| John Morton |
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I grew up in Walpole, NH, and skied four events (slalom, downhill, jumping and cross country) for Tilton School, in Tilton, NH. During four years on the Middlebury College ski team, my aptitude for cross country emerged, first as Eastern Intercollegiate Champion in 1966 and ‘68, then as runner up in the 1968 NCAA Championships. Following college, a four-year assignment to the U.S. Biathlon Training Center at Fort Richardson, Alaska was interupted by a tour of duty in South Vietnam as a mobile advisory team leader. Upon release from active service in 1972, I taught high school English and coached running and skiing in Anchorage. In the autumn of 1978, I was named head coach of men’s skiing at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH. After eleven years coaching at Dartmouth, I gave up that position in 1989 to write Don't Look Back, a comprehensive guide to cross-country ski racing, and to begin designing Nordic ski trails. During the past 18 years, I've developed trails for private landowners, municipalities and schools, resorts, as well as competition venues for major international events such as the World University Games and Biathlon World Cups. I have designed trails throughout northern New England, and in Wisconsin, Michigan, Utah, Colorado, Alaska and South Korea. In the spring of 2002, I was part of an international team of consultants asked to assist with the planning of the new Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands. Although I began designing trails for cross country skiing, I found that these trails soon became popular with mountain bikers, runners, horseriders, and others. I found that there are common principles associated with fun, quality trails, and I have since worked on many types of trail projects beyond the initial interest in Nordic skiing. When not thrashing through the forest laying out trails, I write about sports for several publications, and serve as a commentator for Vermont Public Radio. In 1998, I wrote a novel, Medal of Honor, I still compete in cross country skiing and distance running. My family and I make our home at the end of a dirt road, surrounded by ski trails in Thetford, VT. Positions
Consultant / Designer of Sports Trails / Writer Sports Commentator, Vermont Public Radio Interim Program Director, U. S. Biathlon Association, Essex Jct., VT Head Coach of Mens' Skiing, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH English Teacher & Head Ski Coach, Dimond High School, Anchorage, AK U.S. Army Infantry Officer Special Recognition
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