Fun in the Terrain Park at Bigrock Ski Area
a guest article by B&B expert, Marti Mayne
When you think of skiing, most minds wander to Colorado, Utah or British Columbia. Yet for many New Englanders, the travel and expense of heading out west make this dream trip tough.
Having lived in Maine his whole life, my 50-something husband had never been to Aroostook County, the largest county east of the Mississippi, and equal in size to Rhode Island and Connecticut combined. So we packed up the kids and headed to “The County” for a ski vacation.
Renowned as hosts to the 2011 World Cup Biathlon, this is Nordic skiing paradise, with two world class biathlon facilities within an hour of one another. Yet, no one thinks of Aroostook, which they call the Crown of Maine, for alpine skiing.
Read on and we’ll let you in on a secret about a treasure of a family skiing area where lift lines are non-existent and lift tickets start at $8.00. Be sure to watch the video at the end too. Click here to learn about Maine’s secret skiing destination.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
With plenty of energy still left after a day of skiing, Kim Han Fuller plays in the snow with Clay Brook Hotel & Residences in the background.There’s no sugar coating it. Sugarbush is one sweet ski resort for the whole family.
Our family ski experience there started with “May I help you carry your skis?” and ended with “have a great day!” I later learned the young men and women in the blue jackets are referred to as “Sugar Sherpas,” and it’s clear their role is to ensure you start and finish the day with a friendly greeting. This is just one of the many details that go into making Sugarbush Resort one incredible skiing experience for everyone from families to couples, skiers to boarders and first-timers to old-timers.
We visited Sugarbush on Martin Luther King’s birthday weekend after a blizzard dumped two feet of snow two days earlier. We anticipated crowds, and indeed we joined the exodus of skiers and boarders making “the big schlep” from the parking lot to the lodge. Yet with its campus of base lodges, ski school buildings and ticket sales locations, once to the base we were easily able to find a place to sit, stow gear and suit up, even with six of us.
To read more, visit EasternSlopes.com
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Many animals may be hibernating, but winter is a perfect time for people to get outside and enjoy America’s national wildlife refuges. Go for a hike. Sight a bird. Restore your sense of wonder. The National Wildlife Refuge System, managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, is the world’s premier system of public lands and waters set aside to conserve America’s fish, wildlife and plants. There is a National Wildlife Refuge within an hour’s drive of most major cities.
Here is a sampling of upcoming refuge events:
Strap on Your Skis
Now thru mid-March — Horicon National Wildlife Refuge, WI
Hike, snowshoe, x-country ski Horicon Refuge for wildlife watching & photography. Learn more about Horicon Refuge.
Take a Sleigh Ride
Now thru March, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily — National Elk Refuge, WY
Take a horse-drawn sleigh ride past an elk herd numbering in the thousands. Reservations needed. Buy tickets (adults $18; ages 5-12 $14; under 5 free) at the Jackson Hole and Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center, 532 North Cache Street, several blocks north of Jackson’s Town Square. Visitor Center hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Sleigh rides last about one hour, including the shuttle ride to and from the sleigh ride site. Accommodations for visitors with disabilities. Learn more about National Elk Refuge.
Join an Eagle Watch
Friday, January 7, and Saturday, January 8, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. — Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge, OK
Learn about eagles, then take a hayride to an eagle hotspot to see eagles fly in to roost for the evening. Reservations are required. Wear warm, neutral-colored clothing. Bring a thermos or hot mug. Hot chocolate provided.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
In the 1920s, sled dogs carried mail and supplies to remote regions of Alaska along a trail now called Iditarod. Guests on an AdventureSmith Explorations’ new nine-day Iditarod and Northern Lights Tour in Alaska this winter can place bets on their favorite huskies and witness the start of the annual Iditarod dog sled race while basking under the magnificence of the Northern Lights. This 1,150-mile wilderness trek from Anchorage to the Bering Sea commemorates a heroic race against death by diphtheria in 1925 when these fabled dogs brought life-saving serum to Nome.
This new AdventureSmith Explorations Iditarod and Northern Lights Tour beginning Feb. 27, 2011 includes dog sledding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling, with stops along the way to see the Northern Lights from atop a mountain and review works-in-process at the 25-acre Ice Park where, in March, the World Ice Art Championships are held. Lodging is at several of Alaska’s finest hotels.
From Fairbanks, the arrival and departure city, and a stay at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge on the banks of the Chena River, the tour travels to Chena Hot Springs Resort to play in this winter world. Here is some the best Northern Lights viewing, especially from the vantage while soaking in a natural outdoor lake of up to 105 degrees. (The resort is also one of the leaders in harnessing geo-thermal energy from the hot springs.)
A flight to Anchorage includes lodging at the Captain Cook Hotel and an invitation to attend the Musher’s Banquet that celebrates the great achievement of the serum run that saved the lives of countless Nome children. The life and work of mushers who drive the teams will be explored, along with insights into the characteristics of sled dogs and the years of breeding and training that go into putting together a team. Mushers will describe the strategy, hardships, technical aspects and joys of life on the trail. At the banquet guests can bid at an auction for a ride with a musher as they leave the race start chute.
The ceremonial Iditarod start begins in downtown Anchorage. The #1 position is reserved in the memory of Leonhard Seppala, an immigrant from Norway who came to Alaska for the Gold Rush and became the state’s foremost hero when he did the 1925 sled run. Any of AdventureSmith Explorations’ guests who are successful bidders on the “Idita-Rider” auction will ride in the sled of a musher as they begin the race.
The per person rate begins at $2,699 (plus $98 tax) for eight nights lodging and breakfasts, two dinners, escort, private transfers, air between Anchorage and Fairbanks plus all admissions to events and lectures.
From November 1, 2010 to April 30, 2011 AdventureSmith Explorations also offers a shorter version of their Northern Lights Tour with an optional seat on the spectacular Aurora Train between Anchorage and Fairbanks. The program departs daily upon request and rates begin at $450 per person (without the train extension), or $750 with the train ride. See: http://www.adventuresmithexplorations.com/itinerarydetails.php/advid/18
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
Top 10 Ski Rental Home Destinations:
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".
My brother and his family relocated to Sandy, UT, this year and you can bet I’m happy to have a guest room within shouting distance of some of North America’s finest ski mountains! Check out what’s new and improved at Utah’s 13 ski resorts this winter…
Utah ski resorts have been busy adding new terrain, on-mountain enhancements, luxury accommodations, programs and packages to complement the destination’s astonishing accessibility and 500 annual inches of The Greatest Snow on Earth®. Entering the 2010-11 winter season, Utah’s resorts boast some of the most significant resort improvements in the US.
NEW TERRAIN
The Canyons Resort has added new terrain to the southern end of its resort property. Iron Mountain, adjacent to Dream Peak, will open 300 acres of northwest facing terrain. Ten runs ranging from intermediate to advanced intermediate will be cut and nearly 300+ acres of naturally gladed tree skiing will be available. The new terrain brings the resort to 4,000 total skiable acres and makes it the fourth largest ski resort in the US.
Park City Mountain Resort added three new Adventure Alley runs allowing intermediates the thrill of skiing or riding through the trees. The Resort has also continued to glade Crescent Ridge, enhancing the advanced skiing experience.
Powder Mountain brings 1,000 additional acres of expert chutes and bowls to the 2,000 acres of terrain already in use by the Snowcat Powder Safari.
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".