During the spring, summer, and fall there are a ton of sports you can enjoy with your whole family. You can go to the local park and start a game of soccer or basketball, or you can throw around a baseball or football, but what to do when the snow hits and it gets cold? It isn’t quite as fun to get all bundled up, and it is quite a challenge kicking a football in the snow.

Ice skating is a great way to get moving about, but it takes some practice for both grown ups and kids. Here are some tips if you used to skate as a kid and are now trying to teach your kids:

Before you hit the frozen pond, you might want to try a rink. An ice skating rink is usually a smoother surface than a pond or lake, and thus it is easier to handle for a beginner.

1. At a rink, you can rent ice skates. Rental skates are fine for beginners, but make sure they fit correctly. You don’t want little ankles getting twisted or bruised.
2. Maybe take a practice run? Your little one is going to need a hand to hold, preferably a stable one. If you are a little shaky on your own skates, take a spin on the ice yourself first to get your sea legs.
3. Skate backwards – This is a classic move, but hold your little one’s hands while skating backwards. Be careful not to knock into anyone!
4. Check your rink to see if they have beginner skater hours. Sometimes a rink can get a little chaotic. Sometimes for beginner skater hours they allow you to bring a chair or something to balance on the ice. This can be a great way to teach kids to hold their feet in the correct position.
5. Double-bladed skates – If you are just looking to get your kids out and moving, don’t be afraid of double bladed skates. They are a great solution to getting your kids out on the ice and having a good time. It may take them longer to learn how to skate on a single blade, but if they are interested, they will get there eventually.

Layers

The best way to stay warm while climbing is to layer effectively.

Layer 1

Long underwear – Ideally merino wool, but synthetics or fleece work well. Just avoid cotton. Best to use separates, a shirt, pants and socks made of the same material.

Layer 2

Warm layer – A warm pair of insulated or fleece pants make a good next layer. North Face and Patagonia both make quality warm layers, but you can also check out other brands. Look for a good pair of pants and shirt, and avoid cotton.

Layer 3

Extra sweater or lightweight jacket – Depending on the conditions, it can be a good idea to bring along or wear a thick warm sweater or lightweight fleece jacket.

Layer 4

Insulated jacket or vest – Now the layers are really starting to get thick, so you need to play it by ear, but a good insulated jacket that breathes well should be your top layer of non-waterproof clothing.

Layer 5

Waterproof layer – Investing in good waterproof gear is ideal for ice climbing. You want something lightweight that breathes well. It might be expensive, but you can use it for all kinds of outdoor activity, and it is pretty important to stay dry while climbing.

Hat and Gloves

A thin wool hat or even fleece is great for ice climbing. Remember, your hat will need to fit under your helmet, so it cannot be too bulky. Waterproof climbing gloves are also necessary, but check with your local club if they have some you can borrow. Again, this is an item which you can purchase for ice climbing, but can be used for a lot of different activities as well.

Extras

Neck warmer or dickey – You don’t want your neck getting cold while climbing, but you don’t want to worry about a scarf hanging all over the place.

Gaiters – Many hikers swear by them. I wouldn’t call them a must, but they certainly do help some people. Maybe you can try borrowing a pair before you commit.

Sunscreen and Sunglasses – You will be on the ice; the reflection of the sun can cause serious sunburn.

Things to Borrow

Crampons

Harness

Boots

Helmet

Tools

During the last winter olympics, the Norwegian curling team drew attention to this sport with their crazy, colorful pants. It was probably the most press curling has seen in the US in years.

While some might wonder if curling deserves an olympic spot, the truth is it is a challenging game which takes a lot of skill. So if you have curling ambitions, where should you begin?

