There are those for whom winter means a retreat to indoor hobbies—knitting by the fire, tying enough flies to keep you fishing through August, or retiring to the basement to brush up on long-dormant ping pong skills. For the majority of active Northeasterners, though, the first snow means a whole new slew of sports. Just a quick wardrobe adjustment and gear swap—the shorts, trail-running shoes, and canoes of warmer times yielding to mittens and snowshoes, skis and skates—and they’re off. But by January or February, even the most hardcore crew can find themselves in a bit of a mid-winter funk, their enthusiasm dampened by the parade of gray days and early sunsets. One way to dump the doldrums is to experiment with a new activity, one you’ve never tried before or possibly never even knew existed.
Luckily, a small army of winter-loving folks is devoted to coaxing maximum fun out of the season. And they’re available to instruct, inform, and outfit adventure-seekers in everything from dog-powered skiing to Olympic-style sledding. Even spectators will find their pulses quickening, so long as they know where to look. So follow our lead down these slightly strange trails and we promise you won’t be disappointed. Just be sure to bundle up—’cause baby it’s cold out there.
A logical starting point is back where your thirst for coldweather thrills was born: the sledding hill. While most people assume they learned all they need to know about sledding during childhood, those who have sped down an Olympic-quality BOBSLEDDING course at up to 55 miles per hour will tell you otherwise. To try for yourself, consider a road-trip to Lake Placid, New York, site of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics and current home of the U.S. Olympic Team’s bobsled, luge, and skeleton training center. Visitors can sled like the pros on the state-of-the-art track built in 2000 to help athletes train for the Torino games. Each four-person sled holds two sledders, plus a professional driver and brakeman. At those speeds, you’ll be grateful someone else is in charge. “It’s definitely an adrenaline rush,” says Stephanie Ryan, a spokesperson for the Olympic Sports Center.
Luddites put off by the complexities of bobsledding or those looking for something a little more reminiscent of their youth might opt instead for the NATIONAL TOBOGGAN CHAMPIONSHIPS, held at Camden Snow Bowl in Camden, Maine, from February 2-4. This year marks the 17th running of this homage to those curved wooden sleds at the only American ski resort with an ocean view. Teams of two, three, and four people pilot traditional toboggans—there’s a long list of rules governing sled construction and features, even specifying the waxes and lubricants allowed—down a moderately steep, 400-foot-long chute. Slightly wider than the toboggans, the straight wooden chute is packed with snow and eventually spits the sleds out onto a frozen pond at speeds of up to 40 mph. Loaner toboggans are available for those without their own (though these are unwaxed and rarely win), and there’s a great tailgating scene at “Tobogganville,” set up on the pond for spectators. First-timers might be surprised at the competitiveness of some of the veterans. “There are some teams that take it pretty seriously, with secret waxing formulas and toboggan-building techniques,” says Jeff Kuller, manager of the Camden Snow Bowl. Those looking for a mellower experience can visit any weekend or holiday throughout the winter and try out the chute for $2 per ride, toboggan included. Says Kuller, “It’s only scary the first time.”
Of course, gravity’s not the only force that can move a sled, and the exhilaration of traveling by canine power is no secret to dog lovers. DOGSLEDDING opportunities abound in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, with outfitters offering everything from hour-long rides to weeklong tours, the one common factor being the rush you’ll feel at being zipped along a snowy trail by a team of excited huskies doing what they love most: running. You can learn how to mush, harness, drive, and, perhaps most importantly, stop a team of overexcited dogs. Some kennels will even teach your dog how to pull his weight.
A simple way to harness—literally—your pup’s excess energy is the sport of SKI-JORING. Imported from Scandinavia, it involves putting on your cross-country skis, hitching yourself (via a waistbelt or harness) to one, two, or three excited pooches, and holding on. It tends to be a cooperative effort between man and best friend, so both get a workout and have some fun. “I was looking for a sport that I could enjoy with my dogs,” says Jim Blair, a champion ski-jorer. “They were always waiting in the car while I was skiing, looking at me like ‘When’s it going to be our turn?’” His dogs’ turn became a way of life for Blair, who now runs a full sled-dog kennel at his Eden Mountain Lodge in Eden Mills, Vermont. Before you begin, make sure you’re comfortable on skis, and that your dog can respond to basic commands. Stopping, in particular, is essential to safety. Many dogsledding outfitters also offer ski-joring lessons, with a few going so far as to run special camps where you bring your housedog and leave with a sled dog. Some breeds pull better than others, of course, but Blair has trained a wide variety of them, including standard poodles. “I would feel alone skiing without my dogs now,” he says.
Surf the Atlantic. Photo by Stephen Voss
