Happy Trails

The last day of the ski season always takes me by surprise.  Sure, the sun is starting to turn the snow
into fishing streams, and we've recently stretched our legs on our bikes that have sat cooped up all winter, but it seems like we just got going with this wonderful snow-filled season.

Riding the chairlift over the soft corn snow for it's last turn up the mountain this spring,  I thought back to some of the chilly adventures that filled our days this winter.  We skied with buddies, learned more tips on how to ski better, cross-country skied, flew through the trees on the Canopy Tour,  rock climbed,  and got to know the new Stickney Cabin.

Our last day of the season was filled with giggles and fun, as Bridget cruised through the heavy snow and Timmy finally started to see that he could stop himself just by turning across the mountain.

From the peak of Mount Rosebrook, Timmy and I cruised all the way around the mountain, down High Ridge and Outer Bounds, past the top of the the Zephyr Quad and Chutters, and down Avalon and back to the base via Crawford Ridge.  I was excited to see how his skills and stamina have grown over the year.

I kept Timmy's harness on as we navigated the mountain, but I have a feeling that he'll be ready to slip and slide all on his own next year... and the harness will probably just not appear next winter.

Bridget was all smiles on this sunny day.  Unlike last year, when we were skirting around some bare spots, the snow blanketed nearly every trail.  Bridget said her favorite part of the year was taking lessons with Jess, and Timmy's was riding the new T-bar and roasting marshmallows outside the new Stickney cabin.  The cabin was a highlight for me, too, especially for the fact that in our ever-evolving routines as an outdoor family, we're now able to all ski together on the mountain, and I know that's just going to get better with time.

Thanks so much for joining us this winter for a fun ride in the snow.  

Snowmobiling, Kid-Style

Snowmobiling is a huge attraction for many of the locals and visitors of Northern New Hampshire. Cruising through miles and miles of trails and forests offers a chance to view a side of the outdoors that not everyone sees.  An extensive trail network in the Bretton Woods area has almost limitless possibilities, and the great snowpack this spring means that riders are still enjoying this winter pastime.  

A guided tour can take you out on the groomed trail network and give you a sampling of what it's all about.  Kids can ride along with an adult and take it all in.

But what if your little people want to be in charge and drive their own machine?  Tucked between the Bethlehem Express Quad and the Zephyr Quad at Bretton Woods is a new activity for your little rippers - a Kids Snowmobile Park that offers 4- to 13-year olds a chance to zoom around a track and drive a kid-sized sled.  

Looking a bit like a bobble-head in her giant full-face snowmobile helmet that they gave her for the ride, Bridget was excited to finally get to steer her own sled after watching them from the lift all season.  

Before taking off, the attendants got down to Bridget's level and went over some basics of running the machine.  

Although the track is in a confined area where the banked turns keep them from going too far astray, they also put a safety strap around her wrist, so that if she did fall, it would cut the engine.

A snowman keeps watch as the kids zoom around the circular track.

To someone who's never driven a motorized vehicle, however, staying on that circular track proved to be a bit of a challenge.  Bridget drove into the rope marking the lane, but as the attendant said to me, "at least she knew enough to stop when she got tangled up!  Some kids just keep on driving!"

She was soon zooming again, with a giant smile for me every time she came around.

The 15-minute tour seemed just right for the 5-year old attention span and she was all giggles as she hopped off.  

I'm guessing we'll be back another day, when Bridget's brother is old enough to hop on a sled, for a little racing action!