References from publications

Trail designer hopes to please families as well as world-class Nordic skiers
Deirdre Fleming, Portland Press Herald, February 8, 2004

“Like a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, John Morton’s trails serve as venues for international competition and recreational enjoynment alike. Lucky for Mainers, there are more than a dozen of them around the state.

Whether you’re from Aroostook, Kennebec or Cumberland counties, if you love Nordic skiing, chances are you’ve skied on a Morton trail.

Next month in Fort Kent, his trails at the Maine Winter Sports Center will showcase a World Cup event, proving his ability to design a world-class skiing venue.

And yet, Morton’s fingerprints are all over the trails in New Gloucester, Gray and Kents Hill, as well as Caribou, New Sweden, Limestone, Fort Fairfield and beyond.

He has been the architect behind trails in Korea, Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Morton competed, coached or served the United States Biathlon Team in seven Olympic Games, from the 1972 Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan, to the 2002 Salt Lake City Games. He designed the course for the 1997 World University Games in Korea.

After Morton finished 11 years as the Dartmouth College ski coach in 1989, he began designing competitive ski trails. Soon, he also was helping small landowners and towns offer recreational trails.

Through the support of the Maine Winter Sports Center and the Libra Foundation, Morton has designed trails throughout Maine.

Morton has been active in promoting the organization’s mission: to create as many small, community trails as possible and to make Nordic skiing a way of life again in northern Maine.

‘The idea was to make it just as easy for kids to learn to go out the back of schools to ski as it was for them to play Little League baseball. Every town has a Little League diamond. Our hope is to do something similar with skiing,’ Morton said.

Most recently, Morton has worked on the trails at Pineland Farms in New Gloucester and on community trails in Gray.

He said community trails get the same treatment as his world-class courses.
Ideally, Morton likes to ‘fool skiers’ on the uphills by moving the trails through the woodland terrain so skiers are less aware they’re climbing, and then by making the downhill worth the climb.

‘They are fun and interesting and exhilarating,’ he said. John Eldridge, who was involved in planning the town trails in Cumberland, said Morton ‘maximizes on the fun element’ in his trail designs.

He said the ‘wizard’ of trail design uses a lot of quick inclines and descents, as well as fast curves and turns in his trails. Eldridge said characteristic climbs and winding woods are signature Morton elements.

Dave Wakana, Caribou High School athletic director, said the trails there are special because of the location. They have allowed the students to train at their high school, while offeriing the community a venue other than the local golf course.

‘People wanted the trails,’ Wakana said. ‘The beauty of our trails is they’re right in town. Parents can bring kids and ski. It’s so easy.’

Gray resident Carl Holmquist said the six miles of Morton-designed trails across form his home on land owned by the town, the local school and a paper company are a roller coaster of fun.

It’s obvious the Morton-designed trails were not the work of a ‘common trail builder,’ Holmquist said.

‘The trails are interesting, not only for skiers, but for bikers or runners, even for someone just doing a hike. They’re serpentine and go in and out of all these interesting areas,’ Holmquist said.

The ski trails sit close to the high school and middle school in Gray, making them perfect family trails.

This community draw is another signature element of Morton’s trails in Maine, even though he has also created trails at the world-class level.

Next month at the World Cup event in Fort Kent, Morton’s name will be cemented in Maine skiing history. The Fort Kent event will be the first World Cup on a Morton-designed course, a high achievement, even if it wasn’t his end goal.

Rather Morton, of Thetford, VT, said it is the increased Nordic activity his trails have brought to Maine communities that has made his work here meaniingful.

‘Presque Isle and Fort Kent, right from the beginning, were world-class competition facilities. Now we also want these trails to be for more modest abilities, ideally, to provide something for everyone,’ he said. ‘The goal early on was to make skiing more affordable for Maine families.’

Noquemanon skiers will get a taste of an exciting new ski trail development at Ishpeming
Greg Marr, Silent Sports, January 2001

“...Unfortunately, the early and plentiful snow has sidetracked an ambitious new project at Ishpeming. Skiers will have to wait until next year to try out a new cross country trail system in the Al Quaal Recreation Area...

While the system is designed with competition in mind, the general public should find an excellent recreational system.

