Hilltown Families 
ENTER TO WIN: Family Membership to The Trustees & Cross-Country Skiing Season Passes at Notchview
Enter to win…
Family Yearlong Membership to the Trustees of Reservations and a Family Pass for Cross-Country Skiing at Notchview in Windsor for 2011-12 Season!
Enter to win a Family Yearlong Membership to the Trustees of Reservations and a Family Pass for Cross-Country Skiing at Notchview in Windsor this winter! Deadline to enter to win: 12/24/11 @ 12midnight (EST). Details below. (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)
Western MA is a beautiful place to visit and explore all year long. With winter coming and snow sure to fall, many families will be looking to snowshoeing and cross-country skiing as ways to get outside and enjoy the snowy backwoods and trails in the region.
In an effort to encourage active participation in community life and appreciation for local landscape, Hilltown Families and the Trustees of Reservations (The Trustees) have partnered up to offer our readers a chance to win a yearlong family membership to The Trustees for 2012 plus two adult stickers for cross-country skiing at Notchview in Windsor for the 2011-12 season (minors ski for free with adults).
To enter to win we are inviting our readers to share with us ways they enjoy participating in community life during the winter months in Western MA. Details on how to enter to win are below. But first we want to tell you more about what a membership to the Trustees of Reservations will afford your family, and all about nordic skiing at Notchview!
FAMILY MEMBERSHIP TO THE TRUSTEES OF RESERVATIONS
A yearlong family membership to the Trustees of Reservations, the nation’s oldest statewide land conservation organization, will support your family’s outdoor adventures all year long. With 13 properties in the Pioneer Valley alone, some of the local treasures your family can enjoy include Land of Providence, Dinosaur Footprints and Mt. Tom in Holyoke, Chesterfield Gorge and Peaked Mountain.
A family membership ($67 value) includes:
- Free/reduced, year-round admission to 106 Trustees stunning reservations located in 73 communities across Massachusetts, such as Notchview in Windsor, the Bryant Homestead in Cummington, Land of Providence and Dinosaur Footprints in Holyoke and beyond the Pioneer Valley and Hilltowns such as Crane Beach in Ipswich, World’s End in Hingham, the Old Manse in Concord, Doyle Community Park and Center in Leominster, Bartholomew’s Cobble in Tyringham, and Cape Poge on Martha’s Vineyard.
- Discounts on stays at Trustees Bed & Breakfasts (The Inn at Castle Hill in Ipswich and the Guest House at FieldFarm in Williamstown)
- Discounted fees for the hundreds of events, programs, lectures, summer camps and workshops offered by The Trustees year-round for all ages
- The Trustees Property Guide, a 224-page guidebook to the organization’s 100-plus reservations—available exclusively to members
- A year’s subscription to The Trustees quarterly member magazine, Special Places, which will keep you up to date on topics such as conservation, the natural world, history and culture across Massachusetts
The Colonel Arthur D. Budd Visitor Center is open year-round at Notchview in Windsor, MA. Facilities include public restrooms, and two trail shelters, open year round. (Photo credit: Sienna Wildfield)
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING AT NOTCHVIEW IN WINDSOR, MA
One of Massachusetts’ premier cross-country skiing centers – drawing an average of 10,000 skiers to its 19 miles of groomed, track-set and backcountry ski trails each winter – Notchview is also popular among ski skating and snowshoe enthusiasts, as well as year-round hikers and walkers. With a current Trustees’ membership, and a 2011– 12 ski pass ($45 per adult), Nordic skiers can ski free all day, every day, all winter long. Ski pass stickers for adult members also admit children under 18 in addition to the sticker holder.
Notchview is one of the only independent, all-Nordic ski areas still thriving in the region. Boasting an active all-volunteer Ski Patrol Program, Notchview regularly hosts youth, high school, college, and masters ski races throughout the season, including the annual Massachusetts High School Nordic championships and the New England Bill Koch Youth Ski Festival, which is held every four years.
The Colonel Arthur D. Budd Visitor Center is open year-round. Facilities include public restrooms and two trail shelters, open year round. For more information about Notchview, visit www.thetrustees.org or call 413-684-0148.
Chesterfield Gorge in West Chesterfield (left), and Chapel Falls in Ashfield (right), are just two of the 106 reservations sure to delight your family!
