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VERMONT SPORTS
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If there’s an early snowfall, thanks to snowmaking the trails at the Rikert Outdoor Center are some of first to start the cross country ski season.
5 The Start
Trails, Ethics and Entitlement Illegal trail building is rampant. What will stop it?
7 News
Killington Invests
New owners are investing in snow guns, lifts and MTB trails
9 Health
Sweet Dreams
There’s more and more science to support the benefits athletes can reap from a good night’s sleep.
13 Feature
Mapping the Future
A new study will guide funding and resources for outdoor recreation for years to come.
17 Feature
Championing the Boomerang Woodstock’s John Flynn is a master of the sport.
20 Feature
Ranging out of Range
Sometimes we should be thankful cell service is spotty.
27 Featured Athlete
The Writing Runner Guilford’s newest author.
30 Calendar Race & Event Guide
34 Endgame
Yardsale Treasure
It’s not the gear that makes the man, nor the adventure.
The deadline for the Jan/Feb. issue of Vermont Sports is Dec. 16. Contact lisa.lynn@vtsports.com today to reserve your space.
Photo by Darren Benz
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ONION RIVER OUTDOORS
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OUTDOOR GEAR EXCHANGE
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SKIRACK
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THE MOUNTAIN GOAT
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UMIAK OUTFITTERS
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WATERBURY SPORTS
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WEST HILL SHOP
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OPINION TRAILS, ETHICS AND ENTITLEMENT
DESPITE THE PROLIFERATION OF LEGAL TRAILS ACROSS THE STATE, ROGUE TRAIL BUILDING REMAINS RAMPANT. WHAT WILL STOP IT? BY
LISA LYNN
It is late fall, and I am seeing the hunters again. They park their pickup trucks at the trailhead near my house before dawn and vanish silently into the state forest. Late in the afternoon, I see them return. I often stop to talk with them about the hunt, the drought and warming weather and the changes to the forest. The hunters are good stewards of the land. I don’t post my property. They leave no trace.
A few years ago, our conversation shifted to something new. “Seen that new trail up there?” one hunter I knew asked as we chatted by the side of the road. I had an idea of the trail he was referring to. I had seen the builders, a posse of young backcountry skiers and mountain bikers, unloading gear at the trailhead. I hadn’t imagined they would do much to the land.
But when I hiked up what I saw was not a rake-and-ride mountain bike trail or just a gladed section of steep woods. More than 23 bridges had been built using pressure treated wood and bolted into rocks. Berms had been created and trees felled. Culverts were blocked with stones. Wooden trail signs were nailed to trees. I called the state forester. That forester reported he couldn’t find the trail.
It was another hunter who later alerted the local mountain bike club where, as it t turned out, one of the rogue trail builders was an executive board member. The trail was dismantled. The state put up a metal sign indicating this was an “unsanctioned” trail. Despite a call for his resignation, one of the rogue builders remained on the board for another six months. Another complicit in that trail worked for VMBA and now leads a VMBA chapter.
I’d like to think this was an isolated incident and the people involved have learned from it. There is no point in naming their names or trail locations.
But that incident is far from isolated. The president of a mountain club in another part of the state was discovered building illegal trails in a town forest. When his board found out about it, they quickly asked him to resign.
In 2021, the Vermont Mountain Bike Association put out a position paper on the topic of rogue trail building. “Mountain biking in Vermont has a rich history. Trail building, use, and ongoing maintenance began long before VMBA was founded. Some of our most popular trails were built on public land without permission and were, eventually, adopted as official trails. This “ask forgiveness, not permission” approach is no longer serving
our community and not only harms the relationships we have developed with public land managers but cuts the public out of the decision-making process of how our public lands should be used. Beyond trail building, riding on trails not designated for mountain biking on public land is in violation of State and Federal policy and further encourages and promotes rogue building.”
Butthings haven’t changed. In September 2023, the Upper Valley Mountain Bike Association issued a press release asking people to stop building rogue trails. “If you have seen someone working on the trail, please report it to UVMBA. This work is counterproductive and jeopardizes the access to these trails,” the organization posted to its Instagram – perhaps the best example to date of a VMBA chapter taking action.
Just last fall, another state forester told me: “I have had reports of people illegally cutting trails in Stowe for the past three weekends but it’s hard to
If you explore the woods around busy mountain towns such as Stowe, you will see metal “Unsanctioned Trail” signs appear, CYA misnomers that, ironically, only draw further attention to the damaged areas.
“We don’t keep any record of how many signs are put up or illegal trails are reported,” said Rebecca Washburn, Director of Lands Administration & Recreation for Vermont. When asked about what examples of fines or sanctions have been imposed, the only one she could cite is a well-publicized incident when a man cut 839 trees in Hazen Notch State Park, which abuts his property, to create backcountry ski glades. The man, Thomas Tremonte, was fined $75,000 in October, 2023.
As that incident illustrates, the problem lies not just with mountain bike trail building but also with glading for backcountry skiing. According to Washburn, there are more than 60 miles of sanctioned backcountry downhill trails in the state, ranging from Dutch Hill in the southern part of the state, to
In 2023, when a proposal to build a connector lift between Stowe Mountain Resort and Smuggler’s Notch Resort came up, the Barre District Stewardship Team (charged by the Agency of Natural Resources with making the decision) cited the likelihood of a new lift and trail increasing the already rampant illegal glading in the delicate high alpine forest as one of the reasons for rejecting the proposal.
In 2023, The Catamount Trail Association in partnership with the Vermont Dept. of Forests, Parks and Recreation released and promoted The Vermont Backcountry Ski Handbook, described as “a complete how-to guide for creating high quality, sustainable backcountry ski terrain in a cooperative fashion with forest land managers.”
It was as if the state was saying “Now, don’t go building illegal trails without permission, but if you do (wink, wink)
An illegal mountain bike trail built on state forest land was decommissioned and torn apart several years ago after hunters discovered it. Courtesy photo actually catch them in the act.”
Rochester/Randolph glades in Braintree and Brandon Gap. Yet from sanctioned trails often emerge the unsanctioned ones.
here’s how to do it right.” The handbook could have been a great resource for ski areas and backcountry chapters and issued only to those who have permits in place. Why release and publicize that information for the general public?
These incidents, sadly, beg the question of whether or not the State of Vermont is tacitly complicit in the creation of unsanctioned trails. If not, why has the state not done more to curb this growing activity?
In Colorado, for instance, it is a Class B misdemeanor to build trails without consent on public lands, punishable by fines up to $5,000 and/or six months in jail—the same is true for all federal land. Yet, rogue trailbuilding became so prevalent that in 2022 the Colorado chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers offered a $500 reward for reports or information leading to a conviction of those responsible for illegal trail construction on public lands. In 2023, it upped the reward to $1,000.
Why should hunters (or anyone) care about a few mountain bike trails on public lands? A study cited by BHA showed that in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, that mountain biking ranked second only to ATV use in disturbing elk populations.
In British Columbia, the fine for illegal trail builds is $10,000 and the government publishes a toll-free number to report rogue trails.
In Vermont, fines are imposed only for timber cutting: $50 per tree that has less than a 6- inch diameter, $100 if it is 6 to 10 inches and on up to $2,000 for any tree over 22 inches. This law was inspired by illegal timber harvests, not trail building.
Vermont is at an inflection point where we need to do something to not only curb rogue trail building but to change the perception that it is tolerated.
Much of our trail networks and gladed ski runs were built without permission by
passionate riders and skiers. Yet now, trails have evolved beyond rake and ride. There is state and federal funding to build trails (see page 13) and best practices for doing so. VMBA has 28 chapters. The Catamount Trail Association (the defacto umbrella group for backcountry skiing) has seven and that number is growing. Certainly educating the public, creating and publicizing fines for illegal trail building and having a reporting system would be a start, when it comes to rogue trail building. But the state does not have the resources to police or enforce.
The change has to come from within. The trail groups themselves must be the ones to both change the ethic around illegal trailbuilding and enforce it.
The state can help by incentivizing this. What if there were significant fines that were widely publicized? What if, for instance, state or other funding was withheld from trail groups in any area where rogue trailbuilding was reported? What if the inclusion of say mountain biking or backcountry skiing in long range management plans was jeopardized by illegal trail building in those areas?
Don’t get me wrong: As a skier and a mountain biker and a hiker I am protrails. I have been an editor of Bicycling, of SKI and also the editor of Audubon. I am all for building trails. But that needs to be done legally and within the parameters of state and federal guidelines.
In American Places Wallace Stegner wrote this of Vermont: “There is something in its climate, people, history, laws — that wins people and loyalty, and does not welcome speculation and the unearned increment and the treatment of land and water as commodities. Here, if anywhere in the United States, land is a heritage as well as a resource, and ownership suggests stewardship, not exploitation.”
Illegal trail building or cutting, simply put, is exploitation—a land grab that reeks of entitlement.
Backcountry skiers explore the sanctioned glades off Wheeler Mountain in the NEK. Photo Abagael Giles
In late September, Killington Mountain Resort entered a new era as a group of private investors led by Killington skiers Phill Gross and Michael Ferri purchased the resort from POWDR. Already, the leadership has targeted investments.
Between this fall and the start of the 2025-26 season, the resort is investing more than $7 million into snowmaking and acquiring nearly 550 new energy-efficient snow guns for both Killington and Pico Resorts.
Next summer, the resort plans to replace the 1987 Superstar quad with a new Doppelmayr UNI-G six-person chairlift. The $12 million new lift installation, which will begin in April 2025, may impact spring skiing and could also impact whether the resort will be able to once again hold the women’s FIS World Cup slalom and giant slalom events over Thanksgiving weekend, 2025.
The $30 million in new investment also includes expansion of the mountain bike park. In 2024, the resort debuted a learning zone at the Snowshed base. Now, permitting process is currently underway with the State of Vermont for the addition of a
KILLINGTON’S NEW OWNERS INVEST IN GUNS, LIFTS AND TRAILS
new trail serviced by the Ramshead Express Quad. This portion of the expansion will total $300,000.
The new trail will start at the top of the Ramshead head and continue down the mountain on biker’s left of Blue Magic. This trail will span over 2 miles with an intermediate pitch and be rated blue (more difficult), mostly single track with a narrower feel than
Blue Magic. It will intersect with Blue Magic at several points, offering riders an option to easily switch between trails, giving them the option to create multiple experiences on different laps. The trail will make use of natural terrain to create jumps, step downs and have wooden features including berms, diving boards, whale tails and more.
“The goal is to provide more
options for riders to mix and match sections of different trails to add more variety to that side of the Bike Park,” says Bike Park manager Taylor Zink. “We hope to break ground in the spring and have some sections of the new trail open before the season ends. We have a lot of opportunity for future trail expansion, it’s very exciting.”
Killington keeps investing in its mountain biking. In 2024, a new Learning Zone went in. For 2025, new Ramshead trails will be built. Pho
HEALTH SWEET DREAMS
MORE AND MORE STUDIES SHOW THAT SLEEP IS THE SECRET POWER THAT CAN MAKE OR BREAK AN ATHLETE. BY EMMA COTTON
There is a growing trend among today’s top athletes—the ones you look at and ask, where did she come from? How does he keep landing on the podium? At the end of the season, they’re still going when everyone else is burnt out. Turns out, these athletes get more of one thing than the average person, and it’s pretty simple: Sleep.
Sure, there are plenty of other factors. Mikaela Shiffrin, the winningest skier of all time, is known to train longer hours and push herself harder than most other ski racers. Mat Fraser, a former three-time CrossFit Games champion practiced a rigorous training regimen, a balanced diet and pre- and post-workout rituals that actually focused on sleep. LeBron James, known for getting 10 to 12 hours of sleep every night, went to Versaclimber, spin and Pilates classes
in the off-season to stay in shape.
