We're back for part 2 of our winter adventure to ski all 23 of the cross country ski areas in Vermont!

To recap from Tour De Hollenbach Part 1:
Helen, 3 year old Johannes and I started a winter 2021/22 adventure to ski all 23 of the cross country ski areas that are part of the Ski Vermont reciprocal pass program. If you get a season pass at any participating area you can get one free day ticket at every other ski area.

In partnership with Fischer and Skirack, we present Tour De Hollenbach - Stops 8 through 15 which includes:

• Blueberry Lake Cross Country
• Ole’s Cross Country Center
• Mountain Top Inn & Resort
• Mountain Meadows
• Wild Wings Ski Touring Center
• Viking Nordic Center
• Stratton Mountain Nordic Center
• Prospect Mountain Ski Area

Stop #8: Blueberry Lake Cross Country | Warren, Vermont
Posted Date: January 29, 2022

It was up and over App Gap for stop #8 of the winter xc ski quest, to Blueberry Lake Cross Country in Warren, VT. Finally finished with our Covid quarantine, the temperatures made it just over 0F and we bolted - time to get outside! Blueberry Lake was completely new for me, but Helen had skied there once before, back when she was a freshman in college. Sorry to sound like a broken record, but we both felt foolish for not skiing here more - so close to us and so right up our alley.

It’s pretty straight forward when you arrive, park on the left side of the road and check in at the classic wood clad lodge on the other side of the road. I went in to get our passes and was greeted by an extremely friendly and helpful father/son duo - they’d seen Johannes and Helen across the street and gave me a full run-down of the trails and suggestions of what to do with Johannes.

We took their suggestions and after loading Johannes up with a handful of M&Ms we headed into some beginner friendly trails that were densely wooded (to stay warm). The trails at Blueberry Lake are great for kids as they are twisty enough to be exciting to ski but flat enough that we could go for a while. Temperatures were cold though and even with Johannes’ {Johannes Høsflot Klæbo} constant ski running we got pretty cold. We maybe could have done a bit more, but not wanting to ski too far away from the car we looped back and looked at grooming equipment instead.

Helen and Johannes loaded into the car to head down to the Warren Store for some hot chocolate and snacks and I swapped gear and got my skate skis on. I had an absolute blast zipping around these trails and it was really cool seeing the range of outdoor recreation going on. XC skiers of all varieties, snowshoers, fat bikers, skijoring dogs and skiers, and even a mixed group of fat bikers and skiers. When we got home we looked up a little more info on the Blueberry Lake website about their history - cool story, great people, awesome trails.

Stop #9: Ole’s Cross Country Center | Warren, Vermont
Posted Date: January 30, 2022

The second half of our cold day in Warren, VT was stop #9 at Ole’s Cross Country Center. I’d skied Ole’s before, back in high school a bit and then about 10 years ago for a race called the Valley Cup. Ole’s is located on the rolling fields and surrounding woods of the Warren Airport - which is a small country airport used for glider planes amongst other things.

As the crow flies the Blueberry Lake and Ole’s trails are quite close - and the guys at Blueberry Lake told me there even used to be a connector trail long ago. I had looked at the two trail maps and realized there were trails from both centers that were within 15 feet of the road on opposite sides of the East Warren Rd - with just maybe a little over a quarter mile jog down the road between them. So, while Helen and Johannes re-energized with a heavily whip creamed hot chocolate and some sweet onion Maui chips at the Warren store- I proceeded to try to get from here to there and meet them at Ole’s.

We checked in at Ole’s and they explained a couple times that they can’t have people doing what I did and they only want people coming to the lodge building first. Cross country ski centers certainly tip-toe a fine balance of use with many private landowners.

Unfortunately for our ski Johannes’ initial excitement about his second ski of the day was short lived and the low single digit temperatures and the open field skiing made for a short out and back ski. He was a tired little boy and was hard asleep within minutes in the car. My impression is Ole’s would be best with kids on a bluebird spring ski day - the kind of day you might ski with a vest on instead of 2 layers of long underwear and 2 jackets. If timing allows we’ll make our way back on a warmer day. And maybe one day that Blueberry Lake Ole’s connector could be born anew.

Stop #10: Mountain Top Inn & Resort | Warren, Vermont
Posted Date: January 31, 2022

Stop #10 had us heading south and high into the mountains to the jewel of Rutland County - Mountain Top Inn & Resort in Chittenden, VT. From a purely aesthetic point of view it’s hard to beat Mountain Top, and they’ve got the skiing to back up the good looks. I’d raced there a couple times for championship races back in high school and the skiing is just as good as I remember, but the inn/resort has really grown up around it since then, in a nice way.

