A Message from the President

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I’ve been heavily involved in Nordic skiing since my freshman year in high school in 1997. My older brother had just taken the job as head coach of the BFA high school ski team, so I joined it, not having any clue how much that decision would impact my life. Since that moment, I have invested an enormous amount of time, money, and physical, mental, and emotional effort into this sport. Some would say an absurdly foolish amount, but I don’t regret any of it. This sport has kept me healthy, it has brought many great people into my life, and it’s just a lot of fun.

Most of that time, I have invested in making skiing enjoyable for myself, but over the last couple of years, I have discovered that making it more enjoyable for others is even more gratifying, and I’m in love with the sport more now than ever. I discovered something else in my efforts to help out. I learned that when you only have a handful of people with virtually no money, and few resources, it is impossible to build something great.

As long as I have been involved in nordic skiing, the St. Albans ski community has almost entirely revolved around the high school program. Coach Scott Magnan has done an amazing job building up that program since he took over 20+ years ago, but the students in that program are the only people in the community who get any real support. Most of the students who arrive in that program have never skied before, and a lot of them rarely, if ever, ski again after they graduate. We see the same thing with their parents, where they get involved by volunteering or participating, but then they disappear when their children leave because there’s nothing to be involved with outside the high school team. This is not a recipe for sustainable growth.

We are here to change all of that. Our central mission is to broaden that community, so people have a place to go and enjoy the sport from the day they are born to the day they die. We want a community where everyone can enjoy skiing at their own level, whether they want to be an elite competitor, or slowly plot around the fields with their family, or anything in between.

Please support us in our efforts. Subscribe to our newsletter to get trail updates, learn about new programs, and hear how we are making this community stronger. Click the big green Donate button to help us. Every little bit helps, even if it’s just $5.

Thank You,

Tyler Magnan
President of St. Albans Nordic

Youth Ski Program

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We are excited to announce we will have a full season program this winter for youth skiers in 1st through 8th grade. Practices will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:30 PM, and the program will run from early December to Early March. Board member Brook Hodgeman will be the head coach for the program. If you’re interested in further details, you can find them here.

The fee to participate is only $25. Equipment is not included, but we offer affordable leasing options.

2024 Sap Run A Huge Success

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The 2024 Sap Run was held on Sunday April 28th. Race morning was a little stressful as we woke up to some rare April thunderstorms, but fortunately they cleared out well before race time, and we had cloudy (but dry) skies and perfect running temperatures.

169 runners completed the race, the best turnout since 2015. This was our 2nd year as race organizers for this event, and numbers ballooned from 80 finishers in 2023 to 169 this year. It was a bit crazy, but the event ran smoothly, and we got a lot of positive feedback from runners.

Kanoa King, an alumnus of the BFA St. Albans cross country team, took the overall victory with a time of 52:09. Kristin Kindred of Essex took the women’s overall victory for the 2nd year in a row with a time of 56:54. Some nordic skiers with local connections include Joe Frost (9th overall male, 1:00:26), BFA skier Elijah Hazen (10th overall male, 1:01:10), BFA Alum Meredith Mashtare (4th overall female, 1:02:14), BFA Alum Damian Bolduc (18th male, 1:05:59), Brendan Ellis (28th male, 1:09:03), BFA skier Porter Hurteau (32nd male, 1:10:20), BFA Alum Cody Boissoneault (33rd male, 1:10:28), and BFA Alum Meghan Farrington (42nd female, 1:27:09).

Many of our local skiers were volunteering their help with the race, and this race requires a lot of people to run smoothly. This proceeds from this race are mainly going towards the development of a youth skiing program, and we are hopeful that a full season program will be in place next winter.

Thank you to everyone that helped or participated and made this event a great success!

Complete Results

Record Breaking Fall Trail Running Series

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This year’s Fall Trail Running Series at Hard’ack was a tremendous success. The course options were somewhat limited because the meadows are still super muddy from the wet weather of summer and fall, but that didn’t slow us down. Well, technically it did, because the woods trails are much harder to run, but each Sunday brought clear weather, mild winds, and a great group of runners.

Week one brought 46 runners, just shy of our previous record of 48. In week two, we had 34 runners, which meant we only needed 32 in week three to top our annual attendance record. It looked a bit questionable with the forecast calling for some snow and rain Sunday morning, but race day brought sunny skies, and the runners showed up in full force. We set a new one day record of 51 runners! We’ve been chasing that 50 mark for 5 years, and I’m so pleased we finally broke through.