1. Curling is a team sport, which means you need to find a team! If you look around, there are often small curling teams and clubs in most metropolitan areas or affiliated with ice skating rinks. Give them a call, and sign up for their open house and/or beginners program. If there is no local team, why not put up an ad at your local ice rink seeing if anyone is interested?
2. Clothing – Shoes are very important for curling – they must have soft rubber soles and be very clean. I admit, one of the things that drew me to curling was the shoes; they are pretty cute. But you don’t need to invest right away. You can wear a pair of your own shoes. You should also wear leggings or some kind of stretch pant – winter running tights will do. Avoid jeans, as they create too much friction. Remember, you will be on the ice, so warm clothing is helpful.
3. Respect the ice – A smooth surface is very important in curling. Don’t bang your brush or your toes on the ice. You don’t want to create imperfections.
4. When you aren’t playing, stay still. There are a lot of ways you can mess up your fellow opponents by distracting them, walking in the wrong place, etc. For the newbie curler, the best thing to do is to stand pretty still until it is your turn.
5. Equipment – You will probably be able to borrow a brush from your local team and the stones as well. Stones are very expensive.
6. Don’t lift the stones! This is one of the basic rules of curling. You shouldn’t try to lift the stones, as they are incredibly heavy. They are made to be pushed.

If you are looking for a slightly more obscure winter sport to test drive, I strongly recommend curling. It is sometimes called chess on ice, and it is a fitting name. It takes a great deal of concentration, focus, smarts, and skill to succeed.

It is hard not to be impressed by an icy landscape and the overwhelming beauty of the shining surface of the ice. Not only is it breathtaking, but the allure of the challenge, the risk and the uncertainty of ice climbing, can make it irresistible.

As ice climbing requires a mix of skills, the best thing to do is to sign up for an ice climbing course and learn from an experienced climber. The advantage of taking a course is not only picking up basic skills, but also a chance to test equipment, discuss brands and purchases with your guide and classmates, and help you decide where you want to make your investments.

If you are serious about ice climbing, and you live in a region where it is easily accessible, a good place to start is by reaching out to local clubs and organizations for some of their courses. By establishing yourself in the community, you will have an easier time find people to help coach you toward success, both in and out of class.

Even if you live in sunny California, you can still give ice climbing a try, but make it a destination sport. There are a bunch of great spots around the world where you can take an ice climbing vacation. I went on my first ice climbing excursion in Norway, and I followed up with a course in Iceland. But you don’t have to go across the Atlantic for good climbing.

A good course is worth the investment if you are serious about ice climbing. As you can borrow a great deal of gear from the course or local club to begin with, you don’t need to buy a lot of stuff. But you might consider investing in good quality clothing that will keep you warm, but breathes, so if you break a sweat you won’t end up feeling damp and uncomfortable for the rest of the day.

It is important that you always maintain a deep respect for the ice. As ice climbing is dangerous and demands physical skill and accumulated knowledge, it is never a sport to be taken lightly. But if you put in the time and effort, you will be able to see parts of the world that are closed off from the average tourist.

With their last weekend of the season being this past one, they’ve finally taken the sad step and pulled down the ropes on Monday, May 9th to finish up the season. While most resorts have already been promoting their golf and mountain biking courses, Sugarloaf has still been pushing the diehards to come out for one last run.

However, that doesn’t mean that the skiing season is over on the East Coast. It just means that the lift-operated season is over. Yup, it’s time to put your hiking boots or your ski-skins on and head for Mt. Washington.

Last year I had the amazing experience of going up to Tux (Tuckerman Ravine) on May 1st to put in  two – three hour hikes for two runs. Worth it? Absolutely. I went with my friend and her dad, and it was the first time for the three of us. We had no idea what to expect. Was it going to be hot? How many layers did we need? As we pulled out our heavy bags, we marveled at the people with small backpacks. The snowboarders had it easy – all they had to do is wear their boots (which we skiers had to carry), and stow their snowboard between their back and their backpack. We ended up over packing, but at least we had everything that we needed in the event that we got stuck up at the top.

We had been watching the conditions of the snow and the avalanche warning levels a few weeks prior to our hike. We ended up picking a beautiful day, but due to avalanche warnings, we actually did not head up to the bowl at Tux and instead, opted for the hike that was to the left of the bowl – Hillman’s Highway. It was a tough climb, but well worth it.

