Lovers of cross-country skiing here in the flatlands of Rhode Island are a snow-challenged lot. There's just not enough of the white stuff falling from the sky on a regular basis to keep us in ski tracks during the critical January-to-March period.
Those of us who have discovered the joys of winter days spent gliding across open fields or through snowy woods have had to accept the fact that to be a cross-country skier in Rhode Island means also being a long-distance driver.
In the past couple of winters, there have been only a few days when the Pulaski ski trails in Burrillville's George Washington State Management Area have been snowy enough for good skiing -- and that's the only area in Rhode Island that is ever tracked for Nordic (cross-country) skiing.
"Tracks" are machine-made ski grooves on trails that allow for greater glide on skis, and thus lift the Nordic experience above the backyard-and-golf-course level that is all many flatlanders know of the sport.
Ideally, trails are both tracked and groomed -- meaning that a wide area of trail beside the tracks is packed and topped with a velvet layer of "corduroy" grooving, allowing skiers to step out of the tracks if they want to, for freer range of motion.
To see real Nordic skiing on vast networks of linked trails, you have to drive three or four hours north, to Jackson or Bretton Woods in New Hampshire, or to Stowe, Burke or Craftsbury Common in Vermont. Looking out your back door right now in Rhode Island, you'd never know it, but at this moment, all of those areas are snow-covered and open for Nordic skiing.
Can't go that far to ski? Depending on snowfall and temperature conditions, there are three areas within a two-hour drive of Providence that offer a fine experience of groomed, tracked Nordic skiing, including equipment rentals and lessons.
Given the fickleness of the Snow Gods of New England, it's always a good idea to call ahead or check the Web sites for these areas before loading up the car and heading out. But if past winters are any guide, you can expect extended periods when the skiing is good at all of them from now through mid-March.
An hour from Providence
The closest of the three -- just 50 miles from Providence in the well-heeled Boston suburb of Weston -- also is the most likely of the three to have good snow to ski on.
That's because the Weston Ski Track makes its own snow -- at least it does when the temperature's colder than 25 degrees for at least part of the day. And once a snow base is in place, it takes more than a few days of above-freezing temperatures to erode it.
Owner-manager Larry Smith is a lifelong outdoorsman who runs a canoe-and-kayak business on the nearby Charles River in summer. About 30 years ago, he had the idea of using the clubhouse and golf course of the state-run Leo J. Martin Memorial Golf Course on the Weston/Wellesley town line as the base lodge and trail system for a Nordic ski area.
With approvals from Massachusetts' Department of Conservation and Recreation, he soon was up and running, later adding snow-making equipment to enhance the likelihood of getting a good base to ski on consistently through the winter months.
Today, the Weston Ski Track is popular not only with novices and weekend skiers, but also with experts and racers who use the facility as a reliable training base for weekend trips to natural snow country up north.
Last week, when Rhode Island was down to mostly bare ground, it was winter up in Weston at the ski track.
AS IS TYPICAL on weekday afternoons, the one-kilometer loop track near the clubhouse was dotted with Spandex-clad skiers gliding in a circuit on man-made snow. On one side of the track, a fleet of tots in bright jackets were getting a group lesson, while on the other a group of adults were learning how to go uphill using the herringbone step.
One serious-looking racer -- looking extra-terrestrial in a head-to-toe sheath of Spandex -- glided around the track with an automobile tire dragging behind him. He'd affixed it to his waist with a rope in order to train by pulling extra weight.
Over in the parking lot, Bruce Osterling of Sudbury was lacing on his cross-country boots in preparation for doing some Nordic skiing. A regular twice-a-week user of the Weston Ski Track -- and a former coach of the local Junior Ski program -- Osterling described the facility as "a gem."
"I like to get my exercise outdoors, and this place lets me get out and enjoy the winter pretty much straight through to March," he said.
When there's natural snow to augment the man-made areas of the Ski Track, the number of kilometers tracked for skiing expands to about 15 in loops around the golf course. (That's about 10 miles.) The terrain is fairly flat, making it an ideal learning area.
Lessons are offered, both for individuals and groups, and rentals are available for Nordic skiing as well as snowshoeing. Pulk sleds (for towing small children) are also available to rent.
Inside the clubhouse are changing rooms and a cafeteria stocked with snacks for sale. Skiers may also bring their own snacks to eat in the cafeteria.
The ski track area close to the clubhouse is lit, permitting night skiing to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.
FOR UPDATED CONDITIONS at the Weston Ski Track, call (781) 891-6575 or visit www.skiboston.com.
Hours of operation (depending on conditions) are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Trail fees are $13 for adults, $7 for children age 6 to 12. (Season passes are $199 and $69.) Ski rental packages are $14 and $7.
Directions from Providence: Route 95 North to Route 128 North Exit 21 (Route 16). Turn left at the end of the exit ramp and go west on Route 16 for a half mile to the second set of lights (Concord Street). Turn right onto Concord, and the Ski Track is one mile up the road on the right. Address: 200 Park Rd., Weston, Mass.
