2025 Extended Trips

Join us in northern Vermont for a laid-back New Year’s celebration and some terrific skiing. Craftsbury is a world-class center created to serve XC skiing but with old-fashioned hospitality. There is a very large trail system at Craftsbury and it connects with the Catamount Trail which extends from the Massachusetts border to Canada. An ice-skating rink and several snowshoe trails are also available. The trip cost includes trail passes. Ski rentals, ski lessons and snowshoes can be accessed for a fee at the ski center.

Typical accommodations are dorm room-style with either two twin beds or one double bed, and restrooms/showers down the hall. Your trip cost includes three meals per day beginning with dinner on arrival day through lunch on departure day. Meals are served in the dining room and there is plenty of wholesome food. Bag lunches can be requested if you plan to be out skiing all day. Vermont is home to a strong local food culture and the kitchen staff makes good use of the local products. Vegetarians and those with other dietary requirements are easily accommodated. You may bring your own beer or wine to the dining hall. Snacks are available for purchase at the office and the ski center. Feel free to bring snacks with you to share at our happy hour.

PLEASE NOTE: This year we are starting this trip a day later than usual so you will have an extra day among your holiday celebrations to prepare!

Craftsbury is a full day’s drive from south central PA but it is one of the venues which is most likely to have snow early in the season. If you drive part way the day before the start of this trip, you can get to Craftsbury in time to ski on arrival day; similarly, you can ski on the day of departure if you don’t need to get home that day. While the local general store is charming and has some food and miscellaneous items, it’s a long drive if your needs exceed those at the General Store. Many of us bring what we need from home or buy it along the way and our cars sit in the Craftsbury parking lot the whole time we are there.

Ring in the New Year with us at Craftsbury, Vermont!

Methow Trails is the largest groomed Nordic ski network in North America. With several main areas, there are over 200 KM of trails including those that link several ski towns together. We will fly into Spokane International Airport and then drive ~3.5 hours west to stay for 10 days at the Methow River Lodge (https://methowriverlodge.com/) in the heart of Winthrop, WA.
Example room options (with taxes): 2 Queen bedroom Suite: $2,007; 1 King bed Suite: $1,896.
Peruse the website for more rooming options and availability.

Please book rooms through Travel Agent Jeremy Martin (info above), then notify trip leaders via email. BYO roommate. BOOK NOW TO LOCK IN YOUR RESERVATION AS WE DO NOT HAVE A BLOCK RESERVED!  Your card will be charged but you may cancel penalty-free with full refund until 12/30/24. There is a major XC trailhead and a skating facility across the street. If there is a hockey tournament or ski event, rooms will fill quickly; so don’t wait!  We will not be cooking so include dining out in your budget. We will be close to Winthrop restaurants. Your trip leaders have booked the lodge’s adjacent two bedroom cabin with first floor living/dining area and small kitchen. This will serve as trip meeting place and perhaps for takeout meals.

Round trip flights from PHL to/from Spokane (GEG) are currently $400-$600 plus luggage and ski bag fees, and long term parking at PHL ~$200. Vehicle rental at Spokane for 10 days runs $500-750 (Jamie sez: booking via Costco gets you a second driver free).  Flights and cars can be booked through Travel Agent Jeremy or else you book online.  Ask a trip leader for current participant list (to arrange a rental car share) or to provide flight numbers already selected by other participants.

All ski venues are between 2000’-3000′ elevation. January average temps are 29 High/16 Low. December and January are the snowiest months, and although this area does not receive excessive snowfall, it holds what it gets. Close by: XC ski shops, ski and fat bike rentals, snowshoeing. Trail Passes: $30/day or 10-day punch card $260; 75+ ski free! Follow links below to explore further and to view maps or search YouTube for more videos.

• Methow Trails winter system | Methow Trails
• Where to Ski (and Eat) in the Methow Valley – AdventuresNW
• Search YouTube for “Ski the Methow “ a 4-part series…Part 1is below:
• Ski The Methow – Winthrop Trails

We are returning to the Tug Hill area to stay on the east side at The Lodge at Headwaters, a tidy and comfortable 38-room motel centrally located in Boonville. We’ve reserved (8) rooms with 2 queen beds and (2) rooms with king beds (each has a small fridge and microwave). It is BYO roommate, however ask Trip leader if there are other members seeking to share rooming expense. Participants will book rooms directly with Headwaters using a Group Code provided by trip leader. They charge your card at checkout so there is no deposit, and they are lenient with cancellations due to poor snow conditions. This is a Friday to Friday trip, so it is very doable over the MLK (Jan 20) long weekend for those [still] working as you may stay for fewer than the full 7 days.