By the time we got up there, we didn’t have too much time to do more than two runs. Being inexperienced, we also wanted to make sure that we reached the bottom before the sun went down. Should we have wanted to spend the night, a great place to stay at the top of the mountain is Hermit Lake Shelters. For a very low cost, you can stay there and legally put a roof over your heads for the night.

A Tuckerman Tradition

Of course, it is not all about performance either, but your comfort as well. For example, if you are a beginner skier, you probably do not need a stiff boot. While stiffer boots should not affect your ability to carve or sink into your turns, a beginner won’t know how to work with it and they’ll find themselves struggling to get the boots to work with them through the turns. Even experts have trouble with this! If you aren’t comfortable in a boot, then you should not be wearing them.

When picking out boots, there are a few things that you should keep in mind. First of all, if it is your first time, I would highly suggest going to a professional ski shop or better yet, a shop that specializes in ski boots. The second thing to remember is that you should try on many different types of boots. Every brand is going to be different. For example, Nordica typically makes its boots wider, while Lange has a reputation for an extremely snug fit. You are going to want to pick out a boot that fits right from the fit and does not require a lot of adjustments.

You can also get the boots made to custom fit to your feet, but I would only suggest spending that money when you become serious about skiing and you know what kind of skier you are. For example, a person who spends most of their times in the trees is going to want a different boot then someone who likes to speed down the corduroy.

When buying boots, wear the socks that you are going to wear while skiing. You should only need one pair of thin socks when you’re skiing. A boot should be very snug and allow for no movement; the padding will flatten out over time and you’ll have more room then.

Never overlook the importance of boots!

So, where can you find the snow that we love? It’s time to head to upstate New York, Vermont (a few inches…), or Maine. You could, however, also make your way to southern Sierra Nevada where there is a winter storm warning in effect for places above 7000 feet. How much should they be getting? The meteorologists say anywhere from 5 to 10 feet. I’m so jealous; our ski mountains need some of that loving. Either that, or you could held out to Europe. The snow has been stopping flights left and right and even Holland, which is usually pleasantly surprised if they get one inch, has a comfortable 6 inches sitting on the ground. Alas, if you cannot make sporadic Christmas plans to go on the hunt for snow, it looks like we here in New England are pretty limited to places were man-made snow occurs.

That is not saying that the mountains are not fit for skiing. No, the mountains are doing an excellent job snow making and allowing you to get your fix of snow. I was just at Loon last weekend and even though it rained, the conditions were not horrible. We did end up having to quit at one o’clock due to the rain, but that is okay because we had a fabulous morning.

Sunday River, Killington, Jay Peak, and so on are all out there blazing their guns for you and creating the snow that we have yet to see. The glades are not ready yet and you can definitely tell that the surfaces are man made, but it is still a ton of fun.

Typical snow weather can include these conditions:
• Cold temperature, below 32 degrees F
• Is it ever too cold to snow? No, it can snow at incredibly low temperatures.
• Air must contain water to make it misty, moist, watery air
• Often it is cloudy, overcast, or foggy

Now, if you are a parent with kids who ski and you need a way to get them skiing, as you are too busy, I would suggest using school ski programs to get kids skiing.  They are really helpful, as they take the kid skiing, let him/her hang out with friends, and teach them new things.  When I started skiing, I started via my school’s ski program.  My program bussed us to Pat’s Peak, a medium mountain (good for beginners), offered lessons, and took us home at 8 o’clock.  Rentals had a reduced price though the program, and there was a similar meal program.  Also, we got one free day there and two free days at other mountains.  We were allowed to travel around the mountain without chaperons, but there were still strict rules preventing unruly behavior.  Most ski programs are similar.

Now if your child does ski, he/she needs gear.  If they belong to a program, it is easy to rent but having your own gear is nice.  In the case of kids, buying used is best, as we tend to outgrow it (less so in the case of helmets, goggles, and coats).  I have my own gear, and when I outgrow it, we can trade it into a swap program, where it is much less.  Many ski stores have a way into the swaps.  Do, remember, don’t go crazy expensive, we are kids.

