Three Wintry Ways to Get Outside in Vermont 

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• Courtesy Of Katharine Montstream
• Katharine Montstream on Lake Champlain

Winter Dipping in Lake Champlain

In January, the UK's Guardian wrote about "the exhilarating joy of outdoor ice-bathing," a centuries-old practice that has "soared during lockdown" as a much-needed pandemic stress reliever and endorphin releaser.

"It's pretty normal if you're in Sweden or Denmark or Finland," said Burlington painter Katharine Montstream of the pastime. "In the UK, this is huge, and it's really blowing up. Especially with [the] pandemic, they have had a huge surge of people wanting to do this and needing outlets."

The same is true in Vermont, it seems. Montstream has been winter dipping regularly in Lake Champlain for three years, but the pandemic prompted her to begin plunging in nearly every day. She's amassed a group of friends, playfully dubbed the Red Hot Chilly Dippers, who join in her shivery adventures. Montstream documents their dips through photos and videos on an Instagram page that has more than 1,500 followers.

Related Stuck in Vermont: Winter Dipping With Katharine Montstream and the Red Hot Chilly Dippers: Episode 632

Stuck in Vermont: Winter Dipping With Katharine Montstream and the Red Hot Chilly Dippers

Episode 632

Stuck in Vermont: Over the past three winters, Burlington painter Katharine Montstream has been dipping regularly into icy Lake Champlain. Eva followed along on a few swims and visited Montstream's Soda Plant studio to learn about the connection between her two pastimes.

By Eva Sollberger

Stuck in Vermont

Featured in a recent episode of "Stuck in Vermont," a Seven Days web series hosted by Eva Sollberger, the group is seen wading into icy waters at Burlington's Oakledge Park, Perkins Pier and south of Texaco Beach.

There have been themed dunks — for everything from Thanksgiving to Inauguration Day — involving costumes, wigs and flags. But mostly the focus is on "getting in the lake and letting yourself forget about some of the really difficult things that are going on in the world right now," Montstream told Sollberger.

"When you go in the lake, the tactile sensation is so intense, you absolutely cannot think of anything else except what's happening to your body," she said.

And if you need inspiration to get through the season, Montstream also noted that the cold-weather dips are equivalent to "not letting winter win."

Learn more...

• Follow the Red Hot Chilly Dippers on Instagram: @redhotchillydippers
• View Katharine Montstream's art: kmmstudio.com

Trapp Family Lodge Outdoor Center

700 Trapp Hill Rd., Stowe, 253-8511

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• Courtesy Of Trapp Family Lodge
• Cross-country skier

Stowe's Trapp Family Lodge may be known for its singing founders, but its reputation also rests on stunning mountain scenery. The place was named one of "the most breathtaking mountain lodges in North America" by Passport magazine. Locals love it, too: They've voted the place Vermont's best cross-country ski area more than a dozen times in the Seven Days readers' choice awards.

The on-site Nordic center is widely considered America's oldest; it celebrated 50 years in 2018. While the pandemic has brought new safety precautions to the center — visit the website for details on mask wearing, reservations, gear rentals and occupancy limits — the hills remain as alluring as ever. In fact, as Vermonters continue their quest for fresh-air fun, Trapp has had "an uptick of season pass sales this year," said marketing manager Benjamin Gilbert.

"With plenty of wide-open spaces and room for distancing, cross-country skiing is one of the safest ways to recreate this season," he noted.

Visitors will find 37 miles of groomed trails on the 2,600-acre mountaintop property, suitable for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. More advanced skiers can also lay tracks on 62 miles of ungroomed backcountry territory. One popular trek is the three-mile journey to Slayton Pasture Cabin, a rustic waystation for skiers built by the von Trapp family in 1971.

Located on a wooded knoll, the log cabin is available to guests for 50-minute time slots — reserve one in advance to avail yourself of the roaring fireplace inside. Those without a reservation may warm themselves around the outdoor firepit and pick up hot or cold food items.

Or refuel après-ski with schnitzel and a Berliner Weisse: The nearby von Trapp Brewing Bierhall Restaurant is open for takeout and dining by reservation.

Also try...

• Bolton Valley Nordic Center, 434-6876
• Mountain Top Inn & Resort Nordic Center, Chittenden, 483-6089
• Woodstock Nordic Center, 457-6674

Vermont Farm Trail Network

Find a full list of winter farm trails at diginvt.com.

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• Courtesy Of Trillium Hill Farm
• Trillium Hill Farm sugarhouse

Imagine snowshoeing through a forest of maple trees, past sap lines running from trunk to tank, then stopping at a sugarhouse to pick up some of that just-made maple syrup. This sugaring season treat is now accessible at Randolph Center's Silloway Maple, thanks to the Vermont Farm Trail Network, launched by Dig In Vermont late last summer.

This directory of farm trails open to the public is a collaborative project supported by the Farm-Based Education Network, Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, Shelburne Farms, University of Vermont Extension, Vermont Fresh Network and Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing. The goal: to connect visitors with new food and farm experiences — and new ways to get outside during the pandemic.

"There's nothing better than walking around a farm, seeing animals and just being outside," said Tara Pereira, executive director of Vermont Fresh Network.

The winter excursion options are plentiful. At Fayston's Knoll Farm, one cross-country skiing trail ascends to 1,800 feet for a fabulous view of the Mad River Valley. (You might also spot some of the farm's Icelandic sheep.) Shoreham's Trade Winds Farm invites guests to ski on groomed trails, slide down the sledding hill or skate on a lighted rink. And Wolcott's Sandiwood Farm allows visitors to ski, snowshoe or fat-bike through the sugarbush, enjoying views of Mount Mansfield and, on select dates, a bonfire.

Visit Dig In's website to learn more about participating locations and read the Farm Trail Ethic before you go. Pereira hopes to add more farms from all across Vermont in the future, suitable for visits in every season.

"Farms are such a big sector in our state," said Pereira. "This is another way to experience, explore [and] see the beauty of farms in Vermont."

Farm trails to try...

• Knoll Farm, Fayston, 496-5686
• Sandiwood Farm, Wolcott, 888-2881
• Silloway Maple, Randolph Center, 272-6249
• Trade Winds Farm, Shoreham, 897-2448