AlpineZone News
Skiing News
BOSTON, Massachusetts -- The Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) this winter is introducing greater variety to outdoor adventure in New Hampshire's White Mountains with new 50+ Adventure Camp weeks and naturalist-led Lodge-to-Hut overnight adventures, including a new tour geared toward families. Shorter, one-hour to half-day "walk-on" activities complete the full spectrum of expert-led AMC Outdoor Explorations, which offer a combination of guided outdoor excursions, skills training, and environmental learning at AMC's Highland Center, Joe Dodge Lodge, and backcountry Huts.
Self-guided downhill and cross-country Ski and Stay packages will include free, groomed cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and tubing for Joe Dodge Lodge guests at Great Glen Trails and savings on mid-week cross-country skiing at Bretton Woods for Highland Center guests ages 50 and over.
AMC is expanding its 50+ Adventure Camp at the Highland Center to a year-round program with the addition of two winter camps. The camp, offered exclusively for outdoor enthusiasts ages 50 and older, brings together a likeminded group for a mix of active outdoor pursuits, cultural and historical tours and talks, and social activities. AMC will offer a total of five 50+ Adventure Camp weeks in 2008, starting with the new February and March snow sports camps. The choice of group excursions will range from easy, short walks to more challenging snowshoe treks, including a day hike to AMC's Zealand Falls Hut and a winter summit hike to one of New Hampshire's famous 4,000-foot peaks. On a typical day, participants can join an early morning nature walk and then practice the best techniques for winter hiking, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing during longer guided tours. Indoor programs and evening presentations focused on winter sports and gear, the history of skiing, and winter safety and survival round out the daily activities. Participants also have the flexibility and downtime to explore on their own at any point during the week.
AMC's naturalist-led Lodge-to-Hut trips offered this January, February, and March will blend winter ecology with a guided snowshoe or cross-country ski tour to one of AMC's backcountry winter huts. A new addition to this year's schedule is AMC's Lodge-to-Hut family winter adventure, designed especially for families with kids ages 10 and older. This tour will provide an ideal opportunity to explore less-traveled, snow-covered trails under the watchful eye of an expert guide, while also practicing snowshoe techniques, following animal tracks, and learning about winter ecology in the White Mountains. Lodge-to-Hut participants spend their first night at AMC's Highland Center or Joe Dodge Lodge before heading to a White Mountain Hut, part of the oldest hut-to-hut hiking network in the U.S., for a truly unique overnight experience.
Every day throughout the winter, AMC's experienced staff will continue offering guests the flexibility of opting for "walk-on" AMC Outdoor Explorations programs ranging in length from one-hour skills clinics to half-day naturalist-led cross-country ski tours. Based at AMC's White Mountain lodges, many of the walk-on programs are free for guests.
Starting in January, AMC Outdoor Explorations this winter at Highland Center and Joe Dodge Lodge at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center will include:
* Free, one-hour winter skills sessions, including winter gear, animal tracking, map and compass navigation, animal adaptation, winter ecology, and AMC Junior Naturalist activities. Offered daily at Highland Center and Thursday through Sunday at Joe Dodge Lodge.
* Free, one-hour cross-country ski refresher sessions and learn to snowshoe clinics. Offered every weekend at Highland Center.
* Free, half-day guided snowshoe or cross-country ski tours with an AMC naturalist. Offered daily at Highland Center, including day hikes to AMC's winter backcountry huts, and every weekend at Joe Dodge Lodge.
* For the holidays, free naturalist activities and guided hikes offered Thanksgiving weekend and December vacation week (December 27-31) at Highland Center and Joe Dodge Lodge.
* Multi-day guided adventures and skills training offered at AMC destinations in New Hampshire's White Mountains and Delaware Water Gap of New Jersey. The range of programs scheduled this winter will include introductory courses in ice climbing and winter mountaineering, yoga and hiking, Wilderness First Aid, and Wilderness First Responder. These programs are fee-based, and pre-registration is required.
For more details about all of the following activities and packages, visit AMC's Winter Guide at www.outdoors.org/winterguide.
50+ Adventure Camp Adds Winter Weeks
Winter 50+ Adventure Camps will take place February 3-8 and March 2-7, 2008. Rates start at $432 per person, plus taxes, for members ($512 for non-members) and include expert-led programs, five nights' lodging, all meals, copy of 100th anniversary edition AMC White Mountain Guide, and the use of outdoor equipment from the L.L. Bean gear room. Accommodations at Highland Center include private or shared room with shared bath, depending on availability. Private room with private bath is available for an extra cost.
