The Skimeister and I headed to Stowe for some cross-country skiing today. It's one of the few places that has had consistently good nordic skiing during this up and down winter. At the Stowe Mountain Resort nordic center, conditions weren't as good as a couple of weeks ago, but they were pretty nice once you got off of the sunlit field and past the first pine trees. The snow got better the farther into the network we skied.
We had hoped to do classic skiing, but the temperature was about 34 degrees when we arrived and our wax wasn't do the trick. We put on our skating skis instead.
The last time I was here, a Stowe Guide mentioned that if you have a nordic ticket and you have cross-country skis on, you can ride the Toll House chairlift. I haven't ridden that lift for years, so after our ski tour I skied over toward the lift area, then walked along a driveway, to get to the lift.
The Toll House trails are beginner trails that are separated a bit from the bustle of the main Mt. Mansfield trails. It's a great place for novices and families.
It was funny seeing my skinny skis resting on the foot bar of the chairlift. I enjoyed the long ride up the double chair because the sun was out for much of the time. But the fun part would come when I got off the chair and had to do monster snowplow christie turns down the first pitch. I succeeded and got on a mellow connector trail to get to the meandering Toll Road trail.
A couple notes here to those who might be interested in doing this. Wear more layers and thicker gloves than you were wearing when you were cross-country skiing. Yup, I got a little cold on the chair ride and descent. And you really need to have a mega-snowplow that you can sustain for a long way. Skinny skis and boots just don't have the stability and turning power that the alpine equipment has.
I had fun making snowplow turns on the beginner trails all the way toward my destination: the Stowe Derby Trail. This would take me back to the nordic network. It was well-marked and I made it back in one piece.
It's always fun to have a "first" while skiing — and skiing off a chairlift with my skating skis was definitely a first!
