Amid this weekend’s staggering snowfall, I wish I could say that Worcesterites of all stripes are now dusting off their cross-country skis and heading to Newton Hill at Elm Park.Seven years ago, that lovely 40-acre greenspace became the first place in Central Massachusetts to offer groomed Nordic ski trails when the Friends of Newton Hill, a nonprofit, acquired a $30,000 grant and purchased a John Deere groomer. As this paper contemplated that magnificent machine, which drags a roller that turns loose powder into neatly packed, highly skiable corduroy, it burbled, “The closest other such facilities are Northfield Mountain Ski Center in Western Massachusetts (and) the Weston Ski Track in Eastern Massachusetts.” It all seemed so promising, especially to skinny ski geeks like myself. Every Tuesday night, I race at the Weston Ski Track, throwing down in a weekly contest that typically sees 90 or 100 hardcores scrabbling up manmade hills and cutting through hairpin turns on a serpentine five-mile course. If I want to have a fighting chance against the honchos from Greater Boston, I need to train.But here’s the thing: Newton Hill is not skiable. The ground there is rocky and busy with roots, meaning that no grooming can even happen, according to The Friends of Newton Hill, unless there’s 6 inches of snow. That’s an elusive thing in this era of climate change, and in recent years Newton Hill has rarely offered groomed skiing.This winter, that shiny John Deere, now managed by a group called Park Spirit of Worcester, didn’t roll a single inch of snow until Feb. 9 — and even after it worked its corduroy magic, Newton Hill was still rough. The rocks and roots still jutted up, threatening to snare skiers and cause harsh crashes as they gouged skis.Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.Meanwhile, another problem loomed: The ski routes at Newton Hill are the same paths that local citizens hike year-round. When the snow is rolled, hikers still flock to their beloved paths, and the ski tracks become pocked with foot holes, both human and canine. Skiing pocked, uneven snow is kind of like walking barefoot on gravel. Which is perhaps why, on the Facebook page of Friends of Newton Hill, there are (as of this writing) no photos of anyone actually skiing. Back in 2018, when a Park Spirit affiliate was picking the best spot for groomed skiing in Worcester, he first eyeballed Green Hill Municipal Golf Course, but then decided against it because, this paper reported, “The golf course is atop a hill and is so exposed, the winds blow the snow around, creating deep drifts in some spots and leaving bare ground in others.”The turn away from Green Hill was a mistake. Yes, snow can spin about in the wind and drift, but that happens typically to light, fluffy snow — to Colorado snow. The wet flakes that tend to fall here in Southern New England cling to the ground like cement. And golf courses are perfect for cross-country skiing. They’re unused in winter. They’re so wide-open and devoid of trees that hikers and skiers can peaceably segregate, and their grasses are short and carefully tended. Roots and rocks are minimal. On a golf course, a mere 2 inches of snow can sustain skiing.The Weston Ski Track sits on a golf course, as does the holiest cross-country ski locale in the United States. Theodore Wirth Park, in Minneapolis, is where the International Ski and Snowboard Federation last February hosted a rare stateside World Cup — indeed, the first since 2001. Wisconsinite Gus Schumacher won the 10-kilometer freestyle race that weekend, and no American male had won a distance World Cup race since the 1980s.May I humbly suggest that Park Spirit acknowledge the power of climate change (and of dog paw prints) and move its grooming operations to Green Hill? At that more hopeful, albeit windblown spot, Worcester could grow a fledgling cross-country ski community.Perhaps in time the trails at Green Hill could add lights to facilitate night skiing and even snowmaking, a la Weston. Perhaps too there could be room for the sort of programs that Wirth Park hosts to invite a diverse population into what is, awkwardly and unjustly, a very white sport.In time, could Worcester even grow a contingent of young racers able to show up at Weston and teach those high and mighty Bostonians a thing or two? Oh yeah, it’s possible. But let’s start small. All a skinny skier really needs is a smooth path through the snow. And this week, I’ll be out at Green Hill, finding just that. It’s still a decent place to glide, even ungroomed. Look for my tracks. Journalist Bill Donahue has written for Outside, The Atlantic and The New York Times Magazine. He is the author of "Unbound," a collection of endurance sports stories reported on five continents.

It all seemed so promising, especially to skinny ski geeks like myself. Every Tuesday night, I race at the Weston Ski Track, throwing down in a weekly contest that typically sees 90 or 100 hardcores scrabbling up manmade hills and cutting through hairpin turns on a serpentine five-mile course. If I want to have a […]

Journalist Bill Donahue has written for Outside, The Atlantic and The New York Times Magazine. He is the author of "Unbound," a collection of endurance sports stories reported on five continents.