When you arrive you have to drive past the Inn and left and up the hill to the “activity center”. The lodge is just right, with a good looking rental shop, a nice little retail area and some helpful staff (they even noticed Johannes was wearing a hand-me-down BKL festival hat from Mountain Top in 2015). Our luck had run dry though and Johannes had been on a drawn out low-grade melt down for most of the morning, so we needed to get out skiing pronto and the staff were super helpful in getting us going.

Helen kitted up with the Speedmax skate gear and took off flying, the way a mom who just needs a 45 minute break from an opinionated 3 year old does. She headed out to explore some of the upper trails towards the high points of the trail system (steep was the report). Some sunshine, a nicely groomed rolling ski trail, and a bit of singing silly songs and Johannes was out of his funk - and he and I went a little too far down the trail. Helen came out to find us and we all had a nice mostly downhill ski back towards the center.

Back at the center, and in a good mood, Johannes was excited to check out the deluxe Pisten Bully World groomer. Eli at Sleepy Hollow and Jimmy at Cochran’s have imparted Johannes with a pretty serious love of groomers (or snow tractors, as we called them for a long time). We put the delicious paninis we’d picked up in Brandon on the dashboard to warm up and hit the road, happier than we’d started.

Stop #11: Mountain Meadows | Killington, VT
Posted Date: February 4, 2022

Stop #11 was a quick stop - Mountain Meadows in Killington, VT is no longer operating. It’s still on the reciprocal pass list, so after skiing Mountain Top we swung by to check it out. We stopped in at Base Camp and asked where the Nordic center was (there was still a direction arrow sign out front) and were informed they had decided to shut down trail operations and were just operating the gear shop. I talked to Ben, the owner, and he said they may start fat bike grooming in future winters, but didn’t have the resources to do that now. He was hopeful that the trails had a future, but it sounds like it likely won’t be as an xc ski center. I guess I should have checked with my Rutland/Killington people first.

To be honest it had been a fun but cold weekend and Helen and I were both happy to just head home. So, some alternative Johannes action:

• Doubles luge training at Richmond park
• Early season sled shopping at the hardware store
• The happiness of when your favorite groomer guy gives you a Lego groomer for your birthday
• When the question of “what does a Fox say?” organically comes up in conversation and you have to explain why you started laughing.

Stop #12: Wild Wings Ski Touring Center | Peru, Vermont
Posted Date: February 5, 2022

Our big southern swing brought us to #12 Wild Wings Ski Touring Center in Peru, VT. Two nights at a ridiculously nice Inn? Check. Awesome snow conditions from a fresh snowstorm? Check. A Thursday night pre-school all-night stomach bug? Check! Oh yeah, oh yeah, Oh No.

Wild Wings Ski Center proved to be some good medicine for a tired family chasing a crazy xc ski dream. Johannes was a bit drained (although you’d still hardly know it) and Helen and I were both a bit sleep deprived as we arrived to ski. We had two secret weapons to help us through - Helen’s parents were joining us to ski, and Wild Wings showed out (as I’d heard so many times) with awesome trails and maybe the best classic grooming I’ve ever seen.

Once you drive in everything is absolutely as easy as can be - check-in/rentals, trail heads and starting fields are all within 50 feet from where you park. Tracy, one of the longtime owners, chatted with us for a bit when we arrived, and after hearing Johannes had just had a stomach bug kindly offered up a ski trailer to pull him in if needed. Johannes wanted to ski the trail called Turkey - and enjoyed some little rides hanging on to the back of the trailer. We tried to head out on the longer trail called Chickadee, that Tracy highly recommended, with Johannes in the trailer - but our boy is not one to be a passenger and some serious complaints stopped that journey relatively quickly.

Johannes, Helen and I spent the rest of our time playing around in some really nice fields right by the ski center while Helen’s parents, Steve and Stacey, explored a longer loop by themselves. They came back with big smiles on their faces and they are already talking about coming back to ski here again. When people imagine xc skiing in Vermont - Wild Wings represents that image I think a lot of people have.

Stop #13: Viking Nordic Center | Londonderry, VT
Posted Date: February 7, 2022

Written by Helen:
Stop #13 was Viking Nordic Center in Londonderry. Johannes was getting over a stomach flu and was still low energy, so we decided to divide and conquer. My mom and I stayed with Johannes, and Jake and my dad went to ski at Stratton Mountain. Thank goodness for grandparents! Viking Nordic Center was lovely- beginner friendly and full of nostalgia and charm. It proudly has night skiing, food, rentals, snowshoers and skiers of all ages and levels.

Although the inside was closed due to Covid we got our passes and food from lovely folks who were very friendly. After our lunch (in the car- it was still super cold outside), Jake departed and my mom, Johannes and I headed out for a ski for as long as the little guy could tolerate.

