Snow's coming: early season ski notes
Dusting off winter equipment.
Snow is in the forecast! We’re as excited as anyone, and with your help — and a bit of patience — we can have some good, durable skiing that everyone can enjoy soon.
Check the Conditions
As always, the Center’s conditions dashboard is the place to find the latest information on the Center’s trails and all the ways to enjoy Craftsbury. Get in the habit of checking there first.
On- or off-campus, trails open when grooming says they are open
Off-campus this is a matter of respecting landowners and their wishes as we’ve noted. For example, trails on private land like Ruthie’s, Sam’s, and other outer-lying trails remain closed for hunting season — even if it snows.
On-campus, respecting closed trails leads to better skiing for more people, for longer.
If grooming can roll the snow on the roller loop — and it can set up – many people can ski the roller loop without skis hitting the pavement.
If skiers ski the loop immediately without any rolling, ruts that reach the blacktop quickly form, freeze and can make the loop unskiable. Let grooming do its work, and we all get the payoff of better skiing that lasts more than a lap or two.
Rock-skiing on fast grass is only on Murphy’s fields for now
If you’re looking for early season sliding on snow, put your skis on by the old TC/Clubhouse and head out to Murphy’s, both East and West (orange area below).
The manmade snow loop
Saved snow will be trucked on to North Lemon’s from the snow pit, augmented [hopefully] by blown snow in the lower field to connect the loop and create a pad for skier access. We are targeting opening the manmade loop November 21. Per usual, the manmade loop will be ski only – no fatbikes or snowshoes. See purple loop above.
Skier Services open November 21
Want some hot chocolate? Need some rentals? While you can buy day-passes online along with annual memberships, all the niceties and support you expect from the Touring Center and its staff remain shuttered for a while. Right now skiing is at your own risk.
Rollerskiing on the paved loop will likely be wrapping up soon
With the natural snow in the forecast in the coming week and the manmade snow loop rolling out imminently, rollerskiing is drawing to a close for 2025 in the coming week or two. We anticipate rolling through this weekend, but if the forecast holds, natural snow will close the loop next week. Snowmaking will be moving manmade snow out sometime the week of November 17.
Singletrack
The end is nigh for all the rest of our dryland activities, though perhaps not as soon as the roller loop. It’s a highly changeable time of year and the conditions dashboard is the way to stay in the know. In general, we will close singletrack to summer use when there when snow arrives, sticks around, and the likelihood of mud getting tracked on to ski trails increases.