Resort to Backcountry with the Ladies of the AMC: 1 February 2026

We are all blissing out this winter with the incredible snow that we’ve been treated to, and the AMC Ladies Resort to BC at Magic Mountain on February 1 was no exception. Our participants came from a variety of backgrounds, including some with very strong nordic BC experience and others with great resort experience who were looking for the peace of the woods. Some women had the experience of uphill travel for the first time–and they are now hooked! Conditions were dreamy and we had zero full on equipment failures–but certainly a fair amount of getting to know your gear and figuring out how to work with it. As always seems to be the case, participants also brought their experiences as a way to support and teach others. AMC Ski Leaders Jillian Willard, Jaimee Rondeau and Christina Parks executed another fun, professional and educational trip; they were joined by LiT Amber Porter. To quote feedback from one participant: “Thank you to our amazing leaders! Such a great day, with so many helpful tips and ideas!”

Life is busy for so many of us these days, but no matter how full your platter, you come away from days like this with more spring in your step (skis).

-Amber Porter

Beginner XC to Franconia Falls: 8 February 2026

This annual expedition, billed as “Beginner X/C Ski to Franconia Falls”, was born in the CoViD era, to offer an easy, somewhat instructional opportunity, for those interested in learning about back country skiing. Led by two seasoned (OK, ancient…!) NH Chapter ski leaders, temporarily displaced from the usual NH Chapter Winter Workshop scene, with group gatherings shuttered thanks to CoViD.

It was too cold for photos so, for visual interest, we made this graph of temperature in Lincoln last month.

We were “on” for January 30, 2021. Outdoor environment, fresh air, old railroad bed, attractive destination, what more could one ask for? Well, possibly some solar energy! That 1st year we were greeted with SUB ZERO air temperatures! No, not wind chill, actual air temps running around minus 5 (-5F) as we gathered (with facemasks on, as per Gov’t requirements being National Forest land and AMC policy) at the Lincoln Woods trailhead. At least finding parking wasn’t an issue… Despite the bone-chilling cold, our group had a fun day skiing in the Pemi. Remember, this was a BEGINNER-level winter trip! If we all managed to have a fun time in those conditions, I guess it was a success. We left knowing “there’s always next year”…

Gift, or curse…? Our Ski Committee gathers in October to put together the ski calendar of trips for the ensuing winter season. Wanting to repeat the success of the previous season, we again listed yet another “Beginner X/C Ski to Franconia Falls”, this time choosing January 15, 2022 for our adventure. Three months away. No weather-guesser could possibly predict the forecast for that day…

…Again, another intrepid group of skiers chose to join us. Not five below this time – a whopping NEGATIVE FIFTEEN (-15F) actual air temperature! Aaauuuggghhh! As before, we had yet another fun and successful ski in to Franconia Falls, despite the arctic chill.October 2022 – planning meeting time. Third time’s a charm, right? Trip posted for January 15 (again)… Strike out. Had to cancel this year, not due to cold, but rather warm. Not a good winter to ski in the woods. Trail was blue ice, better suited to ice climbing than skiing. It was raining. Was the curse broken? Had it run it’s course??? Time would tell.

Planning meeting October 2023 – let’s bypass January! February 4, 2024 chosen for our now-annual “Beginner X/C Ski to Franconia Falls”. We were greeted with sunshine, moderate temperatures in the mid-teens, and another fun group of skiers. Woo hoo! A great day on skis in the Pemi!

Skip to the Fall of 2024. One of the “ancients” taken out of service for the upcoming season. I blame it on too many trips around the sun. Back to “there’s always next year”…

October 2025. The “Ancient” has returned! Sure, let’s get “Beginner X/C Ski to Franconia Falls” back on the calendar. February had worked before, let’s go with February 8, 2026. Registrations for our adventure were popular – the Outdoors Connector was lighting up with enrollments, but also cancellations. I think we had a total of almost 15 participants sign up at various points for the trip. Limit, with leaders, was 10, since we would potentially enter designated wilderness. As the trip approached, we were losing participants rapidly. Was it the weather history was coming into question? The write-up did include the statement that this trip had a history of cold temperatures. Or was it the impending forecast? Yes, the weather-guessers were predicting a notable cold snap for the weekend. Cold, as in SUB-ZERO yet again! Had we upset Ullr or Skadi, the Norsk winter and snow deities? We must go!

The two “Ancients” were eventually joined by 4 “intrepids” – all of whom came prepared to brave the cold! Again, billed as an entry-level trip, our participants were none-the-less up to the ski, making close to record time along the old logging railroad bed in really nice snow conditions. A brief hike up to the snow-covered and frozen falls, then a rapid retreat back down the easy grade to the trailhead. All of this in air temperatures that started at an even ZERO as we left the parking lot! Upon our return we retreated into the Info booth for nice conversation with the info volunteer and her pup while enjoying our “trail lunches” in the comfort of the woodstove heated cabin! I guess Ullr and Skadi weren’t too upset with us! And, “there’s always next year!”

