The snowy bounty of winter has arrived! To check current conditions at New England cross-country ski areas, here's a quick round-up of the available online resources to help you find the perfect slip-sliding, glorious gliding experience this winter season.
Photo: Flickr Commons; Take it the Manx
Cross Country Ski Areas Association
Not sure where to start? Unfamiliar with the array of Nordic ski options in New England? Then head here first to get a big-picture view of the opportunities, as well as a quick check on current snow conditions.
This national
organization provides overviews, links, and contact information
for member ski areas (which includes the vast majority of those
operating). Check out their national map of Nordic ski areas,
which shows the preponderance of locations in New
England. (You can also search by state from this page, which brings up an
excellent and informative list of locations.) Current snow conditions can be pulled up by state, and are succinctly listed in a quick-to-scan table.
Boston-Area Ski Areas
The closest Nordic ski areas to Boston are the Weston Ski Track and Great Brook Ski Touring Center in Carlisle. The Weston Ski Track maintains a 2km lighted track with man-made snow for much of the winter, and opens up to 15km as conditions allow. (Here's their promotional video.) Great Brook Ski Touring Center utilizes the paths of Great Brook Farm State Park.
Vermont
Vermont boasts more than two dozen Nordic ski centers. If you're already familiar with the options, XCountry Ski Vermontis a great resource to check current conditions for all of them, updated regularly by the ski centers themselves. It's not the best place, however, to get a
statewide overview of opportunities. For that, check out the overview map at Ski Vermont or try the Cross-Country Ski Association above instead. Vermont.com offers a quick round-up of conditions as well.
New Hampshire SkiNH maintains a comprehensive site that covers both Nordic and downhill ski areas throughout the state. Their overview map is a good place to get started, and snow conditions are all listed on a single page for easy reference.
