Cross-Country Skiing in and around the Monadnock Region

It's been a tough winter for cross-country skiing in the Monadnock Region. Any good snow has been quickly followed by rain. The Brattleboro Outing Club's cross-country trails in Brattleboro have been open for a total of three days thus far. The only nearby skiing has been at the Dublin Nordic Center on their snow-making trails—we refer to this option as "the hamster wheel"; around and around on short trails, but they're nicely groomed and it's way better than nothing, which is why you have to look further afield if you want to cross-country ski. Look west, young and old people, to the Green Mountains. We just skied at Wild Wings Nordic Center in Peru, VT on MLK weekend and it was surprisingly fine. Along with Prospect Mountain in Woodford, VT, it's one of the few dependable places to ski when there's no snow in your backyard. I profiled Wild Wings a couple of winters ago, but since it holds a warm place in our skiing hearts, I want to encourage you to make the trek there. Yes, it's an hour and twenty minutes from Keene and it's back of beyond, but its back-of-beyondness is what makes it cool. One of the great things about Wild Wings is the blog of ski center owner, Tracy. It's the best portrait of Nordic ski conditions in this part of New England. It's hard to find an honest, up-to-date profile of what the skiing might be like at a lot of cross-country places. Tracy's blog is the gold standard—she posts no later than 7am, (sometimes as early as 6 am) often with pictures taken from very early that morning, and she's dependably honest. On the day we went, she said: "The skiing is good. Really nice, loose, frozen granular with windblown powder mixed in. Ian groomed with the Pisten Bully this morning and put a track in where he could. The corduroy is lovely and the surface feels a little like sugar. You may still find a thin spot, but mostly coverage is decent." So weave your way down quiet, back roads feeling slightly lost, until you come to the beehive of activity at the end of Styles Lane. More than half of the trails at Wild Wings are classic only, nicely tracked and they weave intimately through quiet forests. There's an easy set of green trails down low that snuggle up next to Styles Brook and offer gentle rolling terrain, a long set of intermediate trails that take you up and away and a set of difficult trails for more of a challenge. It's all at an elevation of 1600 to 2000 feet which is why there's fluffy snow here when there's just crud in Keene. For your first visit, or if you're just getting back into cross-country skiing, cross the road from the parking lot and ski the mellow Woodcock and Snow Goose green loop—it's about 4.5 kilometers. Add in the Turkey loop if you need a bit more. Or for a challenge, end with the 1k Grouse loop—a short, steep climb followed by a fun and pretty downhill. If you're a reasonably competent skier with a sturdy herring bone for climbing and a strong snowplow for downhill, try the 8.5k Chickadee and Loon loop. Don't get discouraged by the longish half-mile climb in the beginning of Chickadee. Once this is over, the trail is a cozy jaunt through the woods. There are a number of long gentle downhills where you'll feel like you're coasting along on a bicycle. There's no road noise, lots of animal tracks and little tucked away ponds and marshes. For the true back country explorer, head up the wide skate and classic Peregrine trail to access the classic only Middle and Upper Blue Jay—you'll feel far, far away. There's an ineffable, quietly joyous feeling about Wild Wings. People are happy here, kids cavort with parents, skiers lounge around an outdoor fire pit. For a few short hours, everything is right with the world. Après Nordic On the way back to Keene or Brattleboro cozy up at one of these Après Nordic establishments. Après Nordic places should have three primary characteristics—a nice variety of microbrews, delectable, mid-afternoon small bites and coziness. You'd drive right by the New American Grill in Londonderry without a second glance. It's in a non-descript mini-mall and the exterior does not say "cozy". But the bar is cool, there are six rotating taps and the food is surprising. It promises "Vermont Soul, World Flavors," and it delivers. There's a variety of turkey burgers, (and of course beef burgers), a Tokyo Caesar, Ahi Nachos, Tzatziki Salmon, Green Coconut Curry and more. One review summarizes, "You won't be sorry, this place is amazing." Good things can come in brown paper wrapped packages. MacLaomainn's Scottish Pub in Chester is tucked into an old barn with exposed beams and is verifiably cozy. These folks really are Scottish, and all the servers wear kilts. There's Tennant's Lager on tap, made with Scottish barley and water from Loch Katrine. We had a great conversation with the owner about the geography of scotches, and we got a good tip on a downtown hotel in Edinburgh for future travel. The food is solid pub fare with a Scottish twist like rarebit and cock-a-leekie soup. For something more substantial, try the mince and tatties or the bangers and mash. I enjoyed a bowl of perfect French onion soup here as we sat out that Sunday snow squall a couple of weeks ago.