Cross country skiers having a field day with heavy snowfalls in the Northeast

BY BOB WILLIAMS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING

JACKSON, N.H. — With the unusual amount of snow piling up here in the Northeast, Thom Perkins couldn't be happier.

Thom, you see, is executive director of the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation, which maintains the largest cross country ski trail system in the eastern United States right here in Jackson. Earlier this season he planned what he calls the Groomed Trail Challenge for next Saturday, Feb. 12 — and he hoped he would have enough snow. Today, he's ecstatic.

"I thought, ‘why not challenge skiers to see if they can ski the entire groomed trail system here in Jackson,'" Thom explained. "The event is open to anyone who wants to take a shot at covering all our groomed trails in one day. It's a fun challenge that's designed to showcase our world-class cross country trails and to show the extensive nature of our groomed trail system."

According to Thom, Jackson Cross Country can groom a vast amount of kilometers, and participants will have the opportunity to attempt to ski upwards of 130k to cover the entire groomed trail system. Groomed Trail Challenge participants plot their own course and decide what order to ski the trails. The only stipulation is that only groomed trails count and only one pass on any particular trail will count towards the total kilometers for the day.

Registration and up-to-the-minute trail information for the challenge will start here at the Jackson Ski Touring Center at 6 a.m. Feb. 12 in preparation for a 6:30 a.m. kickoff. "Skiers can start anytime they wish, but the earlier start time will give them more time to accomplish their goal," Thom said.

He added that there will be no race bibs, but that a variety of prizes will be awarded to those who ski the most groomed trails throughout the day. The event ends at 5:30 p. m.

Registration is $10 per person, and participants can register the morning of the event here at the touring center. The challenge can be done solo or as a team of two, Thom points out. Teams can ski different trails and contribute kilometers to an overall total distance. Proceeds will go towards supporting the Jackson Grammar School cross country ski program. For the full story, visit www.jacksonxc.org.

The Jackson Ski Touring Foundation is a community based not-for-profit group that is chartered to maintain trails in and around this picturesque village of Jackson. The foundation maintains 150 kilometers of trails that are considered the finest cross country ski trails in the eastern United States. Foundation trails connect with trails in nearby Pinkham Notch, and with White Mountain National Forest backcountry adventure trails. The foundation operates under a special-use permit with the White Mountain National Forest, and with cooperation of 76 private landowners and the town of Jackson.

MINOR MOGULS — This Saturday, Feb. 5, is Scout Day at the Belleayre Mt. ski area in Highmount, N.Y. Scouts and their immediate families ski the day for $34 each and Scouts receive a complimentary group lesson. Proceeds benefit the Rip Van Winkle Boy Scout Council. . . . Pats Peak, in Henniker, N.H., sponsors the Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge this Sunday, Feb. 6, for skiers and snowboarders alike. The ski area is located 20 minutes from Concord, 40 minutes from Manchester and ninety minutes from Boston. . . . New England Disabled Sports hosts a two-day event, the 2011 New England Disabled Sports Ski and Ride Challenge and Adaptive Sports Expo this weekend, Feb. 5-6, at Loon Mountain in Lincoln, N.H. The challenge is to try to ride and ski from every lift within ones ability; complete the challenge and you'll be entered into a raffle to win a pair of Fischer skis. More info at www.nedisabledsports.org. Travel + Leisure Magazine named three Lake Placid, N.Y., hotels as America's best. They are the Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa, the Whiteface Lodge and the Lake Placid Lodge. The list contains 25 ski hotels in the United States and Canada. The three Lake Placid hotels are the only properties in New York State to make the list and among only eight in the East. . . . Gore Mt. in North Creek, N.Y., just opened its Hudson Chairlift. . . . Okemo Mountain Resort in Ludlow, Vt., has a novel twist to this weekend's usual Super Bowl madness. This Monday — day after the Super Bowl — the price of a full day lift ticket will be set at $1 per point based on the total combined points scored during the game. So, for example, if the Packers score 24 and the Steelers 21, the lift ticket price will be $45. Pray for a scoreless game!