MORE ABOUT THE TRUSTEES OF RESERVATIONS
The Trustees work to promote healthy, active, and green communities locally across Massachusetts by providing hundreds of year-round programs, events and engagement opportunities for all ages. Since 2001, The Trustees have been building a stronger conservation presence in the Pioneer Valley region with educational and grassroots community outreach programs and the pursuit of significant land conservation opportunities. Currently, The Trustees own and manage 13 spectacular properties in the Pioneer Valley, and 106 reservations located in 73 communities across Massachusetts . In addition, the Trustees locally operate the Highland Communities Initiative (HCI), a program created to protect the natural and cultural character of 38 rural hilltowns located between the Connecticut and Housatonic Rivers. HCI recently affiliated with the Hilltown Land Trust (HLT), and both organizations are now headquartered in the recently renovated Bullitt Reservation farmhouse, (formerly the Ashfield Town Poor Farm), which recently underwent a deep energy retrofit and boasts many sustainable building features. To find out more about The Trustees, visit www.thetrustees.org (they’re on Facebook too); and for the HCI and HLT, visit www.highlandcommunities.org.
HOW TO WIN
Your chance to win a yearlong family membership to The Trustees for 2012 plus two adult stickers for cross-country skiing at Notchview in Windsor for the 2011-12 season (minors ski for free with adults) is as easy as 1-2-3 (4)! Valued together is over $150!
To enter to win simply:
- SHARE WAYS YOUR FAMILY ENJOYS PARTICIPATING IN COMMUNITY LIFE DURING THE WINTER MONTHS IN WESTERN MA below (one entry per household); and be sure to tell us your
- FULL NAME and where you
- LIVE (TOWN/STATE), Must include your town to be eligible.
- ACCURATE EMAIL IN THE EMAIL FIELD BELOW (we never share your email address with a third party).
- CONSIDER SHARING THIS POST ON FACEBOOK OR TWITTER by selecting the icons below.
- We’ll randomly draw a winner and will share the results below.
IT’S THAT SIMPLE! — Deadline is Saturday, 12/24/11 @ 12Midnight (EST).
A family or individual membership to The Trustees of Reservations would make a great holiday gift! For more information visit www.thetrustees.org… and while you’re at it, “Like” them on Facebook too!
We love going to OSV for a hands on feel for how life was in the past. Sledding down the wintery slope, then taste testing their spicy hot cocoa is always a wonderful experience. I hope it snows soon, so we can build another snow igloo in our back yard! We always enjoy the snow for at least a couple of days while it is still fresh.
Congratulations to:
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="180" caption="Try your luck again! We're giving away a pair of tickets for a Parents' New Years Eve Night Out in Northampton to see Josh Ritter (Deadline to enter to win: Tuesday, Dec 27th @ 7pm.) To enter to win, click on the banner and share with us your favorite memory of community life in the region for 2011."]
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Natasha has won a yearlong family membership to The Trustees for 2012 plus two adult stickers for cross-country skiing at Notchview in Windsor for the 2011-12 season (minors ski for free with adults), valued together is over $150, and should contact us at hilltownfamilies@gmail.com for details.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway and shared ways your family enjoys participating in community life during the winter months in Western MA.
OUTDOOR ADVENTURES: Take your family on a Christmas Day hike at one of the many beautiful Trustees of Reservation locations in Western MA. While the facilities might be closed today, a hike around the properties are welcomed. Western MA properties include:
My daughter and I love to walk the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard in the winter, then warm up at a weekly potluck dinner.
Steve Myrick
Vineyard Haven, MA
I left my heart in western massachusetts (a former Noho and South Hadley resident) when I returned to central mass to go back to school. I really enjoyed going to the local festival of trees and bright nights during the winter season. La Fiorentina (in Springfield and Noho) are great places for dessert and delicious warm beverages on cold evenings. There are so many beautiful outdoor areas in Massachusetts, like Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island, or the Blue Hills Reservation. I love that western mass has so many easily accessible mountains and Mt. Sugarloaf and Mt. Holyoke are two of my favorites.
My boyfriend and I would love to go to more outdoor spaces that are Trustees of Reservations sites, like Naumkeag and World’s End. We recently visited the Old Manse in Concord and we loved it! We want to get into more winter outdoor sports and are really interested in snowshoeing and cross country skiing. The Notchview sounds like a fantastic spot to visit during the winter!
