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Jackson, New Hampshire
The #1 Cross-Country Ski Area in the
Eastern United States!
Frequently
Asked Questions
What
is the Foundation?
What is the Club?
What
is the Jackson Ski Touring Center?
How
do I get there by car from the south (NYC, Boston, Hartford etc)?
Directions from
Manchester Airport (MHT)
Directions from
Portland, ME Airport (PWM)
Directions from the
North or West
What
hours are you open?
Accessibility
Inn-to-Inn Skiing
Lodging?
How are
the roads?
Can I
bring my dog?
Do
you have snowshoe trails?
Do
you have rentals?
Do you
rent Pulks?
What
kind of clothes should I wear?
Can I
ski after dark?
When does the season start?
When
is the best snow?
When are there no kids around?
Are
there packages?
How
do I put on my ticket?
What is the earliest my child can learn to
ski?
NH Skier Responsibility Code
What is the Foundation?
The Jackson Ski Touring Foundation (known locally as
the "Foundation" or "JSTF"
is a nonprofit organization chartered to provide for
and maintain cross-country ski trails in and about
the village of Jackson New Hampshire and to provide
an educational and recreational experience for the
folks of the Northeastern United States.
More info
here
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What
is the Club?
The Jackson Ski Touring Club is the membership wing
of the Foundation. Skiers using the trails must be
members of the Jackson Ski Touring Club. Daily and
annual memberships are available and provide skiers
with access to the facilities and trails. Friendly
advice about trails is available at the Jackson Ski
Touring Center.
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What is the Jackson Ski Touring
Center?
It is both the building (the base lodge) which houses
the Jackson Ski Touring Foundation and the Nordic
Skier Sports shop and the entire network of ski
trails in Jackson.
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Accessibility
The Jackson Ski Touring Foundation is committed to provide
accessible recreation. In fact we specialize in it. Our
building is fully accessible including showers. We have a
sit-ski for loan at no charge for skiers in chairs. We have
special parking spaces which allow direct access to certain trails
(and continue to work on getting more). We held the 5th World
Disabled Nordic Ski Championships in 1990, we are the eastern
training site for the U.S. Disabled Ski Team. We work closely
with Northeast Passage and hold annual events with them. For
more information please contact the staff at 800-297-6697.
How do I get there by car from the south (NYC,
Boston, Hartford etc)?
From NYC travel on I-84 through Hartford to the Mass
Pike. Go 1 exit on Mass Pike to Exit 10 (I-290)
through Worchester to I-495 and follow North/East to
I-95 towards Portsmouth, NH. Take Exit 4 (Spaulding
Turnpike Northbound). Spaulding Turnpike turns into
NH Rte 16 – continue through North Conway to
Glen. Turning north staying on Rte 16 in the
village of Glen (Storybook Motor Inn on the right
just before the turn) travel 2.5 miles north to
Jackson. Continue past the covered bridge entrance to
the village and take the second Rte 16A entrance across from
the Wildcat Service Station (Exxon gas). The Jackson Ski
Touring Center will be on your right 1/3 mile from
the gas station. Take a look at the DETAIL MAP.
Directions from
Manchester Airport
Start going towards the AIRPORT EXIT on
AMMON DR
Continue on PERIMETER RD
Continue on AIRPORT RD
Bear Right on AIRPORT ACCESS RD
Turn Right on BROWN AVE
Bear Right to take the I-293 S ramp
Merge on I-293 S
Take the I-93 N exit
Merge on I-93 N
Take Exit 23 Rte 104 E bearing right at end of exit
Left at traffic light onto Rte 25 E to Whittier
Left onto Rte 16 N in Whittier
Follow Rte 16 N to Jackson -- See directions from the south
above.
Directions from Portland, ME Airport
Upon leaving airport parking areas,
Turn Right onto Payne Rd - RT 9 E
At TL take Left onto Rte 22 W (Congress Ave West)
Follow Rte 22 West
At TL Turn Right onto Rte 114 to Gorham, ME
Left onto Rte 25 in center of Gorham, ME
Follow Rte 25 through Standish ME
After Standish, ME Bear Right onto Rte 113 N
Follow Rte 113 to Fryeburg, ME
Left onto Rte 302 W in center of Fryeburg, ME
Follow Rte 302 W through North Conway, NH to Glen, NH (well
signed)
Turn Right staying on Rte 16 N in Glen, NH to Jackson, NH
Jackson is 2.5 miles north of Glen, NH -- See directions from the
south above.
Directions from the
North or West
follow I-91 to Woodsville. Take Rte 302 to Glen.
In Glen, turn left onto Rte 16 N to Jackson. -- See
directions from the south above. Or if coming down Rte 16
from the north - Follow Rte 16 to the village of Jackson.
Take a left on Rte 16A at the Exxon gas station. The
Jackson Ski Touring Center is 1/3 mile on the right.
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What hours are you open?
Our office is open 7 days/week from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. during the ski season. In the fall, the office is
open generally 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mon - Fri. In the
summer, the office is open occasionally.
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Inn-to-Inn Skiing, how do I do that?
While Jackson's inns are well situated to accommodate
you and allow access to all the other amenities in
Jackson for your entire stay, some skiers wish to
"sleep around" if so check out:
http://www.jacksonxc.com//lodging/Inn_Sample_Information.htm
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Lodging?
There are many places to stay.
Our Preferred Lodging list
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Are there packages?
