This Saturday Feb 8, join Grand Nordic for the 7th Annual Ranch2Ranch cross-country point-to-point ski trek from Snow Mountain Ranch to Granby Ranch via the Fraser to Granby Trail. Enjoy the 12 Km trek or ski 24 km-out and back for no extra charge! The Trek features some of the best scenery in Grand County with open vistas of Blue Ridge and the Continental Divide as well as intimate passages thru groves of aspen and conifers! Skate, classic, touring skis and snowshoes are welcome. Snowshoers should plan on starting by 9:30 to avoid cut off times. Rental equipment is available at Snow Mtn Ranch and must be returned there as well.
Park at the Montana Lot at Granby Ranch and a bus will shuttle people to Snow Mountain Ranch Nordic Center departing at 830am and 930am. Remember, there is NO SHUTTLE BACK TO SNOW MOUNTAIN RANCH!. Or park at Snow Mountain Ranch, go to second floor of Nordic Center to register and get your bib, and ski over to Granby Ranch and then ski back to your car at SMR. You can then drive to Granby Ranch to turn in your bib at the Grand Nordic tent at the base lodge and pick up your voucher for lunch at the Grill, your wrist bracelet for $3.00 beers at the Grill, and be able to get a Nordic trail pass to ski the rest of the day on the Granby Ranch Nordic trails. Please remember that turning in your bib is a safety issue indicating that you are off course and finished skiing. Or turn it in at an aid station if you decide to drop out… Registration at Snow Mountain is open from 9am until 1030am. This is a trek at your own leisure with no timing provided.
Two aid stations will provide Gatorade, water, cookies, fruit and energy bars plus some medical supplies. First station is at Tim’s Tunnel under Hwy 40 and second station is at bottom of Rabbit Run joining High Road in Val Moritz. Brian Mountain Patrol is providing medical services along the route as well as sweep.
Directional signage is being posted all week before the Trek but the course is open. We will try to get it packed and tracked as best we can with all the fantastic snow Mother Nature hopefully will be sending our way next week. The grooming teams from Granby Ranch and Snow Mountain Ranch meet at Tim’s Tunnel and the trail is cat groomed all the way. Conditions should be fantastic!
A choice of hot beef sandwich or a vege wrap plus chips, cookie, and water bottle at Granby Ranch Grill is included with registration. All proceeds will benefit youth XC skiing here in Grand County. Registration is $40 for Grand Nordic Members / $55 Non Members. Register online at grandnordic.org until Friday 5pm. Onsite registration the day of the trek is an additional $5. For more information, call Diana Lynn at 970-887-0547 or email [email protected].
Winter is here with a force! The recent snows make me think of old times when every winter was like this. Maybe best when snow is deep in high country and maybe not where we have to shovel day after day. But then I am telling my age…
But this fluffy white stuff is the heart of our economy. It is the reason we live here in this winter wonderland! And this year, we feel blessed. Grand Nordic’s mission is to promote all aspects of Nordic skiing in Grand County. We want to see people outside enjoying this world we live in and feeling comfortable in this environment. We start the preschool with appropriate Nordic gear to let the kids learn to slide and glide. We support Learn to ski programs on the Elementary level. We support the Middle School and High School Nordic teams as well as programs at the Nordic Centers who teach the kids both to ski and to compete along with the discipline needed to succeed. The top step of that progression is to support the Competition Center Nordic program where training is available to attain the highest level of competition. Then we go back to train the trainers and offer a coaches clinic each year to go over new skills and techniques to make sure our local coaches are on the same wavelength and give them a chance to up their own skills. The change in the performance of our kids has been amazing!
MPHS and EGMS Home Race
Last weekend, the home race for the MPHS and EGMS was hosted at Snow Mountain Ranch on a beautiful Colorado bluebird day! The event was live-streamed via drone by a volunteer from the Grand County Sheriff’s Dept thanks to the MP Booster Club. The locals came out in force to volunteer providing a wonderful, well-run event for the 14 schools that attended.
Our kids did not disappoint – the boys took first place across the board while the girls had a wonderful showing as well. Many personal bests were recorded for the likes of Kimo Sulivan who won the 5k Skate for High School Men (we had 3 in the top 7!) and Dan Jensen who took second in the 3.5k Middle School Mens Classic. In fact, almost half of the top 20 finishers in the Middle School 3.5k Classic were East Grand boys! We just need more girls racing as Sylvia Brower, Liz Hammond, Maggie Barker and Anna Lantermans and were holding their own against the other girls. Seniors Emily Deplata, Kimo Sullivan, Sebastian Brower, Selena Stoncius and Vinny Troccoli shined in their final home race.
Congrats to Maire Sullivan and the entire crew of volunteers for a race well-run and totally organized. It was an inspiration to all the almost 300 kids that competed and their families that were here to cheer them on. What a tribute to our past and current coaches who mostly volunteer their time with these kids. Good luck to all of them at State Ski Championships Feb 27 and 28 in Maloit Park in Minturn!