My name is Lisa Valeri and I currently live in Worcester, MA
The winter is a perfect time to explore culture & the outdoors in our community. We love to head out for a snowshoe hike (leisurely, so the kids can keep up) and then treat everyone to hot chocolate at a local diner, followed by a visit to the local library, Mass Moca’s Kidspace & the Clark Museum (free in the winter). Now there’s a winter day (10 am to 3 pm!)
We love to skate at the DAR and snowshoe anywhere there are woods to explore. We also enjoy x-c skiing, sledding and building snow forts. We’re downhill skiing again this year at Berkshire East with the school ski program — a blast!
Williamsburg, MA
Living on a hill where the wind blows, it’s important to embrace winter. We X-country ski from my door with my leaping spaniel, or meet friends at Notchview to enjoy a day of sparkling snow and a warm up around the fire. We snowshoe into the woods, looking for critter trails and watch the dogs pounce for some small animal running under the snow. Often we ski to the pond across the road where a community of parents and children play pick up ice hockey. Starting with used Christmas trees, we once built a bonfire on the pond and baked potatoes, ate hotdogs from a stick, roasted marshmallows and drank hot chocloate. Outdoor winter activities with friends and family warm me internally and externally!
We love to walk our dogs in the snow and sledding! Hope to get some x-country skiing in this season.
Hatfield, MA
Ice skating at the DAR and sitting by the fire in the warming hut!
Lazy, cozy mornings in front of our fire with local coffee are such a great start to cold winter mornings. We love taking winter hikes in Shelburn Falls or up to Poets Seat, right in our town.Ice skating when the ice is perfectly cleared is another favorite activity. Snowshoeing up Northfield Mountain is beautiful on a clear day. We’re looking forward to all our winter fun!
Heather Johnson
Ashfield Ma
Snow forts are the most fun for our kiddos! Followed by hot chocolate of course. Hoping to teach our 4 yr old how to ski this year!
Cross country skiing is one of our favorite winter activities to enjoy with family and friends. This year we will be skiing with our 5 months old in the backpack and our three year old who previously rode in the pack is getting her first pair of skis for Christmas!
Leah Stinson
Shutesbury MA
We enjoy pulling our kid on a sled and walking our dogs in the winter months. We also love skiing and then coming home to some hot cocoa!
Jane
Holyoke, MA
The friendly winter spirit makes it easy to strike up conversations with strangers sledding, skating at Lossone Rink, x-country skiing, and during snowy walks in the woods.
We enjoy getting to know acquaintances better with playdates, potlucks, sing-a-longs, and artwalks.
We often do some major snow sculpting and invite neighbors and friends to come play!
Lissie Fein
Easthampton
On snowy days we have a tradition of making GOOD cookies with our girls, then heading out to snowshoe or ski around the yard. And we always try and build a set of snow sculptures — people, dogs, trees — with every snow storm. We love visiting Trustees properties in all seasons, and are very excited to introduce the kids to x-c skiing at a place other than our lawn! They’re big enough and old enough, and into all outdoor activities we’ve put in front of them so far! Hope to investigate animal tracks this winter, too — last year we tracked fisher and coyote, exciting! Deborah, Whately
We love making snowmans, sledding and having potlucks. We went cross country for the first time last year at stump sprouts and everyone really enjoy. I looked forward to more cross country skiing this season.
Dawn Cordeiro
Holyoke, MA
I’m too much of a hermit during the winter. Would love to go out and do some x-country. Used to be members of the Trustees when we lived in the Boston area. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE world’s end in Hingham – if you get out that way. It was one of our favorites.
Julie R.
Granby, MA
During the winter months we do lots of stuff thats toddler friendly. We go to Springfield museums, Palmer Monson Family network playgroups, butterfly place, yankee candle, romp stomp and roll at interskate. Three Rivers, MA
whenever we get cabin fever, we go x-c skiing with friends or hiking if there’s no snow. It’s great to get fresh air and to actually feel warm outdoors on a cold but sunny day when you’re exercising.
Eugenie Wu, Shutesbury, MA
We’re from Maynard, Mass and we’re looking forward to visiting with friends in North Adams over New Year’s. If there’s snow we’ll be snowshoeing and making snowmen!
I am not entering the contest, as I live in Boston and this should go to a family that will really be able to use the membership, but I am so excited to visit this property this winter with my sister, who lives in Northampton. What a gorgeous place! I will share this contest with my network via twitter.
