Wow – what an incredible hardship for writer David Goodman. The Waterbury, Vermont-based writer had to ski backcountry and side-country ski trails all around the northeast so he could write about it. Tough job, but someone's got to do it, eh? 
The fruit of his labor is a book that came off the press this fall called “Best Backcountry Skiing in the Northeast.” I bought a copy of it at the Catamount Trail Association annual meeting, and I asked Goodman to sign it after he gave a slideshow.
Since then I've been thumbing through the 50 tours that are described within the paperback book. This book is a substantial update of Goodman's 20-year-old backcountry skiing guide.
Inside you'll find:
- 23 ski tours in New Hampshire; 9 of them at Mount Washington and the Presidential Range
- 4 ski tours in Maine; including Katahdin
- 17 ski tours in Vermont; 5 on or near Mt. Mansfield
- 5 tours in the Adirondacks of New York
- 1 tour in Massachusetts; can you guess what mountain it's on?
The author lives in Waterbury, Vt., in between Stowe and the Mad River Valley, so you can't blame him for having a strong Vermont representation in his book!
In Vermont he starts at Stratton Poind in southern Vermont and heads north all the way to Big Jay at the Canadian border.
I've paid particular attention to the difficulty ratings for each tour. I need to get a sense of what I've done and how it's rated by Goodman. With that information, I can then decide what new tours I should consider.
In the 300-page paperback the author devotes a lot of space to the history of each backcountry ski trail. It makes for a very readable guidebook. He shares information and tips to help make your ski tour a good one. In fact, we get to learn from any of his past mistakes in route finding!
“Best Backcountry Skiing in the Northeast” is published by Appalachian Mountain Club Books. The retail price is $19.95.
