All photos by Brian Mohr and Emily Johnson/EmberPhoto. Above: Skiing through a cave on day two.

Is it possible to embark on a world-class skiing adventure right out our back doors here in Vermont? Last February, a crew of backcountry skiers from the Burlington, Stowe and Mad River Valley regions intended to find out. We were lucky enough to be there among them. ... Read more

Old Man Winter has been slacking in the snow department this season. The settled snowpack on Mount Mansfield, which measured 36 inches earlier this week, is about 20 percent below its average for late January. Fayston’s Mad River Glen ski area, which has very limited snowmaking capacity, has been open for fewer than 20 days so far this winter (though when lifts have been spinning, nearly all of MRG’s terrain has been open).... Read more

With the short days of winter upon us, getting to the mountains after work often means embracing the sunset hour. Vermont’s many peaks and ridges are seldom more than a 10- or 15-minute descent to the relative safety of the valleys. That makes it possible for well-prepared skiers to linger up high even after the sun has set, as the mountains bask in the glow of the very last rays of light. ... Read more

All photos by Brian Mohr and Emily Johnson/Emberphoto.com.

“Canada to Hazen’s Notch? Sure, count us in!”

That’s the answer my wife, Emily Johnson, and I gave when her sister, Leah Johnson, and Leah’s beau, Richard Savory, asked us to join them for the first few days of their open-ended hiking journey south. We hadn’t seen Leah and Richard for months, and winter was fast approaching, making this trek on the Long Trail impossible to turn down.... Read more

In the days following Tropical Storm Irene, countless Vermonters dropped nearly everything in their own lives to help their friends and neighbors clean up and move on from the devastating effects of Irene’s flooding. In Moretown, my wife and I joined our neighbors, as well as volunteers from throughout the region, to haul muck from basements and homes, clean what could be salvaged, remove drywall and insulation, prepare meals, run loads of laundry, and simply try to lend emotional support.... Read more

All photos by Brian Mohr and Emily Johnson/Emberphoto.com.... Read more

All photos by Brian Mohr and Emily Johnson, emberphoto.com.

Milan Kubala is a lucky man. He gets to call Vermont home. He’s got a loving wife, Heidi — who makes a killer berry pie — a 7-month-old daughter, Katherine, and a 6-year-old dog, Miles. And he’s able to indulge in one of his favorite pastimes: running to his job at the Topnotch Resort and Spa in Stowe with Miles at his side.... Read more

Life is full of surprises. A couple of weeks ago, we had plans to pedal from our home in Moretown to the world-class network of mountain-bike trails that surround us. Then we received news that an old friend had died after taking a fall in the Rocky Mountains. A memorial service was planned at the home of some mutual friends nearly 15 miles north of our home. So, we hopped on our bikes and pedaled over dirt roads, farm paths and even a bit of asphalt to get there. ... Read more

With spring washing away the last of winter’s generous snows, paddlers of all kinds are taking to Vermont’s rivers again. The state has its fair share of lively, lovely rivers to travel, but few provide the variety, reliable white water and postcard beauty of central Vermont’s Mad River. ... Read more