As I mentioned last time, finding a great place to ski in the east is not hard. The problem is finding a great town near the great ski trails. Last time we looked at Maine and New Hampshire. During our exploratory jaunt through the east, we also had a chance to investigate Vermont and upstate New York. So lets venture over the Connecticut River into Vermont. Because of their proximity and similarities, Vermont and New...
Our long time friend, pal, idol, cycling & ski guru, speed skating Olympian, and 1988 Korean Olympic Team coach Dick Hunt, from Bend Oregon, told me a few days ago that he was leaving for Scandinavia on March 3rd to Ski Across Finland! Dick Hunt, right, is still going strong Ski Across Finland? What the heck are you talking about – you should be getting ready to be doing spring time gardening, tune up your...
After our road trips around the west, my girlfriend and I decided to head east. (Side note: I have been told that I should refer to my girlfriend by name. A valid point, but while I don't mind sharing my life with you, it is not my choice to share hers. So lets just call her Linda). Linda and I flew to New Hampshire on August 15. Our plan was to see family (hers in...
The Methow Valley is a remote, little known valley in the North Cascades of Washington State. In the summer it is a popular RV stop on the scenic loop drive from Seattle over the North Cascades Highway. It’s also a great place for mountain biking, hiking and running. In the winter, the North Cascades Highway closes and we are at the end of the road. We are fortunate enough to have an incredible Nordic trail...
In my last article, I basically threw up my hands and admitted that I am not the right person to talk about ski towns in the midwest. Thankfully, there are plenty of people out there who are the right people. From the emails I received, there was no consensus, but the towns that were mentioned the most were Duluth, Hayward/Cable, and the Twin Cities. All the emails presented convincing arguements for at least one place....
This is the article in the “XC Town USA” series that I have been dreading writing. After finishing our tour of the west, we flew east to New England. How could I be dreading writing about New England, you ask? Well, I'm not dreading that – writing about New England will be fun. I grew up there, I already know my favorite places. The part I am dreading is telling all the midwesterners that we...
So if we are heading east from Idaho that means we are in Montana (or Wyoming, but I am pretty sure we are in Montana). If I was going to try to talk about all the great outdoor towns in Montana, I'd never finish the state. The list of good towns with huge natural playgrounds out the back door is overwhelming: Billings, Bozeman, Missoula, Butte and that's without even leaving Interstate 90. There are plenty...
The Methow Valley is just over the North Cascades mountain range from the coast of Washington. It is comprised of a number of small towns, including Winthrop and Mazama. In term of skiing alone, I think the Methow Valley is almost perfect. Admittedly, I have never even skied there, but after seeing the area in summer and drooling over plenty of wintertime photos, I can certainly imagine. Consider a short excerpt from the Methow Valley...
As we prepared to leave Bellingham, we had a big decision to make. When we set out on this trip, we knew that we were going to through Oregon and Washington, hitting towns along the way to from Park City to Bellingham. But we had not made any plans beyond Bellingham. I think this is because we were both hoping that we would find the perfect town before we hit the Canadian border. But this...
When I first told my Park City roommates about my desire to find myself new and exciting ski town, one of them immediately recommended Bellingham, WA. He had been here for their Ski To Sea race in June and really liked the area. On his recommendation, I did a lot of research online about the area. The port of Fairhaven (in Bellingham) with the Chuckanut Mountains behind The more I read about Bellingham, the more...
July 18, 2002 – You ever have that feeling, right after you’ve made a big decision and gone beyond the point of no return, that you’ve just made a big mistake? Doubt creeps in, and you immediately seek reassurance that you haven’t messed up big time. We’ve all felt it. I get it whenever I rent an Antonio Banderas movie (unless it's Desperado) and whenever I buy something on the internet. Well, I felt it...
In early July, my girlfriend (name withheld to protect the innocent) and I packed up all our belongings, put most of it in storage in Park City, and filled her Subaru Forester with as much stuff as we could take. The plan was to explore the great ski towns of the West/Northwest, looking for the perfect place to live. We brought enough stuff with us that, if we did indeed find utopia, we could settle...
It was a rare opportunity. The chance to explore the best outdoor towns in the United States, looking for the perfect place for an avid xc ski racer to live. I made it my goal for the entire off-season: to find XC Town USA. This is my journey. Last spring, my life was in transition. I had spent the past six years devoting my life to cross country ski racing. I had been living in...