Owl Creek Chase

On Saturday, we went upvalley to watch Owl Creek Chase, part of the Aspen Nordic Festival. For our new skiers, this was a great chance to see some high-caliber racers doing their thing. It was a beautiful Colorado day. Exciting racing, good snow, smiles all around.

The top men's Elite class finishers. 

Sam and Hannes showing their joy at seeing these races.

Mima, Tamsin, and Maggie soaking up the sun's rays (and watching the races between snowball fights.)

Tromping.

Last week, the esteemed Elliot Norquist took the team on a tour through the Marion Gulch and Aspen Gulch areas behind Spring Gulch. We followed a trail broken in by Elliot and Will Perry, who lives on his ranch just down the road. We parked at the snowmobilers parking lot at Marion and waxed up our classic skis with a bit of special violet (on the sticky side, so as to get good grip tromping through the woods). Though the way was windy and meanandered, we ended up all in one piece on the Finlandia trail. From there, we skied south on Finlandia and had an epic downhill session on Big Dipper. Snow, skis, smiles.


Waxing up at the TH. Sam (on the left) decided that he should go against convention and use his skate skis for a classic tour. Whatever.

Tromping through the woods. At this point is was unclear where we were headed, but smiles still prevailed.

At the old coke ovens (mining history, anybody?) below Aspen Gulch.


Mima beaming with Sopris shining. Elliot, on the right: our trusty guide.

Thanks everybody!

Nordic Season 2008-2009! A new year.

Welcome to the new season, dearest friends of the nordic persuasion. I apologize for not getting the blog rolling sooner, but there have been:
1. Camera troubles (and nobody likes a blog without pictures)
2. Too many good skiing days and not enough good blogging days
3. A busy [and awesome] year so far

Well, it's begun. Two returning skiers and a healthy batch of newbies make up our team this year. We are on a path of exploration, on a journey of seeking out the best nordic ski racing has to offer. Spring gulch is skiing as well as I have ever seen it, the sun is shining, and our skis are in good shape.

Except for a few broken poles (thanks, Tamsin) and a broken binding or two, we are running at 100%. Stay tuned.
-Hannes

The season, 'tis ending....

It is no easy task to dive headlong into the pain cave day after day, race after race, but this year’s Nordic ski team pulled it off in style. From long, epic snowstorm days up at Spring Gulch to exploring the remote regions of Colorado’s ski race circuit, our determination never waivered. This year was the first year of Nordic skiing for Jin-Yeop, Linnea, and Hilary and they picked up the sport quickly, thanks in large part to Mark Clark and his keen eye for converting ordinary mild-mannered teenagers into ski racing machines.
Catie and Mo took the step up to the race team from the recreational team this year and showed that they were not afraid of racing or hard workouts. Returning super-champion seniors Molly and Zoe exhibited a love for skiing that takes several years to acquire, but can last a lifetime. Nothing makes me happier than to send off a couple of senior skiers who I know will take their skis (and klister) with them over the next horizon. And Ross explored the depths of toughness, tearing up his knee halfway through the season but still staying involved with the team. These kids have lived Nordic racing and been a grand inspiration to their coaches.

Fun Day with the Nordic Wolves

Today we were invited to go ski a few laps with the Nordic Wolves (the local youth ski club). It was cold and windy out, but there were a ton of smiles. The CRMS skiers were coaches for a day!

Zoe imparting her knowledge.

Molly inspiring the youth of America.

Linnea showing the kiddos how to skate, even though she just learned this year!

Future nordic racers!!

CHSAA #3-4: Leadville Pursuit!

I got in trouble today with one of the volunteers on the race course. She was a Leadville local and she kindly asked me how my day was going. I said, "The kids are racing, the skis are fast, and it's a beautiful day for Leadville!". Well, she took offense to that, as if I were implying that Leadville is not always a beautiful place to live. I clarified by saying, "What I mean is, I brought 8 jackets to this race and I am only wearing 2 of them."

So all town politics aside, we got lucky with a warm and clear day up in a place that is known for its brutal winter weather. In fact, it was so beautiful that I forgot my camera so there are no pictures.

But the kids did great. Ross was a little disappointed in his first leg and so he stepped it up and totally crushed the second leg to move up in the standings. Linnea had a smile on her face after her first race ever, and Molly and Hilary both skied hard to represent the Oysters on the trails. Zoe showed her potential and her fitness from fall running and put her mark high on the result sheet.

All in all, a great day. We stayed the night before the race at a B&B called "Mountain Hideaway". The owners, Ed and Peri, were super friendly and cooked us about 2oo pancakes in the morning. If you are ever in Leadville, stay there!

EPIC! What a day.

ep·ic
–adjective Also, ep·i·cal.
1. noting or pertaining to a long poetic composition, usually centered upon a hero, in which a series of great achievements or events is narrated in elevated style: Homer's Iliad is an epic poem.
2. resembling or suggesting such poetry: an epic novel on the founding of the country.
3. heroic; majestic; impressively great
4. of unusually great size or extent: a crime wave of epic proportions.

Today was the best day so far this season. Glorious blue skis, an up-valley breeze, and perfect temps. The snow is cold, dry, crystally, and smooth. We skied Finlandia under the great shoulders of Mount Sopris and the Elk Mountains and finished it all off with a game of "What Time Is It, Mr. Fox?". Epic. Thanks to the CRMS skiers for inspiring all of this: Ross, Mo, Molly, Zoe, Hilary, Catie, Linnea, and Jin-Yeop.

Another day in paradise.
Skiing! Love it!