Winter Trails Day 2010

January 9, 2010 will be the 15th annual Winter Trails Day!  It might be mid-summer but plenty of venues have already announced they'll hold Winter Trails Day events at the start of next winter:

• High Trails, CO
  
• The Trailhead/Trailhead Cycle & Ski, CO 
  
• East Mink Creek Nordic Center, ID
  
• Wisp Resort Nordic Center, MD 
  
• Cross Country Ski Headquarters, MI 
  
• Crystal Mountain Resort & Spa, MI
  
• Shanty Creek Resorts, MI 
  
• Great Glenn, NH
  
• King Pine Ski Area & Purity Spring Resort, NH 
  
• Lapland Lake Nordic Vacation Center, NY 
  
• Tree Haven, NY
  
• Blueberry Hill Inn & Nordic Center, VT 
  
• Highland, VT
  
• Woodstock Nordic Center, VT
  
• Camp Ski Area, WI 
  
• Grand Targhee, WY

Anchor sites that are confirmed:

• Kirkwood, CA
  
• Echo Lake, CO
  
• Weston Ski Tracks, MA
  
• Fort Snelling State Park, MN
  
• White River Snow Park, OR
  
• Liberty Mountain, PA
  
• Soldier Hollow, UT
  
• The Mountaineers, WA

Sponsors for next year's event will include Atlas, MSR, Kahtoola, Tubbs, Leki, Rossignol, Grabber, and Columbia Sportswear.  Get excited, and visit here for more information!

Where to go?

So-- once you've decided to try out cross country skiing or snowshoeing, where exactly do you go?  You may have already realized that one of the great things about cross country skiing and snowshoeing is that you can even go in your backyard if there's snow!  But what if you don't own the equipment, or have never been before?  

Your local cross country ski area is probably the best place to start out- you can rent equipment, learn how to use it, and usually explore a beautiful area.  We like the Cross Country Ski Areas Association's resort search tool, which lists hundreds of cross country ski and snowshoe resorts and trails by state.  

The Bachelorette's Snowshoe Date-- Genius?

We're not sure how we feel about ABC's reality show The Bachelorette, but there's one thing we can agree on with Bachelorette Jillian. On Monday night's episode Jillian took her dates snowshoeing and exclaimed "you can do whatever you want in the snow!"

Snowshoeing sounds like a great date idea- it's easy enough to learn, noncompetitive, and you can enjoy being outdoors and active. What do you think- is snowshoeing a worthwhile date?

Mark your calendars...

The 15th annual Winter Trails Day on January 9, 2010 is only 200 days away. Winter Trails events give children and adults a chance to try out snowshoeing and cross country skiing for free. They are easy to learn, great winter fitness options, and most importantly FUN!

For now check out our Web site and mark your calendars for Winter Trails Day 2010.