But when you get down to it, the most successful athletes are the ones that commit themselves to a healthy, well-rounded lifestyle. They literally eat, breathe—and sleep—their sport.
“Sleep is the number one recovery technique for body and mind,” says Mike Day, who was Mikaela Shiffrin’s U.S. Ski Team coach for many years and recently became the Alpine Director and Assistant Head of School at Green Mountain Valley School. “I try to go to bed somewhere between 8:30 and 9 at night. Sleep is huge for me. It’s my best, main and favorite form of recovery...I need eight and a half to nine hours of sleep to feel my best,” he has said.
So can sleep really make the difference between a good athlete and an all-time champ?
“I certainly think it makes a difference in separating the great from
the really good,” says Matt Gammons, a sports medicine specialist at Rutland Regional Medical Center and a former consulting physician at Green Mountain Valley School in Waitsfield.
“The margin at elite levels is such a fine thing. And if you look at sleep through adolescence, sleep is an opportunity for players who have potential to fulfill that potential. Take Mikaela. Sleep could make the difference between first place and second place in a GS race for her.”
And for the kids at GMVS, not getting enough sleep could derail the opportunity they have to be the next Mikaela.
Scientists have realized exactly how powerful sleep can be for our health—powerful enough that, in 2017, researchers Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young were awarded the Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine for their work on circadian rhythms, which regulate sleep. Their discoveries explain, on a molecular level, how plants, animals and humans adapt their biological rhythm so that it’s synchronized with Earth’s revolutions. More than ever, it is clear that our bodily functions are naturally aligned with the patterns of day and night—and fighting these patterns could create consequences for our health.
Recently both the International Olympic Committee and the National Collegiate Athletic Association have posted positions on the importance of sleep to mental and physical well being. The NCAA document even recommended schools provide collegiate athletes with evidencebased sleep education including information on sleep best practices, the role of sleep in optimising athletic
With iPhones, Apple watches and numerous apps that you can use to track your sleep, there's no excuse not to treat your hours of shut-eye as part of your training regimen. Photo Adobe Stock.
and academic performance and overall well-being; and strategies for addressing sleep barriers.
But for athletes—those of us who use our bodies rigorously on a daily basis—getting sleep isn’t always easy. There are still a lot of unanswered questions about sleep, but scientists are beginning to nail down answers about the amount and quality of sleep that an athlete needs to perform at his or her best.
WHAT IS SLEEP?
This seems like an obvious question. Sleep is what you do at the end of the day, when you close your eyes and dream about the gold medals or the significant other or the monsters under the bed. But in reality, scientists are still fuzzy about sleep’s exact purpose— why and how we do it, and what exactly it does for our bodies.
The conclusions they have drawn include the following: Sleep reenergizes our bodies on a cellular level. An influx of cerebrospinal fluid washes into the brain during sleep, clearing away harmful waste proteins like a dishwasher—which explains why scientists recently linked chronic sleep deprivation to Alzheimer’s and dementia (both have been connected to a building up of plaque in the brain). Sleep supports emotional drive and promotes motivation, the ability to learn and remember, and even controls appetite and libido.
Sleep starts, ironically, when certain regions of the brain become active. With a natural dose of melatonin, the hypothalamus and the parafacial zone in the brain prompt slow-wave sleep (SWS) and when the cells in those regions turn on, our consciousness shuts off.
After that, we enter rapid-eyemovement (REM) sleep. The first cycle usually occurs 70 to 90 minutes after we fall asleep, and the average sleeper experiences between three and five REM cycles per night. An entire cycle lasts between 90 and 110 minutes. During those cycles, our bodies regulate hormones that control our hunger (ghrelin), blood-glucose level (insulin) and the development of our muscles and tissues (growth hormones).
So it might not be surprising that athletes—people who physically exert themselves, rely on precise movements and learn new skills on a daily basis— need to pay particularly close attention to their sleep habits.
Sleep provides several things that are important to athleticism, according
REST EASY
THE FOUR KEYS TO GETTING A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP.
1) CONSISTENCY, CONSISTENCY, CONSISTENCY
If there’s one thing that most scientists and doctors agree on, it’s that your sleep schedule should be consistent. Keeping an irregular sleep schedule will knock you off your natural circadian rhythms and make it more difficult to fall asleep and wake up. A 2015 study by The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism studied 447 adults and found that those who kept a regular sleep schedule were likely to have better cholesterol levels, smaller waist circumference, lower body mass index and less insulin resistance. “There’s no question about the fact that, if you’re trying to sleep at odds with your circadian rhythm, things are going to be seriously disrupted, and that, in turn, is going to impair performance,” says Michael Seteia, active emeritus professor of psychiatry at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine.
2) PUT IN YOUR HOURS
While there’s no magic number that determines how much sleep you need, most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. (This number represents between three and five full cycles of REM sleep, each lasting about 90 minutes with non-REM sleep in between). Athletes should experiment to find the number of hours that feels right. When possible, get to bed at a decent hour, then, without setting an alarm, time how long you sleep. Do this several times, and you’ll start to understand your patterns. With work, family and social lives, training and other
to Michael Seteia, emeritus professor of psychiatry at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine. “It’s essential to providing a positive emotional state and high motivation,” he says.
Think about your training: it’s much more likely that we’ll be motivated to do that last rep, take that last run or push ourselves just a little bit harder, if we’ve had a full night’s sleep.
“Then there’s the somatic aspect,” Seteia says, “which is metabolism and glycogen synthesis and storage, and being able to efficiently fuel muscle cells that are required in intense athletic competition. In the past, we didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to the role of sleep in metabolism. Now, of course, we understand that sleep plays a very critical role in metabolism, and with insufficiencies, metabolic function is less efficient than it should be or could be. That, in turn, will have an obvious effect on athletic performance, especially for endurance athletes.”
The last thing sleep does for us, he says, is improve cognition; it helps us with procedural learning, and it sharpens our hand-eye coordination and muscle memory.
demands, it’s difficult to make sleep a priority, but the rewards are high. Matt Gammons, sports medicine specialist at Rutland Regional Medical Center, says many doctors agree that sleep is one of the most powerful tools we have to stay healthy, and short-changing it can affect nearly every one of your major body systems.
3) POWER NAPS—DO THEY WORK?
The short answer: yes. “Naps built into a regular schedule can be very beneficial, but you shouldn’t use them to make up for chronic sleep deprivation,” Gammons says. This could explain why companies like Ben & Jerry’s, Zappos, Uber and Google all host napping spaces in their headquarters. Naps can make up for the loss of alertness and motor ability that results from a sleepless night. A study published in the Journal of Sleep Research in 2009 found that even well-rested adults can improve reaction time, logical reasoning and symbol recognition with a nap. Even sleeping briefly—say, a 20-minute power nap—helps reinforce learning. And if you have the time, a 90-minute nap (during which you may experience a full REM cycle) can give you the same learning and cognition benefits as a full eight-hour sleep cycle.
4) WIND DOWN
Athletes who travel from one time zone to the next are bound to experience a shift from their natural circadian rhythms, but there are still ways to get a restful night’s sleep. To start, practice a relaxing pre-bedtime ritual, conducted away from bright lights and noise. Separate yourself from triggers that cause excitement, anxiety and stress. If it’s possible to control, set the temperature in your room to between 60 and 67 degrees. To accomplish all of this while traveling, consider eyeshades, earplugs, white noise machines, humidifiers and fans. For these rituals to be most effective, begin practicing them before the travel begins, and keep them consistent.
In 2014, Cheri D. Mah, a researcher at Stanford, experimented with the idea that sleep improves cognition. Her subjects were Standford’s men’s basketball team. Eleven players wore wristbands that tracked their sleeping patterns. She found that, on average, the athletes slept 6.5 hours per night. For two weeks, they kept their regular sleep schedule while Mah monitored their performance on a 282-foot sprint drill, free-throw drills and three-point shooting. Then, the athletes were told to do everything they could to increase their sleep, still tracked by their wristbands. The team average moved from 6.5 to nearly 8.5 hours of sleep per night.
The players’ performance improved significantly. Free-throw shooting improved by 11.4 percent, three-point shooting shot up by 13.7 percent, and their 282-foot sprints were 0.7 seconds faster, on average. That’s the kind of improvement that might come with performance-enhancing drugs or decades of training.
THE IDEAL SLEEP SCHEDULE
If sleep can make that much of a
difference, it may be even more important than athletes originally thought. So what kind of sleep schedule should an athlete have? The short answer: it varies. The amount of sleep an individual needs depends on age, amount of physical activity, stress level, diet, personal preference—the list goes on.
While it’s impossible to propose a sleep schedule that works for everyone, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests that adults get a minimum of seven hours per night, and as many as nine hours. Adolescents, who rely on the growth hormone to regulate puberty, along with the growth of muscles and tissues, need more—about nine hours per night. Though athletes exert themselves more than the average sleeper, there is no evidence to suggest that athletes need more sleep than anyone else. Some people may naturally sleep longer, and some studies indicate that athletes are more likely to achieve a better, deeper quality of sleep, but LeBron James’ 12 nightly hours aren’t necessarily the key to athletic success.
“It would be tempting to say, ‘Gee,
if everybody gets 10 to 12 hours of sleep, they’re going to be like LeBron James, and obviously that’s not true,” Seteia says. “The fact is that LeBron James could be, intrinsically, a longer sleeper, and not everybody would be even capable of getting 10 to 12 hours of sleep.”
The key to a successful sleep schedule is the same for athletes as for anyone else: making it regular. “An ideal sleep schedule is one that’s consistent,” says Gammons. “So if you go to bed around the same time and get up around the same time, these things, over time, tend to build better sleep patterns and make you more tolerant to interruptions in terms of being able to get yourself to sleep.”
IT’S EASY, RIGHT?
While sleeping might sound like the simple part of the eat-train-sleeprepeat cycle—less complicated than developing a balanced diet, and surely less strenuous than running drills—it’s
surprisingly difficult to get enough of it.
For elite athletes, schedules shift both seasonally and daily, and getting a good, steady amount of sleep might be considered the hardest component of the sports lifestyle to achieve. Again, take Shiffrin: in the summer, she travels to New Zealand and Chile. In the fall, she’s off to Europe, and then the World Cup touring begins. Between jet lag and her training schedule, she has to work to make sleep a priority. The rest of us have it easier, though we still have to balance sleep with work, social lives, family time and some amount of training.
But that doesn’t mean that all hope is lost. “Consistency is important if it’s possible,” Gammons says, “but if you can’t have an exact pattern, you can have consistency in your rituals and planning in terms of how you sleep— turning off stimulation a half hour to 45 minutes before you want to go to sleep, not taking caffeine late in the day, those kinds of common-sense things.”
A few habits will increase your chances of getting deep, restful sleep. If possible, avoid exercising in the hours before you fall asleep. Before bed, do something relaxing—take a bath, put on some calming music—forget your stressors, if you can. And by all means, avoid what Seteia calls “the kiss of death:”
“If people are really having trouble sleeping, they shouldn’t remain in bed awake for extended periods,” he says. “It starts to potentially result in increasing insomnia problems, because you begin to associate the bed with wakefulness and frustration. That’s not a good thing.”
For those who travel regularly, or who can’t seem to nail down a regular schedule, Gammons says it’s possible to make up for what he calls “acute sleep debt,” which accumulates over time, but it’s much easier to make up for a short-term lack of sleep.