We enjoy going on snow shoe hikes, skiing at Northfield Mountain, sledding at Eaglebrook, and building snow people/forts.
Deerfield, MA
We love snowshoeing, extreme sledding, outdoor skating, and learning to cross-country ski. Winter is my favorite season!
Starting out the winter season participating in the Nutcracker at the Academy, then seeing friends at the various community events during the winter months – the Silver Chord Bowl and Really Big Show, First Night (if its not too cold), and other local offerings.
Karin Perlman,
Northampton
I grew up down the street from Notchview (on Shaw Road, which some of the trails cross). We used to bring our sleds up to the gates of Notchview and slide down the road, since we had so few neighbors and never worried about cars. My husband proposed to me on snowshoes in Notchview’s Bates field! Now that we are a family of 3, we’re excited to explore more of the Trustees reservations, and to teach our son to x-country ski (after he learns to walk, I suppose). -Natasha, South Hadley
The best community winter activity for us is playing on the snow mountain after school at Bridge Street School. It’s amazing to watch the kids play with nothing but friends and snow, oblivious to the cold. We love all sorts of Western MA winter activities, but mostly because they usually end in hot chocolate.
Megan Zinn, Northampton
We love the magical, woodsy trails at Notchview. We always leave feeling restored. Dawn Klein. Adams, MA
x-c skiing is one of our favorite winter activities to do with family & friends. It’s great to share hot chocolate or hot soup afterwards.
Howell Lee of Shutesury
Our favorite outdoor winter quickies are building snowmen, sledding with other kid-friends, and running parallel to the snowblower and having snow “rain” down on us. If it’s a more leisurely day then some cross country skiing or maybe downhill skiing are in order. Though I may not speak for all members of my family, I wish there were snow all year long!
Kimberly
Hadley
We love playing in the snow, Xcountry skiing in Western Mass is great.
I love to go to Notchview and other trails in the area to Cross Country ski…wanting to get my 5 year old daughter excited about skiing and get her hitched up with other xc skiing children and a better teacher than I am…so we can do this together. My teaching her on her own didn’t work so well! We can walk to Buckland Shelburne Elem School and sled there ..come home to hot cocoa… Ursa also loves to skate with her Dad at rinks in North Adams and Greenfield. Snowfort and snowman making also way fun for her as long as snow conditions are just right.
We live in Southwick MA and enjoy all the snow sports, skiing at Blanford, Snowshoeing at Notchview and sledding at our local sledding hills…
Southwick, MA
We live in Greenfield. We love to go sledding and skating at Beacon Field, and participate in the the cardboard sled race at the Winter Carnival. We like cross-country skiing at Northfield Mountain and Wendell State Forest. (My husband and I are avid cross-country skiers. Our kids are just learning.) Last year we built a quinzee hut in the backyard and a little system of sledding trails, and invited lots of friends over to join in the fun. Sugar on snow shared with friends is the kids’ favorite winter dessert.
Erin Klett, Greenfield, MA
We love to build giant snow forts and have community snowball fights, go showshoeing through the woods behind our house, go cross-country skiing over the Beaverbrook golf course, skate at DAR with friends, build ice sculptures whenever possible, and have the occasional winter bonfire party to warm up on a cold night.
Laura Porter in Haydenville, MA
We live in Florence and on weekends we like to ice skate outside of Lilly Library under the lights, go XC skiing at Fitzgerald Lake, Notchview, and Stump Sprouts, or downhill skiing at Berkshire East. Some of best weekday winter fun is there is snow day/school cancellation and the neighborhood kids get together for an impromptu snow day of sledding in the back yard followed by homemade sugar-on-snow, or popcorn and hot chocolate.
Playing outside in the snow with the neighbors!
An appreciation of the darkest, coldest months in New England runs deep in my family. Some of my earliest memories are of ice fishing with my dad and uncle on the ponds in Berkshire County. Growing up in Savoy during the late 1970s and early 1980s, we celebrated when we received dumps that were multiple feet deep. After assembling the de rigueur snowsuit, clunky boots, and finger-immobilizing mittens, we spent hours tunneling, fortifying, tumbling, and belly-flopping in the heavenly powder, until frostbite or exhaustion threatened life and limb.
In my early teens I learned the pain and mystical joy of cross-country skiing, a blessed curse I continue to practice today. Alpine skiing at ‘the Beast’ and Jiminy quickly followed, and I made forays into the cult of back-country skiing after that. I have recently added snowshoeing to my winter repertoire, which is somewhat easier than ascending on narrow Nordic planks Mount Greylock, in its rime-y fineness.
