We are excited to share the Craftsbury Outdoor Center‘s 2023 BKL Festival logo and theme description with you all! The awesome logo was designed by the multitalented Craftsbury Ski Club coach, Jake Barton. We’ll continue to share Festival updates here in Breaking News, through our Trail Tales youth newsletter, and on social media (Facebook and Instagram). You can also keep tabs on the Festival website HERE. But for now, transport yourself to the snowy season by reading on…

North Woods in Winter: It’s early March. We’ve been blessed with one of our big March snowstorms and you’re stepping into your ski boots, ready to cruise through a silent winter woodland. The woods seem to be sleeping, just waiting for the first hints of spring. Perhaps on your ski you will duck beneath sap lines or navigate a trail closure due to logging. Were you ever curious about what’s happening out there as you ski through the stands of maple or groves of cedar and other softwoods?

Come with us on a trek through the North Woods in Winter this March as we highlight how, from sustainable forestry to maple sugaring, our northern forests are a fantastic recreational space and a vital working landscape.

We’ll be working with area maple producers and foresters to take you on a journey through this diverse and invaluable resource. We hope that when you leave us on Sunday afternoon, you’ll have a better understanding of how our forests are more than just trees, and how each of us can be better stewards of this landscape that we all enjoy. 

A big thank you to all who participated in the Fourth Annual Roy-llerski and supported the Maine Outdoor Wellness Center! This event, created by Jenny Wilbraham, honors Maine skier Roy Varney by bringing together the cross country ski community and raising money for the Maine Outdoor Wellness Center. This Center was a dream of Roy’s, a place where he could continue to train for cross country skiing and biathlon year-round all while continuing to help out on the farm. The nonprofit Center, managed by Roy’s family and friends, seeks to preserve his memory by providing opportunities to access the outdoors for all Turner and surrounding residents of central Maine and New England. The Center plans to provide an extensive cross country trail system on its 300+ acre farm that can be utilized year-round for hiking, skiing, biking, and running. While this year’s Roy-llerski has come to completion, you can still support the Maine Outdoor Wellness Center by paying them a visit and/or making a donation HERE.

This year Roy-llerski raised close to $700. Folks participated in many forms from hiking to biking to rollerskiing, and we had 10 go-getters enter the Rockstar category and complete 71.19k in one effort! To see how everyone stacked up in all the categories, visit the link below. And keep an eye on your mailbox as some lucky participants will get sweet prizes from the Maine Outdoor Wellness Center and LL Bean! Thanks again to everyone who participated and we’ll see you next year!

Click HERE for results

If you’re an Orono-area middle or high school skier, come join NENSA and the Penobscot Valley Ski Club at Orono High School for some skills, drills, and games on rollerskis! All clinic participants can use NENSA’s Swenor Rollerskis, but remember to bring your own boots, poles, and helmet! We can accommodate SNS and Prolink/NNN bindings.

This two hour learn-to-rollerski clinic is open to skiers 12-18 years of age and their parents/caretakers/coaches. We will go over some basic skills in skate technique before focusing on agility and games.

Register and find more information HERE

This event is also the first event of the Allagash Brewing Masters Cup — scored by best two of three placements in the 2022 hill climbs during the NENSA Rollerski Race Series. We want masters skiers to join us!!

Registration and more information can be found HERE

Did you know that NENSA could benefit from the Amazon purchases you are already making??! Please link your Amazon account to Amazon SMILE (with /smile) and choose NENSA as your non-profit beneficiary! All the purchases everyone is already making, all add up, and we would love to be able to benefit from that! Thank you!!