“If you’re traveling for a couple of days,” he says, “it’s relatively easy to
get back on track with a few nights of good sleep. What seems to be harder is the athlete who’s chronically sleep deprived. Just taking a nap isn’t going to make up for that. It really requires a lifestyle change that basically, over a couple of weeks, will start to reset the system.”
But for adults who exercise regularly, avoiding chronic sleep deprivation and keeping to a consistently generous sleep schedule could be the key to a powerfully healthy lifestyle.
“Getting on a regular sleep schedule is nice from an athletic standpoint, but just from a life standpoint, sleep patterning is probably the secondmost important thing we can do,” Gammons said. “You’d be surprised at how much exercise and sleeping well can moderate other things. If you were going to do three things for your health, exercising moderately most days of the week, not smoking, and getting good sleep—those are probably the most powerful things we have.”
Mikaela Shiffrin makes sleep a priority. With a schedule that involves racing, travel and numerous public appearances, she gets naps in where and when she can. Photo courtesy US Ski Team
In the past few months there has been good news for hikers, mountain bikers and trail users around the state.
In October, after three years of work, the Green Mountain Club cut the ribbon on the newly rebuilt Burrows Trail, a 4.8mile round-trip hike from the trailhead in Huntington to the Long Trail and on up to the summit of Camel’s Hump.
Burrows was the largest trail rebuild in Vermont’s recent history and the cost, $700,000, was covered in part by a one-time allocation from the State’s general fund, as well as other grants and funds from the Dept. of Forests Parks & Recreation,
Just a week after that ribbon cutting, the Green Mountain Club secured the longest previously unprotected section of the Long Trail: 1.5-miles of the trail that crosses the Middlebury Snowbowl, an easement donated by Middlebury College.
Nearby, in the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area, a new trail connecting the Oak Ridge Trail and the Moosalamoo Trail and campground to the Chandler Ridge Trail was completed in the fall, making it possible to ride point-to-point nearly 20 miles from Route 125 in East Middlebury to Route 53 in Goshen—
much of it on single or double track.
The Oak Ridge and Moosalamoo Trail are also part of the North Country National Scenic Trail which, when completed, will be the longest scenic trail in the U.S., running 4,800 miles from North Dakota to Vermont, where it will cross Addison County before connecting with the intersection of the Long Trail and Appalachian Trail at the Maine Junction in Killington.
In October, another ribbon was cut in Addison County on another newlycreated Salisbury Mills historic trail, near Lake Dunmore.
Over the summer, the 38-mile multiday Heart of the Greens loop, which includes sections of the Velomont, was completed in the Rochester area. In August, a new mountain bike network, The Driving Range, came online in Bolton – the first network designed from inception to handle adaptive bikes.
At Sugarbush and at Killington, plans have been laid out for new lift-served downhill mountain bike trails and Bolton Valley Resort has recently expanded its downhill network.
Given this news, it would seem Vermont’s trails and outdoor recreation are in good shape. Or are they?
THE STATE OF TRAILS
Vermont is home to the nation’s oldest long-distance trail (the Long Trail), the longest backcountry ski trail (The Catamount), New England’s longest rail trail (the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail) and the Northeast’s largest mountain bike trail network (Kingdom Trails).
With the proposed Velomont, a mountain bike trail that will stretch from the Massachusetts border to Canada, and an ever-expanding system of backcountry huts, Vermont can lay claim to being the trail kingdom of New England, for both hikers and mountain bikers.
That’s not counting the 28 chapters of the Vermont Mountain Bike Association that maintain local trail networks (largely through volunteers), at least five other rail trails, the 22 alpine ski areas, nearly two dozen cross country ski areas, or the network of more than 5,000 miles of snowmobile trails maintained by the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers.
All told, the Vermont Trails & Greenways Council (a group that represents trail organizations such as GMC, VMBA, VAST, the Northern Forest Canoe Trail and others) counts more than 8,000 miles of trails in Vermont.
In addition to individual user groups, state and federal governments have invested heavily in trails and outdoor recreation. Since it was launched in 1964-65, the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund (which draws from federal leases to oil and gas companies, among others) has allocated $43 million to Vermont projects. Those include parks, playgrounds, skateparks, sports fields, forests, and other outdoor recreation areas. For 2025, the LWCF has $3.3 million to award and preliminary application deadline is Dec. 13.
As Lauren Pyle, the LWCF’s Outdoor Recreation Grant Manager, notes: “One of the unique things about this program is that lands and recreation spaces acquired or developed by LWCF funds are protected for recreational use forever. The LWCF can support communities that want to protect new recreation spaces, create new recreation opportunities, or improve past LWCF investments.”
The federal Recreational Trails Program also awards annual grants for trail building. In 2025, Vermont will disburse $500,000, with a special track for flood recovery. Deadline for application is Dec. 16.
And since its inception in 2018, the
Built more than 100 years ago, the Burrows Trail up Camel's Hump had seen significant erosion even before recent floods. It was recently rebuilt, the largest trail rebuild in recent history. Photo Green Mountain CLub
Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative has awarded nearly $11.3 million in grants to community recreation projects.
CHALLENGES AHEAD
Yet, if the 70 weeks of work that went into rebuilding the Burrows Trail is any indication, Vermont has a larger task ahead as many of the trails and outdoor recreation facilities age and the impacts of climate change take their toll.
Thanks to more than $14 million in state and federal funding, the 93-mile Lamoille Valley Rail Trail was completed in mid-2023. But by July 2023, floods had ripped out bridges and destroyed sections of the gravel trail. The 2024 summer floods took another toll. Three sections, including five miles between St. Johnsbury and Danville, remain closed for repairs.
Flooding also damaged trails in the Kingdom Trails and Millstone networks. Yet both those networks were able to reopen most trails.
“Perhaps the best news is that the trails at Millstone that were rebuilt after the 2023 floods, survived the 2024 floods,” noted Nick Bennette, the executive director of VMBA.
On the Burrows Trail, the rebuilding paid off as well. As Keegan Tierney, GMC’s Director of Field Programs noted: “Even as repairs were in progress, we saw the improvements in how the trail was able to hold up to all three historic flooding events that Vermont was hit with in 2023 and 2024, with water draining off as intended and causing minimal erosion.”
Climate impacts are not the only threats to outdoor recreation and trails. More than 80 percent of Vermont’s forests are on private land. As the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council members know well, acquiring longterm rights or easements for trails such as the Long Trail or VAST trails or other public trails is critical to their long-term viability.
And even without flooding, trails need maintenance. Cross country ski trail networks such as at Timber Ridge in the Deerfield Valley have shut down due to waning winters. At the Blueberry Hill Outdoor Center in Goshen, there are miles of trails formerly groomed for cross country skiing that are now minimally maintained for backcountry skiing, hiking and trail running.
A STATEWIDE RECREATION PLAN
These are some of the factors that propelled the state to launch Move Forward Together Vermont, a study that VOREC Program Manager Jackie
Dagger describes as “A shared vision for Vermont’s outdoor recreation future, and a set of priorities and action steps for the next five years.”
The study will also serve as a building block for the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP), which states must do every five years to qualify for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and other federal grants. The SCORP serves as a filter in making decisions about where to focus energy and resources across the outdoor recreation landscape.
Between the fall of 2023 and spring of 2024, more than 30 focus groups were held. Nearly 2,400 residents and stakeholders were surveyed and the state hosted a day-long summit with 40 outdoor recreation leaders.
The survey looked at two groups; 565 respondents formed a panel of representative Vermonters while 1,831 responses came from invested user groups – cyclists, hikers, hunters, etc. Both groups participated in more than 10 outdoor activities (16 for the invested user group). The invested user group was older (average age was 53 vs. 45), more educated and more affluent.
Both groups rated the cost of gear, equipment and clothing as the biggest barrier to recreation. When surveyed about their top 5 outdoor activities, both groups named walking on sidewalks, paved or gravel paths as their top activity, followed by hiking, swimming and wading, and private gardening.
SIGNS OF PROGRESS
The recent round of VOREC grants is already addressing some of these areas. The 2023 grants included nearly $200,000 for a recreator survey and economic impact analysis for adaptive recreation. There was also a $644,437 grant to the Vermont Trails & Greenways Council to create a central trail hub that would detail trail status and accessibility. Many of the other grants were focused on making everything from trails to climbing gyms accessible for adaptive sports programs.
A VOREC grant of $226,885 went to Unlikely Riders to secure a temporary gear lending closet for BIPOC skiers and riders. And more than $1 million of the $6.3 million allocated in 2023 grants went to rebuilding flood-damaged trails or making them more resilient.
The 2023 grant round also included $65,000 for the Blueberry Hill Outdoor Center to look at how it could maintain the former cross country ski area’s viability as an outdoor recreation hub.
The invested user group also placed canoeing or kayaking in the top five and the representative group included playground activities.
“What was most surprising to me was how high gardening came up with both groups,” said Dagger. Interestingly, cycling of any type (road, gravel or mountain biking) was not on either list’s top 5.
But when asked what areas should be prioritized for investment, there was a stark contrast between the two groups. The representative group focused on the end-user with the top five priorities being projects that would benefit seniors, people with low incomes, mental or physical health challenges and outdoor careers and activities for children in K-12
In the invested user group, support for trails and trail non-profits (stewardship, recovery funds, investment in climate resiliency) made up four of the top five priorities.
As Dagger, noted: “There were two common objectives that came out of our research: equity and climate resilience. Our objective is to collectively expand opportunities and reduce barriers so that all people feel welcome in Vermont’s outdoors. We want equal access for communities to outdoor recreation, and we want those spaces that exist to be well stewarded and maintained and resilient to the impacts of the changing climate that we’re seeing in our state.”
Dagger recognizes the impacts that climate change will have at places such as cross country ski areas but she is also hopeful. “We’ve seen how some communities, like Mount Ascutney, have already adapted,” she says. What was once a vibrant downhill ski resort has reinvented itself as a smaller ski area with a focus on four-season trails for mountain biking, hiking and an event host through the community-led nonprofit, Ascutney Outdoors. Downhill ski resorts from Killington to Cochran’s have also reconfigured their slopes and operations for off-season mountain biking.
The Move Forward Together Vermont draft, which was released in August and will be finalized by the end of 2024 also contains a long list of priority actions that fall under three buckets: Stewardship, Wellness and Economic Development.
The draft priorities include sample projects that range from building water bars on trails to prevent erosion, to adding bike lines to roads to preserving trail-less areas for hunting and backcountry experiences.
While no new funding for VOREC grants has been secured yet, allocation of the $3.3 million Land and Water Conservation Fund grants as well as other federal, state and regional grants will use the Move Forward Together Vermont as a filter for allocating resources.
“Move Forward Together Vermont really is a vision, not a road map,” Dagger reinforces. “The road map is what we do next.”
In Rochester, machine-built berms on one of the new trails that forms the Heart of the Greens loop. Courtesy T. LePesqueur
THE MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER VERMONT SURVEY
THE STATE’S MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER VERMONT INITIATIVE SURVEYED NEARLY 2,400 PARTICIPANTS IN TWO GROUPS: A REPRESENTATIVE PANEL OF 565 AVERAGE VERMONTERS AND 1,831 MEMBERS INVESTED USER GROUPS (SUCH AS HIKERS, MOUNTAIN BIKERS, ETC.). HERE ARE SOME OF THE TOP-LINE RESULTS. FULL REPORT: FPR.VERMONT.GOV/MOVE-FORWARD-TOGETHER-VERMONT
CHAMPIONING THE BOOMERANG
POMFRET’S JOHN FLYNN CREATES HIS OWN BOOMERANGS AND HAS SET WORLD RECORDS IN THE SPORT. HIS NEW BOOK TELLS THE STORY OF THE BOOMERANGS, AS BOTH A SPORT AND THE CRAFT.