Yes. Each inn has a different package so it’s
best to ask the specific property that you are
interested in what they have to offer. The Foundation
has a Trail Pass/Rental/Lesson super saver package
available. Check out our
Preferred Lodging
page.
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How are the roads?
While the nothing is predictable about the weather,
the road crews in New Hampshire are very efficient
and professional. After a snowstorm, the roads are
very drivable, frequently with dry pavement within
hours of the end of a storm. However, it is always a
good idea to use snow tires.
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Can I bring my dog?
We have a designated dog exercise loop accessed from the base lodge.
There are about 5 km of trails that are available for exercising
your pet. The trails include the Covered Bridge Trail, Gray's
Inn Cut-off, Kissing Bridge Trail, and the Nestlenook Farm Trail
area.
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Do you have snowshoe trails?
Yes, we do. Not only do we have snowshoe trails leading directly
from the Touring Center, new in 2006 a special snowshoe only
trail was cut accessed directly out to our warming/hot chocolate cabin on the Ellis River
Trail. There are about 10 - 15 km of
trails immediately available, a system of snowshoe trails around Tin
Mountain and many, many km of
trails in our Prospect Farm network. Snowshoes are
available in our rental shop.
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Do you have rentals?
We rent Karhu waxless skis, Salomon boots and Swix/Exel
poles in the Touring Center Rental Shop. We also rent
top-end performance skis by Atomic for
those skiers who wish waxable classical or skating
equipment.
More info here
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Do you rent Pulks?
Pulk rentals for towing young children while you ski
are available in the Touring Center. We have 7 pulks
for rent. Unlike skis, pulks may be reserved by
calling ahead 603-383-9355
More info here
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What kind of clothes should I wear?
Do not over dress. Alpine ski gear or snowmobile
suits are usually way-too warm. You will be comfortable in
cold weather jogging gear. Layering works well.
Polypro long underwear has proven to be very
effective as a starting layer. Thin gloves will
usually prove more than adequate. Obviously, the
colder the air temps, the more you will want on.
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Can I ski after dark?
Yes. There are no services however, and the trails are not lit. Many
people ski moonlit nights or ski with a headlamp.
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When does the season start?
Every year is different. Some years mid-November;
other years as late as the beginning of January.
Usually there is skiing for all abilities on our
higher elevation plateau trails by mid-December.
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When is the best snow?
Again, every year is different. Skiers are pretty
much assured of finding prime snow from mid-January
until the last third of March. March weather is warmer
and the snow is frequently wonderful. December snow
is usually good quality but sections of our vast
trail system may not be fully open.
More info here
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When are there no kids
around?
Mid-week in January is a great time to get away from
the crowds and there are fewer junior skiers on the
trails.
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How do I put on my ticket?
Put a wire wicket (available at the ticket counter)
through a zipper pull. Peel off the backing of the
ticket. Sandwich the wire wicket between the folded
ticket. The opening of the wicket should be captured
within the ticket.
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What is the earliest my
child can learn to ski?
Usually by two to three years old children can stand on
skis, some younger. But don’t expect too much. A couple of
hundred feet is a long way for a little ankle-biter.
But over time, they keep going farther and farther.
By six they become capable of a few kilometers and
picnics. By ten you will have trouble keeping up with
them.
Some
advice from PSIA Demo/Education Team members
(thanks to Cross Country Ski Areas
Association for allowing us to reproduce this information here)
"The
general consensus is for parents to put kids on skis as soon as they
can walk, keep it fun and play ski games. We all know as soon as
they can walk, kids can shuffle on skis. According to [a CCSAA] survey, the earliest
age to offer structured lessons for children is 5 or 6 years of
age. Nordic centers may ... offer programs that have supervision for
kids playing games on skis —no instruction.
Mickey Stone
a PSIA certified Instructor and member of PSIA Demo/Education Team
who has 30 years of skiing experience, recommends starting kids
skiing at any age they are comfortable in the outdoor winter
environment. Kids need to enjoy the environment first. Start
children sliding and rolling in the outdoors. Then put them on
nordic skis first. This way they will learn balance with their body
instead of relying on equipment and big boots. So when to put kids
on skis? This is usually 3 years old, although it depends on the
child. Age five is recommended to start with a lesson that has
structure.
Deb (Ackerman)Willets,
a PSIA certified instructor and member of the PSIA Demo/Education
Team recommends kids start xc skiing before alpine skiing because xc
skiing is so close to walking. Deb says it’s a waste of time to put
kids in all of the alpine equipment at ages 3 and 4. Her children
were on xc skis the first winter after they could walk. When they
are young, taking them out in a pulk or backpack and bringing along
their skis, works great. Take children skiing in good weather with
no particular time frame or structure. At age 6 and older is a good
time to start structured lessons.
Steve Hindman,
a PSIA certified instructor and member of the PSIA Demo/Education
Team, says you can’t go wrong putting kids on skis at a young age as
long as you take off the skis as soon as they are done. He
suggest parents leave ski equipment around home available for kids
to play with. This approach works great. Steve recommends starting
kids in a alpine lesson with other kids at age 6. It is up to the
parents whether they start with xc or alpine, some parents have
never heard of xc. Steve’s opinion is that xc is a better first
choice for a more successful experience on skis because it’s more
fun and teaches proper movements allowing a child to find his own
balance."
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Updated
03/19/2008
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