Surviving January

The third week in January is always a check-in point for me.

We've had cold temperatures for couple months now, my Sorrells are permanently damp, the icicles are starting to take over our house, and I realize that we're only half way through the winter season in Colorado. Each year around this time I ask myself : "Can I make it?" "Where did that giant jar of hot chocolate go?" "What's Costa Rica like this time of year?"

For me, being part of the Nordic community and skiing with a competitive team ensures a 97% winter survival rate. (I figure the only way I won't make it to April this year is if one of the icicles threatening my house eventually breaks through the window and shoots straight into my heart. You should see them- definitely a 3% chance of happening).

Skiing with the CRMS nordic team gives us a chance to sweat, laugh, travel, and sometimes most importantly-work hard! This winter ritual, and the special moments along the way, are what keep me skiing until the last snow melts away. Here's a list of some treasures from the past couple weeks.

1) Nordic Team Superhero Friday (or in my case Saturday- see the photo below)

2) Skiing on Thompson Creek last Tuesday with Will and Judy Perry

3) Lina Sutro's second place finish in the Middle School 3k classic race at Vail on Saturday

4) Feeling the winter sun on my face while skiing up to Finlandia

5) Lady GaGa's "Poker Face"

6) The determination of Tamsin and Emily to finish the races at Vail despite injuries and taking a hit to their pride

7) The group of 5 skiers and Nick who represented CRMS at the RMD race in Durango on Jan 14.

8) Watching former CRMS ski coach Rob Stein ski with the team once again during last weekend's Saturday practice and time trial.

9) The Reese's candy hearts that Elliot always surprises us with after a long ski.

10) Watching wipe-outs on the steep downhills and wiping-out myself on steep downhills


The Vail race results can be found through a link on the right. A big thank you to Sandy Deveny for the great photos included with this post. We're headed off this Friday to Devil's Thumb (Winter Park area) for our next CHSSA race. More details to follow.