cards and plenty of water for the drive. By the time we got in for the evening it was a relatively quick turn around as my alarm went off in the early hours of the morning. Kicking off the day with coffee and pastries before driving to Berkshire east. Over breakfast I read through the pre-race notes on the snow conditions limiting our route to skiing and skinning up the piste. The boot packs were to be in amongst the forest, with the potential for some ice mixed in amongst the rocks and tree roots. The conditions had been relatively warm this year, despite the early and ridiculous large snowfall that kicked the season off back in November. After a relatively quick drive south, I pulled up into the carpark which the previous year had been packed as well as all white. I was welcomed to a far muddier car park. The slopes were still gleaming white and looking very inviting!

After over heating the previous year I finally transitioned to racing in pretty much what I would run in. Leggings, shorts and a cycling jersey. Cycling jerseys are pretty handy with the extra pockets in the back. I did however forget my water bottle and energy gels. On a sunny day this would have not been great but with overcast and cool enough conditions I thought it would just about be ok.

The start line - photo courtesy of Mark Trahan

Heading to the start line a bunch of us did a little warm up doing some very mini laps up the mountain. The count down began as racers greeted those they had not seen for a while and then we were off heading up the mountain. Very quickly the group spread out up the slope. The initial skin up and ski down went pretty well. My first transition to boots from skiing down I don’t think could have been much slower without loosing a ski down the mountain as for some reason trying to get my boot out of my binding for one ski seemed almost impossible. After that hurdle I entered the woods. It was here I found along with all the other racers the ice that was sticking to the rocks and tree roots making for a challenging climb as each of us tried to pick our way up the mountain in a quick and relatively controlled or safe manner. Occasionally the sound of something sliding on the undergrowth followed by some expletives would sound out through the forest as another skier slipped.

Above photo’s courtesy of Charlie Batman.

After the first lap, I knew how I felt and what the conditions were like I started to put my foot down making some steady inroads into those in front. Unfortunately a lot of these were completely annihilated by my slow transitions. Something to work on for future races. I was still lapped by the winner of the race but I felt this happened slightly later in the race than previous years which was a marginal success.

Crossing the finish line and I felt pretty good. Desperate for a drink but I felt i finished strong at least.

This years race was by far my best performance. I didn’t get lost for a start so that was one big benefit and it was also not my first days skiing and ski touring of the season having managed to hit the slopes in December. I would definitely recommend skimo or randonne competitions. There a great way of getting into the mountains and staying fit during the winter months.

Check out the links below if your at all tempted

East coast US & Canada