‘The terrain on both trails is mostly rolling and John (Morton, trail designer) has made maximum use of this to create a winding, flowing trail that has a mix of everything,’ says Bob Mahaney of the Noquemanon. ‘The climbs are not terrible and are usually followed by a nice downhill run or scenic overlook. The grade was contoured to allow for banked turns on downhills... Most of the forest is old growth- oaks, white and red pines- or a balsam/birch forest mix. The whole system is fully wooded. There are no signs of civilization once on the trails. It’s really a beautiful, unspoiled area.’

John Korhonen, Ishpeming’s city manager says keeping the area in a natural state was a driving force behind the design.

‘It’s outstanding with aesthetic beauty. There’s been minimal bulldozing; clearing is being kept to a minimum. large oak and pine have not been disturbed. For the most part we’re cleariing smaller brush and trees.’

There will be two primary loops-Deer lake and Teal Lake-discribed by designer Morton as ‘fingers of a glove.’

...’The Deer Lake loop is on a mile-long peninsula so you get lots of nice views,’ adds Mahaney. ‘The total trail network (with existing trails in the Al Quaal) will be about 18-20K.’...

‘I am undoubtedly biased, but I think this trail system is going to be among the best I’ve ever skied when its done,’ adds Mahaney. ‘The combination of terrain, scenery and John’s trail design have created something very unique.’

Having Morton in to design the system pretty much assures its quality. A two-time Olympic biathlon team member, former Dartmouth coach and consistent high-ranking National Masters skier throughout the 1990’s, the Vermont-based Morton has used his worldwide ski experience to design ski trails... He has consulted on or designed trails from Maine to South Korea.

‘It’s a very exciting location,’ Morton says...’There’s wonderful terrain from the standpoint of trail construction; it’s challenging with lots of rock and ledge. We’ve tried to be very conscientious about wetlands and stream crossing. Michigan has very strict environmental regulations and we’ve worked hard to comply with all of their recommendations.’

Morton is excited about the project primarily because of the rugged U.P.
countryside.

‘I think it’s going to be tremendous. In terms of topography, it’s one of the most exciting places I’ve designed trails. There’s unbelievable scenic beauty between Teal and Deer Lakes. The scenic vistas are incredible.’...

Morton’s approach to trail design begins with conversation.

‘The first thing I do is talk with the clients to get a sense of what they want. The tendency is to look at the maximum the terrain will permit for racing but some don’t want or need a World Cup caliber course.’

‘Then I get the best maps... I get a sense of the property, then go out and start cruising... With the primary purpose being competition, I wanted to bring the skiers back through the stadium so spectators could see them.’

From his time spent in Alaska, Morton learned a unique approach to setting up a course.

‘Often you hear of Eskimo carvers determining what will be carved from a piece of soapstone or ivory by waiting until they get a sense of what kind of animal wants to come out of it. It’s the same with a ski trail. You have to study the land and wait to see what kind of trail can come out of it.’...

New Trails Open!
Matt Sabasteanski, Outdoor Recreation Director,
Pineland Farms, December, 2004

“The new trails at Oak Hill are done at last! ....Designed in true John Morton fashion, the new trails are fun, beautiful and, as always, challenging.

(John Morton is a former Olympic biathlete, author, and renowned trail designer. In addition to Pineland’s trails, he designed trails at Denali National Park in Alaska, in South Korea for the 1997 World University Games, and for the Maine Winter Sports Center in Fort Kent and Presque Isle, Maine.) I am truly excited to have these trails open this winter season and invite you all to come on out and enjoy them.”

Skiers high on Pineland Farms X-C trails
New nordic ski center conveys Olympic aura
Scott Andrews, Outdoor Writer,
The Times Record, January 24, 2003

“If you feel like a cross-country Champion when you kick and glide through fields and forests at Pineland Farms, that’s not surprising. New England’s newest Nordic ski center conveys an Olympic/World Cup aura in several key places.

Pineland’s trails were patterned after Olympic models by famed race course designer John Morton....Although it’s been in business less than a month and it boasts a mere 15 kilometers of trails, Pineland Farms already looms large on the New England cross-country ski scene, rating raves from hard-core enthusiasts who are training for this winter’s big regional races and drawing equal praise from kick-and-glide buffs who fancy its splendid scenery and first-rate facilities....

It’s well-deserved praise. I’ve skied Pineland Farms three times already this season and covered every kilometer at least once-and savored every minute of the experience.

Mike Marino, a veteran cross-country competitor from Cape Elizabeth, comes nearly every day... ‘This is a real meeting place for hard-core skiers,’
said Marino. ‘Superlative on all counts.’

