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WITH: NEWENGLANDDESTINATIONS BOSTON SUNDAY GLOBE FEBRUARY 19, 2017 | BOSTONGLOBE.COM/TRAVEL

Luke Bass climbed up the lower flanks of Aspen Highlands in Colorado.

SAM BASS

RAPAHOE BASIN, Colo. — Luke Bass first skied get into this zone where I feel really happy.” up a mountain at 10 years old, enjoying a Bass and his father, Sam, have joined one of the fast- bratwurst and a bonfire atop Crested Butte and est-growing communities of enthusiasts in then back down with his dad. That same     the United States: skiers and snowboarders who travel winter, he competed in a uphill at resorts nationwide. According to Chad Brackels- race at Arapahoe Basin, wearing the smallest berg, a board member on the United States Ski Moun- pair of women’s ski boots and alpine-touring taineering Association, the number of uphill ski and that he could find. participants and the number of uphill events “The only person I beat was my dad,” says Bass, but have both increased about 20 percent per year over the that didn’t diminish his love for uphill skiing. Three years past eight years. later, the 13-year-old still skins up mountains to compete   At least 38 New England ski areas allow uphilling, al- and for fun. so known as alpine touring or skinning, while California, “When you’re skiing down, you’re not really looking at Colorado, and Utah have become hotbeds for skinning up things along the sides of the trail, but when you’re skin- Enthusiasts take skiing in a different direction resorts out west. People can climb up mountains on skis ning up, you have time to appreciate your surround- or splitboards, both of which have free-heel bindings for ings,”says Bass. “During a race in Eldora, we were skin- easy walking and climbing skins on the bottom that let ning up through the woods and it was sunny and quiet, BY KARI BODNARCHUK | GLOBE CORRESPONDENT them hike up without slipping down. and I was imagining I was deep in the wilderness. I just UPHILL, Page M2

Playing grown-up hooky is good for you A weekday ski getaway means bigger deals, shorter lines, and time to reconnect

By Cynthia Needham the best ski days I could recall. Inside GLOBE STAFF It was sunny and crisp and the romance I’ve played hooky exactly twice in my life. had decent potential. But what I remember The first time was in college, in the late most was the glorious emptiness of it all. BABY STEPS SLIDERS 1990s, when a guy I knew convinced me I Gone were the frigid lift lines and endless On a walking safari Time for lunch tray should ditch my American Literature semi- cafeteria waits that so often define New Eng- in a Zambian park. races at Wildcat. nar for a day of skiing. I remember rather in- land skiing on a weekend. dignantly telling him I’d never before The wide open stretch of corduroy and M3 M4 skipped school and had no plans to start the rush of gliding straight onto the lift with- CAPE COLD now, thank you very much. HOOKY, Page M2 But his broad smile and the promise of A lot to love about free beer somehow prevailed and the next the Cape in winter. thing I knew we were rattling north in his The author and her husband enjoyed M6 rusty VW for what turned out to be among the quiet of a weekday ski getaway. CYNTHIA NEEDHAM/GLOBE STAFF

