But before we share results and photos here, we’d be remiss to not mention the incredible team that made this happen. Huge thanks to our Race Director Anthony Staples (Insta | Strava) for his vision and leadership bringing this concept to reality last year and then again this year – even with the odds stacked against him at times. And another mountain local, Mark Clement (Insta | Strava), who has co-led all the efforts from last year right through this year’s incredibly successful event.

We’d also like to thank Outdoor Gear Exchange, Untapped, Snowbeast Performance, ABD Culture and Zero Gravity for their support as well!

Stay tuned to @threepeaksmountainrace for information on the 2024 race! We. cannot. wait.

Okay, okay, calm down, we know what you’re here for

25k Results

10k Results

Photo Gallery – PLEASE credit our incredible photographer if sharing/publishing elsewhere: @acarterclark aka Carter Clark.

The post 2023 Three Peaks Mountain Race Results & Photos appeared first on Bolton Valley.

I was a part of the bell pepper group (beginners) and the first week we learned about the bike, equipment, and focused on body positioning #readyposition. By the second week we were already going up the lift and down the green trail! Many of us were actually more nervous about loading the bikes on the lift than going down the trail but we crushed both! 

Week 3 we worked on cornering which I was most excited about because that’s where I feel I struggle the most. It was nice to hear that turns we were practicing on the flats of the progression park are actually harder than the ones going down the trail. After this lesson we went back down the green trail, and it felt like my best run! Looking through the turns and other tips I learned before the ride were super helpful. On our last week we worked on a technique called “peak and push”, this taught us how to deal with any drops or bumps we may encounter and allows you to be in control of the bike. 

We finished up camp with another group ride down Ebascootcha and you could notice the improvements we all had from our first time down, we were going faster and stopping less while being more in control. I really appreciated how before we rode each week we recapped what we learned the week before. I also enjoyed how we got to learn and practice skills in the progression zone and then apply them on the trail. Doing this helped make it feel less intimidating and led us to become more comfortable and confident while going downhill.

Overall the 4 weeks made me feel much more at ease riding. When I started I was nervous to go down the green trail and now I can go down Ebascootcha comfortably and am ready to try some blues! It also helps to be around people who are the same skill level as you, and share similar concerns. Gage and Jasmine were such kind and skilled coaches who made you feel welcomed and where no question was a dumb question. (You can book a Saturday clinic with Jasmine!) Our group may not have been the most advanced of mountain bikers but we definitely had the most fun! Everyone enjoyed camp so much we exchanged numbers to ride with each other again. 

If you are looking to start or grow your Mountain Bike journey like me try some of these offerings:

Rider Pack 

Bolton Fest Adult Camp 

Bikes & Gear

The post What to expect: Babe Force MTB Camp appeared first on Bolton Valley.

A Little About Me

Hey, I’m Kate! I’ve been a strength and mobility coach for the past eight years and I’ve worked with young athletes to more experienced athletes, and everyone in between. My love of movement came from a young age as I grew up participating in a variety of sports such as basketball, tennis, swimming, and track and field. Unfortunately, I experienced several injuries as a youth athlete, and it wasn’t until I was a coach myself that I realized these injuries could have been prevented or at least mitigated with a proper strength and mobility program. As an adult, I am still an athlete, and my go-to hobbies are pretty much anything that can be done outdoors, Vermont…am I right?? It is my goal and mission to keep athletes and outdoor enthusiasts doing what they love for as long as they darn well please. Once an athlete, always an athlete.  

Let’s Spring into Action

On April 26, Babe Force is launching a brand new, 4-week mountain activity prep series. The first three weeks will be focused on getting our joints and muscles ready to take on the gnarly effects of our spring hobbies, whether it be hiking, trail-running, biking or d. all of the above. We know these super fun activities can take a toll on the body and so why not prepare best we can to be strong and resilient? Week four will be a group hike up to the Bolton fire tower, weather permitting. 

This series is for those of you who love to get outdoors every chance you get and who are looking to stay strong and injury-free this spring season. Everyone can benefit from adding more strength and mobility training to their endurance sports, plus, making a few extra friends never hurt anyone.    

Join us as we empower each other to build knowledge, strengthen our bodies, and gain more confidence in our journeys to becoming more fearless athletes out on the trails. 

What? 60-min strength + mobility class

Why? Get stronger, mitigate injuries

Where? Sports Complex @ Bolton Valley

When? 5:30-6:30pm on 4/26, 5/5, 5/10, 5/19 (On 5/19 *weather permitting* we’ll go on a hike to the Fire tower afterwards)

What To Bring? Water/sports drink

SIGN UP HERE

The post Babe Force – Spring Mountain Training appeared first on Bolton Valley.