BY TESS HUNTER
What is both a noun and a verb? A playful pastime and a competitive sport? For Pomfret resident John Flynn, there is only one answer to that riddle — a boomerang.
“I threw my first boomerang in college in 1976. But I caught my first boomerang after that in 1981,” Flynn says. “I lost the first one in a tree. And then it took me another four years to try it again.”
Flynn, who released his “50 Important Boomerangs” book in June, has won both world and national titles in the sport of boomerang. But he says it’s hard to define the boomerang as one simple category. “It’s a sport. It’s a lot of different things. It’s its own niche,” he explains. “It’s an interesting sport because people can make their own boomerang, making their own sporting articles. If you come up with a better boomerang — more power to —
you can do better in the events.”
Flynn moved to the Upper Valley shortly after college, where he connected with a co-worker who was a longtime boomerang thrower and competitor — Eric Darnell — one of the top boomerang experts in the world. “Meeting him rekindled my interest,” Flynn says.
For his part, Flynn saw success early in his career. “I was lucky enough to go basically right to the top with a world record. In my second year, I came up with a boomerang somewhat by accident, and then refined it based on some of Eric Darnell’s input for an event called ‘fast catch,’ which is the shortest time for five throws and five catches. And in 1982, I basically showed up at a tournament, pretty much an unknown, and I walked away with a world record.”
might be that day,” he explains.
As a member of the U.S. team, Flynn went on to secure the World Championship title in 1989, 1991, 1994, and 2002.
His first win was the sweetest. “It was wonderful. We almost won in ‘88 Europe, and the last day there was terrible wind and there were two U.S. squads. The other U.S. squad barely beat us — and we were leading going into that tournament. It was super frustrating. So, to be able to win it the next year, get that monkey off the back quickly, was just a wonderful thing.”
Flynn notes that nobody is hunting with boomerangs these days. “We do have a throw/stay competition in the World Championships that were a couple of weeks ago, in Denver,” he says. In the throw/stay competition a target is set up, and people take turns from 20 meters away, then go back to 30 meters, 40 meters and 50 meters with increasing points. It’s really a lot of fun, because everybody can do it.”
For all that the sport itself may be complex, Flynn says the skills required to participate are fairly basic. “You have to be able to throw — rule number one. If you’ve grown up throwing a baseball, throwing snowballs… that kind of overhand throwing motion — even thrown football, is helpful,” he says.
“I came to the sport from Ultimate Frisbee in college. And there was a throw in that sport called the ‘hammer throw,’ which is thrown overhand and the Frisbee actually tips over and flies upside down. By coincidence t the hammer throw release is almost exactly the same release that’s used for most boomerangs. So, I was able to transition into boomerangs quite quickly.”
There have been several efforts over the years to make boomerang throwing an Olympic sport, but Flynn says, “It’s a steep hill to climb. The Olympic people have a pretty high bar to even get into the discussion.” Flynn says the sport does have the required number of countries registered with the International Federation, but there are many other logistics to still iron out. He says if it did happen, realistically it would not be sooner than 2032. “Doing something with the Olympics would be great. Even if it’s’ in the opening ceremony as a demonstration,” he says.
The sport has taken Flynn across the globe to Italy, Switzerland, German, France, Japan and Australia. “It’s been a beautiful way to see the world,” he noted.
There are six core events in the sport. They test accuracy, distance, catching, freestyle catching, maximum time in the air, and shortest time for five throws and five catches Flynn says 35 to 40 people usually attend national competitions. “In the most recent World Championships, we had 65 competitors. That’s low compared to previous ones, it’s usually more like 80 to 100 in the individual. It’s a twoday competition for the individuals, and the team events are held over three days prior to that.”
His first time at the World Championships was on the U.S. team in 1984. “There’s six people on a squad on a team. And in each of the events, four people will compete. So, the team decides which four are best suited for a particular event and what the wind
CRAFTING THE TOOL
Boomerangs are as much science and art as they are a sporting tool, Flynn says.
“When I caught my first boomerang, people were throwing what most people envision when they think of the
John Flynn, a boomerang world record holder, makes his own boomerangs and recently published the book, "50 Important Boomerangs." Photo courtesy The Vermont Standard.
word ‘boomerang ‘— this two-wing and chevron-shaped device,” he explains. “And that’s what most people were throwing at that time in the early 80s. But shortly after that, my fast catch design changed that event — it reduced the flight time of those boomerangs that flew a lot lower than a traditional type.”
Flynn’s wasn’t the only innovation on the scene. “Then the ‘maximum time aloft’ technology changed with an aviator in Germany, who came up with a kind of asymmetric wing — one wing was longer than the other and made it out of thin plywood,” says Flynn. “That boomerang was thrown normally but it would take a lot longer for it to come down to the ground. That was a quantum leap in maximum time aloft. And then, later on in the late 80s, multi-wing boomerangs, three- or four- wing boomerangs, were allowed. The trick catching in the freestyle type of events became much easier to do for more people because there’s something in the middle of the boomerang to grab onto, whereas it’s a little harder to catch a two-wing boomerang than three- or four-wings.”
The origin of the boomerang is as interesting as the device itself. “It starts basically within the last 100 years, from the 1920s when indigenous Aboriginal Australians were making boomerangs for sale at La Perouse, which is a settlement just south of Sydney. The Aboriginal people started sharing their knowledge, and then more people started throwing boomerangs. And it just grew from there.”
The returning boomerang was not a hunting weapon in the same sense that a throwing stick or a club or a spear would be. “The returning boomerang was limited to throwing behind birds that might be on a body of water,” says Flynn. “The boomerang would go behind them, scare the birds, the birds would take off and fly to a net that the hunters were ready to raise over on the other side of the water. And then if they hit a bird, fine, but usually the boomerang would return to where it was thrown so it could be reused.”
Flynn notes that nobody is hunting with boomerangs these days. “We do have a throw/stay competition in the World Championships that were a couple of weeks ago, in Denver. We
put rubber bands on if it’s windy to add a little bit of drag, we’ll drill holes in certain wings.”
Flynn says a typical competitor will take around 40 boomerangs to a competition. “That’s going to cover the six core events,” he says. “And within those events, there are probably four or five different boomerangs that the thrower has developed and has them set the way they want for a particular wind condition. So, depending on the wind, he would select a different boomerang for a particular event. It’s similar to selecting the proper golf club..”
Flynn’s new book, “50 Important Boomerangs,” attempts to encapsulate all of these elements of the boomerang world. “Nobody was really recording it for historical purposes,” he explains. “And since I was there, since I was actually part of it, I needed to tell the story. I knew who to talk to and where I could find important boomerangs and get pictures of them, hence the title of the book.”
had a throw/stay competition where a target is set up, and people take turns from 20 meters away, then go back to 30 meters, 40 meters and 50 meters with increasing points. And see who wins just like any other competition. It’s really a lot of fun, because everybody can do it.”
The artistry involved in the creation of boomerangs is worthy of recognition in and of itself. “There are a lot of different reasons people participate in boomerangs. Some people are very talented painters, artists, and use the boomerang as a canvas for painting — sometimes using intricate designs or bold colors that look really great in the air,” he says. “Other people are into the woodworking aspect. I’ve made lots of different types of boomerangs out of natural elbows from trees, even here in Pomfret; as well as strip laminate that are seam bent and then glued together. And also lap joints where two pieces are glued together to make two wings.
“Other people are into the competition. And they’ll buy the boomerangs that they’re using rather than make them,” he continues. “In competition, we modify them, we will
He says half of the images of boomerangs in the book were provided by others, while the other half came from his own collection. Flynn noted that photographing the boomerangs in high-resolution is no easy feat. The book was brought to life in large part thanks to Pomfret-based printer Trafalgar Square Books, which specializes in high-end equestrian books.
The book also features essays written largely by Flynn himself, explaining the biggest developments in boomerang’s evolution over the last one hundred years.
Flynn says he usually hosts a boomerang tournament in West Lebanon, N.H. each July, but noted that this year’s tournament had to be canceled because it conflicted with the World Championships. “It will be hopefully back again next year.” As for ways the boomerang-curious can get involved, Flynn says now that he’s retired, he hopes to bring more events to the area — perhaps including clinics for beginners. “Now that I have more time, that’s something I’ve considered doing. If there’s a lot of local interest in the book, then that would certainly spur me on to make it happen. It’s great to throw boomerangs.”
“50 Important Boomerangs” is available at Yankee Bookshop in Woodstock and Norwich Bookstore. Tess Hunter is the managing editor of The Vermont Standard where this article originally appeared.
Nicknamed "Fast John Flynn," Flynn (center), is a four-time Boomerang Team World Champion and 13-time Event World Record Holder. Courtesy photo.
RANGING OUT OF RANGE
SMART PHONES. GPS. GARMIN WATCHES. STRAVA. IS THE WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE ENHANCED OR DIMINISHED BY THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY?
BY JESSE C. MCENTEE
Many sections of Vermont have no cell phone connectivity. Sometimes that's a good thing. Photo by Adobe Stock
The type of wilderness I enjoy is hard to define, but I know it when I experience it. It’s standing alone on a ridge late in the day on a cold December afternoon. Wind blowing, snow flying, sweat freezing on my back, and my red fingers gripping a muzzleloader as I chase a deer until sunset. It’s having to paddle a rowboat back to camp across the lake in the dark after my struggling 2.5 Suzuki outboard fails. It’s finding a streambed on a mountainside filled with so much snow that the untouched powder below my skis feels endless. These places are wild to me, and I seek them out because they offer moments
of solitude, freedom, fear, and thrill.
I was first able to give these feelings context after reading “Wilderness Ethics,” Guy Waterman and Laura Waterman’s landmark environmental call to action, published in 1993. Even then, the Watermans were asking how technology would transform our experience of being outdoors. Thirty years later, the question is: What exactly does it mean to be in the wilderness?
REWILDING
Humans have been systematically unwilding the earth for a long time, but this process has rapidly accelerated in
the past 150 years, as roads, electricity, cellular networks, and broadband have greatly simplified exploring and living in remote places. Today, there are many people in areas where there used to be few. In the backcountry, this influx leads to overuse and degradation of the natural landscape. One need look no further than crowded trailhead parking lots and trail erosion for proof.
Guy and Laura Waterman moved to Vermont in the 1970s as part of the Back to the Land movement. They homesteaded and became preeminent figures in New England’s hiking and climbing communities. The Watermans’ numerous books laid the
foundation for modern backcountry ethics; their prescient observations and recommendations are as relevant today as when “Wilderness Ethics” was published.
Already in 1979, when their first book, “Backwoods Ethics,” came out, the Watermans were concerned about the symptoms of overuse they observed during their adventures in the mountains. Northern New England once had seemingly unlimited space to explore and make camp, but this limitlessness declined in the 1960s and 1970s as more people ventured out to escape the city. Recollecting an encounter with a group of Boy
Students on one of Kroka's wilderness expeditions ski the length of the Catamount Trail, camping along the way and learning to live without technology
Photo courtesy Kroka Expeditions
Scouts in the mid-1960s in the White Mountains, the Watermans described a scene that is startling by today’s backcountry standards. After realizing that the shelter couldn’t accommodate the scout troop, the boys made a new camp farther down the trail:
“. . . a beehive of activity, centering around an enormous jerry-built lean-to, large enough to sleep 14 underneath, with long fresh-cut poles (some up to six inches in diameter) lashed together and covered over with a thick matting of fresh-cut evergreen branches. . . . Just multiply that troop of 14 by several hundred other Scouting outfits, summer camps, outdoor clubs, and college outing clubs . . . try to imagine what would be left of the woods, had that pattern continued unchecked.”
