The garden and the driveway are emerging from beneath their blanket of snow; the bike is beckoning, awaiting (or not!) the annual spring road sweep; the tennis racquets await the emergence of the courts – all indications of a change of seasons. However, spring is also a wonderful time to cross-country ski.
The base of snow in the Larch Hills is substantial – we’ll be skiing well into April. As Blaine Carson says in response to queries about trail conditions, “We run out of skiers before we run out of snow!”
Diehards like Jim and me have been known to ski as late as May 17 – just to say we did!
The Wednesday Wenches had a spectacular ski on March 12.
The trick is to go where the track setter has gone that morning – that way you avoid the possible icy conditions from freezing temps at night after melting in the afternoon.
Wanting to stay in the sunshine we elected to head out the South Loop, conveniently tracked that morning. Out to Lake View then we decided to ski back over the clear cut – on top of the crust formed over the packed humps of snow. Now there’s a terrific ski!
Dipsy-doodling around and over the humps, picking our way over the clear cut in the warm, brilliant sunshine. Can’t beat that for spring skiing! We were doing classic but skating would be great, too.
The AGM for the Larch Hills Nordic Society was held March 11 with a good turnout of LH members. Prime on the agenda was discussion of the necessity for development of a Strategic Plan for the LHNS.
That process will commence this spring and the membership will be involved in its development, covering infrastructure, governance, trails, programs, et al. With 990-plus members and such a large, vibrant operation, it is time to have a strategic plan in place to guide decisions. Stay tuned.
Our six Larch Hills racers at the Nationals at Blow Me Down Ski Club in Corner Brook, Newfoundland, are well into their week of races. Results can be found on Zone 4. Very proud of these young athletes!
Snowshoeing is still terrific. Amazing the number of enthusiasts this season. Great way to get out in the woods.
See you on the trails. Happy spring!