Nordic Is 100% Open!

It's been a banner start for us this season, and that includes our Nordic and backcountry terrain. We're approaching the second weekend of the season and everything is 100% open from the Nordic Center, which is (thankfully) a far cry from last season. Mother Nature has been tremendously accommodating thus far, so if you haven't gotten a chance to get out on some Nordic skis yet, I'd recommend doing it as soon as possible. If nothing else, the scenery right now is stunning.

After last week's Nor'Easter, the terrain looks great and is skiing even better. Things warmed up a little in the past week, so we kept groomers off the trails to preserve the base. Now that it's starting to firm up again, we should be able to lay down more classic tracks and skate grooming tonight. Until then, there's a thin breakable crust on top of the snow, but it's soft and powdery underneath once you break through. It's still early season, so there's some caution spots out there, but everything is skiing really well.

Tickets are available for less than $20 and if you need rentals, they can be had starting at $22. We also have Nordic 5 and 10 packs available, which make an excellent holiday gift or alternative to a season pass.

Storm's Coming

Greetings & salutations Nordic skiers! We had a little warmup last weekend, but it's not going to last. Cold air is back and temps are in the 20's. I'm sure you've already heard, but the first big storm of the winter is due to come through the northeast in the next 24 hours and we're hoping to catch a leg of it. It's tracking more north than originally forecasted, which is excellent news and means MORE SNOW! More snow = earlier opening of Nordic terrain. Projections from WCAX are calling for between 6-12" by Thursday AM. Get your snow dances ready.

Winter is here!

Opening day is scheduled for Saturday Dec. 13, so dig your equipment out of the basement, shed or closet where it makes its summer home and order your Nordic Season Pass today. Not skiing enough for a whole season? No matter. Pick up a Nordic 10 or 5-Pack and ski when it's convenient for you. 

If you also dabble in a little Alpine skiing in your spare time, Cyber Monday specials will be live on Dec. 1 and include $20 early season lift tickets, Night Powder Passes and Ski Bum Passes for $199. If you're as anxious as we are to get going, you're probably looking for the best way to get up on the mountain as fast as possible. Look no further. Save some green and get up here faster! Now would also be a good time to get your season pass and season lease equipment or a powder pass. BV Sports is open this weekend and daily starting on Dec. 5 for rentals, tuning and season pass printing.

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Purchase your 2014-15 Nordic Season Pass Today!

This is going to be one of those weeks that just gets better as it rolls forward. Temps will top out around 10 degrees today underneath mostly cloudy skies, but then on Thursday, we expect it to be closer to 20 and Friday will be downright warm with temps close to 30 degrees. That trend seems like it will continue straight into the weekend as the mercury is forecasted to hold steady in the 20's and 30's on Saturday and Sunday. 

Our backcountry continues to be 100% open for exploration on skis or snowshoes. We last groomed on Monday morning for 15km of skate skiing and 15km of classic tracks.

With such great conditions, you might start thinking about next season. Good news - you can purchase your 2014-15 Nordic Season Pass, which is just $110 for adults and $70 for youth and seniors when you buy before April 1. If you purchase next season's pass now you can ski for the remainder of this season for free. So, save some dough and get a jump on next year!

Back in the powder again

It's snowed a little bit in the last week, leaving us with 5-7" of new snow on the ground. If you're looking to get out into our backcountry, that's excellent news and it's skiing even better now than it did after our last big storm. Seriously, there's some deep, deep stashes out there if you know where to look. 

If you prefer the low-angle Nordic trails, we groomed for skate and classic skiing on Monday. That grooming has been covered up by the snow that recently feel, so you'll find a firm, groomed base, covered with about 3 inches of snow. We plan to groom again on Thursday morning.

As far as the weather goes, today, expect temperatures in the teens under cloudy skies with a chance of flurries. Looks like a repeat of yesterday! The wax of the day will be Green.

Don't forget about our Nordic 5 and 10 Packs - they are currently on sale and come loaded with 5 or 10 trail tickets you can use any time this season.

Powder Day!

As of 11:00 am on Friday, there's 11-14 inches of fresh white on the ground and it's still snowing. It's going to be amazing conditions on all our Nordic and backcountry trails today, so find time to get up here. February has been kind to us so far, leaving nearly three feet of natural snow on the ground with more to follow. To give you an idea of how hard it is snowing this morning, we've had to dig our the Nordic Center sign a couple of times so far and it's not even noon!

You can expect cloudy skies and snow today, with temperatures in the high 20's and gusty winds. Skate grooming took place on all our usual 15km of trails. But, with the heavy snow this morning, expect that grooming to be under at least 6 inches of snow. We'll hold off on putting down any classic tracks until the storm subsides. Until then, enjoy the pow!

