Every winter in Jeffersonville, near Smuggler’s Notch, the hills come alive with the sound of heavy breathing, snowshoes, and musket fire. Those are the sounds of the Primitive Biathlon: the original, and largest, event of its kind in the country. Participants use wooden snowshoes to get around the two mile course. And they take 9 shots with black-powder muskets at four different stations on the course. Period costume from the 1700s is encouraged, but not required. This past weekend marked the 13th annual event and VPR’s Jane Lindholm went up to check it out.
Photo: Jane Lindholm