Three elements make for a great Nordic ski tour — good friends, fantastic ski conditions and refreshing nourishment. Our ski group tour, planned by Bear Notch Ski instructor Sue Tuttle, had all these and more.

I searched through my picture files, but didn’t find a single picture of my Mount Washington Nordic Club experiences. I’m grateful others saved their pictures and newsletters, documenting their existence before the internet took over our recollections.

A frigid cold weekend was approaching. Could our group ski at Bretton Woods last Friday, Jan. 23, before temperatures plummeted? Four of us decided to take a chance.

Looking over my last week’s ski log, I noticed a pattern. Each of the ski trips I took last week had some element of the three witches of skiing — wind, wax and weather — affecting my experience. Those elements can be beneficial or detrimental, depending on their impact on skiing and your ab…

“Ski’ is both a noun and a verb. You put a long thing on each of your feet called a “ski” and then you “ski.” It’s both the object and the activity. When I wrote the title of this article, I didn’t think about that until after I saw it in print.

Filling in my January calendar, I saw a pattern. No longer were Nordic events focused on getting ready to ski; they were mostly about racing events. From middle school and high school Nordic team members to citizens’ racers, and, finally, to 2026 Winter Olympic athletes, everyone is excited …

Happy New Year, Nordic skiers! With 2026’s arrival and months of winter ahead, many of us are making New Year’s resolutions to get out and ski more. Some will sign up for ski lessons or clinics. Others hone their skills by racing every week. Many are signing up for group skis, knowing skiing…

Looking back over past Christmas articles I wrote for The Mountain Ear and later The Conway Daily Sun, I noticed a pattern. At least three of the articles focused on the need for snow, usually under the title, “All I want for Christmas is snow or more snow.” They were the typical end-of-Dece…

It was my friend’s question that started my quest. She asked, “Where can I take my cross-country skis to get them waxed?” I gave her some suggestions, but realized I didn’t really know the answer.

Skiable snow before Christmas is a gift we Nordics are happy to see delivered early. From old skiers like me to youngsters of all ages, we’re delighted to already be feeling the snow beneath our skis.

Two phrases I heard recently amused me. In a cartoon, I saw “touch grass.” On a T-shirt, I saw “I was born in the 1900s.” Since the latter saying described me, I didn’t feel embarrassed to not be familiar with that first modern statement.

What is a Trail Angel? Trail Angels are those people, now departed, who worked in the background, getting support and funding for trail projects. This year, we lost two trail visionaries — Steve Swenson and Joe Berry. Because of their efforts and abilities to galvanize the Mount Washington V…

I felt my skis gliding over powdery snow, with a whisper-quiet shush. The tips were barely visible in the unbroken snow. I was in skier’s heaven. Everything was fluid motion and soft sounds. The woods were peaceful and beautiful. The sun was setting in the west and turning the sky a vivid pi…