Cross-Country Skiing in and around the Monadnock Region

Back to the good old days of serious winter! Such a relief after the warm, unsnowy winters of the past few years. All the cross-country skiing areas are open with their trails tracked and groomed. Base lodges are abuzz with pink-cheeked, North Face parka-ed, mittens-instead-of-gloves clad skiers. The blog from Tracy at Wild Wings Nordic in Peru, VT recently stated, "Skiing this good should be illegal." It's been easier for my wife and I to maintain our regimen of three or four skis a week during this ample snow winter. I ski downhill on Wednesday mornings and we try to get in short nearby Nordic skis one or two afternoons a week at Dublin Nordic, the Brattleboro Outing Club, Shattuck Inn or the Dublin Golf course. Then on the weekend, we go further afield to the many Nordic ski venues in the tri-state region. In the further afield category, we went back to the Pine Hill Ski Club for the first time in a couple of years on the first weekend in February. I profiled it back in December 2021 and I'm revisiting it again here. It's a hidden gem that deserves being found and will provide you with a cheery day of skiing through diverse landscapes. Find your way to 220 Mountain Rd. in New London. Google maps will accurately take you there — about a 70-minute drive from Keene. Pine Hill doesn't look like much when you arrive. There's a parking lot carved out of an old gravel pit; no building, but lots of parking and a big board indicating trail conditions. The day fee is $15. You can pay online, put cash in the collection box or use the QR code at the trailhead to pay from your phone. Don't neglect to pay. This is a truly all-volunteer operation and your fees pay for keeping the grooming machines running, insurance and the like. (Full disclosure, the current chair of the board is a friend.) Once you get out on the trails, however, you'll realize that you've found something special. There's a wonderful network of well-maintained, snowmobile-groomed narrow trails that weave you though open meadows, pine glades, across ponds, past marshes — not really good for skate skiing. There's a good array of beginning to challenging trails with some long views out to Mt. Kearsarge in the distance. Most of the trails are on the south side of Mountain Rd., but we started out on a loop north of Mountain Rd. to get warmed up and then did some more challenging trails on the south side. This is a 5-mile loop with lots of treats. From the parking lot, cross the road onto the Sundown trail. The first mile is mostly flat, pleasant skiing and is the only trail that allows well-behaved dogs. At the northern end of this section, you'll bend right, pass through a pretty marsh and then enjoy a bunch of little ups and downs through an enclosing conifer forest. Eventually, you'll cross back over Mountain Rd. to arrive at Grand Junction. Take a left on Ridgeway, then a left on Moon and dawdle a bit as you cross this frozen pond. It's wide open, adorned with the scraggly skeletons of many dead spruces, pristinely beautiful. At the end of the pond, turn left on Schlosser Schuss for a roller coaster ski eventually crossing bridges over a cascading brook (twice) and ending with a steep little downhill to arrive at Robb's Hut. On the weekends, it's a cozy hideaway with a humming wood stove, hot chocolate and tea, maybe brownies and the kind of tucked-away-from-it-all feeling that is comforting. On the day we were there, John Schlosser (yes, the namesake of the Schuss you just skied and the founder of Pine Hill Ski Club) arrived. He took the guitar from its hook on the wall and we sang rousing songs from our childhoods. Amazing how the words are tucked away in there though you haven't sung them for decades. We regaled arriving skiers with "If You're Happy and You Know It," and "I've Been Working on the Railroad" and "It's a Gift to Be Simple," and for the half hour we were there, everything was right with the world. But all cozy things must come to an end. For the last leg of your ski, retrace your steps along Schlosser Schuss, ski back across the pond and take a right on Ridgeway back to Grand Junction. Now bear left on the last piece of Sundown and it's a hop, skip and a schuss back to the parking area. I would be remiss if I didn't tell you about the Moose motif that characterizes many of the trail junctions. The Pine Hill volunteers have injected a bit of light-hearted language play into the creation of an array of small wooden moose sculptures that will tickle your fancy. There's Minnie Moose with polka dots along the Sundown Trail, Classical Moosic out there somewhere, ChrisMoose adorned with Christmas lights on your way back to the car. Lots more of them and remarkably, they keep changing and coming up with new puns. See how many you can find. The Moose-es capture the character of Pine Hill — it's a playful place to ski. Check out the Pine Hill website for conditions, pictures of some of the trails and views. I appreciate that they stay on top of the grooming and post conditions and trail closures daily. You can tell these folks really care about providing a good ski experience. Afterwards Try the The Flying Goose Brew Pub at the intersections of Routes 11 and 114 just past the country club. It's a classic brew pub with a wide array of locally crafted beers. We often stop here. There are booths along the wall, seats at the bar and window tables with expansive mountain views. Try the sinfully, delicious artichoke dip, their famous, thin onion rings or one of a wide range of salads. They serve that hard-to-find French Canadian tourtiére — a beef and pork pie in a flaky crust. They even have live music. I saw Tom Rush here about 30 years ago — a thrill to hear one of my early adulthood folk music heroes live. Or, after a bit of a drive, get off of Rt. 9 and head into downtown Hillsborough where you haven't been much since the bypass was built. Tucked down on a side street in an old mill building is Tooky Mills Pub. As close to being an actual British-esque pub as you'll find in this corner of the state. You won't find other cross-country skiers here but it's popular with motorcyclists. Hard to find a seat at the bar, but lots of seats in the warren of rooms. The menu is vast, the prices still reasonable and they have interesting specials every day. Try the spicy fried cauliflower if it's available. The French onion soup is respectable (and not pricey), and the turkey club is just how you'll like it with a pile of French fries in the middle. This is pub grub done really well and the kitchen is remarkably fast at filling orders. This is a regular stop for me if I'm going to or from Concord for the day. Pine Hill Ski Club trail map and conditions at: https://pinehillskiclub.com