So, I’ve decided that the only way to experience winter up here in Vermont is to fully embrace it. This is no news to New Englanders, unless you want to be absolutely miserable for 4 months of the year, you’ve got to get out in it and enjoy all the special winter activities that you can’t do anywhere else (skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling heck there’s even a clinic over in New York state to encourage ice fishing lol)! So on New Year’s Day, we took action.
I knew that Prospect Mountain ski resort was only 8 miles (that’s 15 Vermont minutes) from our house, and I was really eager to test it out. I am not a downhill skier, I did a week out in Park City about 15 years ago, and I was (a) rich and (b) drunk at the time, so basically I spent the week taking private lessons and day drinking. So! By the end of the week I felt pretty confident (and also hungover), but it was probably state-dependent learning because I really can’t remember the first thing about it! But also I have terrible health insurance, since I’m self-employed, and I don’t trust it so I feel like I can’t downhill ski, get on a horse, or really anything kind of dramatic and risk-taking. But cross-country, or nordic skiing seems right up my alley.
I have never cross country skied, and they actually don’t have an instructor on staff, so we decided that maybe New Year’s Day wasn’t the day to try it out on our own, so we decided to snowshoe instead. We own our own snowshoes, so you just have to pay for entry, you can read all about their rates and pricing on their site but I think it was $20 for an adult, all day, you just have to be back at 5 (obvi, I would not want to be stuck out there on those trails in the dark that’s just asking for trouble). I had never actually snowshoed either, but it’s super easy anyone can do it and ya’ll, it was a magical winter wonderland. I can safely say that Prospect Mountain is one of the most gorgeous places I have ever been, by a mile. Once you get out into the trails, it’s just nothing but snow-covered trees and streams, you can go for large chunks of time without seeing anyone, and when you do, they’re just quietly gliding past.
It was absolutely amazing, I highly, highly recommend it, I plan to take a lesson this week, they have events out there too like monthly Moonlight Skis that I’d love to try, and I plan to join it for a season pass because, why not? Tomorrow we are headed up to Grafton for a special event put on by BCBS of Vermont to encourage people to get involved in winter sports, so I’m hoping to get some cross country tips up there too, we may stop in Weston along the way and I hear there is a great cheese shop in Grafton so I’ll be skiing all day and then coming home and making mac and cheese, a perfect Vermont day (I hope!).
