Morton Courses Deliver

The winter of 2013-2014 has been big for Morton Trails. Ski racers and recreationalists alike are getting out and experiencing vastly different natural landscapes and competitions through the lens of our ski trails. From the newly minted 5k race course at the Dublin School in New Hampshire – where New England Prep School Athletic Championships took place with great success in February – to the NCAA Tormondsen Family Race Course at Middlebury College’s Rikert Touring Center, our trails are being benefited from at the highest levels of the sport.

Next week kicks off the 2014 Junior National Championships at Trapp Family Lodge, where racers between the ages of 14 and 19 will race down the technical descents and up the punishing climbs of FIS homologated Morton-designed race courses. As a junior ski coach, I have been working with my athletes all winter to prepare for the challenges they will face at their biggest championship races of the season. Some courses reward aerobic fitness, some brute strength, and some quickness and skiing ability. Morton courses require proficiency in all of these, and they are a pleasure not only to race but also to train skiers to race.

Competitive cross-country ski courses are only a part of Morton Trails’ business, but they are a part that we approach enthusiastically and with an eye toward quality of experience. As the International Ski Federation raises their expectations of what a high level racing venue looks like, so do we apply our knowledge and deepen our technical skills to offer the best in race course design. However, we do not homogenize our trails to match the numbers required for competition. Rather, we continue to highlight the natural landscape, utilize the terrain, and provide an exciting and fun experience, while at the same time matching the requirements of a FIS certified course. Additionally, we recognize the challenges that Climate Change poses to the ski world, and we offer unique services and design techniques to mitigate erratic winter weather, low snow conditions, and the current warming trend.

In other venues, such as private trails, municipal, development, and multi-use trails, Morton Trails continues and exceeds its past excellence in providing the best experience – both in the design and construction process, and in the years that follow – for the user groups of any given trail or trail network. To see a full list of our previous and current trail projects, please visit Mortontrails.com. We work all across the country, and are excited at any trail design opportunity you may have.