The cold winter has created excellent conditions for wild ice skating on Vermont's lakes and ponds. This hour, we hear from experienced Nordic skaters on what to know before heading out onto wild ice.
Evan Perkins, co-owner of Small Axe Farm in Barnet, shares videos of his long skates on Lake Champlain and observations of the natural world through his Instagram account. Pawlet resident Brett Blanchard has skated on wild ice all around the world. He also moderates the VT Nordic Skating Facebook group.
We also heard from Middlebury College alum Paxson Woelber on manufacturing Nordic skates in Alaska with his company Ermine Skate.
Looking to get out on the ice? The Nordic Ice Skating site has information on reading ice, safety equipment, where to skate in Vermont, connecting with other skaters, and more. Interested skaters can also connect through the Nordic skating club known as Sk802 (that's "skate-oh-two").
Broadcast live on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.
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