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UPHILL Upcoming uphill events Continued from Page M1 ª Green Mountain Skimo Citizen Race “We’ve always had a skinning Series (catamounttrail.org), Sugar- crowd here, but now with the advent bush, Vt., Feb. 18, Bolton Valley, of AT [alpine-touring] gear, uphill ski- Feb. 22. ing has just exploded,” says Erik Fried- ª NE Rando Race Series (nerando- man, a spokesman for Mad River Glen. race.blogspot.com), Crotched Moun- “I got here at 7:30 in the morning last tain March 12, Bromley March 18, Monday [in December] and there were Sunday River, March 25. 30 cars in the lot. And I remember ª Winter Wild (www.winter- thinking, ‘We should open the bar.’ ” wild.com): Ascutney, Vt. Feb. 18; People skin up mountains to experi- Okemo, Vt. Feb. 25; Black Mountain, ence the peacefulness of the outdoors, N.H., March 4; Waterville Valley, N.H., to tune into the landscape in a differ- March 11; and Gunstock NH, March ent way, or for fun, fitness, or competi- 18. tion (ski mountaineering has been rec- ª SkimoEast (skimoeast.com): Jay ognized as an Olympic sport and may Peak, March 4. make its debut in the 2022 Winter Wasatch Powder Keg (wasatchpow- Games). derkeg.com), Brighton, Utah, March “I don’t do it because I’m against 10-11. ,” says Jordie Karlinski, a for- ª Utah SkiMo races (utahskimo.org) mer professional snowboarder and holds monthly ski mountaineering Olympic competitor who now races, next one Feb. 21. runswomen’s splitboarding clinics in ª Cosmic Ski Mountaineering Series Aspen. “I got into it five years ago (www.cosmicski.com) with races at purely for outdoor exercise. I love how Crested Butte Feb. 17-18, Aspen Feb. you can get a great cardio workout on 25, Breckenridge March 11, and Tellu- the way up and snowboard on the way ride, Colo., March 15, and Big Sky Re- down — it’s like hiking without having sort, Montana, March 18. to walk down.” ª Women’s Intro to Splitboarding Adds Todd Walton, director of com- Clinics, Aspen, Colo. (www.leavethe- munications and marketing for Snow- PHOTOS BY ASPEN SKIING COMPANY boysbehind.com/winter-trips), run by sports Industries America, “Think of it Jordie Karlinski with Aspen Alpine like road running versus trail running. Guides and Leave the Boys Behind, When you go uphill skiing at a resort, Aspen, Colo., Feb. 25 and March 18, you can kind of turn off your brain and and Women’s Intro to Backcountry do it as a fitness activity, and you don’t Hut Trip, March 7-9. have to worry about avalanche dan- ª Ski Mountaineering World Champi- gers and other backcountry issues.” onship (www.ismf-ski.org), Transcav- People like Jamie Anderson use it in allo, , Feb. 23 to March 2. preparation for backcountry trips. ª Full Moon Party (www.skicb.com/ “It’s nice to test out all the gear be- event/full-moon-ten-peaks), Crested fore you get out into the wilderness, es- Butte, March 12, a self-guided skin or pecially if you bought anything new,” snowshoe tour to Ten Peaks, and Ten says Anderson, 34, who owns a house Peaks Sunset Soiree, March 14, 21, ad at Magic Mountain in Londonderry, 28 for a buffet sunset dinner (rentals Vt. “I also like to practice a few times available). before I go on a trip. You don’t want to ª Full Moon Dinner at the Cliffhouse get out there and realize that your (www.aspensnowmass.com), Butter- drinking water has frozen, you’ve milk Mountain, Aspen, Colo., March brought the wrong layers, and you’re 12,skin up to the Cliffhouse restaurant out of shape. If something goes wrong for Mongolian BBQ, roasted duck, and in the backcountry, it’s much more homemade chili. dangerous.” Another group of uphillers include those training for spring marathons or for the many ski mountaineering festi- mountain receive a token for a free lift vals and races across the country. ride. “There has been huge growth in the “That’s a reward for getting out number of events in the Northeast there and getting your exercise,” says from Quebec down through New Eng- Hathaway. “We have a little fun with land,” says Brackelsberg. “There are at it.” least 20 races in the Northeast, and Steamboat Springs gives uphill ski- about 40 in the Midwest.” ers a reflective armband after they sign Races range from a 500-foot ascent a waiver, which indicates that they at Loon Mountain in New Hampshire Top: Competitors in a ski agree to abide by the skier code of re- to a 6,000-foot route at Brighton Ski mountaineering race make sponsibility. The armband also makes Resort in Utah during the three-day their way up Aspen it easier for groomers and other skiers Wasatch Powder Keg, one of the big- Highlands in Colorado. to spot them. gest and oldest ski mountaineer races Above: A skier skins up the Before you skin up at a resort, in the United States, which draws mountain at Buttermilk check the ski area’s uphill travel policy about 300 participants. Mountain in Aspen. Left: (go to the USSMA’s website at “We’re still about 10 years behind Skiers go uphill at a lodge www.ussma.org, which links to the Europe in the development of the in Colorado, policy on most resort’s websites). Or sport,” says Brackelsberg. “Races in stop by the customer service desk to Europe can have 1,000 participants find out if it’s allowed, where uphillers and a couple of thousand spectators.” on,” says Ethan Mueller with Triple can go, and if there is a cost. Prices In New England, the Green Moun- Peaks Resorts, which owns Crested vary as widely as the uphill policies, tain Skimo Citizen Race Series in- Butte, Okemo, and Mt. Sunapee. “Al- from free to more than $20a day. cludes regular races at Bolton Valley, though many of these don’t really “We charge a fee for this because it Sugarbush Resort, and Stowe Moun- make much money, they do add to our helps pay for ski patrol, so if someone tain Resort, the NE Rando Race Series guests’ experiences, which is what has a problem, we can rescue them,” hostsraces at Sunday River, Crotched we’re all about.” says Ben Hall, marketing manager at Mountain, Bromley, and Berkshire Adds Geoff Hathaway, owner of Ragged Mountain, which charges a East, and the SkimoEast race series dine at mountaintop restaurants. of the resort’s operating hours, while Magic Mountain, “Magic has always $10 daily fee to skin up the designated holds races in Vermont (Jay Peak and More ski shops than ever sell and others only allow it when chairlifts are been a mecca for uphill travel in New route. Burke), and Quebec. Winter Wild also rent alpine-touring equipment, but running, and on certain designated England, but the numbers have dou- Not all mountains will come to your runs races with a different twist: Par- where can you use that gear? Policies routes. Some flat-out forbid uphill bled in the past five years. We have a rescue, so make sure you have all the ticipants ski, showshoe, or run in at resorts vary enormously, and are in- travel. And then places such as Magic boundary-to-boundary kind of policy right gear, and know how to use it. shoes with snow spikes to the top of fluenced by land-use permits, liability Mountain, Mad River Glen, and Crest- and lots of tree skiing, which kind of That way, you can tune into your sur- the course, and then descend the issues (all impacted by whether a re- ed Butte fully embrace it. ignites that rugged individual who roundings, enjoy the peacefulness of mountain to the finish line. sort sits on public or private land), the “We see value in offering as many gravitates toward that type of terrain. the setting and, like Luke Bass, get into Not all uphill events involve racing. type of terrain, and tradition — certain activities and experiences for our Uphill travel is allowed at any time — the zone. Aspen and Crested Butte offer full ski areas are simply resistant to guests as we can, including downhill there’s no fee, and no ticket — but moon dinners or parties, when people change. skiing/riding, skinning, cross-country they’re responsible for themselves.” Kari Bodnarchuk can be reached at skinup the resorts by moonlight and Some ski areas only allow it outside skiing, fat biking, ice skating, and so At Magic, those who skin up the [email protected].

