2022 KT Winter Operations

Jan 05, 2022

Winter in Vermont is magical, especially when you can get out to enjoy the beauty of the landscape and incredible recreational opportunities! Here at KT, we are passionate about our mission to provide recreation and education opportunities through our trails to foster the health of our community, environment, and economy. We seek to make the network welcoming and enjoyable for all by maintaining the trails to the highest standard through all seasons, along with providing the info you need to respectfully access this incredible resource that’s made possible by over 100 private landowners.

Below, we have outlined our Winter Operations information. Our hope is that this info will answer questions on KT grooming capabilities, schedule, and our winter services that will help to make informed decisions on how and when you access the trails.

Winter Trail Crew

KT is proud to employ a grooming team of 4 through the winter season: CJ Scott our Trails Director, Matt Brabender our Signage & Mapping Specialist, Mike Halvorsen our Trail Crew Leader and Kenyon Fatt, Evening Groomer.

Our Trail Crew is scheduled to groom daily. Therefore if there is a weather event, folks can rest assured our KT Team has their pulse on it.

Grooming Equipment

The team uses a variety of snowmobiles and implements to groom the fatbike and nordic ski trails dependent upon conditions.

Nordic equipment:
Skidoo Wide Track LX snowmobile
Yamaha VK snowmobile
2 Tidd Tech drags with track setters
2 compaction rollers
801 Mogul Master drag for heavy drifted snow
Fat Bike equipment:
2014 Skidoo Tundra
2000 Skidoo Tundra
Various handbuilt drags for all conditions and commercially built drags to use in sufficient deep snowpack.

Ski Trails

The skate ski lanes are groomed and classic tracks are reset when surface conditions and snow depth is suitable. Our groomed ski trails are closed to fat bike use. However, snowshoers are allowed on the groomed ski trails, but should be mindful to avoid disrupting the classic track set. We welcome ski use on all trails throughout the winter network.

Fatbike Trails

Fatbike trails are groomed as needed. Once the surface is packed and has set up (also known as hardened); tire, snowshoe, and ski traffic can be the best method for maintaining an optimum surface. We plan to groom next when there is an accumulation of 2+ inches or the previously packed surface becomes compromised and can effectively be improved with our machinery.

While the fatbike trails may remain open after a significant snow event, we encourage people to wait until the surface sets up before accessing trails by fatbike as the soft snow creates unenjoyable conditions and tires will cause ruts that are difficult for our equipment to remove.

When temps are warm and surface conditions are soft or slushy, fatbike access is discouraged. To help riders keep track of the temperature and proceed with caution at their own discretion, there are strategically placed thermometer gauges with educational signage throughout the trail network. As a general rule of thumb, if a rider is leaving a rut or having a hard time riding in a straight line, it is best to turn around and wait for the temps to drop and the surface to set up properly before continuing.

General Grooming Policies & Procedures

During the winter season the trails will remain OPEN as long as surface conditions are safe and the ground is sufficiently frozen to accommodate ski, fatbike or snowshoe traffic without causing significant damage to the trail. Trail surface conditions and closures are always reported on the trail conditions page of our website.

KT utilizes customized weather forecasts provided by Nor’Easter Weather to make the most informed decisions on how and when to groom.

When there is a base and a significant amount of snowfall is forecasted, grooming begins after 2+ inches of accumulation and continues until the snowfall ends.

If there is low, or no existing base, this can affect the frequency of grooming. Our Crew will wait for a more significant accumulation of 5+ inches before they start grooming since thin conditions can lead to damaging the trails, like digging up dirt, or even being detrimental to our equipment. There is a balance in these scenarios when less is more, and the surface, as well as the snowpack, can remain more sustainable with less manipulation.

When grooming soft or slushy snow in warm temps, it is critical to find the window of time when the surface consistency is accessible for manipulation and our equipment is manageable, as snowmobiles are difficult to steer and drags can get bound up with heavy wet snow.

Icy conditions are also challenging as we operate without a tiller, the machinery used to break up ice. When conditions become icy, we will make sure to communicate through all avenues, the necessity for caution and recommend proper equipment such as studded tires and snowshoes with crampons. And if safety requires it, we will close trails.

Dogs

*Please remember, even in the winter, Dogs are only welcomed on the Village Trails.

Welcome Center Operations

Our visitor experiences are overseen by the newest member of the KT Team, our Membership & Experience Director, Brooke Pierce. She thanks all for understanding the inside of our Welcome Center remains closed to the public due to staffing shortages and Covid precautions. We are grateful for your patience with our limited capacity as we seek to hire for multiple year round positions. Learn about current job listings here, and please share with those who may be interested!

Membership

Trail access is allowed for KT Members. Daily, Monthly and Annual Memberships and locally produced and sourced merchandise that supports the KT mission can be purchased from our online store. Purchases made from the online store are shipped or are available for local pick-up by appointment. To arrange for a local pick-up, email info@kingdomtrails.org.

Annual KT Members who purchased their membership during the Summer 2021 season and would like to receive their Winter 21/22 stickers, please email info@kingdomtrails.org and we’ll gladly pop them in the mail.

Trail Maps

A digital version of our winter map is available on the Trail Maps page of our website. You may also download the Ondago GPS app for navigation when on the trails. Printed versions of the map are available at the map kiosk on the exterior of our Welcome Center as well as at many local businesses.

Ride With Gratitude

Please adhere to the Ride With Gratitude Code of Conduct.