The ethic the Watermans advocated for involved treading lightly: Use a camp stove, sleep in a hammock, stay off alpine vegetation, and leave your dog at home. Pack it in, pack it out. Don’t litter the woods with plastic flagging.
This is basic appropriate outdoor behavior that ensures future enjoyment of unspoiled places. What happens, though, when we add to the mix technology and the promise of unlimited connectivity, even in the world’s remotest places? This question already concerned the Watermans when they published “Wilderness Ethics.”
“All too evident today are the thousands of affluent but nervous people, seeking some sort of synthetic physical challenge,” they wrote. “In every outdoor activity that once demanded well-earned skills and genuine honest-to-God risk, you can now buy a guided weekend of imitation thrills on a guaranteed no-risk basis.”
And in the three decades since “Wilderness Ethics” was published, technology has rendered our wild places less wild, our remotest places less remote, if only virtually.
Crowds, connectivity, and safety replace the sense of wildness, danger, and the unknown that make heading to the outdoors so thrilling. I once listened to a person make dinner reservations while eating lunch at the top of Vermont’s Mount Mansfield. Did I imagine it or was she speaking louder than necessary so we could all hear the posh restaurant’s name?
As our technological capabilities expand, the size of our wilderness shrinks, which raises the question: How un-wild do we want to make wilderness?
SHRINKING THE WILDERNESS
The story of two people killed in a Canadian national park in September 2023 was widely reported. A repeated detail was that the couple used a Garmin inReach device to send an SOS that included their coordinates and the final ominous message “Bear attack bad.” Satellite communicators aren’t new, but their cost has decreased considerably in recent years.
A Cabela’s flyer I received this August has Garmin’s inReach Mini Satellite Communicator for sale at $249.98. I bought one three years ago, and I cannot overstate the number of logistical challenges this little device has helped resolve. My family no longer wonder where I am or if I’m OK, and my buddies can quickly adapt to circumstances, saving hours of driving. Every October, November, and December during hunting season, I splurge on the $64.95 a month plan, which allows me to send unlimited text messages from anywhere and to anyone on the globe.
Satellite communicators have saved the lives of even experienced outdoors people, such as a Colorado hiker who became stranded on a ledge in unpredictable conditions in Rocky Mountain National Park in the summer of 2022. No one would deny that it was a great thing that he entered the woods with a satellite beacon in his gear. But how should we feel about the guy who proposed to his girlfriend using his Garmin inReach while backpacking in the Sawtooth Range of Utah.
As advanced connectivity
technology becomes ubiquitous, I look back at the Watermans’ discussions of wilderness ethics and wonder if wilderness even exists anymore. Safety and preparedness are paramount to any outdoor adventurer. But so is adventure. And if global communication via a device that fits into the palm of our hand is the outdoors enthusiast’s new normal, one wonders just how wild the wilderness can be.
A SOLITUDE WORTH PRESERVING
As we venture into the outdoors, do we leave no trace or do we litter? Do we stay in designated campsites or do we make new ones, cutting trees for a single night’s stay? Do we trample the alpine vegetation, destroying it, or do we stay on the designated trail? For most stewards of the outdoors, the answers to these questions are obvious. The more complex choices relate to the mental spaces we carve out for ourselves. Just as “Wilderness Ethics” was published, cellphones were on the cusp of becoming commonplace. Today, cellular coverage and social media have created a new set of challenges. Do we post the location of a remote campsite, fishing spot, or ski line on social media? Do we need 100 percent connectivity at all times? Is it even possible to get lost anymore? Is the possibility of getting lost integral to the wilderness experience?
If more people want to access public lands, that’s a good thing. But how can we accommodate the variety of interests and abilities without turning the entire globe into one big connected
playground where ever-fancier gadgets replace skill? Navigating where contemporary connectivity and wilderness preservation meet is pivotal; overuse of wild spaces challenges the core of solitude and wildness, redefining the concept of wilderness.
I remember shooting a deer in a remote area before I owned an inReach. After I caught up with the buck, I rested my muzzleloader against a little striped maple, and the deer’s last few breaths dissipated. The deer had led me on a chase into an unfamiliar zone. Removing my iPhone from my pocket and sealed quarter-gallon ziplock bag, I planned to look at my map, figure out where I was, and call my buddy to help me field dress and drag the deer.
As I stood above that buck, clumped snowflakes melted on our backs. Unlocking the screen of my iPhone with numb fingers took three tries. Google Maps opened, and I started typing a text to my buddies: “Got one!” The message wasn’t sending, and the map wasn’t loading. I looked at the upper right-hand corner of the screen. No Service. Chuckling to myself, I got to work. For the next two hours, I was alone but not lonely. It was a solitude that was precious and fragile, a solitude worth preserving.
Jesse C. McEntee is a freelance writer, researcher, and social scientist in northern Vermont. He examines social and environmental issues through the lens of hunting, fishing, and outdoor adventure.
The author, out of cell range on the west flanks of Mt. Mansfield. Photo courtesy Jesse McEntee
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RENOUN EARHART SKIS
She’s back! The Earhart 88 ($899) is Renoun’s women’s all-mountain ski crafted by a team of Vermont ladies and
named after the legendary pilot, Amelia Earhart. The ski boasts a progressive rocker profile to help navigate bumps and powder with ease, while a maple core gives a responsive, lively feel. Confidently explore Vermont’s trails with the Earhart 88. $899 only available at renoun.com.
VERMONT SMOKE & CURE VARIETY PACK
Vermont Smoke & Cure goes all in to craft premium meat sticks that power your adventures. A customer favorite, the 12-count .5oz Variety Pack ($11.99) is the perfect on-the-go protein boost for outdoor enthusiasts. Each mini stick delivers a delicious taste of the bestsellers, including Original Beef & Pork, Hickory Smoked Uncured Bacon Pork, and BBQ Seasoned Beef. Handcrafted,
Bivo bottle
UnTapped Bourbon Barrel-Aged Syrup
Vermont Glove Tuttle
Renoun Earhart Skis
Hootie Hoo Torrent Fleece
Vermont Smoke & Cure Variety Pack
for those who live life to the fullest. Whether you’re hitting the slopes or exploring the great outdoors, the variety pack ensures you’ll have the perfect snack at hand. Use offer code GiftGuide for 20% off your order to celebrate all who chase powder days! vtsmokeandcure.com
THUJA CUSTOM BURROW HOODIE
This is the perfect all-around mid-layer. Constructed from Polartec© Power Grid™ fleece, it is moisture wicking and warm, yet breathable and lightweight, and made from 93% recycled Polyester. The Burrow Hoodie ($139) is custom made here in WIlliston, Vt. Mix and match colors for the body and choose
combinations, so yours can be completely unique. thujavt.com
RIPPIN KITTEN HATS
Rippin Kitten Hats has been collecting vintage ski resort patches for decades which are the centerpiece of their oneof-a-kind Pom creations. Made from minky-soft microfiber and topped with a detachable (repurposed) fur pom, the artisan hats are a conversation piece of ski history and fond memories. Plus, you can customize a Rippin Kitten Hat ($98) for your ski/ride enthusiast. Just go online to choose a patch, hat color and pom for a truly unique gift. rippinkittenhats.com
GORDINI ARTIST SERIES MITT
Introducing the Gordini Artist Series Mitt ($89.99) with original style and fit for the playful and soulful mountain crew. With a U.S. base in Williston, Vt., Gordini partnered with environmental artist and printmaker, Jordan Kendall Parks, to bring the joy of snow into our hands and close to our hearts. Check out our exclusive designs that visualize this collaboration of passion, purpose, and art. gordini.com
PARADIS SPORT BIKINI
Paradis Sport’s Natural Fiber Bikini ($35) is designed for any activity, from skiing to hiking to running or rock climbing. It wicks moisture, dries fast, and features 4-way stretch to
move with you. The patented Merrow Activeseam™ delivers the Paradis’ stayin-place promise that it will not slide or ride up. Certified BPA- and PFAS-free and manufactured in the U.S. using European fabric that is derived from sustainably harvested beech tree pulp, this underwear is sewn in small batches using the highest quality materials. Outside Magazine, Backpacker, and Treeline Review all rated it the bestin class-underwear for active women. Paradis is the only underwear brand to fit-test with athletes. Individual bikinis make great stocking stuffers, and the 4-pack gift set features one of each color and comes in a beautiful box. Give the gift of a luxurious first layer. paradissport.com
Thuja Custom Burrow Hoodie
Rippin Kitten Hats
Gordini Artist Series Mitt
Paradis Sport Bikini
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FEATURED ATHLETE
THE WRITING RUNNER
Name: Brad Fawley
Age: 70 (Dec. 1)
Lives in: Guilford, Vt.
Family: Wife, Ann Marie Howard; son Russell; daughter Caroline. Lives in: Guilford
Primary sports: Running, cross country skiing, triathlon
Brad Fawley has been many things. A two-time NCAA AllAmerican runner in the 5000 meter and in cross country at Marietta College, he went on to get his Masters in Oceanography before deciding to pursue a law degree at University of Virginia. He has patents for three automotive parts he developed while working on his two Porsche 911s.
Fawley has also always been a writer and Green Writers Press recently published his first novel, The Frontrunner. The novel follows distance runner Russ Clayton who grew up in a small town in Kansas as he puts himself and all his faith in the hands of a renegade coach. At the Olympics, they take on Russian twins who have been groomed and doped since boyhood by their coach.
Fawley divides his time between Guilford, Vt. and Southern California, where his wife, the actor Ann Marie Howard (who has appeared in “House of Cards,” among other shows), works in film and TV.
Before we get into the book, how did you end up in Guilford, Vt.? I was a partner at a law firm in Hartford, Ct. and I had a headhunter call me one day and say: “Describe your dream job to me and where it would be.” I said “I’d love to be doing the same thing but in a small town in New England.” A few days later he called to say that the Burlington law firm Downs Rachlin Martin was opening an office in Brattleboro. That was in 1993.
Did you discover a strong running community here?
I started focusing on getting back in shape and running more when I turned 50. I had a little more time and the kids were off at college. In Brattleboro
there’s a great Nordic ski coach named Hank Lange. He would organize these track workouts that would start at about 6 a.m. year-round and 20 or 25 people would show up. If the track had snow, we would do tempo runs or hills. Then at the end of the workout there was yoga and stretching and we’d go off to work.
Have you been able to keep up your speed? What post-age-50 race are you most proud of?
I was able to jump into a half marathon in Burlington – I think it was called Hills No Frills – and run that in a 1:27.
How did writing The Frontrunner come about?
My wife is an actress, and during COVID I woke up one day and I said to her “There’s no great running movie, no epic running movie other than
and giant stadiums filled with people screaming at races and everything. So, I wrote a screenplay for The Frontrunner. I later showed it to an Oscar-nominated Hollywood screenwriter and he said “You know if they make this into a movie they are going to change it so much you won’t recognize it,” so I went back and wrote it as a novel.
How much of The Frontrunner is drawn from your life and experience as a runner?
I’d say there are aspects to the character Russ (who is named after my son) that are me and Al Meeker, who is Russ’ roommate at Oregon, is a real person. My best friend’s is Al Meeker and he and I ran together in college. There was a real-life event where he showed up in my dorm room at, I think it was one o’clock in the morning and said, Hey, let’s go for a run. I was like “What are you crazy?” And 10 minutes later, we were out the door and running. So, yeah, there are all kinds of things that I lifted.
Do you still do midnight runs?
Not now, but when I lived near my family – we were all runners, my mom, my sister too – we would get a big group together on New Years’ Eve and start a run at midnight and then have a big pot of chili waiting when we finished.
