Looking for snow? Woodford’s got plenty

By John HitchcockPrint Story | Email Story
Driving along scenic Molly Stark Trail (Route 9) in tiny Woodford, Vt., where deer and moose come close to outnumbering residents, one would not expect to find it hard to park — legally that is. The problem is snow, probably as much snow as even in Northern Vermont. And the snow, still in mid-winter amounts this week, brings hundreds of cross country skiers and snowshoers to the area, most of it in the Green Mountain National Forest. But the snow brings even more, perhaps thousands, of snowmobilers and their noisy, smelly high-powered vehicles. Most of the snowmobilers arrive by car, SUV, or trucks, all hauling snowmobiles in trailers. When it comes to finding a place on the trails, the skiers have no chance when the snowmobiles approach and either step to one side or experience a confrontation. Of course, the snowmobilers finance much of the work on some 6,000 miles of trails on maps issued by the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (VAST). They must pay to register their machines (which cost from $4,000 to $10,000), as well as join a snowmobilers club. Skiers have the right to use any trail in the 300,000-acre Green Mountain National Forest, but the snowmobiles can reach speeds of 100 mph, so watch out. There are also several cross-country touring centers in the region, starting with Prospect Mountain Resort in Woodford and including the Wilmington White House, Timber Ridge and the Hermitage in the Mount Snow area some 15 miles to the east. Snowmobiles are banned from most of the XC trails. Prospect has a huge parking lot, and snowmobilers are allowed to park at the end next to Route 9. But along Route 9 itself, skiers find their vehicles ticketed or hauled away if their vehicles obstruct the state snowplows. There are several parking lots along Route 9, but on weekends and even on good snow days midweek, the lots are filled by snowmobilers’ vehicles and trailers. The problem is most acute at Woodford State Park, a favorite with skiers, where the park gates are closed all winter to vehicles. The Adams Recreation Parking Lot is located across the way from the state park, but skiers have to walk across the highway to get to the XC trails, if they can find space in the parking lot. And the state does not plow the lot — that is done by the Woodford SnoBusters Club. The parking problems were the issue at a recent meeting called by State Sen. Richard Sears, D-Bennington. The Vermont Legislature set aside $15,000 last year to build a 15-car lot at the state park but dropped the matter when discovering that it would cost another $40,000 to protect the surrounding wetlands. Lorna Cheriton of the Green Mountain Club said something must be done to safeguard the people who “put their lives at risk just trying to use the park in the winter.” Another safety issue faces motorists and the snowmobilers crossing Route 9 at the Woodford Mall, the busiest snowmobile center in southern Vermont. The mall ,with its motel rooms, refreshments and snowmobile rentals and tours, is packed on good snow days, and snowmobilers often cross the highway to get to the north side, which has a network of trails leading to the Manchester area and on to the Canadian border. Of course, there is also the question of safety for the snowmobilers at all times, as inexperienced or perhaps tipsy operators run into trees and other machines on the trails that sometimes are only 6 feet wide. The parking and accident problems will end when the snow ends, but after the blizzard-like conditions in the Woodford area, it appears that there will be skiing and snowmobiling well into April. Call Prospect at 802-442-2575 for ski conditions and 802-442-4054 for snowmobiling information. The Woodford Mall is headquarters for the SnowBusters Club with its several thousand members, making it one of the largest clubs in the nation. Alpine skiing, bolstered by extensive snowmaking systems, is still hanging on, with conditions depending on the weather — salubrious in the sun and firm and fair when its cold. But in the valley communities, there is another problem, and that is offering grassy playing fields for the spring sports season, which is fast approaching. April 1 is the target date for Williams College athletes, with two 7-inning softball games scheduled against Connecticut College on Bobby Combs Diamond on Weston Field. Two more games are listed for the Lady Ephs against Middlebury on April 3, when the lacrosse season will also open with the Ephmen taking on Bates College on Cole Field and the women stickers in action against Tufts on Cole. April 4 will see the Ephwomen facing the Bowdoin team, also on Cole Field. And that is before the start of the spring term, April 5, when the full sports schedule begins. Lacrosse players last spring were overjoyed when longtime Coach Renzie Lamb retired. Not that they wanted him to leave but because former Williams lacrosse players quickly pledged several million dollars to hopefully quickly open an all-weather artificial turf field in his honor. The choice of location quickly became an issue which to this date has not seen an official announcement of were the badly needed turf field will be located. Playing fields are a problem in many communities, including North Adams, where newcomer Joseph Day is trying to bring a Pop Warner football program to the area, only to be told there is no field for his proposed team to use. John Hitchcock of Williamstown writes frequently about the area sports scene.
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Lanesborough Fifth-Graders Win Snowplow Name Contest

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — One of the snowplows for Highway District 1 has a new name: "The Blizzard Boss."
 
The name comes from teacher Gina Wagner's fifth-grade class at Lanesborough Elementary School. 
 
The state Department of Transportation announced the winners of the fourth annual "Name A Snowplow" contest on Monday. 
 
The department received entries from public elementary and middle school classrooms across the commonwealth to name the 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service during the 2025/2026 winter season. 
 
The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during winter operations. 
 
"Thank you to all of the students who participated. Your creativity allows us to highlight to all, the importance of the work performed by our workforce," said  interim MassDOT Secretary Phil Eng.  
 
"Our workforce takes pride as they clear snow and ice, keeping our roads safe during adverse weather events for all that need to travel. ?To our contest winners and participants, know that you have added some fun to the serious take of operating plows. ?I'm proud of the skill and dedication from our crews and thank the public of the shared responsibility to slow down, give plows space and put safety first every time there is a winter weather event."
 
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