While snow is becoming a mere memory in most of New England, where warm spring temperatures have melted it all away, there is an abundance of snow left at this New Hampshire vacation spot, and the cross-country skiing conditions are still top-notch! Although the season is winding down at The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel, there is still time to get out on the trails in Dixville Notch and enjoy the best winter has to offer… Read More
Category Archives: NH Alpine and Nordic Skiing
Cross-Country Ski Trails Still in Top Condition at NH Ski Resort
Photographic Memory Helps NH Resort’s Ski Instructor Win “Top 100″
When Donna Kaye Erwin watches her students ski at The Balsams, a northern New England resort, her mind makes a meticulous recording of the scene. It becomes a series of images she can play back at will and draw on in order to provide better individualized instruction. An instructor at the NH ski area since 1994, Erwin has a photographic memory. Read More
Torchlight Parade, Vocal Septet to Punctuate Valentine’s Season at NH Hotel
They do it on special occasions, flares in hand, slowly zigzagging down The Balsams’ middle trail. They are skiers, instructors, patrollers… usually about a dozen in number. They are the staff members of The Balsams Wilderness Ski Area, located near the New Hamsphire-Canada border, and they’re part of a series of celebrations that will occur near Valentine’s day at this beautiful northern NH vacation spot. Read More
New England Resort Goes High-Tech With Webcams
Webcam View of Dixville Notch 1/23/10 2:25 p.m.
Visitors to the website of this NH vacation spot can now see up-to-the-minute images of the spectacular views here. Two webcams were recently installed in scenic locations at The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel, and a third is on the way!
From the first camera that is perched on top of this NH hotel, one can share a birds-eye view of the courtyard and swimming pool, across Lake Gloriette, and up to Dixville Notch, where the landscape is breathtaking any time of year! Read More
NH Ski Resort Instructor Makes Prestigious Team
The Balsams alpine instructor Phil Freudenberger in action
Phil Freudenberger was a New Hampshire second grader when he took his first ski lesson. Thirty years later, he still can’t get enough of the freezing powder. A ski instructor at The Balsams Wilderness Ski Resort since 1992, Phil quickly rose through the levels of teaching certification. The Professional Ski Instructors of America has, officially, a three tiered certification system, and Phil made it to “Level III” over a decade ago. But, after that, as Phil puts it, “There is still room to grow…if one wants to, one can pursue further and work for PSIA directly and become a trainer/examiner.” Read More
“Top 100″ Ski Instructor Earns Reputation For Patience at NH Ski Resort
"Patient instructor" Lil Pearson poses near The Balsams Wilderness Learning Center
Lil Pearson may be something of a rarity among alpine instructors at The Balsams NH ski resort. She didn’t learn how to ski until she was an adult.
However she eventually got so good at teaching the skill, she earned SKI Magazine’s “Top 100″ award. Read More
Famous Skiers Who’ve Stayed at this NH Resort
Extreme and champion downhill skiers who have stayed at this New Hampshire vacation spot, home to The Balsams Wilderness Ski Area, include:
Dan Egan: Extreme skier, runs Egan Entertainment Network.
Cheryl & Charles Malfetti: The U.S. national ski dancing champs who also founded the International Ski Dancing Association. Read More
Solitude Skiing, Personal Attention Mix at New Hampshire Vacation Spot
When Andy Pearson began his career at this New Hampshire vacation spot during the final years of the Cold War, it was a place where you could downhill almost by yourself. A quarter of a century later…it still is.
Today Pearson runs the entire alpine ski area and also serves as ski school director at the New Hampshire ski mecca. And in between that seasonal 1983 job and his current more lofty position, he’s had a lot of years to bask in “The Balsams Dichotomy.” Read More
NH Ski Resort Instructor Mixes Nordic, Education Prowess
Jonathon Dodge (right) preps to train a resort staffer near The Balsams hotel
When you wander into the winter wilderness at this NH ski resort, human contact may not be frequent. But the person you’re perhaps least unlikely to bump into out there is Jonathon Dodge.
As Nordic Ski Director for the New England resort, Jonathon is a former cross country racer with an education background. He understands the learning process so well…he even knows when *not* to teach! Read More
New England Resort Hosts The Great North Woods 30k Classic Race & Tour
On February 27th, this NH ski resort will host its first ski race since cross-country skiing began here in 1975. The location is ideal for a long-distance race, with many miles of beautiful, well-groomed trails that wind over 8,000 acres of quiet terrain. The event also includes two shorter “tasting tours” for those who do not wish to compete, but love to ski amid gorgeous surroundings while stopping to sample some gourmet food along the way! Read More
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