Today my children and celebrate winter not only as I did, but also as part of the Thunderbolt Ski Runners family. Since its re-inception two years ago, I volunteer during the annual Thunderbolt Ski Run (www.thunderboltskirunners.org), which draws racers from near and far, and attracts hundreds of spectators to watch the fool-hardy souls. The kids will be old enough to advance from spectator to racer for the 90th anniversary race twelve years from now.
And though it’s usually heralded as a precursor to spring, I like to think of the annual arrival of sugaring season as the sweetest way to bid farewell to Old Man Winter. From Ioka Valley Farm to South Face Farm, Gould’s to the Red Bucket, we travel far and wide across western Mass. to delight in the splendor of the season.
we are big fans of skiing (downhill and cross country), we also love sledding, skating, and warm drinks and cozy evenings with friends and family. amanda kingsley, shelburne, ma
We love to x-c ski, snowshoe and skate as a family and with friends. Also going to try downhill this year, with friends as well! Winter bonfires are fun, with hot cider and hot chocolate, and stargazing on crisp, clear nights.
Haydenville, MA
I love seeing neighbors when we’re all shoveling out after a snowstorm.
We used to love snowshoeing and cross country skiing, but we’re still sorting out the winter outdoors activities with a toddler and soon to be toddler. Special treat is bringing the camp stove and making hot chocolate out of snow.
Sara Barry
Haydenville, MA
We love to throw on our snowshoes or x-country skis for exploration around Fitzgerald Lake in Florence. Of course we sled at Look Park or JFK. You can also find us at the JFK pool for some fun splashing. Nothing beats a walk in the snow to the Lily Library where we snuggle in to enjoy books.
Florence, MA
Okay, here we go. Leslie Charles–Chesterfield MA. The trustees org. is amazing. I visit the Chesterfield Gorge a few times a week all year long. Notchview is equally valuable in our lives. I could go on and on about being a member of the Trustees of Reservation. Great people, great non-profit.
We love to go cross country skiing and make bon fires in the back yard and then come in for hot chocolate. My daughter loves winter time (I love summer) and she is always eating ice or making snow cones with maple syrup. This year I’d like to try snowshoeing. Becky Castro, Northampon, MA.
With a toddler and a baby expected on New Year’s Day, our family is in the midst of creating new traditions during the winter months here in Western MA. Whether it is our daughter saying “moon” for the first time, a first cup of hot chocolate, or pulling a sled on the conservation land by the community gardens, we look forward to a season of firsts and memories. (Northampton, MA)
We adore leaving the electricity off and lighting candles as the world darkens early in these winter months. We all gather round the table and play games, do craft projects, and tell stories. We skate outdoors at Brookfield Farm (South Amherst) when we pick up our winter share. We strap on our yak trax & hike around Puffer’s Pong (Amherst) & sled down hospital hill in Northampton followed by hot cocoa @ the Cup & Top (Florence)!
Our family loves to invite friends to build and decorate gingerbread houses in the beginning of the season, and then we enjoy sledding parties at the local hill. We also enjoy our Christmas walk in the neighborhood..we make something home made and deliver to neighbors!
We love to snowshoe and cross country ski all over western massachusetts. It feels great to get outside for exercise in the winter and enjoy all the beauty that our area offers.
Southampton
Love to cross country ski, sled, some snowshoeing!
My children’s school holds many beautiful festivals that celebrate the season, along with the areas Sturbridge village and Springfield’s museums. We do a lot of sledding and shouting in joy followed up by hot chocolate with marshmallows. We often take take trips with friends to ski and go tubing too!
April Albrecht
Belchertown, MA
Outdoor play is our families favorite, grabbing our sleds finding a hill and going down fast! We do ice skating, snow shoeing, & of course x-country skiing, whatever we get the chance to do. Winter is so beautiful anything outside is worth the time.
glenda spurling
Ashfield, MA
oops, I live in Colrain, Mass on the Heath line in Massachusetts…my entry was about snowshoeing and ice skating with our community!
Our tribe loves snow play and we also as a town flood one of the town fair barns for skating parties. This winter I hope to organize a full-moon snow shoe hike and campfire/chili/cider event up in Heath. The winter is such a stunning time to be in community together in the crisp air!