The valet room at Stowe Mountain Lodge made for a Thejoysofaweekdaygetaway comfortable spot to get your boots on while your HOOKY search of first tracks, ideally at a place when the mountain is at its most skis waited outside. Continued from Page M1 with a few more amenities than we peaceful, empty of the day-tripping out stopping offered up a new kind of could afford in college. masses. thrill. I wasn’t sold on the truancy When I went in search of midweek Our gear loaded early Sunday, we nowadays, but the delight of the open thing, but midweek skiing had pretty deals, I found a slew of ski and stay headed north. But the similarities to trail hadn’t changed. much captivated me. packages. I’m a skeptic when it comes that first trip two decades back ended There’s something restorative And the second date with the guy? to deals like that, reasoning that they the moment we arrived and the valet about a free weekday you’re not sup- There wasn’t one. It ended like so must overcharge for the convenience staff whisked away our ski gear. It got posed to be taking, a day when every- many college courtships do. He left a of all-in-one pricing. The numbers, better when the clerk at check in not- one else is working and you get to few weeks later to study abroad and though, quickly proved me wrong: ed that the hotel was quiet after the slow down, turn off your phone, and we drifted. $259 a night at the Omni Mount weekend madness and would we like breathe some fresh air. If you’re mak- Or maybe I should say there wasn’t Washington Resort, $298 at Loon. a complimentary upgrade to a room ing up for 20 years of missed lift rides exactly a second one. Because there With two all-day ski passes included, with a fireplace and a sitting area? together, even better. was. It came nearly 20 years later that makes for a reasonably priced That first day, we snowshoed and A one-night stay meant we had to when his name popped up in my in- stay, and one that can be full of perks swam in the outdoor heated pool and pack up and drive home that after- box. We reconnected and laughed a as hotels look to fill rooms however ate burgers in the sumptuous lounge CYNTHIA NEEDHAM/GLOBE STAFF noon, but the hotel extended check- bit about that first — and last — day they can. and read books in front of the fire- out until 2 p.m. (For an extra $75, skipping class. He’d grown grayer and We chose Stowe, a night at the place. For us die-hard New England tive rugs and upholstered benches they let you stay until 6 p.m.) We I’d learned to take myself less serious- slopeside Stowe Mountain Lodge. At skiers, there’s a certain charm in the beckoned us to stay a while as we didn’t mind. This wasn’t a true vaca- ly. But it felt the same. It felt easy. $339, it was a slightly more expensive threadbare inns that dot ski towns. wrestled on our boots. You have no tion, just a chance to slip away, with Somewhere in there, he slipped in package, but the ski-in-ski-out feature But when you’re sneaking away for a idea how nice this is until you try it. the added bonus of waking up there. a line about second chances and this and the mountain’s impressive terrain single night, touches like deep leather What followed was a weekday just And yes, I told my boss ahead of time the story had a happy ending. made it worth the expense. We decid- couches and Simon Pearce accents like I remembered from all those time that I wouldn’t be in that day. So Last year we married. And there have ed on a Sunday night stay with skiing make it feel like a genuine getaway. years ago. The snow had just finished it wasn’t technically a hooky day. But been plenty of bluebird ski days since. on Monday. Our rationale: we’d get Anyone who has schlepped skis falling, and with so few skiers on the as I guy I know once said, when you What we never did was play hooky two days to enjoy the resort at dis- and boots from some distant parking mountain, the dusting of powder was get a second chance, you take it. again. counted weekday prices, while taking lot will understand the best part came barely touched. We zoomed through But lately, he’s been bugging me just one day off from work. the next morning at the ski valet. Out- lift lines, jumped on the empty gondo- Cynthia Needham can be reached at that we should do it: Skip work, find a Industry insiders will tell you side, our skis waited on the snow, la, and raced our way down the [email protected]. Follow her on good overnight deal, and dash off in Monday is the day when they ski, while inside the valet room, decora- steeps. Our joints may be creakier Twitter @globecynthia.