...Trails were designed by John Morton, a Vermonter and former Olympic competitor who has coached the U.S. Biathlon Team and written a couple of books on Nordic skiing. Morton’s layout involves three loops totaling 15 kilometers.

...Among the first to discover Pineland was Kate Damon, cross-country coach for the Lewiston High School ski team. Damon brings her 10 athletes to train in both classic and skating techniques.

‘The trails are fantastic!’ enthused Damon. ‘They were cut really well with cross-country skiing in mind....My team is thrilled to be skiing here.’

Another racer who voices high praise for Pineland is Danny Danforth of Lewiston, a veteran marathon competitor. ‘The turns and the hills are just right for keeping up speed,’ Danforth explained...

‘The high-caliber skiers are finding that they don’t have to travel several hours to the bigger centers,’ said Gorham Bike & Ski owner Jamie Wright.”

Now he’ll be a man for all seasons
Burr Morse and his friends propose opening a ski center
David W. Smith, Times Argus, May 18, 2002

“East Montpelier-Add trail grooming to Burr Morse’s list of duties. In addition to tapping trees, boiling sap and mixing up batches of maple creamees and popcorn, Morse and his family hope to run a cross-country skiing center out of their sugaring house and store that will crisscross their 240-acre farm and surrounding crountryside with groomed trails...

The center, which Burr and wife Betsy will own and manage with partners Nat Winthrop, Bill Kaplan and Chip Stone, all of whom live locally, has been mapped out by a professional planner, John Morton of Thetford.

‘He’s really impressed with the lay of the land here,’ said Morse....

‘Ours will really be state-of-the-art. It will be fun skiing.’

Get Ready to “Schuss” at Morse Farm
Bill Holland, The Montpelier Bridge, September, 2002

“If the snow gods smile this winter, cross-country skiers in the Montpelier area will have an even bigger reason to smile as well. Morse Farm, ...for many years a local tourist attraction thanks to its maple sugaring house and gift shop, will offer 15 kilometers of groomed ski trails.

Local ski enthusiast Nat Winthrop, had a vision of Morse Farm as an ideal venue for a cross-country ski center...Winthrop, in turn, persuaded fellow-skiers Bill Kaplan and Chip Stone to invest in the venture as equal partners.

They approached Morse, who was at long last receptive to the idea of a forth season...The partners, determined to do things right, hired John Morton to lay out a system of trails.

Morton, a participant in six Olympics and for 11 years coach of the Dartmouth ski team, is known for creating trails that maximize the terrain to insure that something interesting is always happening. The characteristic result is a swooping, swerving roller-coaster course that challenges the expert without overwhelming the novice.

...It’s going to be an elegant ride, folks (those fickle snow gods willing).

Thetford’s XC Course-A Community Legacy
Bob Fitzgerald, Editor, New England Runner, Sept./Oct. 2004

“Thetford Academy opened its doors in February of 1819 and is Vermont’s oldest secondary school. It’s unique cross country course, designed in 1991, has seen countless harriers churn up ‘Morty’s Monster” and fly down “airplane turn.” The course was the brainstorm of E. Thetford’s Dan Grossman, who engaged trail designer John Morton of Thetford for the project. During Dan’s 13-year tenure as Meet Director, Thetford hosted 13 Vermont state championships and three New England Championships (1992, 1996 and 2000)...

The real ‘star of the show,’ as Morton puts it, is Grossman, who in turn, would point to the constellation of coaches, students, volunteers and friends who made it all possible. They were his audience for his signature farewell as Meet Director on Nov.3, 2003.

‘It was 13 years ago...that I had the idea that Thetford Academy could host the New England Cross-Country Championship in 1992....

After talking with John Morton, who I knew had designed some nice trails on his own land, I remember doing up a ...proposal to the Vermont Principals Association...

After John Morton did the initial design of the course, I have a picture in my head...of John and me crashing through the underbrush looking to lay out 5,000 meters of trail...The trail got built because hundreds of volunteers worked on it...I leave it to my community, the Thetford Academy community...I have so many reasons to feel very proud of my school and my community...Thank you. Thank you, all of you.’”

In Thetford, A Long-Running Party
Joseph J. Defner, Vermont Life, Autumn, 2000

“If you want to throw a good party but aren’t sure where to begin, you might ask Dan Grossman, cross-country meet director at Thetford Academy. For the past eight years, Dan and most of the town of Thetford have played host to the Vermont and New England cross-country running championships and the school’s own Woods Trail Invitational. Though some might have difficulty envisioning running as a party...the community volunteers of this hilltop town and the 2,000 runners who come from around the state and as far away as Maryland and New York for these events will tell you that in Thetford, that’s exactly what it is.

