Mountain Top Inn & Resort hosted its annual paintball biathlon extravaganza in late January. Founded in 2006, the event, which is a joint effort between Mountain Top Inn & Resort and the Mountain Top Ski Club (an independent ski association), is hailed as the first ever paintball biathlon event held in the world and it continues to be the largest of its kind in North America. 

One of the best ways to enjoy skiing is to go on a guided outing – no thinking, just following and listening to tips and tales from an experienced professional. And it doesn’t matter if you are alpine skiing or Nordic skiing, a pro is a great way to go.

Wondering how to make a snowshoeing outing with the kids fun for everyone? Here's a primer on going snowshoeing with the kids.

New York’s Windham Mountain Resort and the Adaptive Sports Foundation have joined forces with the Capital Region Nordic Alliance, Inc. (CRNA) to offer Nordic and ParaNordic activities at Windham Country Club this winter, including cross country skiing, snowshoeing, orienteering, and biathlon (light-based and paintball). 

Devil’s Thumb Ranch Resort & Spa is number one in the public’s eye, according to The USA Today 2018-19 10Best Poll for cross country ski resorts.

It's Christmas in November at the Mont-Sainte-Anne Cross-Country Ski Center in Beaupre, Quebec open with 10 km of trails starting Nov. 17. Thanks to the abundant snowfall received in November, it is the earliest in the last seven years.
 

Will the United States Women’s Cross Country Ski Olympic gold medal be an incentive for more people to consider trying cross country (XC) skiing in the USA? With the extensive publicity about the XC ski gold medalists Jessie Diggins and Kikkan Randall following their Olympic gold medal victory, how can the number of people who try XC skiing this winter not increase substantially?

The arrival of ski swaps each fall reminds winter enthusiasts that snow is on the way and that the ski season is right around the corner. Now is the time to get the best deals on ski and snowboard equipment, and ski swaps are a great way to purchase gently used or even new gear for short money. Swaps are not just for buying gear; you can also turn in your used gear that still has life left in it and earn back some of your investment. 

Rottefella has created the binding solution for waxless and skin cross country skis. The MOVE Switch is a dial on the front of the binding that will allow skiers to slide the binding forward or backwards without releasing the ski from the boots. That’s right - while you are on the ski trail, you can just bend over and turn the switch for the binding to slide and adjust to the desired weight distribution on each of the skis.

Each year ESPN Magazine publishes its Body issue that features athletes posing nude as athletic and taseful human bodies and this year one of the models will be Jessie Diggins, the Olympic gold medal cross country skier at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Summertime favorites can be enjoyed on your bike all winter long. (Kingdom Trails/Facebook)

Fat bikes, dubbed the "Hummers of the two-wheelers' world" are proliferating with more than 150 cross country (XC) ski areas in North America that welcome fat bikes on their snow-covered trails.

Jessie Diggins and Sadie Bjornsen leap onto the podium after finishing third in the team sprint at the 2017 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. (Andrew Shinn)

Scandinavian countries, Germany, Italy, and Russia dominated women’s cross-country competitions for 60 years, but that began to change in 2012 with the breakout of the U.S. Women’s Cross-Country Team.

The rewards are great for taking the time to get out onto the trails. (Fisher Touring)

One of the greatest challenges for many people who love to cross country (XC)  ski regardless of the snow conditions is making time to get out there. Skiers struggle with this, but there are easy ways make time and to be more prepared to enjoy skiing.

Ski lesson with Canadian Association of Nordic Ski Instructors certified ski instructor. (CANSI)

The vast majority of cross country (XC) skiers do not take XC ski lessons, but rather they start with friends or family, who are usually ill equipped to teach XC skiing. So, who needs XC ski lessons? Most of us do!

Snowshoeing at Trapp Family Lodge. (Trapp Family Lodge)

The Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, Vermont will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2018. The family that inspired “The Sound of Music” will host a week of special events scheduled at the lodge January 19-26 on the trails and in the Bierhall to commemorate the occasion.

Create family memories on a cross country ski weekend. (Fischer)

Resorts run by families are great for family winter vacations packed with something for every family member from fresh home cooked food to the atmosphere and fond memories.

Canmore Nordic Center hosts race on machine made snow. (Canmore Nordic)

As the days become colder and winter approaches the ski season beckons, but about 40 cross country (XC) ski areas are no longer waiting for the snow to fly to begin their ski season because they’ve invested in snowmaking, just like their alpine ski area cousins.

The sale of 640 acres near Donner Pass will allow Tahoe Donner Cross Country Ski Area to reopen terrain that has been roped off to Nordic enthusiasts.

Fat tire biking, snow biking, or whatever you want to call it has been gaining popularity at eastern and western ski resorts the last couple of seasons. The Midwest is just starting to catch on, and so far just in Michigan.