Lodge-to-Hut Winter Adventures
AMC will offer three naturalist-led Lodge-to-Hut trips this winter:
* January 28-30, Winter Ecology and Snowshoe, Joe Dodge Lodge to Carter Notch Hut
* February 18-20, Family Winter Adventure, Highland Center to Lonesome Lake Hut
* March 10-13, Winter Ecology and Cross-country Skiing, Highland Center to Zealand Falls Hut
Rates start at $170 per person, plus taxes, for members ($187 for non-members) and include all meals, one night's lodging at Highland Center or Joe Dodge Lodge, lodging at AMC huts, guides, instruction, and use of snowshoes. Child rates apply to ages 10-15 for the Family Winter Adventure trip. For all other Lodge-to-Hut trips, the minimum participation age is 16 when accompanied by an adult.
Ski or Tube for Free at Joe Dodge Lodge; 50+ Mid-Week Savings at Bretton Woods
AMC and Great Glen Trails are teaming up again this season and offering a free trail pass for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or tubing to all overnight guests at Joe Dodge Lodge. Great Glen's network of groomed trails includes double tracks and a skating lane that run through the forests at the base of Mt. Washington. Prices start at $58 per person/night for AMC members ($64 for non-members), plus taxes, with no restrictions or minimum. Package includes room with shared bath, dinner, breakfast, and Great Glen trail pass.
Cross-country skiers ages 50 and older with the flexibility to visit mid-week January 6-February 14 and March 2-31, 2008 can take advantage of savings on Highland Center's Ski and Stay package with Bretton Woods. Mid-week rates, Sunday-Thursday, start at $67 per person/night for members, plus taxes ($79 non-members). The Ski and Stay package includes room with shared bath, dinner, breakfast, Highland Center guided programs, use of equipment from the L.L. Bean gear room, and Bretton Woods cross-country ski pass.
Ski and Stay packages are valid during the 2008 winter season of the respective ski areas. Child and private room/private bath rates are available. Peak rates apply during holiday and vacation periods.
Rates and Reservations:
For rates and reservations, call (603) 466-2727 or visit www.outdoors.org/lodging. Space is subject to availability for all packages. All AMC programs and destinations are open to AMC members and non-members, with additional discounts available to members. Membership is $75 for families and $50 for individuals. Specific package deals must be mentioned when booking, and packages cannot be combined with other offers or discounts.
Founded in 1876, the Appalachian Mountain Club is the oldest conservation and recreation organization in the nation. With 90,000 members in the Northeast and beyond, the nonprofit AMC promotes the protection, enjoyment, and wise use of the mountains, rivers and trails of the Appalachian region. The AMC supports natural resource conservation while encouraging responsible recreation, based on the philosophy that successful, long-term conservation depends upon first-hand enjoyment of the natural environment.
Self-guided downhill and cross-country Ski and Stay packages will include free, groomed cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and tubing for Joe Dodge Lodge guests at Great Glen Trails and savings on mid-week cross-country skiing at Bretton Woods for Highland Center guests ages 50 and over.
AMC is expanding its 50+ Adventure Camp at the Highland Center to a year-round program with the addition of two winter camps. The camp, offered exclusively for outdoor enthusiasts ages 50 and older, brings together a likeminded group for a mix of active outdoor pursuits, cultural and historical tours and talks, and social activities. AMC will offer a total of five 50+ Adventure Camp weeks in 2008, starting with the new February and March snow sports camps. The choice of group excursions will range from easy, short walks to more challenging snowshoe treks, including a day hike to AMC's Zealand Falls Hut and a winter summit hike to one of New Hampshire's famous 4,000-foot peaks. On a typical day, participants can join an early morning nature walk and then practice the best techniques for winter hiking, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing during longer guided tours. Indoor programs and evening presentations focused on winter sports and gear, the history of skiing, and winter safety and survival round out the daily activities. Participants also have the flexibility and downtime to explore on their own at any point during the week.
AMC's naturalist-led Lodge-to-Hut trips offered this January, February, and March will blend winter ecology with a guided snowshoe or cross-country ski tour to one of AMC's backcountry winter huts. A new addition to this year's schedule is AMC's Lodge-to-Hut family winter adventure, designed especially for families with kids ages 10 and older. This tour will provide an ideal opportunity to explore less-traveled, snow-covered trails under the watchful eye of an expert guide, while also practicing snowshoe techniques, following animal tracks, and learning about winter ecology in the White Mountains. Lodge-to-Hut participants spend their first night at AMC's Highland Center or Joe Dodge Lodge before heading to a White Mountain Hut, part of the oldest hut-to-hut hiking network in the U.S., for a truly unique overnight experience.
Every day throughout the winter, AMC's experienced staff will continue offering guests the flexibility of opting for "walk-on" AMC Outdoor Explorations programs ranging in length from one-hour skills clinics to half-day naturalist-led cross-country ski tours. Based at AMC's White Mountain lodges, many of the walk-on programs are free for guests.
