Hometown Hero Frank Muller

By Matt Parker:

Frank Muller hasn’t had a regular schedule for the last quarter-century.

There would be days when he’d wake up before two in the morning, brave the cold with as much winter weather gear as possible and get to work.

Other times it would be in the middle of the afternoon with the sun shining down, merely a facade to blanket the cold and wet conditions, but he didn’t mind.

For the last 25 years, Muller’s irregular schedule was an act of public service. A labor of love. An excuse to, at first, give the opportunity for his then adolescent daughters to experience Nordic skiing, but then it grew into a year-round purpose.

Since the mid-’90s, Muller has groomed the grounds at White Farm and Memorial Field for the skiing community in Concord and surrounding areas. Muller, originally from New Jersey, was introduced first to Alpine skiing as a high schooler and then went to Dartmouth College, where his love for the sport grew even more.

When his family relocated to Concord because his wife accepted a position as a physician, Muller found himself with time on his hands as a mostly stay-at-home dad. White Farm used to have a touring center maintained by the Concord School District where Muller would take his daughters to ski.

With the future of the trails in question after the school stopped operations, including the grooming and maintenance, Muller started asking questions.

“I ended up meeting with representatives from the Capital Ski and Outing Club, and the Concord School District about taking over grooming the trails, because I was interested in having there be a Nordic ski team at Concord High when my kids were in high school,” he said. “So I figured I’d try it out, and it just snowballed from there.”

Not only do the Crimson Tide have a flourishing Nordic program, but they long have practiced at the very locations that Muller has dedicated his time to maintaining and preparing. Concord High and Rundlett students aren’t the only ones to enjoy Muller’s efforts, however, as the trails are free to the public.

Over the years, Muller has created and maintained more than just skiing trails, but also public multi-use trails for anyone who merely wants to take a walk or ride a bicycle.

It might look like an operation that only lasts a few months of the year, but Muller said the behind-the-scenes work is nearly year-round.

“It’s hundreds of hours a year,” he said.

“In the summer we line up the equipment maintenance, we have snowmobiles, an ATV and all of that stuff needs to be serviced in the fall, so we stay on top of it during the summer.”

The past few years, Muller had been wanting a successor to take his place. The torch was officially passed to Brad Cilley, a Concord High and UNH graduate, who knew that once he retired from his position as a global marketing expert, he wanted to take over.

He would have started sooner than this winter season, but his job had him as a global traveler with limited time in Concord. Now, alongside Steve Hyndman, Cilley has nothing but time to make sure that the trails are met with the same care that they’ve had for so long.

“Pretty short,” Cilley said about the conversation between him and Muller about taking over. “I told him that I had retired and he told me when to show up to groom.”

Muller, who’s been spending his winter mostly in Vermont so far, still is involved with the grooming. While he doesn’t head out at five in the morning or fiddle with snowmobiles or ATVs, he receives phone calls often with questions from his successor.

Cilley knows that he’s taking over for a giant in the skiing community, whether or not people even knew who gave them smooth trails at no cost.

“His impact has spanned a generation of young skiers,” Cilley said.

“The youth programs all started at White Farm when Frank started grooming. The high school ski team continues to use the trails at White Farm for their skiing. It’s really a Nordic skiing community, and Frank put that on his shoulders.”

His commitment led to years of enjoyment for the people of Concord.

“He’s just been there doing this, he’s been the one constant for the Nordic skiing community,” Cilley said. “A lot of people may not know him, but they’ve certainly benefited from his dedication to it.”