It all seemed so promising, especially to skinny ski geeks like myself. Every Tuesday night, I race at the Weston Ski Track, throwing down in a weekly contest that typically sees 90 or 100 hardcores scrabbling up manmade hills and cutting through hairpin turns on a serpentine five-mile course. If I want to have a fighting chance against the honchos from Greater Boston, I need to train.The Weston Ski Track sits on a golf course, as does the holiest cross-country ski locale in the United States. Theodore Wirth Park, in Minneapolis, is where the International Ski and Snowboard Federation last February hosted a rare stateside World Cup — indeed, the first since 2001. Wisconsinite Gus Schumacher won the 10-kilometer freestyle race that weekend, and no American male had won a distance World Cup race since the 1980s.Meanwhile, another problem loomed: The ski routes at Newton Hill are the same paths that local citizens hike year-round. When the snow is rolled, hikers still flock to their beloved paths, and the ski tracks become pocked with foot holes, both human and canine. Skiing pocked, uneven snow is kind of like walking barefoot on gravel. Which is perhaps why, on the Facebook page of Friends of Newton Hill, there are (as of this writing) no photos of anyone actually skiing.

Back in 2018, when a Park Spirit affiliate was picking the best spot for groomed skiing in Worcester, he first eyeballed Green Hill Municipal Golf Course, but then decided against it because, this paper reported, “The golf course is atop a hill and is so exposed, the winds blow the snow around, creating deep drifts in some spots and leaving bare ground in others.”This winter, that shiny John Deere, now managed by a group called Park Spirit of Worcester, didn’t roll a single inch of snow until Feb. 9 — and even after it worked its corduroy magic, Newton Hill was still rough. The rocks and roots still jutted up, threatening to snare skiers and cause harsh crashes as they gouged skis.Oh yeah, it’s possible. But let’s start small. All a skinny skier really needs is a smooth path through the snow. And this week, I’ll be out at Green Hill, finding just that. It’s still a decent place to glide, even ungroomed. Look for my tracks.

Journalist Bill Donahue has written for Outside, The Atlantic and The New York Times Magazine. He is the author of “Unbound,” a collection of endurance sports stories reported on five continents. May I humbly suggest that Park Spirit acknowledge the power of climate change (and of dog paw prints) and move its grooming operations to Green Hill? At that more hopeful, albeit windblown spot, Worcester could grow a fledgling cross-country ski community.

The turn away from Green Hill was a mistake. Yes, snow can spin about in the wind and drift, but that happens typically to light, fluffy snow — to Colorado snow. The wet flakes that tend to fall here in Southern New England cling to the ground like cement. And golf courses are perfect for cross-country skiing. They’re unused in winter. They’re so wide-open and devoid of trees that hikers and skiers can peaceably segregate, and their grasses are short and carefully tended. Roots and rocks are minimal. On a golf course, a mere 2 inches of snow can sustain skiing.Amid this weekend’s staggering snowfall, I wish I could say that Worcesterites of all stripes are now dusting off their cross-country skis and heading to Newton Hill at Elm Park.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.Seven years ago, that lovely 40-acre greenspace became the first place in Central Massachusetts to offer groomed Nordic ski trails when the Friends of Newton Hill, a nonprofit, acquired a ,000 grant and purchased a John Deere groomer. As this paper contemplated that magnificent machine, which drags a roller that turns loose powder into neatly packed, highly skiable corduroy, it burbled, “The closest other such facilities are Northfield Mountain Ski Center in Western Massachusetts (and) the Weston Ski Track in Eastern Massachusetts.” But here’s the thing: Newton Hill is not skiable. The ground there is rocky and busy with roots, meaning that no grooming can even happen, according to The Friends of Newton Hill, unless there’s 6 inches of snow. That’s an elusive thing in this era of climate change, and in recent years Newton Hill has rarely offered groomed skiing.Perhaps in time the trails at Green Hill could add lights to facilitate night skiing and even snowmaking, a la Weston. Perhaps too there could be room for the sort of programs that Wirth Park hosts to invite a diverse population into what is, awkwardly and unjustly, a very white sport.

In time, could Worcester even grow a contingent of young racers able to show up at Weston and teach those high and mighty Bostonians a thing or two?