Nordic 5 and 10 Packs are currently on sale and come loaded with 5 or 10 trail tickets you can use any time this season.

Nordic is 100% open!

After a foot of snow in the last week, the Nordic Center is now 100% open and trail conditions are the best we've seen all season! All of our usual groomed terrain has been skiing great and was smoothed out for skate-skiing again last night, giving us 15km of skate grooming and 5km of classic tracks. It's going to be a little chilly today, but that's nothing we haven't gotten used to this Winter. It should be an excellent day.

While we have picked up some new snow recently, the base is still pretty thin. Over-grooming can actually do more harm than good to a thin base depth. Due to this we won't groom as often as we would if we had deeper base depths. Please note that terrain is still considered early-season and backcountry trails are not groomed. Conditions may vary from trail-to-trail, so we recommend skis with metal edges if you plan on venturing off Broadway.

Stay tuned for an upcoming Bolton Valley Access video where I learn to Nordic Ski!

Winter Storm Nika

Winter Storm Nika has left about a half inch on the ground so far, but it's expected to continue through the evening. If this storm drops around 8 inches things could change in a hurry. More snow = more grooming and more terrain opening up. Until then, all of our usual groomed terrain has been skiing great and was last groomed Saturday night giving us 12km of skate grooming and 3km of classic tracks. For you backcountry folk, we've got 13km open right now, most of which is on the upper portion of the mountain. That number could also increase dramatically if we get the forecasted snowfall.

Please remember to use caution when venturing off Broadway. While we have picked up some new snow recently, the base is still pretty thin. Terrain is still considered early-season and backcountry trails are not groomed. Conditions may vary from trail-to-trail, so be smart and don't try to ski like there's four feet of powder out there. We recommend skis with metal edges if you plan on venturing off Broadway.

Backcountry Happenings!

The Nordic Center is open for skiing and snowshoeing on 9km of groomed trails, and Ski Patrol just opened up a lot of upper-mountain backcountry terrain. We received 4-5 inches of new snow last night, but please note that backcountry trails are not groomed and conditions may vary from trail-to-trail. It's not quite mid-winter conditions out there yet, so be heads up and don't try to ski it like there's four feet of powder. All trails are in early season condition, so we recommend skis with metal edges if you plan on venturing off Broadway.

The deep-freeze returned today with high temps around zero degrees, but the sun is shining! Don't forget, the Sports Center is also open, and includes an indoor pool, hot tub, sauna, arcade games and basketball court. Even though it's chilly out, the hot tub is toasty warm.

Nordic 5 and 10 Packs are currently on sale and come loaded with 5 or 10 trail tickets you can use any time this season.

It may be cold, but the hot tub is always warm!

The Nordic Center is open for skiing and snowshoeing on 12km of trails, all of which have been groomed for skate-skiing. With around a foot of new snow in the past week, it should be great conditions on our lower elevation trails if you're looking to get out for some exercise. It's going to be cold today, so cover all exposed skin to protect from frostbite. White wax will be on sale at the front desk. Please note that there may be obstacles hidden under the snow, and conditions may change throughout the day. 

The Sports Center is also open, and includes an indoor pool, hot tub, sauna, arcade games and basketball court. Also, we are open with 21 lift served trails on the alpine skiing side of the valley. 

Nordic 5 and 10 Packs are currently on sale and come loaded with 5 or 10 trail tickets you can use any time this season.

Nordic Terrain Is Closed

We have just endured a thaw/freeze cycle which brought a decent amount of rain on Monday morning followed by single digit temps on Tuesday. This weather event has damaged the already thin base on the Nordic trails and caused what snow is left to ice up. Due to these poor conditions, Nordic skiing and snowshoeing will be closed until we get more snow and surfaces soften.  We are still open for lift served skiing and riding and the Sports Center will also remain open. 

Nordic Trails Are Closed

After a tremendous day on Sunday, our weather roller coaster has taken another dip. We’ve had freezing rain overnight, which changed to rain this morning. The wet precipitation that has started the day should change to snow by the afternoon, as temperatures will fall from a morning high in the 40s to the upper 20s by the afternoon. This wet weather has caused the Nordic trails to ice up and forced us to close all Nordic skiing and snowshoeing for today. Once the storm passes we'll re-assess the trails to see if we can get anything open but, in all likelihood, we'll need more snow before we can re-open. 

Hercules reopens Nordic terrain

Two inches of fresh snow overnight has allowed our Nordic groomer to smooth out a few of our lower elevation trails. Broadway, Maple Loop (Upper, Middle & Lower) Picnic Loop and World Cup are all primed for skate-skiing this morning, and we'll keep this page updated if we get any more terrain through the day. Though there's some fluff on top, trails are still considered early-season, and will be for advanced skiers only.