A nice breakfast is included and Lunch is BYO or buy at sandwich shop. We usually gather in the comfortable lobby to socialize before supper and we’ll go for supper at casual dining venues or get takeout and eat back at the Lodge. Recently there have been several pleasant additions to the local dining scene.

Skiing opportunities abound on the east side of Tug Hill. Very close by are the 4 free groomed trail systems operated by BREIA (the Northeast’s best-kept XC ski secret?). Within a 30 minute drive are the (2) Osceola ski centers ($$), and free back country skiing at Carpenter Road Trail, Centennial Trail, and Whetstone Gulf State Park. Further out at 45-60 minutes we have Winona Forest, Chateaugay SF, McCauley Mountain XC ($$) and Barnes Corners / Rodman trails. There is something for everyone here and more than we could ski in a week…we think of it as the “the closest with the mostest.”

**Please Notify trip leader in late summer / early fall of your likely intention to book this trip so that we can help connect singles seeking to share a room and also to know if we need to expand our block of rooms.

Here is an exciting ski weekend that offers the entire family a complete skiing and sledding experience!

• The Susquehannock Lodge has direct access to hundreds of miles of crosscountry ski trails right from our back door. It’s a perfect place for you to enjoy the quiet setting of Pennsylvania’s Northwoods—a special place where there are more deer than people.
• Visit the Susquehannock Lodge website for additional information at https://susquehannock-lodge.com/
• Arrive anytime from Thursday afternoon through late Friday. The final dinner on Sunday will be served at about 2:00 as a late lunch.
• Attractions include great food, cross-country skiing and sledding. Contact Gil to try one of his unique single or double runner sleds.

Per-person Rates as follows:
LODGING With Next Day Big BREAKFAST & DINNER

• Kids ages (3-12), Kids (2-under) FREE
• “Private” is 2 per room with private bath; “Lodge” is shared bath down the hall.
• Final dinner on Sunday will be served at about 2:00 as a late lunch
• Optional bag lunches: Sandwich, cookies, fruit and candy bar $11.00
• Optional arrival night dinner: Friday (2 Nights) or Thursday (3 Nights) $23.00. (Must be prearranged.)

Please keep trip leader Gil Linde informed as to your trip arrangements.

Susquehannock Lodge:

• PAYMENT: Made directly to The Susquehannock Lodge (Ed & Carol Szymanik)
• Deposit – $60 Due Dec 20, 2024 (if unable to come on your scheduled weekend, deposit can be used through Oct 2025)
• Balance – Due by check when you arrive

Susquehannock Lodge
5039 US Route 6 West
Ulysses, PA 16948

Carol (814) 435-2163
susquelgcarol@penn.com

We will again be staying in condos at Stonehurst Manor at 3351 White Mountain Highway (Rt. 16), N Conway, NH, 603-356-3113, just north of the town proper.  Stonehurst underwent a change in ownership last year and with that, a price increase.  While not the bargain it has been in the past, it is still in line with the per day price of many of our other trips based on last year’s prices.  We will be staying in three condos that are homey and comfy, as well as being adequately equipped for meal prep and relaxation after skiing.  Each unit has 2-1/2 baths, a laundry area, and either gas or wood-burning stove/fireplace and color cable TV in the living room.  Internet service is available, but not always reliable. Towels and linens are provided, and trip cost includes breakfasts and dinners for 3-4 nights prepared by participants.  You are responsible for lunches usually on the trails, but some groomed venues do have lunch items available for purchase in the lodge.  For meals other nights there are plenty of good restaurants in the area. 

Snow is usually quite plentiful here, and there are numerous ski venues to choose from, anywhere from right out our condo doors,  to a 45 minute drive away, with wonderfully groomed trails:  Bear Notch, Bretton Woods, Jackson XC Center, Great Glen to name a few.  All have reasonable trail fees.  Backcountry trails abound on un-groomed public trails.  I have not skied these, but several “outfitter” ski shops in the area can provide maps and give advice on trails that suit a group’s needs.  For a day off there are plenty of outlet stores and quaint shops in town, as well as a cool ski museum.  Unfortunately the weather museum sponsored by Mt. Washington Observatory has been disbanded and its displays relocated to two other locations. A snowcat ride up the Autoroad part way up Mt. Washington is another fun alternative to skiing. Come enjoy the White Mountains of New Hampshire!

PLEASE NOTE: A passport is REQUIRED for travel to and from Canada.

We’re returning to the Laurentians for the fifteenth year.  And we’re again staying in same house in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, named Thyra’s Ark, that we’ve used the last few years.

The Laurentians are our favorite Canadian destination. With an embarrassment of beautiful groomed trail systems, we get to ski a uniquely different trail system almost every day. Ranging from rail-trail ease to thrilling, mile-long descents, many of the trails boast trail-side warming huts. Trails we ski in the area include Parc Dufresne XC Ski, Camping Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, Domaine St-Bernard, the Diable Network of Parc du Mont-Tremblant, Le P’tit Train du Nord, Morin Heights, Gai-Luron and Forêt Ouareau. (Trail fees are not included in the price of the trip.)