If you're looking for a bite to eat before or after skiing, continue on Route 16 (Washington Street) into the town of Wellesley, where Provence Cafe (288 Washington St.; 781-235-1535) has a selection of specialty sandwiches, soups, salads and cookies available to go. The "Napa" ($6.95) is a grilled panini filled with goat cheese, roasted red peppers, roasted tomatoes and baby greens. The "Philly" ($6.75) is roasted pork loin, sauteed greens, sliced onion and mustard on rye bread.
More natural snow
A little farther from Providence -- and a little deeper into the natural-snow belt of central Massachusetts -- is the Great Brook Ski Touring Center, part of Great Brook State Park in the lovely country town of Carlisle, Mass.
It takes about 1 1/2 hours to drive to Great Brook from Providence, making it a trip only worth doing when ski conditions are good. It's definitely worthwhile to check the Web site (www.greatbrookski.com) or call before driving up to Carlisle.
So far this year, there has only been enough snow to track and groom trails on a few days. Great Brook was groomed and open for skiing last weekend, through Monday, but the warm spell of the past couple of days makes this weekend a question mark.
Still, it's a safe bet that before January is over, Great Brook will be up and skiing again.
Great Brook is another ski area privately run on leased state park land. The touring center occupies a picturesque former dairy barn from which 17 kilometers (about 10 1/2 miles miles) of trails fan out over rolling open fields and into the woods.
Stu Johnstone opened the area for skiing in 1982 and still manages it.
The Great Brook ski trails are lovely -- on rolling terrain that loops in and out of the woods. Lanterns are set on posts along a one-mile loop near the ski center to allow for night skiing on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:30 to 9 p.m.
TRAIL FEES ARE $12 on weekends for adults, $7 for children age 7 to 12 and seniors 65 and older. Weekday fees are $10 for adults, $7 for children and seniors. Rental equipment (ski or snowshoe packages) is available for $13 for adults, $8 for children/seniors. No credit cards accepted.
Group lessons ($13) are given each Saturday the center is open at 3 p.m.
Hours of operation, depending on conditions, are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, and to 9 p.m. for night skiing on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
For trail conditions or other information, call (978) 369-7486 or visit www.greatbrookski.com.
Directions from Providence: Route 95 North to Route 128 North to Exit 31B. Follow Route 225 west for seven miles to the small Carlisle rotary with the statue in the center. Turn right there onto Lowell Street, following signs to Chelmsford. Great Brook Ski Touring is two miles along on the right, just past the Great Brook park building on the left. Address: 1018 Lowell St., Carlisle, Mass.
Basic snacks such as granola bars and hot chocolate are for sale in the ski center, and people are invited to bring their own food to eat at picnic tables in the barn. For sandwiches and deli foods en route to or from Great Brook, a good choice is Fern's Country Store at the Lowell Street rotary; (978) 369-0200.
A reasonable day trip
On the outer ring of cross-country ski centers within a reasonable day-trip drive from Providence is Windblown Cross Country Ski Area, just three miles over the Massachusetts/New Hampshire state line in the town of New Ipswich.
Driving time to Windblown from Providence is about an hour and 45 minutes. Rhode Island skiers can set off at 10 a.m. and be on Windblown's trails at noon. After skiing two or three hours, they can be home in time for dinner.
This is a cross-country ski area that can hold its own against some of the best in the north country when it has good snow cover, as it does now. (Located on the slopes of Barrett Mountain, Windblown lies in a natural snow belt north of Worcester that also includes Wachusett Ski Area in nearby Princeton, Mass.)
Owned by Al and Irene Jenks, who have run it as a family operation since 1972, Windblown offers a challenging network of 40 kilometers (about 25 miles) of beautiful trails covering hills, dales, flats and scenic viewpoints with vistas stretching to majestic Mount Monadnock.
A comfortably rustic base lodge has a ski- and showshoe-rental area, a cafeteria where you can buy home-made sandwiches, soups and cookies, and a seating area with a comfortable sofa in front of a blazing fire. Lessons are also offered. Pulks (tow sleds for tots) are available for rental, $25 full-day, $16 half-day.
Trail passes are $15 on weekends and holidays for adults, $13 for seniors age 65 and older, $10 for age 8 to 17, free age 8 and younger. Weekday prices are $12, $10 and $8. Ski rental packages are $16 adults, $12 children. No credit cards accepted.
Hours (depending on conditions) are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For trail conditions call (603) 878-2869 or visit www.windblownxc.com.
Directions from Providence: Route 95 North to Route 495 North to Exit 31 West. Routes 119/124/123 take you to Windblown through the postcard-pretty villages of Groton, Townsend, West Townsend and New Ipswich.
kimbrie@projo.com / (401) 277-7630
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