Starting in January, AMC Outdoor Explorations this winter at Highland Center and Joe Dodge Lodge at Pinkham Notch Visitor Center will include:
* Free, one-hour winter skills sessions, including winter gear, animal tracking, map and compass navigation, animal adaptation, winter ecology, and AMC Junior Naturalist activities. Offered daily at Highland Center and Thursday through Sunday at Joe Dodge Lodge.
* Free, one-hour cross-country ski refresher sessions and learn to snowshoe clinics. Offered every weekend at Highland Center.
* Free, half-day guided snowshoe or cross-country ski tours with an AMC naturalist. Offered daily at Highland Center, including day hikes to AMC's winter backcountry huts, and every weekend at Joe Dodge Lodge.
* For the holidays, free naturalist activities and guided hikes offered Thanksgiving weekend and December vacation week (December 27-31) at Highland Center and Joe Dodge Lodge.
* Multi-day guided adventures and skills training offered at AMC destinations in New Hampshire's White Mountains and Delaware Water Gap of New Jersey. The range of programs scheduled this winter will include introductory courses in ice climbing and winter mountaineering, yoga and hiking, Wilderness First Aid, and Wilderness First Responder. These programs are fee-based, and pre-registration is required.
For more details about all of the following activities and packages, visit AMC's Winter Guide at www.outdoors.org/winterguide.
50+ Adventure Camp Adds Winter Weeks
Winter 50+ Adventure Camps will take place February 3-8 and March 2-7, 2008. Rates start at $432 per person, plus taxes, for members ($512 for non-members) and include expert-led programs, five nights' lodging, all meals, copy of 100th anniversary edition AMC White Mountain Guide, and the use of outdoor equipment from the L.L. Bean gear room. Accommodations at Highland Center include private or shared room with shared bath, depending on availability. Private room with private bath is available for an extra cost.
Lodge-to-Hut Winter Adventures
AMC will offer three naturalist-led Lodge-to-Hut trips this winter:
* January 28-30, Winter Ecology and Snowshoe, Joe Dodge Lodge to Carter Notch Hut
* February 18-20, Family Winter Adventure, Highland Center to Lonesome Lake Hut
* March 10-13, Winter Ecology and Cross-country Skiing, Highland Center to Zealand Falls Hut
Rates start at $170 per person, plus taxes, for members ($187 for non-members) and include all meals, one night's lodging at Highland Center or Joe Dodge Lodge, lodging at AMC huts, guides, instruction, and use of snowshoes. Child rates apply to ages 10-15 for the Family Winter Adventure trip. For all other Lodge-to-Hut trips, the minimum participation age is 16 when accompanied by an adult.
Ski or Tube for Free at Joe Dodge Lodge; 50+ Mid-Week Savings at Bretton Woods
AMC and Great Glen Trails are teaming up again this season and offering a free trail pass for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or tubing to all overnight guests at Joe Dodge Lodge. Great Glen's network of groomed trails includes double tracks and a skating lane that run through the forests at the base of Mt. Washington. Prices start at $58 per person/night for AMC members ($64 for non-members), plus taxes, with no restrictions or minimum. Package includes room with shared bath, dinner, breakfast, and Great Glen trail pass.
Cross-country skiers ages 50 and older with the flexibility to visit mid-week January 6-February 14 and March 2-31, 2008 can take advantage of savings on Highland Center's Ski and Stay package with Bretton Woods. Mid-week rates, Sunday-Thursday, start at $67 per person/night for members, plus taxes ($79 non-members). The Ski and Stay package includes room with shared bath, dinner, breakfast, Highland Center guided programs, use of equipment from the L.L. Bean gear room, and Bretton Woods cross-country ski pass.
Ski and Stay packages are valid during the 2008 winter season of the respective ski areas. Child and private room/private bath rates are available. Peak rates apply during holiday and vacation periods.
Rates and Reservations:
For rates and reservations, call (603) 466-2727 or visit www.outdoors.org/lodging. Space is subject to availability for all packages. All AMC programs and destinations are open to AMC members and non-members, with additional discounts available to members. Membership is $75 for families and $50 for individuals. Specific package deals must be mentioned when booking, and packages cannot be combined with other offers or discounts.
Founded in 1876, the Appalachian Mountain Club is the oldest conservation and recreation organization in the nation. With 90,000 members in the Northeast and beyond, the nonprofit AMC promotes the protection, enjoyment, and wise use of the mountains, rivers and trails of the Appalachian region. The AMC supports natural resource conservation while encouraging responsible recreation, based on the philosophy that successful, long-term conservation depends upon first-hand enjoyment of the natural environment.
