Thank you to everyone who came out to the Dashney Nordic Center this season! We had a great time interacting with community members and visitors. We feel very fortunate to be part of sharing this community resource. As always, a special thanks to Burke Mountain Resort, landowners and stewards of these special trails and property. New this year, we teamed up with Kingdom Trails, opening trail access to even more folks. With a season total of 55 inches, it took a lot of work to stay on top of the grooming compared to recent years. Thanks to Geoff, Emmett, Orion and the rest of the KT grooming team for keeping the trails fresh all season.
Special thanks to our volunteers and staff: Adrienne Lacroix, Cecilia Field, Chris and Reed Cass, Gabriella Marchesani, Grace Pribbernow, Posy LaBombard, and Maria Young for keeping the center staffed and the cocoa warm all season. Their expertise in fitting snowshoes and classic xc form was invaluable to our guests. This season we were able to welcome several schools through the Kingdom East Afterschool Program (KEAP), and we looked forward to seeing the Riverside School group on Fridays. We hope that everyone who came through the Dashney doors felt comfortable, welcome, and stoked to recreate.
Here at NorthWoods, we unofficially tabulated more use than ever. We credit the opening of our new All Persons Trail, investments in our grooming equipment which grooming operations much smoother, and the long cold winter with no mid-season thaws that led to some of the most perfect nordic conditions many of us can recently recall. Many of you may have seen our groomer Charles out on the trails – for those who didn’t, we can attest that seeing so much use made him feel all his hard work was well worth it!
At the Willoughby State Forest, we love to see this world class winter destination thriving with so many different users. Many a winter’s day truly looked like something out of an alpine storybook – with ice climbers on the Pisgah cliffs, snowshoers trodding on and off piste, mountain climbers reaching summits, powder hounds finding the backcountry glades, and nordic skiers enjoying the kick, glide and slide of the groomed trails. NorthWoods is honored to support the work of the VT Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation on behalf of all Vermonters. For those still seeking nordic and snowshoe exploration, don’t give up yet – the snowpack and base on the groomed CCC Road are still intact! While we are done grooming for the season, new snowfall or above freezing spring skiing conditions will still yield good skiing and snowshoeing.
It was a pleasure to see you all, your dogs, your kids, your friends and to hear from you. From our Executive Director: “The only thing I like better than skiing or playing in snow myself is sharing it with others!” We hope you all had the chance to enjoy it. Did any of you make it to all three of our NorthWoods partner networks this season?!