What are some of your most memorable races?
Probably my favorite memory was junior year at Marietta. One of my buddies said “let’s go run a marathon.” I had never done a marathon. I mean I had gone for long runs ad I averaged 80 to 100 miles a week. I thought. okay I can do that.
Five guys all decided to do the race so we all piled into my friend Kurt’s car. We ran at an indoor track meet on Friday night and then we had to get to Beltsville, Maryland, which was 10 hours away.
The car broke down in Pennsylvania so we went to the police station. We said “we’ve got two guys here who are nationally ranked in the marathon and they have to make it to this marathon in Beltsville. Could you guys get on your radios and call a trucker who is on their way to Beltsville to take us in the cab to the marathon?”
That didn’t work so we called Kurt’s dad and he drove in the night from Cleveland to the middle of Pennsylvania and dropped off a car that worked. We all piled in the new car and got to
Chariots of Fire, which is inspirational, but there’s no fictional epic movie with people running across the desert
The author in Guilford and his book jacket. Courtesy photo.
Maryland at 6:00 a.m. We checked into a Holiday Inn that was near the race and snuck everybody into one room because we didn’t have any money.
We had an hour and a half of sleep and then we got up and ran the marathon. We all finished. I ran a 2:33. I started off really slow because I didn’t know what was going on with the marathon. Then I kept going faster. I got fifth. I thought Wow, this is something I could be good at. So, in my book the night before the Olympic marathon Russ gets no sleep—that came from my life.
Did you ever try out for the Olympics, as your character Russ did?
I think this was a lot of what this book is about for me. After college, I wanted to pursue running to see how fast I could be. I had an idea of trying to qualify for the Olympic Trials [in the marathon] and that would’ve been my goal, just qualify. I think 2:22 was the time you had to run. I thought 2:33, 2:22, if I train for it, I should be able to do that. People I knew I could beat were running that. So, I decided all right I’m gonna shift from track to this.
Yet, I was also torn by feeling I had to do something with this college
education. I was with a woman. We ultimately got married and had two kids. Life was great. I didn’t know what I wanted to be and I was trying to train and figure that out.
I ended up going to grad school to be an oceanographer. While I was in grad school, I had to work two jobs. I was trying to train and had an hour a day at best. I’d just go to the local track.
I thought If I only have an hour a day, I’m just gonna run intervals, I’m just gonna run quarters, till I collapse. I’d run like a mile to the track. then I’d run quarters with a 200 [meter] jog over and over and over. Then I’d jog home. I did no distance training at all. I didn’t know what I was doing. I had no coach, I didn’t do long runs. The whole thing collapsed, and school took over.
Vacation Rental Directory
CLASSIC STOWE CABIN WITH HOT TUB
This picture-perfect classic Vermont 2-bedroom, 1-bath cabin sits in a quiet valley not far from the slopes and backs up to miles of trails that are great for hiking or backcountry skiing. Just 15 minutes to the Trapp Family Lodge, town and Stowe Mountain Resort. airbnb.com/h/ stowe-vt-cabin-with-hot-tub
MIDDLEBURY COTTAGE ON LAKE DUNMORE
On gorgeous Lake Dunmore, this freshly-renovated 2-bedroom, 2-bath cottage sleeps 6, is central to great skiing at Brandon Gap, Killington, Pico, Middlebury Snow Bowl and Rikert Nordic Center. Yearround, skate, XC ski or swim right out your front door. airbnb.com/h/ lake-dunmore-cottage
I ultimately went to law school, but I kept running. It was my outlet.
I really feel like some of those times when I went out, I ran the fastest times I had ever run. But I didn’t have a watch and it wasn’t a race. And that’s in the book too; Brad Coy talks about being in the desert and running world records with nobody watching. I distinctly remember certain runs where I thought I had endless reserves of energy. I couldn’t go any faster. I felt like I was just sprinting the whole way.
In the book, the characters push themselves to the limits. Did you?
When I started the book, I was 67 and I had always wondered what I could do. I think the book was a way of exploring that mentally: What would it take to find out what your limits are, to truly figure that out? I never did that. I did used to swim underwater which was part of that story. When I was a kid, I could always beat my buddies because I could hold my breath underwater. I had that feeling of Where is the edge of the pool? Where is that limit? When am I gonna run out of air?
Have a vacation rental or Airbnb? Feature your property here!
Rates start at $150/issue. Contact ads@vtsports.com
COZY KILLINGTON CHALET ON MTN. ROAD
This cozy retreat is just one mile from main base areas and within walking distance to over a dozen restaurants and bars. It has a wood-burning fireplace, washer/dryer, porch, t.v., and wifi. This 2-bedroom, 1-bath, sleeps 4 people and will take dogs. vrbo.com/650909 or email rent.killington@gmail.com
STOCKBRIDGE YURT ON 40 FOREST ACRES
Ideal for nature enthusiasts. the yurt (or wall tent, too) is 4 miles from excellent hiking on the LT/AT. Near mountain biking at Killington, Rochester, and Randolph and the gorgeous White River. Pack it in and out, leave no trace. This is for folks looking for a quiet and peaceful experience.
airbnb.com/h/slink/iro0BZwq
Fawley, as an NCAA All-American runner at Marietta College and today, near his home in Guilford, Vt. Courtesy photo.
VERMONT SPORTS
LISTING YOUR EVENT IN THIS CALENDAR IS FREE AND EASY. VISIT VTSPORTS.COM/SUBMIT-AN-EVENT OR E-MAIL EDITOR@VTSPORTS. COM. ALL AREA CODES ARE 802. ALL LOCATIONS ARE IN VERMONT, UNLESS NOTED. FEATURED EVENTS, IN YELLOW, PAY A NOMINAL FEE.
RUNNING/SNOWSHOEING
NOVEMBER
2 |RUTFest, Richmond
A weekend devoted to running and hiking local trails with our community. This 36hour “race” includes two different 3-4 mile trail loops at Catamount Outdoor Family Center, with gorgeous views of Camel’s Hump and Mt. Mansfield. These two loops are run on repeat, whenever you want. https://ultrasignup.com/register. aspx?did=106726
2 | UCS Superhero 5K, Bennington In its 7th year, the Superhero 5K and Kids’ Dash 5K-course tours the local streets and small businesses of Bennington. Come dressed as your favorite superhero from the comics, and show appreciation for the heroes in your life. raceentry.com/ucssuperhero-5k/race-information
2, 9, 16 |Fallen Leaves 5K Series, Montpelier Come to the Montpelier High School track at 8 am on Nov. 4, 11 and 18 to race this classic 5K series. cvrunners.org/ cvr-races/fallen-leaves-5k-series/
3 | Vermont 10 Miler, Stowe The course is a hilly ten-mile run that starts and finishes at Mayo Farm Fields in Stowe. The first four miles are steadily up hill. vermont10miler.com
10, 17, 24 | Fall Trail Running Series, St.Albans Each week will be a different 5K course. All courses will take place on the wide cross country trail around Hard’ack. stalbansnordic.org/upcoming-events/ hardack-fall-trail-running-series/
28 | Gobble Gobble Wobble 5K, Stratton Get your tailfeathers moving early to kick off Thanksgiving on the right foot. This family-friendly 5K begins in the Stratton village courtyard, loops around the resort, and concludes back in the Village. Sign up as a family, with your running buddy, or hang out and show support for your favorite runner Thanksgiving morning, rain or shine stratton.com
RACE & EVENT GUIDE
8 |Zack’s Place Thanksgiving Turkey Trot, Woodstock This 5k walk and run is through historic Woodstock, on Thanksgiving morning at 10 AM. All proceeds support Zack’s Place, a non-profit that provides free programs to adults with Special needs from all over the Upper Valley of Vermont and New Hampshire. This festive event has entertainment, refreshments, and prizes. zacksplacevt.org/ events/turkey-trot/
28 | 48th Annual GMAA Turkey Trot 5K Food Drive, Burlington A 5K loop on the UVM women’s cross-country course in Burlington. Great footing (not counting snow or ice) on cinder/paved path and grass – some single track. No pets, headphones, strollers or bicycles allowed on the course. Walkers welcome. gmaa.run/schedule/ turkey-trot/
DECEMBER
31 | New Year’s Eve 5K, Montpelier Join Central Vermont Runners for an end-ofthe year 5K through the streets of Montpelier. cvrunners.com
JANUARY 2025
25 | Onion River Outdoors Snowshoe Romp, Montpelier
Gather at the Hubbard Park Old Shelter for ORO’s annual Snowshoe Romp. Enjoy a candlelit trail through the woods, hot chocolate, ice cream and a bonfire. Bring a headlamp and demo snowshoes from MSR, Tubbs, and Atlas! 6-8pm. onionrver.com
24-26 |The Snowdevil Ultra, Pittsfield. A return to the roots of Spartan endurance. Expect demanding trails, relentless climbs, and breathtaking views. From the thousandfoot, three-mile climb to the dense spruce forest aptly named the Labyrinth, every step of this snowshoe race will test your grit and determination. race.spartan.com'
CYCLING
NOVEMBER
3 | 33rd West Hill Shop Cyclocross Race, Putney
This classic cyclocross race course happens right at the West Hill Shop. Racers pour into the grass fields of chicanes around the solar panels, and behind the shop. More technical parts are through the woods. Crank some watts into the corn field and
possibly other new add-on's and prepare for the "new" run-up. Catch your breath for a few yards and then get whooped by the second run up. Cat 1-5, masters, collegiate and junior categories. westhillshop.com
SKIING & RIDING
NOVEMBER
7 | 11th Annual Vermont Backcountry Forum, Rochester
Celebrating backcountry skiing with the Ridgeline Outdoor Collective and 40 years of the Catamount Trail Association. Talks, prizes and more at the Pierce Hall Community Center. catamounttrail.org
Nov. 9 | Waitsfield Ski + Skate Sale, Mad River Glen
Come to Mad River Glen for the Waitsfield annual consignment sale. Sale is from 9 am to 4 pm, but $10 gets you an early-bird ticket with access to the sale and first dibs at 8:00 am. Benefits Waitsfield Elementary School. waitsfieldschool.org/ski-and-skate-sale
20-23 | Warren Miller’s “75” Film, Middlebury, Stowe & Burlington Warren Miller Entertainment’s 75th anniversary film will take fans to powder stashes and chutes around the world, from Canada, Colorado, California, and Utah to Finland, Japan, Austria, and New Jersey. (Yes, even New Jersey.) The lineup incluees snowboarders Shaun White, Zeb Powell, Toby Miller, Danny Davis, and 15-year-old phenom LJ Henriquez, plus skiers Max Hitzig, Lexi duPont, Caite Zeliff, Aaron Blunck, Alex Ferreira, Cassie Sharpe, and many more. Shows are at Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater on Nov. 20, Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe on Nov. 22 and The Flynn in Burlington, Nov. 23. warrenmiller.com
23 | The Big Kicker, Sugarbush Kick-off the 24/25 winter season with at Mt Ellen. Enjoy live music, a rail jam, bonfires, food, drinks and more. sugarbush.com
22-24 | Okemo Mountain School Ski and Snowboard Swap, Ludlow Everything you need to get out on the hill this season…. skis, snowboards, boots, bindings, helmets, goggles, outerwear, and more. Proceeds go to benefit the Okemo Mountain School. The OMS Ski Swap will once again take place in the Round House at the Jackson Gore Inn. Okemomountainschool.org
29-Dec. 1 | HERoic Stifel Killington World Cup, Killington Watch the best female racers in the world compete on Superstar in a giant slalom on Saturday and slalom on Sunday. Watch as Mikaela Shiffrin may earn her 100th win. Plus, a tent village, free concerts by national artists, including Fitz and the Tantrums, Matt Quinn (lead singer from Mt. Joy), Eve 6, and DJ Ross fireworks, parties and a VIP tent. killington.com
DECEMBER
7 | Snowlight in Vermont, Stratton Snowlight in Vermont reception and village tree lighting. Sponsor a lighted tree ($625-$725) and dedicate a plaque in the Stratton Village or in Manchester during the winter 23-24 season. “Snowlight in Vermont” supports critical programs that address hunger, health, basic necessities and education for Vermont children in need. Our schools witness up to 80% of children living at or below the poverty level. Stratton.com
7 | Brew, Bites & Boards Weekend, Smuggler’s Notch Resort
Skiing paired with the flavors of Vermont’s top breweries and ciders. Enjoy a Saturday night prime rib dinner featuring flights from Fiddlehead Brewery and Stowe Cider, plus an on-site presentation from the makers. Packages with lodging, lift tickets, two breakfasts and the dinner start at $299 per person. smuggs.com
7-8 | Audi FIS Alpine Women’s World Cup, Mont Tremblant, QC
Following the Killington Cup, the world’s top women tech ski racers head to Mont Tremblant, QC for two days of giant slalom races on the women’s Audi World Cup. Tremblant.ca
7 | NE Rando/Skimo Race, Stratton Challenge the mountain up and down “The Bear”. nerandorace.blogspot.com.
