SAM Magazine-McLean, Va., Feb. 23, 2010-Winter Trails on Jan. 9 attracted approximately 10,700 participants, nearly all of them new to winter sports, according to program director Mary Jo Tarallo. The free learn to snowshoe and cross country ski program was a chief Nordic component of Learn a Snow Sport Month.

Some of the largest events took place at the Weston Ski Track near Boston, Ft. Snelling in Minneapolis, and Estes Park, Colo., each of which reported topping 1,000 participants. In all, 90 venues hosted Winter Trails events in 2010, 10 more than the previous year.

"This was an incredible year for Winter Trails," said Tarallo who served as program director on behalf of SnowSports Industries America (SIA). Twenty-two states hosted events, with 13 in Vermont alone. The state also launched a free learn to ski and snowboard program during the first week in January to celebrate Learn a Snow Sport Month.

"Snowshoeing is a terrific gateway activity for a lot of people who may not yet be ready for alpine skiing or snowboarding," said Kathy Murphy, marketing director for the Vermont Ski Areas Association. "Once people discover that they can be comfortable outdoors and have fun on snow, we're confident that a certain percentage of Winter Trails participants will eventually try other snow sports at our resorts."

Winter Trails is organized by SIA in partnership with the Cross Country Ski Areas Association (CCSAA) and the American Hiking Society (AHS). Sponsors include Atlas, Kahtoola, MSR, and Tubbs snowshoe companies, Columbia Sportswear, Grabber, Leki poles, Rossignol, Whitewoods, Cross Country Skier, SkiTrax, Snowshoe magazine, XCSkiresorts.com and Backpacker.