Recent snowfalls in the mountains have created ideal
conditions for cross-country skiing at the Carroll and Jane Rikert Ski Touring
Center. at Bread Loaf. Managed by John Rubright. the Ski Touring Center offers
thirty-eight kilometers of trails, most of which are groomed and tracked on any
given day.
The weather of late has been perfect for cross-country
skiing; nearly every trail has been open, for skiers of all levels. Lessons are
also available, from beginners to advanced, in both skating and classical
Nordic skiing.
Rubright has had a fairly steady turnout of College
students; the first day no students showed up was last week. He is rightfully
proud of the facilities he runs, and wants to be certain more people know about
the opportunities available.
The Bread Loaf ski center is one of the best in the nation;
Rubright ensures that Middlebury
College
Passes are available at the Ski Shop for full-day, half-day,
and the whole season. Season passes for students cost about twenty dollars (the
same as a midweek half-day at the Snow Bowl). The trails are a mix of wide and
narrow, with comfortable turns, challenging uphills, and smooth downhills.
Skiers of all abilities can be found throughout the trail
system, and friendly words are exchanged often, even on a short ski. The
practice loops (next to the Ski Shop and across Route 125 from the Inn ) provide a predictable, controlled environment for
practicing form, while the trails north of the field, heading up into the
foothills of the Green Mountains , provide
varied terrain for enjoyable skiing.
Most weekdays, groups from local schools come for lessons
and outdoor recreation. Students come from as far as Leicester and Shoreham to
play on skis with their classmates and teachers. Ski instruction is provided by
the staff at the Ski Shop, who include Middlebury College
Rubright, often found outside on sunny days wearing
sunglasses and a ballcap, enjoys the place, and even skis here with his family
on weekends. He drives the grooming equipment early in the morning, and closes
up around 4:30 pm. Every so often, a car is left unclaimed in the parking lot as
closing time approaches; usually a skier comes in late to sign out in the Ski
Shop register.
Interesting things you will find while skiing at Bread Loaf
include the Myhre Cabin, on Myhre Hill, animal tracks and the Catamount Trail.
A trail running the length of Vermont for cross-country skiers (much as the
Long Trail runs the crest of the Green Mountains for hiking), the Catamount
Trail follows Bread Loaf trails in the area of Route 125. It heads northeast
from the Frost trail, up into the mountains. South of Bread Loaf, it heads
towards Goshen
southwest of the southern practice loops.
Also sharing space with the Rikert Ski Touring Center is the
Middlebury District of the Green
Mountain National
Forest Lincoln-Ripton Road ), is skiable, though
often traversed by snowmobiles. Rolling hills and wide curves provide
attractive alternatives to Bread Loaf's wooded trails. Use of any of the Bread
Loaf trail system does, however, require purchase of a ski pass.
Cross-country skiing is excellent exercise, as well as being
cheap and easy to learn. Skiing is more immediately available on the golf
course or around campus, permitting an escape and enjoyable exercise which is not
possible with downhill skis. Rubright encourages new skiers to visit Bread
Loaf; rentals are very inexpensive, and lesson/rental combinations are
available.
Bread Loaf does not offer many tourist accoutrements (though
it is very close to Middlebury's more than adequate tourist infrastructure),
but is very much a community- and people-oriented cross-country ski experience.