Last weekend at the Notchview Reservation in Windsor, the groomed trails were as good as any snow I've been cross-country skiing on in years. The parking lot was full, but it was easy to find solitude in the woods. Better still, for us classical-style skiers, the snow was so cold that we could use green wax, an easier grip-and-glide combination than you get with warmer snow and softer wax.

Think Windsor (or Northfield Mountain, or the DAR forest) is too far to drive? Try Fitzgerald Lake. Park on Cooke Ave. or North Farms Road, step into the skis, and in a minute you're in one of those amazing Northampton places where wilderness is only two steps away from downtown. Enough capable skiers have been around the lake and neighboring pastures since the last snowfall to create good tracks.

This weather gives a splendid boost to the Amherst Regional Nordic Ski Team, now in its third year and already competitive with the snow-rich schools in the Berkshires. Coached by science teacher Nathaniel Woodruff, a former Maine state Nordic ski champion, and assistant Brent Marquard, the Hurricanes have placed second in the boys competitions at all four meets this season # Dec. 31 and Jan. 9 at Prospect Mountain in Vermont, Jan. 17 at Mohawk Regional in Buckland, and a race last Saturday at Mt. Greylock High School in Williamstown.

Mt. Greylock is the powerhouse, its boys and girls teams winning every meet and usually sweeping the top spots. The Amherst boys, however, have emerged as the team for everyone else to try to beat. On its home course, Greylock took the first six boys places, scoring a perfect 10 (the total of the first four finishers' places, with low score winning), but Amherst, led by Nat Jeffries and Sidney Field, handily beat third place Wahconah, 39 to 68, with Hoosac Valley, Mohawk, Lenox, Simsbury and Taconic trailing.

The Amherst girls placed fifth, edging Wahconah by five points.

Races alternate between classical and freestyle ("skating"). This Saturday, Amherst hosts a classical meet at Notchview, starting at 9:30 a.m. Spectators are encouraged. Notchview hosts a skating race on Feb. 5, with a race at Greylock the following weekend and the state championships at Notchview on Feb. 15.

The newest development for the Hurricanes is the arrival of a snowmobile and groomer, thanks to a Recreational Trails Grant from the state, plus funds raised locally. It will be used on the Cherry Hill Golf Course, where the team practices. Other skiers can also enjoy the benefits.

Nordic skiers are an eclectic bunch. Jesse Harris, a senior on the Amherst team, plays ultimate in the other seasons. The hardcore runners, it seems, have turned to snowshoe racing.

Like Nordic skiing, western Mass. snowshoeing got off to an iffy start in December's subtropical weather. Ed Alibozek of Suffield, Conn., who coordinates races in the region, emailed after scouting conditions in Savoy Mountain State Forest for a Jan. 2 event, "I am concerned about the warm temperatures and the rain expected. We have about 8 inches of snow in the woods, but it may evaporate. Here is what I suggest # stay home and skip the race tomorrow."

Twenty-five people showed up anyway for that one and had a wonderful time stomping through the wet snow and gulping hot chocolate afterwards. Among that group was Laurel Shortell of Northampton, probably the steadiest snowshoe competitor in New England.

According to Alibozek's records, Shortell has not missed a snowshoe race in the Western Mass. series since 2002. Her streak of consecutive starts is well over 100. Further, on snowshoes she regularly beats people who finish well ahead of her in a footrace.

"Some people are better snowshoers," said Alibozek this week. "They're more efficient."

Top local snowshoe contenders include two couples # Northampton High School cross country coaches Ross and Ashley Kraus, and Tim and Abby Mahoney of Holyoke. In the pack you'll also find Randy Zucco of Florence, Bob Massaro of Chicopee, Paul Bazanchuk of Amherst and Walt Kolodzinski of Florence.

One thing Alibozek says has raised snowshoeing's appeal for runners is the newer, smaller shoes. Those fat wood-framed snowshoes long ago gave way to compact aluminum frames, which are designed for running smoothly on groomed paths # but which can sink farther into unpacked snow.

Depending on conditions, a snowshoe race may be much slower than a footrace. Last weekend in Lanesboro, the winning time for a 3.8-mile course was 42 minutes.

John Stifler, who writes a regular column about running and other sports, can be reached at jstifler@econs.umass.edu.