13 | Warren Miller’s “75” Film, Stratton
Warren Miller Entertainment’s 75th anniversary film will take fans to powder stashes and chutes around the world, from Canada, Colorado, California, and Utah to Finland, Japan, Austria, and New Jersey. (Yes, even New Jersey.) The lineup incluees snowboarders Shaun White, Zeb Powell, Toby Miller, Danny Davis, and 15-year-old phenom LJ Henriquez, plus skiers Max Hitzig, Lexi duPont, Caite Zeliff, Aaron Blunck, Alex Ferreira, Cassie Sharpe, and many more. warrenmiller.com
4-15
| AT/Nodic/Tele Demo Weekend, Lape Placid
Come to Scotts Cobble Nordic Center for Alpine touring and backcountry demos and clinics. Plus, on Sunday Whiteface hosts ski and boot demos and intro to AT and telemark clinics weather permitting. highpeakscyclery.com
14 | Wall of Fame & Sugarbash, Sugarbush
Wstablished as part of the resort’s 60th anniversary celebration, the Wall of Fame annually recognizes those who have made a significant contribution to “cultivating a spirit of lifelong adventure and camaraderie among Sugarbush staff, guests, and the community.” Followed by the Sugarbash party with live music. sugarbush.com
15 | Santa Sunday, Bolton Valley
It’s pretty simple really: Dress from head to toe in a Santa Claus costume and you ski/ride for free this day. Arrive at Guest Services prior to 10am to get your complimentary lift ticket for the day and qualify for this giveaway. Santa Group Photo: 11am, slopeside of Main Base Lodge toward Mid Mountain Lift. Boltonvalley. com
21 | Champagne Cowbell, Sugarbush Celebrate Mt Ellen’s opening day with a Champagne party. Test your cork-shooting prowess and hit the cowbell hanging from the rafters, enter giveaways to win sweet prizes, boogie to live music, and have a bite and a drink from the Green Mountain Lounge. sugarbush.com
JANUARY
4 | Bogburn Classic, Ripton This will mark the 36th edition of the Bogburn Classic, an event steeped in celebrating the roots of cross country skiing — and the third running of the event in Ripton. Traditionally held in Pomfret, Vermont on a single track. rikertoutdoor.com
11, 25 | ADK Tour de Ski, Adirondacks
Take part in this new cross-country ski race series in the spectacular Adirondack Mountains! Jan. 11 at Dewey Mountain, Jan. 25 at James Frenette Recreational Trails, Tupper Lake, Feb. 22 at the Cascade Ski Center, Lake Placid and March 8 at Paul Smith’s College VIC, Paul Smiths Highpeakscyclery.com
25 | NE Rando/Skimo Race, Bromley
Challenge the mountain up and down “The Sun.”’ nerandorace.blogspot.com.
Dec 14th*
Dec 15th
IKE SHOPS
AROUND THE REGION
BATTENKILL BICYCLES
99 Bonnet St., Manchester Ctr, VT
802-362-2734 | battenkillbicycles.com
Manchester's bicycle shop since 1972, Battenkill Bicycles is a Trek and Specialized dealer offering advice and sales to meet all your cycling needs. The service department offers tune-ups and repairs for all brands. Come rent a bike or get information about group rides. Battenkill Bicycles is the number one e-bike seller in southern Vermont and an authorized e-bike service center.
BERKSHIRE OUTFITTERS
RR 8, 169 Grove St., Adams, MA 413-743-5900 | berkout@bcn.net
A full-service bike shop at the base of the Mt. Greylock State Reservation. We also border a beautiful 12-mile paved rail trail. We carry Jamis, Rocky Mountain and G.T. We offer sales, repairs and rentals for the rail trail.
BOOTLEGGER BIKES
60 Main St. Jeffersonville, VT 802-6448370 & at 82 Main St., St. Albans. 802.782.8747 bootleggerbikes.com
A full-service shop near Smugglers' Notch and a new shop in St. Albans. We offer new, used and custom bikes as well as custom-built wheels for mountain, road, gravel, fat bikes, bikepacking and touring. Rentals offered at our Cambridge Junction shop on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail. Bikes are a passion here.
4 THE BOOT PRO
44 Pond St. Ludlow, VT
802-228-2776 thebootpro.net
A full-service bike and ski shop staffed for sales & service of mountain and gravel bikes, E-bikes, kid’s bikes. Rentals: Mountain & E-bikes. Guided rides: Mountain bike & gravel. Wide selection of clothing & accessories. Level-2 Specialized certified E-bike technicians. On the corner of the Okemo Access Rd.
105 Main St. Brattleboro, VT 05301
802-254-9430 | burrowsports.com
11
16 Pleasant St., Randolph 802-565-8139 gearhouseVT.com
There’s no off-season for sports in Vermont! Burrows Sports provides year-round sporting goods, services and repairs in Brattleboro, VT and surrounding areas. For 90 years, we’ve taken a personalized, small-town approach to providing our customers with the equipment they need to fully enjoy the area - skis, snowboards, tennis, bicycles, e-bikes, cargo bikes, running gear, skates, and all the accessories! Brands you can trust from Cannondale, Bianchi, Trek, Diamondback, GT, K2, Rossignol, Rome, Saucony, Salomon, POC, Darn Tough, Skida, Turtle Fur & Vermont Glove.
CHUCK’S BIKES
45 Bridge St. Morrisville, VT 802-888-7642 | chucksbikes802. com
40 years selling the best brands in all categories of bikes. Transition Norco Jamis KHS & Devinci. We have the largest inventory and best service in Northern VT. PS Be kind to trails and do trailwork Mon.-Wed, & Fri 105, Sat & Thurs 10-2. Be well by being smart.
EARL’S CYCLERY & FITNESS
2069 Williston Rd., So. Burlington, VT
802-864-9197 | earlsbikes.com
EAST BURKE SPORTS
439 Route 114 East Burke VT 802-626-3215 eastburkesports.com
Located in the heart of town, we pride ourselves in expert knowledge and friendly customer service. A full-service shop awaits you and your repair needs. We have 100 rental bikes with an enormous selection of clothing, parts, and accessories. Hours: 9 - 6 daily.
EQUIPE SPORT
8749 VT RT 30, Rawsonville, VT 21 S Access Rd, West Dover, VT 802-297-2846 | equipesport.com
Sales, Service and Rentals of mountain and gravel bikes. Carrying brands from GT, Rocky Mountain, Santa Cruz and Jamis. Stop in to either of our locations near Stratton and Mount Snow. Open 7 days.
Earl’s Cyclery has been serving Vermont’s cycling and fitness needs for more than 65 years. With over 12,000 square feet, Earl’s has the largest selection of bikes from Trek, Norco, Giant, Electra, Bianchi, and more. The service center at Earl’s has professionally trained technicians who are certified to work on all makes and models of bicycles. Whether you need a flat tire fix, or a suspension rebuild, the service staff is ready to help. Estimates are free! Stop on by or give us a call!
74 Main St., Middlebury, VT 802-388-6666 | froghollowbikes.com
Take advantage of the most advanced and courteous service and sales in our region, with quick turn-around in our shop downstairs. Upstairs, we offer a variety of road, gravel, mountain, lifestyle, electric and children's bikes and gear. Brands include Trek, Cannondale, and Open that offer superior products that balance innovation and performance with reliability and value. We also offer bicycle rentals and weekly group rides. Monday - Friday 10 -5, Sat. 10 - 4.
A family-friendly shop located in the center of Vermont, we offer Rocky Mountain, Salsa, Bianchi, KHS, a rotating inventory of used outdoor gear, and full service repair shop. Randolph has newly revived mtb trails that combine classic old-school singletrack with machine built zones. Start the 12/12a loop from the shop for 38 miles of well maintained pavement, or map countless gravel rides from town. The shop is also home to ROC's trail hub featuring topographical and printed maps. Stop by and plan your next adventure!
GREEN MOUNTAIN BIKES
105 N. Main Rochester VT 800-767-7882 | greenmountainbikes.com
Located in the heart of the Green Mountains, we are surrounded by terrain that calls to mountain and road bikers alike. Whether you ride twisting trails or back-to-back gaps, we service, sell, and rent all styles of bicycles, featuring Kona, Jamis, Juliana, Raleigh, Santa Cruz, Transition, and Hinderyckx bikeshand crafted by our own Rochester boy Zak Hinderyckx. So STOP READING and RIDE YOUR BIKE! Hours: 7 days a week, 10 – 6. 12
2733 Main St., Lake Placid, NY 518-523-3764 | highpeakscyclery. com
The Adirondacks' source for cycling and outdoor gear and adventures since 1983.RIDE THE ADIRONDACK RAIL TRAIL. Lake Placid to Tupper Lake and Beyond. Paddle. Bike. Hike. Fish. E-Bikes. Guides. Shuttles. Tours Adventure.
394 Mountain Road Ste. 6, Stowe, VT | 802-585-3344
hitchhikerbikes.com
We are Stowe's local bike shop. Located adjacent to the Cady Hill trails in the Baggy Knees shopping center. We are your source for all things MTB and gravel. We have you covered with everything from sales and service, to clothing, parts, and accessories! In store you'll find bikes from Rocky Mountain, Cervelo, Otso Forbidden, Chromag, and more!"
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LAMOILLE VALLEY BIKE TOURS
19 Creamery St., Johnson, VT | 802-730-0161 | lamoillevalleybiketours. com
Located trailside on the 93-mile Lamoille Valley Rail Trail! Lamoille Valley Bike Tours has been getting riders out on the rail trail with local knowledge and friendly service since 2016. We offer E-bike and Bike tours, rentals and sales and a new Rail Trail Bike Shuttle service. We carry E-bikes, bikes and gravel bikes from Diamondback, Batch Bicycles, Cannondale, Izip and Surface 604 with a wide selection of used E-bikes available for sale. We offer private consultations and a try-before-you-buy customer experience. We service Bosch and Shimano E-bike systems. Come visit us at our fully stocked Trailside Bike Center at mile 55 on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail
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OMER & BOBS
20 Hanover St. Lebanon, NH 603-448-3522 | omerandbobs.com
The Upper Valley's bike shop since 1964. Offering mountain, hybrid, road, gravel, electrics, and kids bikes from Electra, Norco, Specialized and Trek. Featuring a full service department, bike fitting, bike rentals, mountain and e-bikes demos, and a kids trade-in, trade-up program. Hours: Mon.-Friday, 9am-5:30pm, Sat., 9am-5pm
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ONION RIVER OUTDOORS
89 Main St. Montpelier, VT 802-225-6736 | onionriver.com
VT's premier bike, rack and outdoor gear shop. Friendly and knowledgeable sales and service. We carry Specialized, Rocky Mountain, Salsa, Surly, and Seven Cycles and a variety of clothing and accessories including Giro, Smith, Club Ride, Patagonia, Pearl Izumi and more. Visit our website to learn about our clinics, events and rentals.
