Editor’s Note: Winter Ready

In early December, the first storm of the season blanketed New Hampshire with fresh snow, prompting cheers from skiers pining to hit the slopes and jeers from anyone who has to shovel their own driveway.   

I cheered. I jeered. 

When I moved back to New Hampshire a decade ago from Colorado, I worried about how I would handle winter’s short days and long nights. I must have learned something while I was away. Every season in New Hampshire has its charms. You just need to embrace them to cut through the darkness.

By the time you read this, I hope to have hit the slopes several times. And while my wife and I like to pack our own lunch when we go skiing, we also like to indulge in some après ski fun. Kara McGrath spotlights some of the Granite State’s best places to satisfy those cravings at four resort areas (page 20).

You don’t need to be a ski bum to appreciate great food and libations. Just add “après” to whatever winter activity gets your heart pumping. Jill Armstrong offers a primer on outdoor recreation with tips on cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking and riding fat tire bikes (page 52). She also shares a heartwarming story about Nordic skiing with her grandmother (page 96).

Want to try some new outdoor activity, but don’t have the gear? You might be able to rent it for free. Many libraries in New Hampshire have curated “library of things” collections where you can check out snowshoes and backpacks, among other useful items, Megan Rogers reports (page 28). 

If you prefer to huddle indoors, wrap yourself in a comfy blanket and binge a true crime podcast. Lara Bicker, a true crime author and licensed private investigator, takes you on a tour of New Hampshire crimes that have inspired popular podcasts (page 62).

You could also curl up with a good book. Laura Knoy, best known for the 25 years she hosted New Hampshire Public Radio’s “The Exchange,” recently debuted as a novelist with “The Shopkeeper of Alsace,” a tale based on the true story of a Jewish family’s fight for safety during WWII. Assistant Editor Emily Reily talks with Knoy for this month’s “In Their Own Words” (page 34).

If history is your jam, check out J. Dennis Robinson’s chronicle of Wentworth by the Sea, the grand New Hampshire hotel that opened in 1874 (page 70). It’s a tale laced with luxury, intrigue and international politics, of fortunes won and fortunes lost. 

‘Gettin’ Jigger wit it’

Marshall Hudson’s latest “What Do You Know?” entry recounts the tale of Jigger Johnson, the New Hampshire lumberjack, river log driver, trapper and fire warden for the U.S. Forest Service. Johnson’s life story is peppered with tall tales.(page 36).

Plymouth rocks

New Hampshire’s college-turn-university town is conveniently located off Interstate 93 along the route to many of the state’s ski areas, making it an “après” ski village, if you don’t mind driving back home a bit first or you just did some turns at Tenney Mountain. John Koziol visits Plymouth for this month’s “Our Town,” recalling its small-town roots and hinting at big things to come. 

Save me a seat at Biederman’s. I can beat the winter blues with a beer and a giant sandwich. I might even kiss the moose.