Gliding Through an Adirondack Winter:
Extensive Cross-Country Trails Offer Unlimited Variety to Skiers
The Adirondack region is gearing up for another cross-country ski season with trail and facility improvements at many of the region's properties.

Outdoor enthusiasts can glide across a beautiful winter landscape through all parts of the Adirondack region on trails that are low-cost and, in many cases, no cost. A wide range of destinations entice skiers,
from rugged expeditions in the High Peaks to gentle, groomed paths suitable for novices, with hundreds of miles of intermediate trails in between.

Some of the premier cross-country ski areas in the Northeast are located in the Adirondacks. Lapland Lake Cross-Country Ski Center, Garnet Hill Lodge and Mount Van Hoevenberg are among the most well known Nordic ski centers in the country.

Lapland Lake Cross-Country Ski and Vacation Center, located in the southern Adirondack region, features unparalleled woodland skiing on a superb trail system designed and meticulously maintained by former Olympic skier Olavi Hirvonen. Thirty-eight of the resort's 50 kilometers of trails are meticulously groomed, with four kilometers illuminated for nighttime outings. The remaining 12 kilometers are marked, yet ungroomed, providing a solitary wilderness experience for the more adventurous skier. This year-round resort offers guests the opportunity to stay in traditional Finnish "tupa" cottages. There is even a family of reindeer living at Lapland Lake, ready to greet visitors.

Skiers race to Garnet Hill Lodge in the central Adirondacks. This mountain resort boasts 55 kilometers of scenic, groomed trails and backcountry ski journeys for skiers of all skill levels. Readers of Snow Country Magazine also honored the resort as one of the "Top Ten in the East."

In addition to the groomed trails at Garnet Hill, the area also offers some of the finest backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering trips found anywhere. The adjacent Siamese Ponds Wilderness Area contains almost 65 miles of mapped and marked trails. Traversing frozen ponds, streams and other winter only routes provide an almost infinite variety of backcountry ski options.
Although Mount Van Hoevemberg, located near Lake Placid, hosted the cross-country ski races during the 1980 Winter Olympics, you don't have to ski like an Olympian to be able to take advantage of all that the center has to offer. Over 50 kilometers of trails connect to Cascade Ski Center and to many ungroomed trails in the High Peaks Wilderness, offering something for all abilities. This past summer and fall, many improvements to both the lodge and trails were completed.

The Jackrabbit Trail is a 35-mile trail system, connecting Keene with Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and Paul Smiths. A combination of old logging roads and constructed trails, the Jackrabbit is named for Herman "Jack Rabbit" Johanssen, the legendary Norwegian who helped popularize ski touring in the Adirondacks in the early 20th century.
The Jackrabbit Trail joins with many other ski-touring areas and also crosses the McKenzie Mountain Wilderness Area - guests at many of the local hotels can simply strap on skis and head out onto the trail, right from the door of their hotel. The Jackrabbit offers a wide range of terrain, scenery and challenges. Skiers may find themselves breaking trail in the "forever wild" Forest Preserve, gliding along a groomed trail at a commercial ski center and taking in the view of Whiteface Mountain from a golf course, all on the same day.
Early season storms quickly transform the Adirondack wilderness into a beautiful world of white mountain vistas and snowy woodland scenes. The midwinter snow depth can often exceed five feet with double this amount in the highest elevations. Cross-country skiing opens up a whole new world in the Adirondacks. Terrain hidden from view by summertime foliage is easily seen from a pair of skis. Wildlife tracks in the snow tell about the area's wildlife during the winter months. Add to this feeling of
discovery, the invigorating feeling of taking part in a healthy, outdoor activity in a beautiful, frosty atmosphere and its no wonder the sport is growing at a rapid pace.

The Adirondacks offer an incredible variety of trails and ski touring centers, ranging from beautifully groomed trails to magnificent, ungroomed wilderness trails.

The Adirondack Regional Tourism Council can provide information about cross-country ski adventures in the Adirondacks. For more information, contact the Adirondack Regional Tourism Council at 800-487-6867, or visit www.Adirondacks.org.


RESOURCES

Bark Eater Inn & Cross-Country Ski Center, Keene, New York.

Located adjacent to the Jackrabbit Trail, the inn boasts 20 km of trails (10 km groomed), and connects to miles of wilderness trails. Services include instruction, rentals, restaurant and lodging.

For more information, call 518-576-2221 or visit: www.BarkEater.com


Verizon Sports Complex, Lake Placid, New York (Mt. Van Hoevemberg)

Fifty kilometers of regularly groomed trails wander through the pristine forest at the Verizon Sports Complex Cross Country Center. Located at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, the venue accommodates classic and skating techniques and skiers of all abilities.

Call 518-512-1655 or visit: www.ORDA.org


Garnet Hill Cross-Country Ski Center, North River, New York

Rated as one of the "10 best cross country ski resorts in North America" by Snow Country magazine, Garnet Hill offers 55 km of trails for all abilities. Garnet Hill receives over 125 inches of snowfall per season and has access to over 100 km of backcountry skiing. Services include complete ski shop with rentals, sales and repairs, lessons, night skiing, guided tours, restaurant and lodging.

Call 518-251-2150 or visit www.Garnet-Hill.com


Lapland Lake Cross-Country Ski Center, Northville, New York Lapland Lake, celebrating its 25th anniversary, has been called ". one of the finest areas around" by Cross Country Skier magazine. It has 50 km of trails for all ability levels: 38 km of groomed trails and 12 km of ungroomed backcountry ski trails. Lapland Lake receives approximately 150 inches of snowfall per season. Services include warming lodge, retail and rental shops, wax room, ski instruction, snack bar, restaurant and lodging.

For more information call 518-863-4974 or Visit: www.LaplandLake.com


Tony Goodwin, executive director
Adirondack Ski Touring Council, Lake Placid, New York

Goodwin was among those who developed the Jackrabbit back in the mid-1980s. It was conceived as a European-style trail that would connect several communities, so people could ski from end to end over a few days, spending the night in town and dining in restaurants.

For information, call 518-523-1365
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