Women are a force throughout the Vermont ski industry
KRISTINA VON TRAPP FRAME
Director and Fitness Activities Manager, Trapp Family Lodge
“IT’S ABOUT THE JOURNEY – NOTICING THE TREES YOU GO PAST, SEEING HOW THE FOREST HAS CHANGED OVER TIME, ENJOYING THE VIEW.” Why cross-country ski? “Cross-country skiing allows you to go places, like from Stowe to Bolton with a group of friends, or a full moon ski to Slayton Pasture Cabin with cheese and crackers and wine. It’s about the journey – noticing the trees you go past, seeing how the forest has changed over time, enjoying the view. It’s quiet, peaceful and grounding. It’s also a phenomenal workout and it makes you a better downhill skier, because you have a smaller balance range and can work on your edging.”
Growing up in the woods and hills of Stowe, Kristina von Trapp was unaware that she was part of a famous singing family. Her family’s Austrian-inspired hotel lacked television screens and she does not recall grandma Maria ever singing. Kristina spent her days then, as now, sharing her passion for snow sports with local children and visitors to Trapp Family Lodge. A few of her favorite things include cross-country and downhill skiing, participating in long-distance trail events – she’s a regular at the Stowe Derby Meister, Craftsbury Marathon Ski Festival and Trapps to Bolton Tour – and refueling on fresh-picked apples, Cabot cheddar and von Trapp lager. Kristina lives with her husband, Walter Frame, their daughters and horses on the same site where she grew up, one mile from Trapp Family Lodge.
On teaching children: “It’s not about the perfect turn but about enjoying time on a mountain or in the woods. We go out for ski adventures and play games, like tag or limbo under ski poles, or make human slalom runs or obstacle courses. Learning happens naturally while the kids have fun.” Why race? “I’m not competitive, I just like to do interesting things. It’s a great way to explore a new area, and somebody else puts out food and water, so I don’t have to stash my own.” On being a mom: “For so many years I had taught other people’s kids to ski, and then I got to teach my own! My girls swim in the same pond I swam in as a kid, play in the same trees and do the same jobs that my brother, Sam, and I did: helping skiers with rental equipment, passing out trail maps, mingling with guests at the lodge.” — Janet Essman Franz // photos by Mike Hitelman
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