...Dan hatched the idea. He saw that the 1992 Championship would be held in Vermont at ‘a site to be determined.’

‘Why not Thetford?’ Dan thought.

But when he and local trail designer John Morton wrote their proposal to host the New England Championship at Thetford, the most improtant ingredient for the party-a course suitable for hosting such a large event-was missing.

Though they considered widening Thetford’s existing trail to make it marginally acceptable, once Morton, a former Olympic biathlete, had run the trail himself, he decided that Thetford could do better. He and Grossman proposed 4.5 kilometers of new trail (out of a total of five kilometers or 3.1 miles) that would be at least 12 feet wide its entire length...

Before construction could begin, however, they needed approval to run part of the trail through Thetford Hill State Park, which is next to the academy...The state agreed and Morton got to work.

Using the natural pathways and skid trails in the recently logged park, Morton designed the trail to have minimal impact on the land...Once he had staked off the proposed course, all that remained was to put out the call for volunteers...
Alumni and community members lent bulldozers and labor, some wrote grants, others did the back-breaking work of pulling rocks with pickaxes and shovels...
The result is what many consider one of the finest running courses in New England.

Volunteers Come Out in Full Force Once Again
David Corriveau, Valley News, October 6, 2002

“Sooner of later, everybody that meet director Dan Grossman recruits to help shepard almost 2,000 runners through this 3.1-mile exercise in endurance finds a way to contribute.

‘Our first year (1991), we had 275 runners and something like 10 volunteers...’ Grossman said. ‘Now we have a list of around 400 (volunteers)...’

Grossman had watched his daughter Emily run for Thetford at the New England cross-country championships at Derryfield Park in Manchester, NH, in November of 1990, and learned that Vermont would play host to the 1992 New England meet at ‘a site to be announced.’

Barely four months later, Thetford Academy won the right to play host to the New England championship, and the planning began. Soon, Thetford resident John Morton, a two-time Olympic biathlon skier and coach-turned designer of trails for cross-country running and skiing, started prowling the acadeemy’s existing course through the state park-’About two-thirds of it was on the state park road and the rest was deer paths between the trees,’ Grossman recalls- and looking for ways to make it truly cross the country.

After mud season, the work began...At the end of August, bulldozers cleared out the last of the stumps, just in time for the Academy’s first home meet.

‘We don’t run any other courses like it,’ New England champion, Meghan Owen of Killingly, Connecticut said. ‘It’s all in the woods, rolling hills.

It’s a challenging course, and there’s always a lot of good competition. It’s good to run with the best.’”

Maine Winter Sports Center Season Report
Max Saenger, Program Director, MWSC,
New England Nordic News, spring, 2000

“Not until December 12 were County skiers blessed with enough snow to begin skiing some of the new trails designed by John Morton in Fort Kent, Stockholm, and New Sweden. Lined by tall pines and offering many great vistas, these trails challenge the racer with their turns, downhill twists and skiable climbs. ‘These trails are the most fun and most challenging I’ve skied in years,’ says former Olympian Trina Hosmer, who has skied many trails around the world.

The $6 Million Plan to Revive Maine’s Nordic Ski Heritage
Doug McClellan, Wintersport Business, Oct./Nov. 2000

“Ft. Kent, Maine- In the potato fields and timber stands of far northern Maine, an adventurous plan is taking root to revive Nordic skiing.

Financed by $6 million in grants from a Maine philanthropy-with more to come-a group called the Maine Winter Sports Center dreams of growing a crop of Olympic champions...

Shepard and Cobb hatched the idea for the Winter Sports Center on a plane ride. With Olympian John Morton, now a noted Nordic trail designer, the three developed a scheme of creating a world class training center that would produce Olympic biathletes and Nordic skiers. Thanks to a Maine philanthropy, the Aroostook County proposal took on an even grander scope...

‘I really believe that in 2006 there’ll be a member of the Olympic team from Aroostook County,’ Shepard said. ‘That’s our goal.’”

More Guns, Not Logs or Potatoes
Jonathan Wiesel, Ski Trax, Dec./Holiday 2000

“It’s curious that biathlon has never flourished in the U.S. when the country is so obsessed with firearms...One explanation has been limited facilities, but that’s changing...The newest and most intriguing is the Maine Winter Sports Center in rural Aroostook County, adjoining Quebec. Skiing is actually spread over several locations, with major developments slated for Fort Kent and Presque Isle...

