ascutneytrails

September 6, 2021

Trail Work Day This Saturday, Sept. 11

Photo credit Jim Lyall and Benny!

Benny says, “It’s time to grab your work gloves and fix the trails.”

The Vermont 50-mile Mountain Bike or Ultra Run has been a part of our trail community for almost 3 decades.

Each year we devote a work day to grooming some of our trails that are part of the course.

This year we will meet at 8:30 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 11 at Skunk Hollow Tavern upper parking lot, then head out to various parts of the course.

Tools of choice are weed whackers, rakes, and pruners/loppers. Extra tools will be available.

We’ll reconvene at noon for a debriefing over a beverage before heading home to lunch. See you then.

Don’t forget to bring water, and some gloves.Tick protection is advised.

Thanks to Jim and Ascutney Trails for the content of this post.

Skunk Hollow Tavern
12 Brownsville/Hartland RD, Hartland VT
https://goo.gl/maps/yu4CaBEiT4gJiQ4o6

May 10, 2018

Ascutney Outdoors is Looking for Volunteers, Can You Help Out?

Volunteers Wanted

Ascutney Outdoors is looking for VOLUNTEERS!

They are excited about the progress they have made on a number of projects at Mount Ascutney. Exterior construction of the AOC is nearing completion, the tubing center (formerly known as the warming hut) has been set in its new location, and they are getting ready for a summer filled with great events!

They are looking for volunteers to help with some upcoming projects. Please contact Glenn Seward at 802-484-3140 or gbs@shelleyseward.com if you are interested in helping on any of the following:

Ascutney Outdoors Center

Interior painting . Interior trim. Installation of porch ceiling and trim. Build storage units for basement and main floor. Install kitchen

Install counter and cabinets on main floor. Re-locate deck from warming hut. Prep concrete for new rubber floor

Tubing Center

Paint exterior . Stain new interior walls . Construct lattice screen around port-a-potty . Motor Room. Paint Exterior

East Chair Building

Repair. Add support to roof . Paint. Move fencing and misc. items from maintenance shop to East Chair building

T-Bar Prep

Scraping and painting all T-Bar components prior to installation, Inventory, inspect all sheave train and rebuild as required, Remove T-bar grips for testing

Groomer

Pressure wash, Service

Work Days Need Volunteers

Sunday May 20th at 8AM

Paint picnic tables and benches, Paint fence around bottom rope tow terminal, Repair, shingle and paint small storage building, Raise rope on rope tow, Reset tensioning device on rope tow, Remove fencing from rope slope, Cleanup former warming hut site, seed and mulch, Repair doors on timing building, Skier Bridge Walls -Repair & Paint

Saturday June 2nd at 8AM

Repair Millers Mile & 42nd Street washouts—AO will have heavy equipment on site for an experienced operator, Check all drainage structures and erosion control from top of T-bar down, Remove downed trees and limbs from ski trails and work roads, Remove former snowmaking valve houses, “Green-up” entire area inc. parking lot

Please bring work gloves, trail clearing tools (loppers, weed-whackers, chainsaws etc), paint brushes and any other tools that you think will help.

If you can’t make it on the work day but wish to help out, they welcome homemade goodies and refreshments for the volunteers!

September 23, 2017

Adaptive Off-Race Bike Ride Today at 12:30 p.m.

So excited to announce a Vermont Adaptive sponsored OFF ROAD Adaptive Bike Race/Ride on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 12:30 p.m.

Join us Saturday, Sept. 23 from 12:30-2 p.m. (the day before the Vermont 50) to learn more about our adaptive mountain bike program and ride some of Mount Ascutney’s trails. All abilities welcome, from never-ever to advanced riders. The ride will take place on the same trails as the kids’ fun race, just prior to their race on Saturday, right at the start/finish.

This leisurely 1-mile ride welcomes all adaptive and non-adaptive riders and is part of Vermont Adaptive’s open enrollment program. Reservations are required if you need to use our bikes (the number of bikes is limited). The ride itself is free and people are welcome to bring their own bikes.

After the ride, beginning at 2 p.m., we’ll have bikes to demo at the Vermont Adaptive tent as well, for those who might want to try the bikes but not go out on an official ride.

Please email Olivia Joseph at north@vermontadaptive.org to learn more about the ride and equipment needs.

SPORTS FOR EVERY-BODY!

September 7, 2017

Off-Road Adaptive Bike Race

So excited to announce a Vermont Adaptive sponsored OFF ROAD Adaptive Bike Race/Ride on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 12:30 p.m.

Join us Saturday, Sept. 23 from 12:30-2 p.m. (the day before the Vermont 50) to learn more about our adaptive mountain bike program and ride some of Mount Ascutney’s trails. All abilities welcome, from never-ever to advanced riders. The ride will take place on the same trails as the kids’ fun race, just prior to their race on Saturday, right at the start/finish.

This leisurely 1-mile ride welcomes all adaptive and non-adaptive riders and is part of Vermont Adaptive’s open enrollment program. Reservations are required if you need to use our bikes (the number of bikes is limited). The ride itself is free and people are welcome to bring their own bikes.

After the ride, beginning at 2 p.m., we’ll have bikes to demo at the Vermont Adaptive tent as well, for those who might want to try the bikes but not go out on an official ride.

Please email Olivia Joseph at north@vermontadaptive.org to learn more about the ride and equipment needs.

SPORTS FOR EVERY-BODY!

August 22, 2017

Vermont 50-Notes From the Course

Notes from the course by Trail Guru Mike Bell

It’s often mentioned during the weeks leading up to the 50 that most of the course is open just for this one day of the year. The landowners whose properties we cross have been immensely generous for the last 25 years – and of course we cannot share our gratitude enough. But what does it mean to the team tasked with getting those 50 miles (and then some) ready by the last week of September?

Our work starts months earlier, as we go over past route maps and collect landowner permissions. By and large the course is consistent from one year to the next, but we’re always looking to improve the experience. For 2016 we tried out a new opening segment, added a mile of new single-track in the middle, lost several sections of favorite trails to landowner changes, and substantially modified the final 5 miles.

Again in 2017, we will be making adjustments. As we speak the team is finalizing the details, both subtle and significant, to make sure that all the races provide the right balance of excitement, challenge, and safety within their measured distances. And don’t forget the kids’ races – the day before the main race we set up multiple race courses on Mt. Ascutney for kids to run and bike!

As August comes to a close we will start the physical course prep. Scout crews will be rotating through the course sections looking for work to be done – removing downed trees, fixing erosion issues, cutting back brush, and any other hazard mitigation that needs to be done. When trails are only open for one day a year, there is a lot of clean-up to do! During the short, fast week that precedes race weekend, we’ll make a final pass through the entire course to put up markers and make sure nothing else came down since the scouts went through.

We hope you enjoy the 25th anniversary Vermont 50 course. While you’re out there, if you think to yourself what a great section of trail you’re on, or what challenging hill you just topped, remember that there’s a generous landowner making it possible for you to have that experience. Treat everyone you see as if that person could be that landowner (it just may be true), thank every volunteer you meet, and keep a steady rhythm. We can’t wait to see you out there!

Editors Note-THANK YOU to ALL our trail volunteers, landowners and to the members of STAB!