We got some snow in the mountains Tuesday night so Patrick took a group up into Smuggler’s Notch for some skiing this morning.  Those of us with too much work on our plates this morning stuck close to home for some roller-ski intervals.  I can’t wax poetic quite as well as my colleague at Middlebury about eastern snow (post here) but as you can see from the pictures below both the skiers and the roller-skiers had stunning backdrops for their workouts this morning.   Not much chance the snow will survive through the weekend but the snow, cold temps, and fading light can only mean one thing . . . winter is coming east!

How much farther to the top???

Ziegler cooling down with the lake and snow tinged Adirondack’s in the background.

More photos from skiing in the Nordic Gallery link to the left….

4.7 miles and 1500 vertical feet.  Not the steepest climb around but that last mile is tough. 

Today was one of the first really brisk fall mornings we’ve had.  It was a good day to go hard as the temperature really accentuated everyone’s post-race cough.   Chris Ziegler eked out a two second victory over first year Alex Howe and UVM alum and local skier Ilke Van Genechten skied to victory over Jennie Bender in the women’s event.

One of the more prominent mountains in Vermont, Camel’s Hump rises up out of the surrounding hills and stands somewhat alone in the skyline southeast of Burlington.  We were blessed with a stunning clear day this morning.  We hiked it from the North side and were rewarded with a number of stunning vistas even before we reached the summit. 

This morning we all woke up to quite a sunrise on our way in to do strength.  It was cool, clear, and spectacular….

This past Sunday we were blessed with a beautiful fall day for a classic over-distance ski.  The colors are near peak and the temperature was perfect. 

This past weekend marked the second annual Ski Team camping trip in Stowe.  For the nordic team the weekend began with a tough running threshold workout at Red Rocks park Saturday morning.  The men were paced by Weaver who started about 30 seconds in front of them.  He somehow managed to hold them off each time despite being hobbled by a sprained ankle sustained while hiking with his wife.  I am still rounding myself back into shape after a few bad years of training but managed to run with the women for parts of their workout.  I was impressed with the women’s pacing and the men’s toughness.  Some of the men might have been a little too tough for their own good as there were a few that reached a little beyond threshold.

First weekend on campus and already there is a race nearby!  We raced at Jericho on Saturday in the third and final race of the NENSA roller-ski series.  It is tough to compare times in a roller-ski time trial but NENSA has a set of matched roller-skis that the top seeded skiers use.  Jennie showed she has continued to improve her skating since last year as she edged out Ida Sargent (Dartmouth) and first year Caitlin Patterson (UVM from Alaska) for the win on the matched skis.

Jennie being cheered on by the Beastie Boys.

When it comes to Ryan’s nickname the question isn’t why, it’s why not.