With its northern latitude, prodigious snowfall, and the Green Mountains spanning from Quebec in the north to Massachusetts in the south, Vermont offers virtually limitless opportunities to explore the backcountry in winter on snowshoes, Nordic, Telemark, alpine touring/randonnée, or splitboard equipment. Elevations in the state range from near sea level in the lowest valleys, to over 4,000 feet atop the highest peaks, and the usual presence of midwinter snowpack at all elevations in the mountainous areas enables a wide variety of ski descents.
A great place to start is with David Goodman’s book, Backcountry Skiing Adventures: Vermont and New York: Classic Ski and Snowboard Tours in Vermont and New York. This guidebook covers some of the well known tours and descents in Vermont, and exploration on the internet will reveal many more places for touring in the Green Mountains. Another option is to use the easy backcountry access granted by the Catamount Trail, which runs the entire length of the state. The trail itself is amenable to various levels of Nordic skiing, and if you are interested in more alpine/descent-oriented touring, simply put on your equipment, follow the trail, and keep your eyes peeled. It generally won’t take long before you spy something above or below you that will deliver some powder turns. Since 90% of the Catamount Trail Association’s operating costs are funded by members, becoming a member is a great way to support maintenance of the trail.
The area below contains links to detailed backcountry trip reports from around the northern part of Vermont that can provide additional information:
Bolton Valley Nordic & Backcountry, VT, Sunday 19FEB2012
Monroe’s Sugarin’, Barton, VT, Saturday 19MAR2011
Bolton Valley Nordic & Backcountry, VT, Monday 21FEB2011
Bolton Valley Nordic & Backcountry, VT, Saturday 22JAN2011
Bolton Valley Nordic & Backcountry, VT, Monday 17JAN2011
Bolton Valley Nordic & Backcountry, VT, Saturday 08JAN2011
Bolton Valley Nordic & Backcountry, VT, Saturday 01JAN2011
Bolton Valley Alpine & Nordic, VT, Saturday 13FEB2010
Bolton Valley Nordic, VT, Saturday 30JAN10
Bald Hill/Burrows Trail, VT, Saturday 23JAN10
Camel’s Hump/Monroe Trail, VT, Sunday 17JAN10
Bolton Valley Alpine & Nordic, VT, Saturday 09JAN10
Bolton Valley & Bolton Valley Backcountry, VT, Saturday 19DEC09
Bolton Valley/Backcountry, VT, Sunday 01MAR09
Bolton Valley/Backcountry, VT, Saturday 14FEB09
Bolton Valley Backcountry, VT, Saturday 07FEB09
Waterbury Backcountry, VT, Saturday 17JAN09
Bolton Valley/Backcountry, VT, Saturday 10JAN09
Monroe’s Sugarin’, Barton, VT, Saturday 29MAR08
Waterbury, VT, Saturday 16FEB08
Waterbury, VT, Sunday 20JAN08
Robbins Mountain, VT, Saturday 05JAN08
Bolton Valley/Cotton Brook Area, VT, Saturday 29DEC07
Waterbury, VT, Sunday 16DEC07
Bone Mountain/Bolton Valley Backcountry, VT, Sunday 11MAR07
Pease Mountain, VT, Saturday 03MAR07
Bolton Valley Backcountry, VT, Sunday 18FEB07
Bolton Valley Backcountry, VT, Sunday 11FEB07
Bolton Valley/Cotton Brook Area, VT, Sunday 04FEB07
Camel’s Hump State Park, VT, Sunday 20JAN07
Gilpin Mountain, VT, Sunday 18FEB01
Lowell Mountains, VT, Sunday 20FEB00
Brownell Mountain Power Line, VT, Tuesday 15FEB00
Teardrop Trail, VT, Friday 22JAN99
Mt. Philo, VT, Saturday 15FEB97
Robbins Mountain Power Line, VT, Saturday 30DEC95