David Bacon is one happy landscaper.
Come winter, Canterbury Farms
Landscaping becomes Canterbury Farms Ski Touring Center, and this year marks a
sharp upturn from quieter years past, in the business and charms of
cross-country skiing.
Canterbury's trails opened Dec. 13
with the season's first measurable snow, and Bacon estimates that he has sold
700 to 800 ski tickets so far. Last year, he sold just 1,000 in a season that
lagged until late February.
"This is a great start, we're
really happy," said Bacon on Friday, as he was gearing up for another busy
weekend on the 12 miles of groomed trails he and his wife, Linda, tend
at the farm off Fred Snow Road. "Usually, if there isn't good snow, we
just keep landscaping."
Unlike downhill ski resorts, which
can struggle through a low-snow season with the man-made stuff, cross-country
ski area operators depend entirely on Mother Nature to keep visitors coming.
For the prime holiday weekend before
Christmas and through New Year's cross-country skiers have had no trouble
finding ample trails up and down the county, both in privately owned groomed
trials and in backwoods unbroken snow paths.
For people seeking groomed trails,
day tickets run from $10 to $20, while equipment rentals run $20 to $30 for skis
and snowshoes. State forests charge no fees, and trails there are typically
broken by recreational snowmobiles.
Retailers who deal in cross-country
ski gear also cashed in, as snow was falling in the days before and after the
Christmas shopping season.
"Last year was horrendous, and
the year before that wasn't good either," said Chris Calvert, a ski sales
guru at the Arcadian Shop in Lenox, which rents and sells skis and snowshoes.
"The biggest problem is it's a real weather-driven sport, and unless you
travel really far up north, it's hard to out there and play. If there's snow
around here, people can hop out their back door."
"It's night and day compared
with last year," said Steve Blazejewski, owner of Berkshire Outfitters in
Adams. "Last year, we didn't rent a single pair of skis until
February."
The shop has been selling skis and
snowshoes at a steady clip, and he said he also has noticed more expert
downhill skiers taking to Thunderbolt, the fabled and highly technical
run at Mount Greylock.
At Notchview Reservation in Windsor,
which opened Dec. 5, weekends have been drawing 200 to 300 people, with steady
business as well during the holiday week, said Superintendent Jim Caffrey, who
is looking askance at the warming trend coming this weekend and next
week.
"What's different this year is
we've had real good snow," he said.
Notchview has 25 miles of trails,
most of which are groomed, including the "doggy loop" for skiers with
canine companions, and, if conditions remain good, will attract up to 10,000
skiers this season, Caffrey said.
Notchview is owned by the Trustees
of Reservations but is open to guests who pay $10 per day to ski. Members of
the Trustees of Reservations get a season pass for $65 per family and ski free
during the week.
The folks who run Bucksteep Manor
Lodge in Washington are feeling a bit wistful this year. Two years ago, the
Sacco family gave up on grooming the cross-country skiing trails and sold their
rental equipment to Canterbury Farms.
"The weather just wasn't
cooperating," said Sube Bowser, innkeeper and manager at the historic
Bucksteep.
However, the ungroomed trails still
are open to visitors for skiing and snowshoeing; people also can drop into the
tavern for food and drink or use the lodge as a jump-off point to the trails at
October Mountain State Forest, across the road.
Those trails tend to be quite
skiable, said Bowser, because they are already broken and packed by
snowmobilers.
Bucksteep, however, is still
reveling in winter amusements and is making up for lost ski action by adding
something new: winter horseback riding and sleigh rides. It now is home to more
than eight horses, some for trail rides and heftier steeds for pulling sleighs.
Horseback riding happens on
weekends, while sleigh rides begin on Presidents Day weekend in February,
Bowser said.
For cross-country skiers, upcoming
warm weather in coming days could lead to slippery conditions, if top snow
layers melt and then freeze at night.
Canterbury Farms' Bacon said he
bought the latest trail-grooming equipment a couple of years ago to grind up
icier snow in warmer weather, but for the most part, the touring center's snow
tends to endure well. The property is on high ground, facing north, with trails
shaded by trees.
Skiers at Canterbury can interchange
their rental equipment during their visit, to try out showshoeing and ice
skating as well. On Saturday, a ski instructor offers classes beginning at 10
and will guide skiers through the woods with nature observations, Bacon
said.
At Lenox Memorial Middle and High
School, where cross-country skiing has been a vibrant sport for 15
years, the 30-member team finally has some snow to practice on ‹ right outside
‹ said athletic director Brian Cogswell.
"We've been very fortunate. We
have great coaches who think outside the box at practice," he said.
"They'll play Ultimate Frisbee and do hula hoops when there's no
snow."
Questions:
Essay: Is Cross Country ski ing a good business toget into?
300 words
Details.