Now - I’ve loved this challenge of ours to ski all the Ski Vermont reciprocal pass programs for Nordic. However, it’s been challenging. I’m not fooled by social media and images of perfect families doing perfect athletic activities without any hiccups or struggles. Johannes loves to ski. So do I. Sometimes we go together- sometimes not. Sometimes he needs to lay down in the trail and rest. This day in particular, Johannes did NOT want to take a selfie with mom and grandma on the swing. A wise friend once said to me - “you can’t have it all, all of the time.” No truer words were spoken, and the same holds true for all these Vermont ski areas. Each one is different - with different charms. None of them can have it all, but neither can we! At these ski areas, there is nothing lacking. Here in Vermont you can ski anywhere, any way you like. When at Viking Nordic Center , I was reminded of the Adirondack trails of my youth. Quiet, snowy woods with sleepy narrow little trails that host speedsters as well as kiddos looking to complete their “cookie challenge”.

As the Olympics start up, remember that many XC athletes train and live here in Vermont! Take a ski out on the trails, take a breath in the snowy silence and think of those athletes training on the same trails we all ski on! You won’t regret it.

Stop #14: Stratton Mountain Nordic Center | Stratton, VT
Posted Date: February 9, 2022

The divide and conquer plan took Helen’s dad Steve and I to stop #15 at the Stratton Resort Nordic Center in Stratton Mountain, VT. I’ve always loved how into skiing Helen’s parents are, and it was fun to get to go skiing with just my father in law and talk Olympics, gear, Johannes, etc. I’d been to the Stratton Nordic Center once before, many years ago for an event to try the next season’s equipment. That day there was a huge snow storm and we were constantly skiing short loops with different equipment, so it was really hard to judge the trails.

The Nordic Center is located just down the street from the Stratton Mountain School as a part of the mountain called the Sun Bowl, on the eastern side of Stratton Mountain. The Sun Bowl houses the Nordic center as well as a couple alpine lifts and an auxiliary alpine lodge. The Nordic center is well dwarfed by all things alpine at Stratton, but there was easy parking along the road and the small nordic center building was easy enough to find.

The snow storm that had hit northern Vermont had been a mixed affair at Stratton, and had coated the forest with a thick layer of ice before dumping some nice fresh snow on the trails. Steve and I couldn’t help but to stop and marvel as we skied around at the beauty of the ice coated trees. It’s not a huge trail system, the website claims only 10km - although this seems short - but the trails are really well laid out. There is hardly an off camber to be found and the downhills are really fun. We particularly enjoyed the long steady climb up the Skyline trail, and then the fun descents down Joder’s Jollies and Hoot.

This small tucked away nordic center actually houses some of my favorite terrain for skate skiing in Vermont. Although the amenities are simple, there was a great fire pit area outside and a nice open air converted horse stable. The people working there told me they have a plan/dream to have that converted into some type of cafe or bar - which Steve and I thought would be super cool, as it was getting close to 5 o’clock.

Stop #15: Prospect Mountain Ski Area | Woodford, VT
Posted Date: February 11, 2022

Sunshine was the word of the day for stop #15 at Prospect Mountain Ski Area in Woodford, VT. Prospect has a really cool, long history that you can read about on their excellent website and interestingly has the highest base elevation of any ski area (nordic or alpine) in Vermont. It was a first ski there for Helen and myself, although I have a distant memory of going to watch my sister race there once. This time around I unexpectedly got to watch Johannes do his first BKL Lollipop race!!

Prospect is 7 miles up, up, up out of Bennington on Route 9, and is about as easy as can be to get to and make sense of as you arrive. When we arrived I remember thinking the parking lot seemed a little bigger than necessary for a xc center. I was wrong, and by the time we left in the early afternoon it was nearly 3/4 full. There’s a strong and vibrant ski community at Prospect that draws local skiers from Massachusetts and New York in addition to Vermont (I even bumped into Alec Donahue and a couple Jam Fund guys from Northampton, MA.

Johannes had napped out on the drive up to Prospect, and Helen’s parents volunteered to stay with him to let Helen and I sneak off for a ski together while he slept. We took the advice of the website and skied the long but beautiful climb up the Mountain Trail to the summit. A quick picture and a kiss, and then it was a long, fun downhill back to the lodge.

When we got back Johannes was out skiing with his grandparents, and he was excited to show us the cool old groomers he’d seen and the long downhill he'd been skiing. As we went in for lunch we noticed a registration tent had gone up and there were kids everywhere skiing around with numbers. Helen quickly went over and asked if there was a race Johannes could do. An hour later, after some lunch and a rest (and a kid’s YouTube video or two), we headed back outside and Johannes earned a red lollipop for completing his first race.

For more Tour De Hollenbach stops, follow my Instagram account at @jakehollenbach

- Jake Hollenbach,
Skirack Nordic Specialist
Click here to learn more about Jake.

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