–Scott Taylor

Catamount Trail, Blueberry Hill Nordic BC Trip: 14 February 2026

What a day we had at Blueberry Hill Outdoor Center in Goshen, VT. This is a gem of ungroomed BC nordic trails and the surfeit of snow (dare I say it?) that we’ve had this winter made for superior skiing. We all agreed that our faces hurt from smiling all day long. It’s also possible that our faces hurt from grimacing during the lengthy climb of the Romance Loop. I’m fairly certain that a number of orders were placed for kicker skins following that tour. (And yes, we did Romance Loop on Valentine’s Day–we felt that it was compulsory.) But as usual, the effort was so very worth the payoff during the long descent over pillow-like snow under a canopy of snow covered trees. Our group was adventurous and our sense of humor was well to the fore even when it was discovered that we had yet more climbing to get back to the lodge. Since all were fully satiated after the lengthy tour, we piled into the lodge at Blueberry Hill Outdoor Center for some make-your-own grilled cheese and soup hot from the wood stove. It’s hard to beat a day spent gliding over the snow all day, and finishing with good company and warm comfort food.

-Amber Porter

Greens Woodlands Family Ski Trip: 21 February 2026

The Greens Woodland trip was spectacular. Four families attended and enjoyed excellent conditions with approximately 6″ of fresh snow overnight. Since the groomer hadn’t reached all the trails yet, we even had the chance to ski some untracked snow.

We took a break for lunch, hot cocoa, and s’mores at the warming hut and fire ring near Cummins Pond. After lunch, Bob Green even took some of the group for a ride in the new groomer. It was a perfect trip!

–Erik Endrulat

Baldfaces: 21 February 2026

Nik and I led a fun and fluffy trip at Baldfaces on Feb 21…a fortunate timed trip with 4-5” of snow falling overnight.

The fresh snow was very welcomed, but made driving a bit slower…a worthwhile trade. We wove our way up the zone, with a classic GBA skinner which made use of the existing hiking trail called Slippery Brook. It’s a long and often gradual trail and also beautiful. At the top of the trail, our group felt good enough to climb a little further to the knob despite the trail completely changing in nature to very steep. So steep, almost everyone that does it shoulders their skis and boots up. A couple of the more stubborn skiers skinned our way up the knob. Once on top, we were in and out of the clouds with some picturesque views of Baldface cone and the surrounding landscape. This type of gentle summit cone with soft (not wind-affected) snow is atypical of New England and more reminded me of Colorado or Tahoe. A rare treat! We turned around here despite the tempting summit cone because our group wasn’t properly equipped with avi gear. But we had some fun-steeper-fluffy turns at the top with alternating moderate to flat sections of a beautiful and snowy glade. All in all, a wonderful day.

–Chris Peter

Kancamagus Brook: 28 February 2026

We had 7 intrepid skiers for the February 28th Kancamagus Brook ski tour. The warm sunny start to the day made for sticky snow. After we all rewaxed our skis and got rid of the two inch platforms of snow, conditions were great. Just enough snow on a good base to make skiing fun without making it hard to break trail. At lunch time, we tried to spot the two AT skiers who had set out from the parking lot to ski the North Tripyramid slide. We eventually decided the possible silhouettes were imobile trees. Later, we found ski tracks lapping glades in the woods. Everyone enjoyed the gradual glide back out to the parking lot.

–Emilie Phillips

Winter School: 27 February - 1 March 2026

Winter School 2 couldn’t have asked for better timing — true winter conditions, fresh snow, and a fantastic group of eight curious and engaged students. Courageous Ski Leaders Sean Mulligan and Margaret Brumsted shared their knowledge on trip planning, pack essentials, backcountry ethics, and navigation, helping participants build the skills and confidence to travel beyond the trailhead.

Saturday’s tour included a ski up the Dukes to the ledges on Firescrew, followed by a very fun descent. Lap two looped us up the Back 80 Trail to Whitney and a second awesome ski down the Dukes.

Sunday started with much firmer surface conditions, and we made our way up Manning/Holt to the Kimball Ski Trail, hoping the glades would be good. There was plenty of snow, with a breakable crust but very skiable snow underneath. The first glade run was pretty hilarious — bodies strewn everywhere — but the second run was much more successful after we broke up the surface. The ski back to the lodge on the Kimball was a great way to end Winter School.

–Margaret Brumsted

That's all for now. Come join us! Follow links below to join tours and to inquire about leader training. And, thank you for reading.

AMC-NH Ski Committee Newsletter 2026 Volume 2