On New Year’s Day, the Belmont Hill Nordic Skiing team traveled up to Craftsbury, Vermont, to the Craftsbury Outdoor Center for the annual training trip. The center offers more than 100 kilometers of trails, which the boys used to their advantage, skiing around 90 kilometers each over the four-day trip, not to mention the hundreds of feet of elevation per day. The annual trip provides a brief hiatus from the rest of the world, allowing the boys to spend four days only skiing and bonding.
“As a first-year skier, I feel like I really got to know the guys on the team well,” Shea McDonnell ’28 recounted, “I don’t have a lot of experience on Nordic skis, but the snow felt perfect.”
The multiple feet of snow closed practically all the trails, even on the lakes, which were popular with the ski team. With each day starting in the negative degrees and rising into the high single digits, the snow stayed packed and quick, unlike the slush around Massachusetts.
On the third day, when snacks in the cabins ran low, the team took a group ski to the closest town to resupply, which became a well-favored moment.
After the trip, as the reigning Lakes Region League champions, the Nordic Ski team began its season by winning at Proctor Academy, sweeping the podium in a race against nine other schools. The Panel wishes the Nordic Ski team good luck for the rest of their season!