Congratulations to Andre Bolduc, Sarah Pribram, and Roy Sargent for reaching the 10 race milestone this year, and earning their special 50k Hoodies. These are awarded to anyone who has completed 10 races to show our appreciation for their continued support of the series. There are a LOT of people within reach next year.

Lastly, I just want to say a big Thank You to everyone who participated this year. Given the amount of time I have poured into getting St. Albans Nordic off the ground and growing it into something useful for the community, I often find myself questioning whether it’s worth it, or whether I’m crazy. This trail series is just a small part of what we do, but days like today, where you showed up in record numbers, and loved it, and thanked me, it really means a lot. We raised around $1500 from the series, and though I can promise you I wouldn’t do it for free, it’s the people that matter more to me than anything. Knowing that I can bring a little more joy into your lives through some outdoor exercise is the reason I do this.

Thanks again, and hopefully we’ll see you on the snow this winter!

Tyler

Snow Fence Is Up!

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Thanks to our generous donors at the end of last season, we were able to purchase 500 feet of snow fence. Sunday, November 13th, we installed it at Hard’ack thanks to our handful of rock star volunteers. These same volunteers worked in the rain the previous sunday to do some trail trimming. We are getting close to being ready for snow. There’s so much work that goes on behind the scenes to provide high quality local skiing, and so much more that could be done if we had the resources. Still, we are set up better than ever, so get your skis ready because we’re ready to make the most out of whatever the weather brings us!

We Got Snow Fencing!

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Thanks to the generosity of our donors over the past month, we were able to purchase 450 feet of high quality wooden slat snow fencing with heavy duty steel posts. We could use about 4 more batches like that, but it’s a good start, and should make a big impact.

Snow fencing allows us to catch the snow that gets ripped off the open meadows at Hard’ack, so we can use it to our advantage and build up the snowpack on the trails where we want it. It also provides some shelter from warm winds that melt it down. I’m really excited to see what it can do for us next winter.

Keep an eye out for notifications in the fall calling for some volunteers to help set it up!

Hard’ack Fall Trail Running Series Wraps Up.

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The third and final race of the 2021 Hard’ack Fall Trail Running Series took place on Saturday under cloudy skies with a moderate southeast wind and temps in the 40s. While it wasn’t a beautiful day for running like week 2, it was still generally pleasant conditions for mid november. Over 3 years, we have had 9 races, and while we’ve had some wet days and some cold, snowy days, we have somehow lucked out, and missed the really miserable weather that comes around this time of year. This year, we just dodged the high winds and drenching rain of the previous day.

There was a very noticeable wind coming out of the southeast as Tyler showed up to set up the course in the morning. A quick adjustment of the course was made to keep runners sheltered in the woods a little longer and spend less time in the fields. This made the course a tad shorter, but I didn’t hear any complaints.

There were many new faces on course today, mixed with those who have become regulars. As someone who has been involved with the running and skiing communities for over 20 years, it’s always great to see people I’ve never met joining in. The enduring strength of our running community is dependent on fresh faces mixing in with the folks that have been carrying it along for years.

As we grow nearer to winter, the nordic skiers made a strong appearance. Kasie and Eli Enman came up from Huntington to support this event, and show the locals how it’s done, with Kasie winning overall in a scorching time of 17:18, and Eli not far behind in 17:58. These two run the Sleepy Hollow Inn in Huntington, and are really dedicated to making their vast trail network the best it can be. With snowmaking, lighted trails, and a dedication to quality grooming, it’s a fabulous place to go for skiing in the winter. If you’re not a skier, their great network of running and mountain bike trails is just as good in the warmer months. Another Chittenden county skiing couple, Eric Darling and Sarah Pribram came up for the 2nd week. After winning last week, Eric had to take a back seat to the Enmans, finishing 3rd, while Sarah also took 3rd for the women. We also had Perry Bland in attendance. This man has a C.V. in the running and skiing world that is matched by few, and a positive attitude that is matched by almost nobody. We also had Scott Magnan, who has done the vast majority of the heavy lifting to keep skiing alive in this area over the last 25 years. It was great to see Rich Dickinson come out with some of his family. Richie was a standout skier for BFA, and his family has been a tremendous source of support for the local ski community for at least 30 years. Andre Bolduc, part of another clan that has a rich history of running and skiing here, came out to do all three runs. Running isn’t his favorite, he’s more comfortable on his bike and skis, but he came out to support the event and the trails. Nordic skiing is a tough sport in so many ways, but it’s also beautiful, elegant, rewarding, and humbling, and absolutely nothing beats it for building health and fitness. We need more of you, so if you’re not a skier, please stay in touch with us, and we can help you fall in love with it as we have.

