Bundled Up at Bretton Woods

PHOTO: All bundled up! Minus 15 F and happy on the slopes at Bretton Woods. We were certain not to have any bare skin showing. Don’t let the thermometer make you think you should stay home. Bundle up. Dress in layers and get outside and keep moving. The snow conditions are great, winter is here. Know before you go–visit your favorite resort’s website to find out about tickets and lodge & food services.

by Amy Patenaude
Outdoor/Ski Writer

“Cold enough for you?”
Ha ha, how many times have you heard that during the past couple weeks?!
Last weekend Charlie’s niece and her family came up from Boston to go skiing. Friday night’s forecast for Saturday had only Mike still wanting to ski. Frannie and their three daughters decided it was going to be too cold for them to ski.
I was dreaming of joining the girls, sitting inside and drinking hot chocolate in front of the fireplace. Then Mike asked me to go skiing with him at Bretton Woods and I said Yes. I could easily bundle up.
When we pulled into the parking lot at Bretton Woods, the sky was bright blue and it was -15. We dressed in the parking lot but carried our ski boots in a small bag along with our skis and poles up to the lodge. Mike had purchased his ticket on-line and had to go pick it up at the window. We both put on our ski boots inside the lodge. We put our street-boots in the bag then stored it in a cubby outside on the deck.
The lifts at Bretton Woods open at 8am on weekends. There was no lift line and it was nearly 9am by the time we climbed into one of the Gondola cars. The lift zoomed us to the summit and we admired Mount Washington above the bright red roofed Mount Washington Hotel down below in the valley. Truly a view that is always inspiring!

In the gondola car we carefully adjusted all our clothing to make sure no skin was bare. I pulled my neck gaiter over my helmet mask so my nose was covered twice.
The conditions were super packed squeaky powder. After a couple pleasant rides up the gondola, more people began to arrive and a lift line for the gondola began to form. But with the sun out and little wind, we happily skied right onto the many high-speed chairlifts on the mountain. We were bundled up and we were warm.
We skied 7 or 8 runs before we went into the lodge for a short restroom break and this warmed us right up right up. We skied all over the mountain, trying to ski as many of the trails as we could before we had lunch at the summit Rosebrook Lodge.
Two seats at the bar of the Switchback Grille were open and we felt lucky to slide into them. It was no surprise that the mountaintop restaurant was busy. We had hot drinks and sandwiches. I noticed some people wearing street-boots; scenic gondola riders stop in for lunch too.
All warmed up, it took us a few minutes to put back on and arrange all our warm layers. We went back out and skied more. Lots more people were now out for the afternoon too. I’ll brag, we did 18 runs on Saturday and the temperature was in the negative numbers the whole time.
A few days ago we met Bria at the Bretton Woods Nordic Center. She has really picked up cross-country skiing. She wants to improve her technique to get the most out of her kick and glide. Bria asked Charlie to coach her and I decided to come along for a nice day of skiing.

No matter how many times I gaze upon Mount Washington I always have to catch my breath, it is lovely and powerful. I love seeing the mountains. What a day it was. We lucked out again with bright blue sky, no wind and the temperature was actually in the teens!
When we arrived Bria had already gotten her trail pass and was dressed and ready to go. We quickly put on our boots and skis and joined her. We skied away from the Nordic Center, across the bridge over the Ammonoosuc River and along the edge of the golf course behind the Omni Grand Mount Washington Hotel. The trails were well groomed and tracked.
Charlie demonstrated weight shift and glide and had Bria following him practicing the different drills as we skied down the tracks. Just keep moving is the trick to staying warm outside. Charlie led us up the Bridal Path to B&M Trail, along the bank of the River. It wasn’t long before we shed a layer of clothing so we wouldn’t get too hot.
Bria is already a good skier and her goal is to get better. Learning to stride and glide with good technique results in a lot less effort to cross-country ski faster and for longer distances. Many people enjoy cross country skiing and their techniques range from fast gliders to a little more than walking on skis. The better you ski the more fun it is to ski.
Lessons and coaching are the best way to improve. Remember, even Olympians have coaches. If you aren’t fortunate enough to know a private coach like Charlie, I highly recommend the instruction available at the Bretton Woods Ski School. The instructors are enthusiastic and will help you find more joy while skiing as you rise to the next level.
From B&M we took Porcupine Lane to Sebosis and we all enjoyed the big downhills back down to the Perimeter Trail and then around the golf course again behind the Hotel.
Bria’s tracker said we skied 7 miles. This was also Bria’s first time to Bretton Woods Nordic and she says she will be back again soon. I guess we didn’t over do it since she’s anxious for more.
Have fun.