Back Country Tours
Make sure to mark your calendar now for two upcoming back country skis led by Andy McIntosh. For more info contact Andy at andymac@together.net.
Out With the Old, In With the New, Saturday, February 4:
Starting from Rikert Ski touring Center in Ripton, VT, we'll ski NE up the old Catamount Trail and explore some improvements Rikert has made to this trail. After a couple miles, we'll join the VAST trail north for a couple more miles to the beginning of the new CT. Getting the CT off the VAST trail is one of the reasons for relocating the CT. The new CT traverses through beautiful stands of yellow birch, mixed older-growth hardwood, and spruce overstory with balsam fir understory. After descending on the new back-country section for 2 1/2 miles, we'll rejoin the outer Rikert trails near the old Wagon Wheel dance hall and ascend through the Blue Bed meadow to the ruins of the old Bed Blue House and on to the old Robert Frost Cabin and return to Rikert following the relocated CT.
Most of this tour is a 4 to 5 hour intermediate level tour with a couple advanced short steeper descents on the back-country portion of the new CT.
Secret Trails of Ripton, Saturday, February 18:
Join me in exploring some of the hidden beaver meadows and most beautiful patches of forest in Ripton! With clear skies, we'll also get views of Mt. Abe, Breadloaf Mtn., Worth Mtn., and peaks of Romance Mtn. throughout the tour. This is a 4 to 5 hour, 13 to 15 km, intermediate level tour exploring the secret hand-tracked trails just north of Rikert Ski Touring Center's groomed network. Both the terrain and length of the tour are suitable for intermediate nordic skiers. Due to the fact that this tour takes place exclusively on hand-tracked trails, I do not recommend wider back-country skis.
This tour is intermediate level.