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More doctors may be prescribing outdoor recreational therapy instead of Xanax if the proposed Federal legislation entitled the Outdoor Recreation Therapy for Veterans Act (HR 2435) passes. Studies are showing evidence that outdoor recreational activities can be therapeutic. I met Veterans Ray Gilmore and David Binford recently at a ski industry meeting and they were engaging anyone who would talk with them about the Azimuth Check Foundation, which provides injured veterans and first responders challenging year-round athletic activities to create wellness in an atmosphere of camaraderie.

Autumn in Rockies is honey harvest time! In addition to crisp morning hikes, cool flowing streams, and fiery colored leaves, there’s another reason to make a beeline to Devil’s Thumb Ranch this autumn. Collecting the sustainable sweetness from their very own eighty hives is at the top of their honey-do list.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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!

Had Nazi Germany won the competition to build the first atomic bomb in the early 1940s, the world today could be a very different place. The book entitled The Winter Fortress: The Epic Mission to Sabotage Hitler's Atomic Bomb by Neal Bascomb is the true accounting of the race to build the atom bomb during World War II. Cross-country skiing played an important role.

West Coast ski resorts had seen a lack of snow for a few years and in the winter of 2015-16, it was the east and central regions’ turn. Alpine ski areas have been making snow for decades but it is relatively new for cross country ski areas.

Not everyone who visits a ski resort wants to or is able to ski or snowboard, so resorts offer other activities. Among those options, guests can explore and enjoy the outdoors on snowshoes.

The Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA) announced the retirement of executive director, Chris Frado effective Oct. 7, 2016 after 30 years at the helm of the organization. "Chris has served CCSAA for so long that she absolutely defines the organization as we know it today. With her spirit and energy she has built CCSAA into an international cross country ski information center. We are so sad to see her go,” said JoJo Toeppner, CCSAA Board Chair and director of skiing for Royal Gorge, Calif. 

The largest kids' Nordic ski festival in the United States, The New England Bill Koch League Festival (BKL Festival) will be hosted by Great Glen Trails Outdoor center March 5-6.

The "Women's Getaway" weekend or program has become an annual tradition among some women. Small or extended groups of women, ladies, girls, mothers, daughters, or friends organize a get together unaccompanied by (one might even say unburdened by) or exclusive of men, boys, brothers, and fathers. The motivation and/or common denominator is about connecting.

About a quarter of the cross country (XC) skiing population is older than 50 years old and as the large segment of population known as Baby Boomers continues to age, they are remaining active - many of them are looking for softer or easier forms of recreation. Cross country skiing and snowshoeing fit that prescription. 

The snow is starting to fall and as we get ready to ski, most cross country areas are focused on making improvements before the season begins. Here's a snapshot of what's new across North America's Nordic world.

The Canmore Nordic Centre in Alberta, Canada opened for cross country skiing (XC) Oct. 23 and staged a race a few days later. This is a very early date for XC in the northern hemisphere and they were able to do it because they have snowmaking, a legacy from the 1988 Olympics in Alberta.