OUTDOOR GEAR EXCHANGE
37 Church St., Burlington, VT 21 Essex Way, Essex Jct., VT Madbush Falls, Warren, VT 888-547-4327 | gearx.com
35 Portland St. Morrisville, VT 802-888-6557 powerplaysports.com
North Central Vermont's Trek and Giant Dealer nestled in the heart of bike country. Selling new and used bikes for every budget and every type of rider from beginner to expert. We service all manner of bike and sell tons of accessories and apparel. Bike rentals for the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail just 200 yards down the road.
RANCH CAMP 23
311 Mountain Road, Stowe, VT
802-253-2753 | ranchcampvt.com
TYGART
57 Pond St. STE 1, Ludlow, VT (802) 228-5440
Info@tygartmountainsports.com, Tygartmountainsports.com
We are a full service bicycle sales and service center offering a variety of bikes from Cannondale, Scott, and Kona. We also offer a full line of tools, clothing, and accessories. We have 4 Park Tool School Certified technicians with a combined 52 years of industry experience offering a full range of services including in-house suspension work and full build-outs.
Ranch Camp is Vermont's MTB base lodge and your hub for bikes, gear, food, and apres! Ranch Camp offers a full service trailside bike shop, tap room, and fresh-casual eatery all under one roof. We're proud to work with some of the best brands in the business and carry bikes from Ibis, Yeti, Revel, Norco, and Trek. Located at the foot of Stowe's Cady Hill Forest we've got a demo fleet of pedal assist and analog bikes so you can try before you buy.
SKIRACK 24
Trailside, 2099 Darling Hill Rd. East Burke, VT 802-626-8444| villagesportshop.com
Established in 1978, we are a family-owned, passion-driven sporting goods store serving customers for four seasons of adventure. Strongly focused on bike and ski, we have highly skilled knowledgeable technicians and sales staff to assist in all needs of purchase, rental and service. With a location trailside on the world-renowned Kingdom Trails, we’re here to make your adventures happen!
WATERBURY SPORTS 28
OLD SPOKES HOME
331 North Winooski Ave., Burlington, VT
802-863-4475 |
oldspokeshome.com
Vermont’s best selection of professionally refurbished used bikes and new bikes for touring, bike packing, commuting, fat biking, and simply getting around town. A non-profit, Old Spokes Home uses 100% of its revenue to run programs creating access to bikes in the community.
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MOUNTAINOPS
4081 Mountain Road, Stowe, VT
802-253-4531
mountainopsvt. com
We offer bikes along with fast, friendly service. Dealers of Niner, Scott, Devinci and Jamis, we carry a large assortment of mountain and gravel bikes including a 60- bike demo fleet. Our techs have years of experience and our local trail knowledge is second to none. Our converted 1893 barn-turned-bike-shop houses a huge selection of bike and lifestyle clothing and parts and accessories. Looking for a more mellow ride? Rent one of our cruisers for a trip down the Stowe Rec Path right from our parking lot!
OGE is an award-winning, premier bike shop with knowledgeable, friendly, and honest staff. now with three locations. We offer a wide range of gravel grinders from Marin, BMC, and Niner. Our selection of mountain bikes from Marin, BMC, Niner, Pivot, Rocky Mountain, Transition, SCOR, and Yeti will blow you away. Plus, we offer super affordable kids' bikes, commuters from Batch Bicycles, and fat bikes. We also have consignment bikes as well as a demo fleet. Our efficient service department is capable of everything from tuning your vintage road bike to servicing your new mountain bike and offers full Fox shock service. Get fully outfitted for bike packing, touring, or fat biking to the slopes for a multi-sport day— any conceivable adventure!
144 Main Poultney, 802-8848429 | porcupinebikes.com
Friendly hometown service near Slate Valley Trails with all your bicycle needs in one place: repair & service, new & used bikes, bike rentals, accessories & apparel. Brands including Transition, Esker, Salsa, Woom, Strider, Skida, Wild Rye, Troy Lee, Sock Guy & more.
85 Main St. Burlington 802-658-3313 | skirack.com
Locally owned and operated since 1969, Skirack provides the best selection of outdoor gear for running, downhill & cross country skiing and snowboarding. We specialize in all things bike and e-bike: service, rentals, car racks, expert fitting and knowledge. Head to Skirack.com for updated hours and more information.
STARK MOUNTAIN 25
9 RTE 17, unit b Waitsfield, VT 802-496-4800 Find us on Facebook
Located at the lowest spot in the Mad River Valley so you can coast in when you break your bike on a ride! 21 years of advice,directions and fixing anything that pedals. Thinking about a Yeti? Come ride one of ours,we have been selling Yeti since 2006! Hours: Tues-Fri 9-6*, Sat 9-4, and Sunday 10-2. *Closes at 5 on Thursdays for the Shop Ride.
46 South Main Street, Waterbury, VT
802-882-8595 | waterburysportsvt.com
A full service bike shop selling Trek and Giant bikes in one of Vermont's most convenient locations. Nestled in downtown Waterbury a short distance from the Perry Hill MTB trails, WBS services all bikes and can handle any repair you might have. We also have a fleet of demo bikes and an excellent selection of parts and accessories. Open 7 days a week!
49 Brickyard Lane, Putney, VT
802-387-5718
westhillshop.com
Right off I-91
Northbound! Proud to be a tier-1 Specialized shop, and one of the longest-standing independent shops in the region, with bikes also from Banshee, Cannonade, Devinci, Evil, Transition, and Salsa. Our curated garment selection from Patagonia, POC, and Specialized is based on what we have chosen for our own use in all of Vermont’s glorious conditions. The WHS service department is widely recognized as one of the best in the region. Call about walk-in service availability on Fridays and Saturdays. Ask us about custom wheels, suspension service, and set-up.
VILLAGE SPORT SHOP 27
WEST HILL SHOP 29
ENDGAME
I’ve never had a nice Nordic setup. Ever. For 30-plus years, my gear — obviously so integral to the sport, the hobby, the pastime, the art of kicking and gliding — has been ratty, tattered, scuffed, scarred, gouged, busted, broken, breaking.
As a little kid in Vermont, my parents outfitted me with things they scored at yardsales and antiques scavenged from the cobwebby corners of granddad’s barn. By the time I was a teen, Thoreau and marijuana had turned me into a dirtbag anti-consumer who refused to fork a single dollar over to The Man and prided himself on making repairs with Gorilla Glue and duct tape. Nowadays, I rely on the outdated yet serviceable jetsam of spring cleaning, i.e. handme-downs tossed to the muddy curb, part trash, part treasure.
In short, for as long as I can remember (age five, age thirty-five), at least one piece of my kit has at any given moment been in sorry shape, pathetic shape, outright dismal shape. Decent skis but boots with holes. Upgraded boots but delaminating skis. Pole missing a basket. Basket missing a pole. Rickety whatsit missing a doodad. Oh, the innumerable combinations of crappiness!
Am I complaining? Far from it. Limping around on junky equipment for three decades has taught me that this isn’t an existential condition to lament, but rather a gift, a boon, an opportunity to embrace, a situation to celebrate. That is to say: I don’t love cross-country skiing despite the relentlessly junky equipment of my life, but because of it. The junkshow configures my experience — and it does so for the better.
Take slowness, for instance. If your gear resists proper functioning, if it holds you back a bit, if it snickers at the notion of efficiency and snorts at the idea of reliability and snarkily dismisses the very concept of speed, well, what are your options? It would be unwise to head out on a Saturday morning in monomaniacal pursuit of sweet flowing elation or a caloriecounting cardio workout, let alone a stellar race performance. Those are admirable pursuits, but they are plainly unavailable to the junkshow skier. Thus, you are diverted from athleticism, from Nordic as it is typically understood, and forced — nay, invited — to creatively make do.
YARDSALE TREASURE
IT’S NOT THE GEAR THAT MAKES THE MAN, NOR THE ADVENTURE.
BY LEATH TONINO
Here’s me making do: I tromp a path away, away, away from groomed trails. I sit on powdery pillows and sip tea from a thermos. I chirp along with chirping chickadees and yap along with yapping coyotes. I gaze at ten thousand spruce sifting ten billion soft slanting snowflakes. I contemplate swirling black creekwater, its mysterious interface with ice. I shiver. I smile. I recognize that cross-country skiing has — for me, for forever — been a means to the end of landscape, a gateway to season and weather, a portal to the austere beauty of frozen lakes, frosty breath-clouds, mouse tracks, fox tracks, vast white meadows, alpenglow, constellations at dusk.
To be clear, I’m not invariably stoked about a splintered bamboo pole (treat it gingerly) and a three-pin boot of dubious structural integrity (beware the twisted ankle). A voice in me occasionally pipes up: This sucks… wish I could drop the hammer and feel the burn… how I fantasize of a tight, light, sturdy, quicksilver setup… I’m sick of being hamstrung, impeded. But even during these episodes of grass-isgreener frustration, even as I consider finding a job on Wall Street and investing my savings in Rossignol and Alpina, another voice, a deeper, truer,
steadier voice, poses a penetrating question: Where is the crappy kit trying to lead me?
And the answer is always the same: To the adventure of place, an adventure beyond the skiing itself.
That phrase — adventure beyond the skiing itself — conjures dozens of vivid memories, among them a batch from the three weeks that I spent in February 2012 thru-skiing the 300mile Catamount Trail, which runs the length of the Green Mountains from the Massachusetts border to Canada. A burly trip, it required significant planning and preparation, including an out-of-character buying spree: a pair of metal-edged Karhus ($75, from a bargain basement) and a pair of plastic Salomon boots ($30, from a friend). The gear was used, but it was new used and, whoa, it actually worked. Until it didn’t.
On a zero-degree afternoon, negotiating a crusty logging road high in the national forest hinterlands, my binding went wobbly, wonky, weird. Numb fingers and a Leatherman multi-tool failed to fix the problem, so I consulted my map. Ludlow, a nearby village, was sure to have a ski shop. Could I get there before dark?
I could and I did — sketchy descent,
slog of a roadwalk, hitchhike — and though the detour was in many respects a total pain in the butt, an unwanted distraction, a stick thrown in the spokes of my forward progress, ultimately, I was glad for it. George, the proprietor of Dunnett’s Ski Rentals, told me old-timer stories about the local woods and proud-dad stories about his son’s participation in an Everest expedition. He offered to let me sleep in his garage and, when I mentioned my preference to camp in the elements, offered to drive me back to the trail. He gave me food, advice, a boost of energy, all while mending the relentlessly junky equipment of my life, the gloriously crappy kit.
We talked and talked. The shop was empty. Finally, I asked Dunnett: “How much do I owe you?”
He looked puzzled, as if he didn’t quite follow.
“Three bucks will be fine, if you’ve got it — otherwise, no worries.”
I paid him five and thanked him repeatedly. And I’m still thanking him a decade later because, despite a whole damn lot of abuse, the binding keeps on keeping on. It’s not George’s fault that the boots have gone to shit.
A version of this essay originally ran in Cross-Country Skier Magazine.
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