Todays pic comes from our wedding meadow area looking west. Skiers and snowshoers are always welcome to go say hello to our herd of ~70 Scottish Highland cows. The Scottish Highland cows have been a fixture here since Johannes von Trapp introduced them in 1963. There are also some Red Devon crosses and our current bull Ricky is a shorthorn so this year's calves were a shorthorn cross to give the herd some hybrid vigor. The cows stay in the Orchard Pasture all winter where they are fed a lot of hay (a lot, a lot of hay). In the summer the cows are rotated through seven different pastures as part of our regenerative approach to farming. That thick coat helps them thrive in Vermont, even on a day like today. Also, important note: that is a very windswept area....there's no grass like that poking out on the trails. :)
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It's not going to be warm today. That said, it should get up to 10F and there are no major winds to mention. Wear an extra layer, cover your face and get out on this excellent snow. It's rare (or unheard of) to finish a ski and wish you had stayed inside instead. We were hoping for more, but arrived to maybe 1" of new snow this morning. The groomers are busy packing that in and setting tracks now. We expect to have everything open that was open yesterday. The grooming status and any noted hazards are tracked live here. The team plans to move our fan gun closer to the Outdoor Center towards the end of today to blow some piles to be smeared out tomorrow. There's a chance we will be able to use this snow to build some new snowy features in time for Sunday Funday on Sunday 1/26.
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We are in a holiday weekend and want to remind those with season passes to other Nordic areas that there is a blackout period Saturday, Sunday, and Monday where your complimentary reciprocal day may not be redeemed. We hope to still see many of you this weekend and there are a lot of days ahead to use your complimentary day.
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The Cabin is open 10AM - 330PM today to serve you soups, baked goods, hot drinks, and a warm fire. Menu will start with  Trapp Beef Chilly/Chili, Split Pea with Vermont Cured Ham, and Roasted Garlic with Wild Rice, but, as always, this is subject to change depending on how many skiers make the journey and opt for a soup lunch before you. Please only venture to the cabin if you are confident skiing down lots of vertical. Reminder that the Cabin is cash only.
Reported on Jan 20, 2025 at 7:34 AM by David

Weather: Our Tempest weather station can be found here for current Outdoor Center conditions.

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Webcam: Our Outdoor Center webcam can be found here so you can see what's happening live.

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Nordic Pulse: For those new to Nordic Pulse there is a primer video here explaining how to use the app and what to look for.

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Communications: The Trapp Outdoor Center is sending a content-packed newsletter out every three weeks or so. The most recent newsletter was sent 1/1 and can be accessed here. If you are not receiving the newsletter and would like to be added to the list please enter your email address here.

Updated Dec 31, 2024 at 8:16 AM by David