Traveling in groups is very fun as kids.  We like to roam mountains in herds.  So, when your kids (teens!) want to go skiing, let a friend or two come, especially if you are a parent who doesn’t ski.  That way, your kid can go off with a friend while you stay warm in the lodge, sipping hot chocolate.  Also, going around in groups is safer, and you learn from each other.

Skiing is a fun sport, and there are many cost effective ways for kids to take part.  Let them have fun, especially with friends!

While I am still waiting for the day when the mountains are open 7 days a week, I definitely agree with their business choices of only being open on the weekends. In addition to the component of  making more money because the demand to ski would not be high during the weekdays at this point, it also means that the mountains can focus on snow making and getting the snow prepared before all of the skiers and riders get to it. Mother Nature has not been the  best of friends with the mountains this year; the 60 degree weather one week and 30 degree weather the  next week did not fair well for the snow. However, I think that the temperatures might actually stay down from this point forward and we can sleep easy knowing that the snow guns are going to be turned on and run at full force.

Speaking of snow guns, I thought that I would educate you about how they work. There are Internal mixing guns, External mixing guns, and fan guns. Internal mixing guns use a chamber in which the water and the air are mixed and then forced through an opening. As the snow falls, it becomes snow. Sometimes the water is mixed with ina proteins. This proteins come from the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae. With the proteins, ice crystals are able to form at relatively high temperatures.  External mixing guns have nozzles that spray water and air. The air is shot through the water so that it gets broken up into smaller particles. These are typically tall. Fan guns require electricity to power a fan and a hose with a spray/mist attachment.

So, what’s open right now? Sunday River, Killington, Woodbury, and Sugarloaf. However, your Thanksgiving week is looking okay for you. The next few mountains to open (by Nov-28) are Loon, Jiminy Peak, Ski Butternut, Ski ward, Wachusett Mountain, Attitash, Mount Washington Resort, Cannon Mountain, Cranmore, Ragged Mountain, Waterville Valley, Crotched Mountains, Gore Mountain, Holiday Valley, Oak Mountain, Smugglers Notch, Stowe, Stratton Mountains, and Sugarbush.

Happy skiing and riding!

This is the fourth year in a row that Sunday River has been the first to open in New England, and this year, they were actually the first resort in the country to kick off their 2010-2011 Winter season. Pretty crazy, huh? Their operations and snowmaking crews certainly were on top of things this year!

They first started their snowmaking guns a few weeks ago, but Thursday night and into Friday, they cranked up those snow guns at full throttle at the top of Locke Mountain. Because it became so cold that night, Sunday River was able to take full advantage of the weather and make enough snow to provide a really nice covering for T2. How cool!!! T2 is the trail that they usually reserve for the racing team. Actually, did you hear? The real stuff (snow) fell in Vermont on Friday. Even cooler! Now for it to make its way to the other mountains.

However, for now, the focus is on Sunday River. They have one trail and one lift open and you can purchase your ticket at the Barker lodge. From there, you can take the Locke Mountain Triple up to the top! Right now they are just open on the weekends form 8am to 3:30pm. And no, do not worry, they are not charging you $70 for a ticket – it is only $25. $25 to go skiing in October is totally worth it for me, I do not even care that it is only one trail!

More importantly, will they be open on Halloween weekend? Oh, totally! And if the weather does not cooperate and they are not able to either produce enough snow to open up more trails or keep T2 open, then no worries! There is still plenty to do at Sunday River and have fun with because Sunday Shiver’s Mystery on the Mountain will be going on! Take a spooky ride up in the Chondola and then search through the haunted woods and depths of Peak Lodge for ghostly snowmakers. Eeek! There will also be zip-lie tours, the annual Pumpkinhead Fesitival, and the Hike for a Cure. Check out a list of their events here.

I’m so excited!