Last Wednesday we had the pleasure of having one of our own ‘Babes’ walk us through a thorough and enlightening ski and snowboard ‘Waxing’ demonstration (Thanks Karey Ann!). As I’ve been progressing on my snow sliding journey I finally have built up the confidence to take my knowledge to the next level and learn how to properly love and care for my most prized possession. Turns out waxing your own snow gear is a lot less intimidating than I thought, so I’m psyched to give it a whirl now that we’re getting consistent snow dumps! If you’re keen on DIY (or WIY), here are our takeaways from last week’s demo:

1. Starting with a ‘base cleaner’ (or a citrus based cleaner) is key. Apply some to a clean rag to wipe off any residue on your skis/board to provide you with a clean canvas.
2. Afterward you’ll use a ‘plastic scraper’ to get rid of residue.
3. Give your gear another wipe down with a ‘base cleaner’ and let it sit and evaporate.
4. Grab some disposable gloves.
5. Start heating up your ‘old clothes iron’ or ‘waxing iron’ on a low temperature (approximately 120F) and gradually increase the temperature – but not TOO hot! (Pro Tip: after waxing mark down what temperature setting worked best for your iron)
6. We favored using ‘crayon wax’ during our demo as it’s less wasteful and less work!
7. Heat the wax with the iron so that you’re able to rub it easily onto your skis/snowboard.
8. Use the wax as a crayon and rub the entire surface of your skis/board with it.
9. Next you’ll continue to ‘spread’ the wax by ironing the entire surface of your board where it was applied. Let it cool.
10. Once cooled, use your scraper to scrape the wax from one end to the other and voila! You’re ready to cruise the slopes! 

Materials: 

• Disposable gloves
• Crayon wax (available at most Ski Shops)
• Plastic scraper (available at most Ski Shops)
• An old clothing iron or a ‘waxing iron’ (available at most Ski Shops)
• ‘Citrus based cleaner’ or a ‘Base cleaner’ (available at most Ski Shops)
• An old table or a frames (if you have ‘em)  to properly lay your skis/snowboard on

The post Wax It Yourself: Ski and Snowboard Maintenance appeared first on Bolton Valley.

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Results are in for the 1st Annual event held on Sunday, October 2, 2022 at Bolton Valley Resort. Thank you to our generous sponsors (Outdoor Gear Exchange and Darn Tough Vermont) and our incredible race organizers (Anthony Staples and Mark Clement). Can’t wait to see what this dynamic team comes up with for next year’s race!

Keep an eye on this page for more details on future mountain racing at Bolton Valley… we’ve caught the bug, and we have a feeling this is just the beginning of a fun climb together.

The post Results for 3 Peaks Mountain Race 2022 appeared first on Bolton Valley.

Give name, confirm gender identity (we will have 3 categories for this race: Male, Female, Non-Binary, but UltraSignup did not allow for this online, so please simply let us know at bib pickup if you have an amendment to your category)

Camping:
Looks to be a beautiful weekend for camping in the Vermont mountains. Feel free to camp in the lower parking lots and lowest “tennis court parking lot” near the portolet, but please do not camp on the trail surrounding the lower tennis court as the race will pass through there Sunday morning!

F&B Around the Resort:
(Hours subject to change with staffing realities)
Breakfast/Lunch available at Base Café (Main Base Lodge 1st Floor). Order online in advance and pickup HERE
Dinner via James Moore Tavern (2nd floor Main Base Lodge)
Mountain Market sundries, groceries, beer, wine, etc, 11am-6pm
All Resort Outlet Hours

We strongly encourage folks to come up and grab their bibs in advance if time/travel permits (available Fri & Sat in Main Base Lodge 8am to 5pm). And while you’re at it, the forecast looks pretty good…. perhaps consider hopping on a scenic lift ride while you’re here – should be some beautiful foliage to take in and climb the fire tower at the top of Vista Peak for beautiful 360 degree panoramic views of New Hampshire, Vermont and New York’s highest peaks.

Day of Race Registration:
Sports Center (warehouse-y building at bottom of parking lots) in Main Base Area 6-7am

Registration closes today (Friday, 9/30) at noon.
Register HERE while you still can.
There will be no more registrations accepted online or in person after that time.

