Friends of Oak Hill Newsletter #16
For those of you who have been out on the trails in the past few days, you know that conditions on the new trails are excellent. We want to thank the many volunteers who worked through cold nights and early mornings to lay down a beautiful bounty of snow. Since snowmaking had to happen during off- peak utility hours – meaning between 9:00 pm and 7:00 am, Korry and his team of volunteers, assisted by our local expert, Scott Barthold, worked through the dark to bring our trails to life.
Although we may need to patch some sections of the trails with additional snowmaking, we expect the current base to provide coverage for the remainder of the season. We have retired most of the snow guns until next year when we expect to be able to start blowing snow with the first cold nights, hopefully in early December, and provide a full season of great skiing.
This year, the project will prove its value during the coming week of sunny, warm and dry weather. For college ski racing fans, you know that poor snow conditions have prevented Dartmouth from hosting the Nordic carnival events in Hanover in most recent years. This weekend marks the beginning of a new era. The Oak Hill Outdoor Center will host its first Nordic carnival races on Friday and Saturday later this week. Eleven teams from the around the northeast will compete in both skate (Friday) and classic (Saturday) events. The trails will be closed to recreational skiers from Thursday evening through the finish of races on Saturday.
Although we are excited about the upcoming competition, the Carnival races are not the first for the Center. This past Saturday, Oak Hill hosted the Silver Fox Trot BKL and Community Race. 226 skiers enjoyed great snow and great racing to inaugurate the course.
As noted in the last newsletter, both classic and skate equipment is available at the Welcome Center and it is free of charge this year. However, please remind equipment borrowers that a Season Pass or Day Pass is required.
Thanks again to all the volunteers and donors who have helped make the Oak Hill Outdoor Center possible. The Center will be a part of what makes the Upper Valley special for years to come. Thank you!