I want to give a shout out to everyone who did all 3 races. Brendan Ellis, Roy Sargent, Jackson Sargent, Andre Bolduc, Ashley Burghardt, and Evan Fortune. And a big thanks to Tom Cleveland, my lone volunteer for running registration and timing.

Remember, there is a little lapse in the fun until we get snow, but we will be doing Tuesday night ski races at Hard’ack this winter, Dec 14th to March 14th, anytime we have enough snow coverage to do so. We’ll have use of the lodge for warmth before and after, with hot post race food and beverages. Headlamps will be required as we work on getting lights on the trails, and we’ll have some for use.

Thanks, and we hope to see you on the ski trails this winter, but if not, we’ll see you on the running trails next year!

Week 2 of the 2021 Trail Running Series at Hard’ack

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Beautiful sunny skies took the place of the cold rains of halloween weekend, and 32 runners showed up to enjoy some fun in the sun. In addition to more forgiving weather, this week’s course was more forgiving as well, spending some time in the flat meadows and winding back through the woods with some moderate hills.

This course was a new one for the trail running series, and almost certainly never been run by anyone before. The tightly packed trail network at Hard’ack with intersections everywhere allows for lots of creativity in creating race courses, and race director Tyler Magnan likes to mix things up. The start line was near the bottom of the entrance to the Gratton fields. Runners then headed straight up towards the woods, and did a sweeping right turn around the massive dirt pile created by the pool construction project. One racer inquired about taking a short cut over the top of the massive pile, and the race director allowed it, but nobody decided that was the best route to take. Racers then hugged the woods and headed straight north through the meadow, enjoying a light tail wind, which hopefully allowed some to forgive Tyler for sending them into a nasty headwind last year on the same stretch. After a loop around the furthest meadow, racers then ducked into the woods onto the rolling terrain and wound their way back south before popping out on the sledding hill, and heading back down to the meadow. 5k racers did two laps, and a few opted for just one lap.

As runners came around for lap one, it was apparent that a lot of people were buddying up, running with friends or family, something we like to see at a small community event like this. Damian and Jessica Bolduc came through the first lap together, with Damian edging away towards the finish. The next couple to come through were Tania and Jason Storms, eventually finishing together. Our third couple pairing was Laura and Barry Gould. Then we had Roy Sargent and son Jackson running together, with Roy eventually edging ahead of his son this week after Jackson beat him last week. Ashley Burghardt returned this week, and brought her son Aiden, both doing the one lap race together this week. We also had John and Owen Leggett taking on the 5k course. Garry Settaedel and Todd Perry buddied up and ran the whole thing together as well. Jenn Magnan was teamed up with Sara Heth as the two were chatting away coming through lap one.

At the front of the race, there was a pretty hot battle for top honors among both men and women. For the men, Eric Darling took the front and held off a strong challenge from Joe Frost, winning in a time of 18:35 with a 30 second margin. For the women, Jessica Bolduc pulled away from Sarah Pribram on the 2nd lap to win by 40 seconds in a time of 22:30. These two are good friends who hadn’t seen each other in 18 months, but I’m sure they were both trying hard to beat the other one. This is just a small race in a small town, but this is what I love about the running and ski racing communities, that competitiveness mixed with friendship and respect.

In the one lap race, Liam Heth took top honors with a great time of 12:36 as a 4th grader. Lane Fortune, who was apparently inspired by his brother Evan’s first ever 5k last week, decided to jump in to do the 2.5k this week. He took a bit of a wrong turn, but we got him back on course and he did a great job, coming in at 15:25.

Those that ran in week one seemed pleased to get a little reprieve from the tough hills of week one. Add in that the week one course is a hair over 5k, and this week was a hair under 5k, plus the better weather conditions, and most people ran 2 to 3 minutes faster than last week. The nice weather made for some great post race conversations as runners could mingle with friends and enjoy the raffle prizes, many of which were donated by race participants, another great aspect of our running and skiing community. The vintage tractor trophy made its 2nd annual appearance, donated by the Bolducs. Apparently the supply of these trophies is still healthy, but limited, so don’t miss out next year. You don’t have to win the race to get one. You just have to impress the race director somehow with your running. This year’s trophy went to Evan Fortune for completing his first 5k in week one on a really tough course in wet conditions.

