The warming sun is starting to cut our Nordic season short. When we get a good cold night into the teens or single digits, we have wonderful conditions for Crust skiing which is a treasure for Nordic skiers forced to follow the tracks all season. Suddenly they are free to go anywhere. It’s already happened a couple times this season! Skate skiing is the best propulsion, but I still use classic as well to practice my tight turns and telemark edges. After a very cold night, the surface may still be pretty hard so you might need to wait until it softens up a bit and your ski edge (even regular track skis!) can dig in for great control. Don’t forget your sunscreen!
But we’re holding our breath to see if we get another good snowstorm as predicted. That fresh snow would have to melt then refreeze in a layer thick enough to support your weight for crust skiing to happen again. And who knows what we’ll get by the end of March and early April if we keep doing snow dances.
The snow was fantastic for the Stampede Skate and Classic races last weekend with a pretty good combo of enough snow, good temps and forgiving sun well handled by Shawn and David, the master groomers at Snow Mtn Ranch. I’ll have a summary of those two fantastic days next week.
While we are holding our breath, let’s look back at this crazy season. We set up Nordic schedules and programs in August and almost every weekend was full of events. The volunteer Grand County Nordic Race Committee headed by Greg Finnoff created a series of eight races and each went off without a hitch with the weather mostly cooperating. At least this year the snow was on time (Yeah!) and then the January thaw hit and we had to hope that the snow would last. Greg and his team of timers consistently turned in a wonderful up-to-the-minute performance that, at SMR, was projected on the big screen right after each racer finished. Greg, Odd Bersvendson, Cheryl Allen, and Shawn Otterson worked out courses and procedures at Snow Mtn Ranch and Granby Ranch that flowed, were well-signed, and were always well-received by the racers with additional race series publicity and support from Grand Nordic. We were lucky enough to use the Campers Hub building at SMR again and we took advantage of great grooming and state-of-the-art facilities and really put on a show for each race held there. Devils Thumb continues their own race program, again with many helpers, and Granby Ranch is getting more involved in their Nordic world. Whether it is Grand Nordic, Colorado Nordic Masters, the Winter Park Competition Center, Colorado Biathlon or the individual Nordic Centers, we try to provide the leadership but we depend on community helpers. Most important – all these people – both committee members and helpers – are volunteers.
Grand County runs on volunteers, good volunteers, in so many organizations and non-profits. Grand Nordic is no exception. Our entire board is volunteer. Many of us have been on the Board since 1993 when Grand Nordic united the many Nordic organizations in the county for more impact for the sport. Our love of this healthy lifetime sport has touched so many lives in the last 30 years, but only with the help of hundreds of volunteers. Some people work on our websites – grandnordic.org and skigrandnordic.org, some help at events, some help teach at free lessons, some help by writing grants to support the organization, or by donating used equipment that we pass on to others who can’t afford equipment, or by donating gift certificates or prizes to provide incentives to those learning or racing. The list goes on. We need every person who hands out cookies or oranges at an aid station, who responds when we say we desperately need course marshals, or who cleans out their garage and takes their unwanted equipment to our donation boxes at the Granby or Fraser Libraries instead of throwing it away. Use and reuse. Share your knowledge. Promote, be promoted, do a good job and have pride in what you do, appreciate and be appreciated. Grand County is so lucky to have both knowledgeable leadership in so many areas and a wealth of fantastic volunteers.
Thank you one and all! It’s been a great season that will end all too soon.