Thyra’s Ark is a very large, eleven-bedroom, ten-bath, 7,500 square foot “cottage” with lots of parking. It is located less than half a mile from Camping Sainte-Agathe, one of our favorite ski venues.  Thyra’s Ark is provisioned with all the conveniences you’ll need including WiFi, a new outdoor hot tub, a recently renovated kitchen and laundry facilities.

The cost of breakfasts and most dinners, prepared by trip participants, are included in the price for the trip.  We will probably also choose to have a dinner at a local restaurant one of the nights and an “on your own” dinner on another night.  Lunches are on your own.

Please join us for a delightful, 7-day week enjoying the best that Canada’s legendary Laurentian Mountains have to offer!

PLEASE NOTE: A passport is required for travel to and from Canada .

We are returning to the greater Ottawa area to ski at Gatineau Provincial Park, located across the Ottawa River in the province of Quebec. The Gatineau Park is a large area with many different access points where we ski on campground roads that are not plowed during the winter. Gatineau Park has over 200 kilometers of trails, wide and skate groomed as well as narrow track-set or challenging back-country. In addition, Nakkertok Nordic Cross Country Ski Club, home of the largest cross country ski club in Canada, is nearby, as well as a couple of smaller ski areas and the network of Greenbelt Trails.

We have rented Rosehill Cottage, about 10 miles from Gatineau Park. The cottage has 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms on a 2-acre forested property. The price of the trip includes breakfast and dinner, which we will share in the preparation and cleanup duties. You will be responsible for providing your own lunch food and` for paying your own trail fees.

Ottawa is a 30-minute drive away. There is plenty to see in the Canadian capital. Parliament Hill, museums, shops of the Byward Market are some favorites, and don’t forget to stop by Beaver Tails for their specialty donuts. The Rideau Canal, which passes through Ottawa before joining the Ottawa River, becomes the Skateway when it is frozen over and is touted as the longest skating rink in the world at 7.8 kilometers, so bring your ice skates and experience this UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are also interesting small towns to explore, such as Wake field, where an old mill has been converted into a hotel and restaurant, the Moulin Wake field Mill Hotel. There you can ski from the hotel.

PLEASE NOTE: A passport is required for travel to and from Canada .

This is a trip composed of the members that were on the waitlist of the original Gatineau trip being run by Jamie Hackman. It will be almost an identical trip in that we have found a cottage within a 5 – 10 minute drive, and about a 15 minute walk, to the other group’s house.

Rock Point Cottage
3 Chemin Adagio
Val des Monts, Quebec, J8N 5B3

We will be on Lac McGregor on the same peninsula as the other group. You might want to bring your ice skates since we have a dock and 300 meters of lakefront!

There are 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and even 2 kitchens, as I understand it.

Other information about the trip environment and activities could be had by referring to the description printed in the Season Guide, and online. I’ve talked to everyone on the waitlist, so it seems clear that all want to be part of this auxiliary trip. Bill Hoffman, our treasurer, needs your authorization to transfer your deposit from the accounts of Jamie’s trip to this trip so would you please write him with words to the effect of:

“In order to participate in the auxiliary trip to Gatineau I request that you transfer my deposit balance from the original trip to the auxiliary trip, and I hereby cancel my participation in the original trip and enroll in the auxiliary trip.”

Your future balance due should be sent to the treasurer, just as you would have done originally. However it would help the treasurer if you would designate your final payment as “Gatineau – Rock Point,” or “Auxiliary.”

It’s Rocky Point Resort again as we approach the end of Kick ‘n Glider’s 2025 season. A Kick ‘n Gliders destination for many years, the condos are located at the eastern end of Fourth Lake in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains. We have reserved two 3-bedroom condos for a Friday through Tuesday trip.

Since it worked out well last year, Friday night dinner will be at Slickers in Old Forge, with dinner each night thereafter a shared effort between the condos. Each night’s dinner is hosted by the residents of one of the condos, with the other condo assembling there.

Viewing recent years’ NOAA snow cover maps it seems likely we’ll have a good snow cover in the Adirondacks for this trip. There are skiing opportunities for everyone from beginner to advanced skiers, from the groomed trails nearby in the Fern Park area in Inlet, the gentle slopes of two nearby golf courses with groomed trails, and the wonderful groomed trails of the Woodcraft Camp, which also offers night skiing. There are also more challenging woodland and back country trails, including those at McCauley Mountain. This trip may offer more and more varied skiing venues than almost any other trip.

Après-ski we often use the pool and hot tub in the community building to relax tired muscles and gather before dinner for the traditional hors d’oeuvres.