Thanks to everyone for coming out, and we hope to see you on Saturday for the 3rd and final race. The course will likely be similar in difficulty to this one.

Week One of Hard’ack Fall Trail Running Series

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Halloween weekend had a dreary look to it as mother nature looked to bring down some cold autumn rain on Northern Vermont. It was a busy weekend for the running community in Vermont with many other events going on, including the VT high school championships where a lot of local runners looked to shine. 12 hardy runners showed up to take on the challenge of the hills at Hard’ack.

The runners took on course number 1, which is now the traditional week one course. This course avoids the flat meadows, and instead opts for the main loop in the woods section of the trail system. It is almost never flat, and certainly not conducive to a PR, but the perfect course for those who like rugged hilly terrain. Runners were dressed for cold, dreary rain, but by race time, the rain had cleared, and temps were around 50 degrees. It turned out to be fantastic running conditions, though most runners were overdressed and trying to shed layers as they ran.

There was a one lap option, but all runners opted for the full 2 lap 5k. Evan Fortune, a 5th grader from Georgia middle school who didn’t want his season to be over chose this race for his first ever 5k, a great accomplishment on a tough course. It was nice to see some familiar faces, as the Sargent family returned to the course, and Jackson, the youngest, ran away from his father Roy this year to better his time by 2 minutes!

Brendan Ellis took the win with a time of 26:10, followed by Laurie Orzech, taking the top female honors and 2nd overall with a time of 27:54. It was a small crowd, but a great crowd. We had some familiar faces, and I always love to see some new faces I’ve never seen before. Thanks so much to everyone who came out to run! See you next week!

What a Great Season!

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We may still be in for some late season snow, but spring has arrived, and it’s time to reflect on the winter we had. It was a pretty dismal start to the year, as we didn’t get any early snow. Those of us who’ve been around the sport a long time knew not to get spoiled by the great mid november skiing we had in 2018 and 2019. This year was particularly late in coming around, as the first real snow fall didn’t arrive until New Year’s day. Spirits were lifted that day with the arrival of the new snow, but on that same day, spirits were deeply heartbroken by the sudden passing of Mike Cain. If you haven’t yet done so, please check out our community collection of thoughts honoring Mike Cain, and message us if you would like to add something.

After that first snowfall, something amazing happened that even the most optimistic skier would not have dared predict. We had two months of uninterrupted packed powder conditions, with little accumulations continually piling up and making the skiing better and better. I’m not sure how often a Blue Moon happens, but I’m pretty sure getting that kind of streak in the Champlain Valley is rarer. We then survived a little warm weather, and made it to March 10th before the trails finally gave way to the warm south winds.

In addition to the wonderful help from Mother Nature, the St. Albans rec department purchased some extensions for our groomer with the money we raised from the fall trail running series. This changed it from 4 feet wide to 6 feet wide, and it provided a much cleaner result. It was also a HUGE improvement to have Hard’ack open from 9 to 5 every day.

On February 28th, we were able to host a ski race open to anyone. Hosting a ski race is always stressful because the weather can destroy the best laid plans, and it was a little hairy going into it, but we hit the perfect weather window, and had warm sun and perfect skiing conditions. We had 38 racers, a mix of all abilities including former NCAA all americans, former VT high school state champions, and some people who normally stick to touring in the fields. There were smiles all around, and it really put us on the map in the wider ski community, so we can attract people for future events. In addition, we raised another $850 for future trail improvements.

I knew not to get spoiled by great mid-november skiing, and I know not to get spoiled by the unusual run of good snow we had this winter. Plans are in the works to do some trail work this summer to help us endure the meltdowns we typically get. Next winter, we hope to have some snow fences and harvest some snow to beef up the trails. If you want to contribute to this effort, just send us a donation with a note that says “grooming.”

Thanks to everyone that got out there and enjoyed the trails this winter. As the man responsible for grooming, it warms my heart to see people using them!

Tyler Magnan

Our Improved Groomer

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The excellent grooming at Hard’ack this winter was due to a number of factors, not least of which was a lot of help from Mother Nature. The photo below is a picture of the Tidd Tech groomer we use most of the time. Using some of the rec department funds that we raised from the fall trail running series, we purchased some extensions to turn a 4 foot groomer into a 6 foot groomer. It not only widened it, but also did a much better job. Thanks to the rec department and everyone who supports the fall trail running series for making this happen!

Groomer, the bright yellow pieces are the new extensions.