In temperatures of -18C, the Amtrak Vermonter pulls into Waterbury Station, Vermont - the nearest station to the ski resort town of Stowe Photograph: www.simonakam.comThe descendant of the 1930s Snow Trains that first opened up the mountains of New England to skiers, the Vermonter runs daily between Washington DC and St Alban'sPhotograph: Simon Akam/www.simonakam.comThe Stowe Community Church in the centre of town - classic New England architecturePhotograph: Simon Akam/www.simonakam.comAs the sun rises, mountain guide Mark Puleio traverses the flanks of Mount Mansfield on the way to the start of the Teardrop Trail, part of the public works done by the Civilian Conservation Corps as part of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal to get people back to work during the Great Depresssion Photograph: Simon Akam/www.simonakam.comThe Teardrop Trail is one of the classic backcountry ski descents in the eastern United StatesPhotograph: www.simonakam.comBeneath the Forehead summit of Mt Mansfield, the highest peak in VermontPhotograph: Simon Akam/www.simonakam.comTo experience the trails in the original spirit, you have to wear touring skis with an adjustable binding that can unclip at the heel, and "skins" to stop you slipping backwards on ascentsPhotograph: Simon Akam/www.simonakam.comThe red strips on the underside of the skis are made of nylon and mohair. Skins are smooth one way and rough the other, and allow the skier to move uphill without sliding back down. Back in the 30s, seal skin would have been usedPhotograph: Simon Akam/www.simonakam.comThe experience of skiing these 70-year-old trails is totally removed from a typical resort run. The Teardrop twists and chicanes down the hillside, always wide enough to ski, but in some places narrow enough for the branches to knit together overheadPhotograph: Simon Akam/www.simonakam.comThe descent is 610 vertical metres (2,000ft) until the forest thins out from thick spruce to elegant pale birchPhotograph: www.simonakam.comAt the base of the adjoining Bruce Trail, a shorter descent than the Teardrop, but equally steepPhotograph: Simon Akam/www.simonakam.com
