5 Field Farms Skiing Winter 2011

January 15, 2011
  It’s winter in Maine and it’s cold. For a couch potato, it is the perfect time of year. Cold and snow mean not having to feel guilty for lounging on the couch, a cup of hot cocoa steaming on the coffee table, watching reruns of your favorite HBO shows via Netflix. I know for some die hard outdoor enthusiasts, snow and cold only add to the excitement of their outdoor adventures. Their vision of the perfect winter day is stashing their skis in whatever SUV they drove at the time, heading to Mt. Washington, ignoring the avalanche warnings, and hiking up to Tuckerman’s to catch some powder. There is certainly nothing wrong with that. I can only say that my vision of the perfect winter morning usually does not include me pushing and pulling myself into ski pants and a ski jacket that left me feeling a bit like the state puff marshmallow man. It did not include me staring warily down a large hill, conscience that “downhill” was not an adjective that could be applied to my skis, and knowing that my companion was waiting impatiently at the bottom for me to catch up.
  Yet, that is just what I was doing today at 5 Field Farms in Bridgton, Maine when the temperature was a balmy 15 degrees. For cross country enthusiasts, 5 Field is a wonderful place to spend the day. In the Fall, it is actually an operating apple orchard that abuts property preserved by the Loon Echo Land Trust. This wonderful organization has helped to save 3,750 acres of land in the Sebago Lake region that would have otherwise been given over to land developers and other projects. One of their greatest achievements was to create the Bald Pate Mountain Preserve, which maintains a network of 6.7 miles of trail that leads to the scenic views on top of Bald Pate Mountain. It is actually one of the perfect places for novice outdoors people, like yours truly, to gain some needed experience.
  I was not here alone, my friend Jeff had called me up to invite me to ski with him. When I first met Jeff, we had a conversation that went something like this:

Jeff: Do you cross country ski?
Me: Sure, of course I do, I grew up in Maine didn’t I? (never mind I had only been 1 time with my older brother, and that didn’t happen until I was well into my 20s)
Jeff: Great! (taking out a brochure for his favorite skiing spot and handing it over) This place has some great trails, I do the 5 mile loop every weekend.
Me: Great (feigning a smile as I anxiously look over the map showing very few beginner trails and a boat load of black diamond ones). No problem. I’m up for it! Uh…just…well…are they all black diamonds? (pointing to the map) Where are the rest of the little green circles?

  Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t exactly lie to Jeff as much as I underestimated how different cross country skiing was from downhill. I may be a couch potato now, but I wasn’t always so; namely in the years between 5-10, when I had more energy than a long distance runner. I can boast that I, literally, grew up at Shawnee Peak Skiing Area. I was one of those cute little 5 year olds in ski school, with her hands on her knees, hot pink skis pointed into a perfect v shape, skiing in a snaking line behind her instructor. I was pretty good, actually, so why wouldn’t I be good at cross country?
  Well, cross country skis do not have edges for one; so if you find yourself getting into trouble on the way down a small hill and try to cut in, you will find yourself toppled over into a snow bank. It is also incredibly hard to make the darling little v shape wedge that my downhill instructor used to tell me, was my saving grace. “If nothing else, make the wedge and you’ll be ok,” she used to say. Well, on cross country skis, a wedge does NOT mean you’ll necessarily be ok. I found that cross country skiing was more of a balancing act on one hand, and a huge cardiovascular work out, on the other. The principles of downhill are fairly simple, point your skis down and let gravity do all the work as you go along for a “free ride.” In cross country, you don’t move unless you make yourself move, and it is more about gliding than riding. One thing about cross country, because it is such a workout, it warms your body up to a point where you don’t notice the freezing temperatures.
  So, Jeff and I spent the day alternating between gliding (he slightly more gracefully) along flat trails and trying to navigate some moderately steep hills. The sky was blue, the sun was out, and it turned out to be a lot of fun once I got used to it. Towards the end, we had the option to get back into our car and drive to a different location that afforded us with more trails to choose from. To my surprise, even Jeff agreed that a burger and fries at Ricky’s Diner sounded like a better plan and we’d save the other trails for a different day. The way this winter was going, we didn’t think we’d have to worry about snow being in short supply anytime soon!