October 20, 2008 – Two major alpine resorts, a former Olympic venue, and a metropolitan state park are new anchor sites for Winter Trails 2009, a day when children and adults new to snow sports can try snowshoeing and/or cross country skiing free at participating locations in North America. The four new event venues – Windham Resort in New York, Tenney Mountain in New Hampshire, Soldier Hollow in Utah and Ft. Snelling in St. Paul, MN – reflect the variety of locations that host Winter Trails.

The 14th annual Winter Trails® event on January 10, 2009 offers children and adults new to snow sports the chance to try snowshoeing or cross-country skiing free at a variety of locations throughout North America. Nearly 100 venues throughout North America participate in Winter Trails and new venues are posted weekly on www.wintertrails.org. The 2008 program attracted more than 11,000 children and adults who either were new to snow sports or are alpine skiers and snowboarders wanting to try a different snow sport.

Registration for Winter Trails 2009 is on-line for the first time this year to make it easy for participants to sign up for their preferred location. There is no charge for the use of equipment and trails and many locations offer both snowshoeing and cross country skiing. Winter Trails is now part of the snow sports industry’s Learn a Snow Sport Month, a new addition for 2009.