Cross Country Skiing - Great for Winter Fun and Fitness!

By Richard Carlson

Cross country skiing is set to become your new winter season passion! Hey, skiing is skiing, the curly end goes to the front and you slide around on snow. It’s sport and fresh air fitness – and it’s a connection with the natural world in winter. If you’re a competent alpine skier you can easily make the switch. All the turning and stopping techniques of going downhill on skis readily translates into XC. Even beginner alpine skiers fare better with cross country ski technique than never-ever skiers. READ MORE…

FEAR - Or, How to Expand Our Comfort Zone

By Mermer Blakeslee

In my “Fear Workshop” at Windham Mountain, a woman confessed she was frightened of returning to skiing after a long hiatus, not because of the risk the sport posed – of falling or getting hurt – but because she had been a “really good” skier. Skiing was deeply woven into her identity and now she was scared of failing, of falling short of her expectations and being exiled from the “real skiers’ club” where, she imagined, the skilled and competent gloat. This is very common.

Fear of failure is the most prevalent fear I encounter as the “ski industry’s fear specialist.” Often we blame age, thinking of it as our enemy as slowly but relentlessly we are forced to let go of our physical prowess. READ MORE…

John Casey

By Skip Holmes

When I first met John at a Tour de Cure event I had no knowledge of his diversified and very active lifestyle. John has ridden in the Saratoga/Capital Region Tour de Cure for 14 years for his wife, Kathy, who has diabetes. He raises significant funds for this cause and currently is part of the Kivort Steel Cycling Team, which fundraises for the American Diabetes Association. His training time on the bike is usually in preparation for the Tour de Cure and that keeps him in shape for all the other activities he engages in. READ MORE…

Discovering “Town Line Ridge”

By Bill Ingersoll

Some time ago I was scrutinizing aerial imagery of the Silver Lake Wilderness, and I noticed an unusually bald summit on a small, unnamed ridge south of the hamlet of Wells. In an area known for its vast, mature forests, this knob of rock stood out. I knew that eventually I would have to go there in person to see what it had to offer. READ MORE…

Make 2019 a Year to Remember! Race Options and Consistency

By Shelly Binsfeld

To register or not, that is the question. This goal or that goal, which one should I do? The options are swirling around, whether you’re a runner or multisport athlete. One training group is running the Philly Marathon this year, another one is going for casual 5Ks, you are stuck in between not knowing which to choose.

All the while your heart has been yearning to try a mountain trail race. Indecision can cripple your actions and fill you with regret. Press the pause button and evaluate your options with a new set of criteria. These questions will lead you through your passions, secret wishes, and abilities, hopefully revealing the set of races that will make 2019 a year to remember. READ MORE…