Okay, most of you are downhill or bc skiers, but there are at least a few cross-country skiers out there. I started out on skinnies and still make the occasional trip into the flatter woods for fun.
Well, Windblown is a family-owned operation in southern NH and is one of the nicest XC centers around. They're great people and really care a ton for their woods and trails. Talk about "putting out a fine product" and they come to mind, despite being entirely dependent on nature. I love this place, even if I only get there once a year.
The ice storm hit them hard. Wicked hard. Enough to put opening this season in jeopardy. Fortunately, they're already getting offers to help dig out. If you're a regular customer, you've probably already heard the story, but if not, here's what's going on:
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Your response to Al's message (below) is astonishing! And so heart warming. It seems like all of you would make up an army of volunteers. And we so appreciate your offers. The truth is, Al says he has worked in the woods for over 40 years with chain saws and tractors and this time he is truly afraid to go into the woods. This is a bigger job and more dangerous than you can imagine. We are arranging to bring in big logging machinery to clear the trails. After they have gone through, we probably will take you up on your offers to help with the finer work. It won't be for several weeks though. We'll keep you posted.
A message from Al:
Friday December 12, 2008
Dear Skiers and Snowshoers,
Returning to our beautiful hilltop homesite today, I felt like Ashley Wilkes in "Gone with the Wind" coming home to Tara from the war, passing burned out plantations and a devastated landscape. Nature, not human passions provided the destructive power this time. An inch and a half of ice has brought down uncountable numbers of trees, filling trails with impassible amounts of debris, downing power lines, and damaging buildings. It is difficult to assess the total amount of damage because of the danger of falling ice and tree limbs. From what I can see from our house to the Warming Hut and the Ski Shop, it is ten times the damage caused by the great ice storm of 1998. Cleaning up will be costly and time consuming. I do not know when or if we will be open this season. In twenty-four hours our trails went from being the best ever to being the worst ever.
Those of you with season passes and overnight reservations will be able to get your money back. Thank you for your past support. We look forward to a brighter future. We are all safe with no injuries and want to keep it that way. There are many other cross-country ski centers in New Hampshire and New England who would appreciate your support. Go and enjoy their trails.
Yours truly,
Al Jenks
So as you can see, we are out of power and phone and internet for a bit still, maybe two or three weeks. I expect to occasionally travel with my laptop to where I can get internet service and receive emails. You are welcome to send us messages so long as you don't require a response.
We'll keep in touch as we know and decide more.
We send our best holiday wishes to all of you,
Irene
Well, Windblown is a family-owned operation in southern NH and is one of the nicest XC centers around. They're great people and really care a ton for their woods and trails. Talk about "putting out a fine product" and they come to mind, despite being entirely dependent on nature. I love this place, even if I only get there once a year.
The ice storm hit them hard. Wicked hard. Enough to put opening this season in jeopardy. Fortunately, they're already getting offers to help dig out. If you're a regular customer, you've probably already heard the story, but if not, here's what's going on:
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Your response to Al's message (below) is astonishing! And so heart warming. It seems like all of you would make up an army of volunteers. And we so appreciate your offers. The truth is, Al says he has worked in the woods for over 40 years with chain saws and tractors and this time he is truly afraid to go into the woods. This is a bigger job and more dangerous than you can imagine. We are arranging to bring in big logging machinery to clear the trails. After they have gone through, we probably will take you up on your offers to help with the finer work. It won't be for several weeks though. We'll keep you posted.
A message from Al:
Friday December 12, 2008
Dear Skiers and Snowshoers,
Returning to our beautiful hilltop homesite today, I felt like Ashley Wilkes in "Gone with the Wind" coming home to Tara from the war, passing burned out plantations and a devastated landscape. Nature, not human passions provided the destructive power this time. An inch and a half of ice has brought down uncountable numbers of trees, filling trails with impassible amounts of debris, downing power lines, and damaging buildings. It is difficult to assess the total amount of damage because of the danger of falling ice and tree limbs. From what I can see from our house to the Warming Hut and the Ski Shop, it is ten times the damage caused by the great ice storm of 1998. Cleaning up will be costly and time consuming. I do not know when or if we will be open this season. In twenty-four hours our trails went from being the best ever to being the worst ever.
Those of you with season passes and overnight reservations will be able to get your money back. Thank you for your past support. We look forward to a brighter future. We are all safe with no injuries and want to keep it that way. There are many other cross-country ski centers in New Hampshire and New England who would appreciate your support. Go and enjoy their trails.
Yours truly,
Al Jenks
So as you can see, we are out of power and phone and internet for a bit still, maybe two or three weeks. I expect to occasionally travel with my laptop to where I can get internet service and receive emails. You are welcome to send us messages so long as you don't require a response.
We'll keep in touch as we know and decide more.
We send our best holiday wishes to all of you,
Irene