PLEASE COME PREPARED FOR ALL WEATHER
We are the highest base area elevation ski resort in Vermont. Looks like Sunday morning temps will be in the 40s for spectators most of the day and perhaps near freezing for racers first couple of peak summits.

Spectators:
The race will pass through the base area 4-5 times depending on how you count it. We’re thrilled you’re joining us! Tips for success in showing your support:
– Start at the Sports Center.
– Point 1 – runners pass by the wilderness lift barn on their way up to the second climb.
– Point 2 – The bottom of Bryant Trail before runners begin the XC section.
– Point 3 – In front of the Sports Center before runners enter Picnic Loop.
– Point 4 – While runners exit Picnic Loop and head through the parking lot as they make their way to Timberline. 
– Finish at the Sports Center

Kids Race – On the fly about 1 hour after the race starts! For year one, a combination of staffing shortages and unanticipated needs of the bigger race mean that we’ll be playing this one pretty fast and loose, but we’ll have a good time with it, we have no doubt! We hope to see some of you kiddos that wanna get in a fun run together.

Awards on a rolling basis – 30 minutes after third in each category or so. We’ll go with the flow on this one and do what feels right.

Food provided to runners after the race. Please show bib for meal. For others looking to dine, please visit previously shared F&B outlets above or feel free to bring food for post race so you can all stay together at the post race gathering easily, as we don’t have “normal” food service at the Sports Center location where we’ll be serving the racers their post-race meals.

Thank you,
Anthony Staples, Mark Clement & Bolton Valley

The post Three Peaks Mountain Race-Day Info appeared first on Bolton Valley.

2022 Final Results:

Week By Week Results

There are 3 Tabs on each of the week by week results sheets:
1. Team Scores
2. Individual Results
3. Team Detail Scores

Finals Week Results
Week 6 FINAL Results
Week 5 FINAL Results
Week 4 FINAL Results
Week 3 FINAL Results
Week 2 FINAL Results
Week 1 FINAL Results

The post Corporate Race League 2022 Results appeared first on Bolton Valley.

The first hour and a half of our clinic was dedicated to learning and refining our “Carving” skills where we split into Ski and Snowboard groups led by some of Bolton’s very own phenomenal Women Instructors! Our group of Babes came from all walks of life, with all varying skiing/riding abilities, and a handful were newbies to Vermont from all parts of the country. It was moving to see how our Babe Force series could connect these women in a setting that allowed them to ride/ski freely and ask questions without the barriers of intimidation and judgement (at least that is my hope!).

The second half of our clinic catered to equipping our babes with the knowledge of how to “Tune and Wax” their own gear. We took over the private dining room next to Fireside Flatbread where one of our Bolton Babe Guides led a thorough demonstration. Our Guide showed us some of the most commonly used tools to tune/de-tune your edges, some of the hazards of doing it on your own without the proper experience/guidance and what to look out for on and when riding/skiing your gear that may warrant a tune or wax. The biggest takeaway was that with the proper love and care for your planks and shred sticks you’ll need less frequent trips to the Rental Shop and save yourself a little $$$.

Our Babe Force series is ever evolving and we’re looking forward to planning future clinics this year that reflect the needs of our Babe community and that fosters an environment where Babes can be Babes outdoors as freely as they please!

The post BABE FORCE – CARVING & TUNING CLINIC appeared first on Bolton Valley.

Our good friends at Darn Tough recently sat with professional snowboarder Jake Blauvelt to discuss various things, including how he got his start, why he loves raising his family here in Vermont, and the upcoming Blauvelt’s Banks. Check out the whole piece HERE

An excerpt:

Darn Tough: We’re passionate about keeping our manufacturing in Vermont and supporting the community we have here, which is why we love that you hold Blauvelt’s Banks right here at Bolton Valley. Can you tell us more about the story behind Blauvelt’s Banks and why you picked Bolton as the location?

Jake: Bolton Valley holds a special place in my heart. It’s an independently owned resort and has a great down to earth, family atmosphere, and is where I learned how to snowboard.

Blauvelt’s Banks is a banked slalom race, and 100% of the proceeds will be donated for the construction of a brand new concrete skatepark in Waterbury, Vermont. I really enjoyed hosting the first race in 2020 and giving the shred community a fun event where we could all get together, have a blast racing and raising money for a good cause.

It feels good to have everything come full circle after all the years of travel and host an event where it all started for me, at Bolton Valley. We had to take last year off due to COVID, but we are back in planning mode for 2022. Set your calendars for race day on March 5th!

The post Darn Tough Hometown Hero Q&A With Jake Blauvelt appeared first on Bolton Valley.