The project is the brainchild of U.S. Biathlon Association Program Director Max Cobb, Olympic biathlete and coach John Morton (who laid out many of the trails), and Andy Shepard (who’s on the USBA board of directors).

The M.W.S.C. was founded in 1999 with three aims. It wanted to re-establish cross-country skiing as a lifestyle... It aimed to increase skiing opportunities for local youngsters. And it wanted to use skiing as a way to increase the region’s economic viability.

Snow Jobs
Aroostook’s embrace of biathlon is beginning to pay off.
Down East, February 2003

“Last November the International Biathlon Union announced that the 2004 World Cup biathlon competition will be held at the Maine Winter Sports Center’s 10th Mountain Ski Center in Fort Kent. That followed by a handful of months the announcement that the 2006 World Junior Championship competition will be held at the Presque Isle Nordic Heritage Ski Center...

The nonprofit Maine Winter Sports Center was founded in 1998 with help from a $6-million grant from the Libra Foundation in Portland to rejuvenate the skiing culture of Aroostook County... The group has also created skiing programs in many local schools and developed a network of ski trails across much of the County.”

2002 Noquemanon
Carol Fulsher, Silent Sports, January, 2002

“Skiers lining up under the start banner of the Noquemanon (No-Kay-Ma-Non) Ski Marathon will find their surroundings familiar but different for the fourth annual ski race... The new start area has moved 2K up the trail to the Al Quaal Recreation Area in Ishpeming for the 53K ski marathoners...

‘New world-class ski trails are being built by the city of Ishpeming at Al Quaal,’ points out Jon Mommaerts, race director. ‘We’ll have two less road crossings, and racers will enjoy the wide-open fields of the start area before their trek off into the woods.’
Another welcome change racers will notice is the elimination of the hairpin curve taking skiers from Al Quaal into the Deer Lake portion of the trail.

With the addition of new, John Morton-designed ski trails in this section, a new, milder entrance into the woods was engineered.

Students Shoulder Work For New Trail System
Steven Wallach, The Hardwick Gazette, October 9, 2002

“Hardwick- Hazen Union students have made the first cuts in a 100-acre woods behind the school for a professionally designed 5-kilometer trail that will be open to hikers, runners, snow-shoers, picnickers, and cross-country skiers... The trail work is part of their participation in the school’s forestry and natural reources program... Veteran Hazen teacher Marc Luneau runs the program, often with a chain saw in hand...

Luneau said the trail was laid out by John Morton of Thetford. Morton is one of the foremost trail architects in the country, Luneau said.

‘He goes all over the world laying out these things,’ Luneau said of Morton... ‘He’s been here several times working with us and he thinks this piece of land is great for the trail. Good guy... The trail will be a big community asset,’ he added, ‘and maybe a tourist attraction. Who knows?’”

A State Jam Packed With Special Sporting Venues
Tom Haley, Sports, The Rutland Herald, June 8, 1999

“Sports Illustrated turned out a listing of its 20 favorite sports venues... It set my mind in motion to come up with my favorite 20 sporting venues in Vermont...

The Thetford Academy cross country trail. This woodsy trail is a thing of beauty. A wide swath cut through the woods by people who love cross country make this a picturesque layout capable of hosting large meets. It is the best thing to happen to Vermont cross country.”

Gile Mountain Tower Will Reopen
Dan Richardson, Valley News, April 26, 2001

“Norwich-When town officials declared the Gile Mountain fire tower off limits last summer, Upper Valley hikers lost access to one of the most sweeping views in the area.

This foliage season, those views should be back:The tower will be reopened following some repairs for safety this summer...

Efforts this summer will also include the design of a new trail...to give skiers and mountain bikers a gentler climb. The new trail will be designed by John Morton, a Thetford resident famous as a Dartmouth College ski coach, biathlon competitor and six-time Olympian.

Morton designs Nordic ski trails for international clients. He is, Frishtick said, a ‘wonderful resource, and he happens to be in our backyard.’”

Anne Donaghy, New England Nordic News, Winter, 2004

“Pineland Farms offers nearly 30 km of trails, all of them designed by Olympic skier John Morton. Skiers from beginners to experts are at home here since John has designed different loops for different abilities.”