The trip includes four nights lodging, three group dinners, four breakfasts and linens and towels. Bring trail snacks and lunch fixings for yourself as lunch is often eaten on the trail. You will also want to bring your favorite après-ski beverages and refreshments. The condos have fireplaces, dishwashers and dryers.

The Mountainman Outdoor Supply Company in Old Forge is a great place to find excellent season-end bargains, replace worn-out equipment or buy that “got to have” item. The trip to Inlet is about a 6 hour drive from the Harrisburg area.

This popular trip has moved, out of necessity, to new digs: Pine Hill Townhouses at 176 Fir Way, unit 17. This is not far from last year’s house, which was unavailable for our desired dates. This means a few less people can attend, so if Lake Placid is on your wish list for 2025, don’t delay signing up. The cost is $150 LESS than last year!

The price includes breakfasts and dinners which we will prepare on-site. Lunches and trail fees, where imposed, are not included.

The house is on three levels, with four bedrooms and three baths. You can view it online at https://www.vrbo.com/en-ca/cottage-rental/p3702535vb. The bedrooms are thus: two with a queen, one with two twins, and one with a double. There is also a double sofa in the living room but I am not counting on using it for sleeping. There is one bathroom on each level. There is a fully equipped kitchen, washer and dryer and high-speed internet.

Parking could be an issue if the trip is full. Our condo has two assigned spaces, and there are additional guest spaces at the development, but availability of those can’t be guaranteed. Overflow parking will be at public lots downtown. I’m told that parking at short-term rental housing in the village is very strictly enforced and parking overnight on the street is not allowed in the winter. We will use our customary ski venues: the VIC, Cascade, Mt. Van Hoevenberg, and several others that we have discovered in recent years.

Although everyone who stayed at the Brae Loch Inn in Cazenovia loved it, we were plagued by a lack of snow there the past few years and had to drive 50 miles to Osceola to ski. I have, therefore, changed the venue to put us closer to the snow. Sylvan Beach is a resort community at the eastern end of Oneida Lake (we used to drive through it en route to Osceola). This is slightly closer to Osceola than Pulaski, Altmar, or Boonville, via somewhat better roads. The price, while the same as last year at the Brae Loch, is actually lower because it includes two meals a day, whereas the Brae Loch only included breakfast. Lunches and trail fees where imposed are not included.

We are staying at a former church that has five bedrooms and 6 baths. Three bedrooms have queens and two have two twins each. It has a fully equipped kitchen, washer and dryer and high-speed internet. You can view it at https://www.vrbo.com/en-ca/cottage-rental/p1050024vb.

In addition to the two Osceola ski venues, we are not far from those we used at Caz, Beaver Lake and Green Lakes State Park. Highland Forest and Stoney Pond are slightly farther away but are options if there’s enough snow. Also not too distant are Winona Forest and Chateaugay which we used when staying in Pulaski. The Erie Canal towpath is only a few miles away in Canastota for those who want totally flat skiing. So our options have increased with this new location. Come try it out!

Interested in enjoying skiing where the Olympians ski? Then this trip is for you. This will be the fifth time the club will be offering this trip in March. But since March is usually Vermont’s snowiest month, there should be plenty of snow at this Northern Vermont location.

Some details about the trip:

• It’s a full day’s drive to Craftsbury, but if you drive part way you can get there in time to ski on your day of arrival. Similarly, you can ski on the day of your departure if you don’t need to get home that day.
• There is a large trail system at Craftsbury and it connects with the Catamount Trail which extends from the Massachusetts border to Canada. There are also snowshoe trails and ice skating available.
• Ski rentals, skiing lessons, and snowshoes are available at the ski center.
• Accommodations are similar to a dorm room, with two twin beds, and restrooms/showers on floor.  Please note that since Covid, restrooms have been renovated and are now 5 individual rooms per floor each with its own shower, not a “dorm style” bathroom.
• The package includes three all-you-care-to-eat meals a day. Meals are served buffet style, with seating at large tables in the dining room. They include plenty of wholesome cooked from scratch food with great desserts. Vermont is home to a strong local food culture and Craftsbury makes good use of local products. Vegetarians and those with other dietary requirements are easily accommodated.
• You are welcome to bring wine or beer to dinner.
• Some items of clothing, toiletries, wine, snacks and souvenirs are available for sale in the office.
• Informal hallway happy hour is a club tradition. Feel free to bring snacks with you to share.
• It’s a long drive if your needs exceed those that can be found at the General Store. Many of us bring what we need from home or buy along the way. Once at Craftsbury there is no real need to drive anywhere. Most of the time our cars sit in the Craftsbury parking lot till it’s time to leave.
• Craftsbury is a world-class cross country ski center with old-fashioned hospitality.