The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
From never-evers to veteran racers, there’s a Nordic or skimo program for you
By Cayla Vidmar
The 2018/19 Nordic ski season began with “the biggest ever” Thanksgiving Camp, hosted by Crested Butte Nordic (CBN). CBN, which has been around since 1987, is ramping up for another season with seven new masters programs and skimo programs, and non-profit collaborations to expand the network of skiers in the community.
“The masters program is designed for mere mortals who didn’t grow up on skis to get more direction and consistent instruction from our PSIA [Professional Ski Instructors of America]-certified instructors,” says Christie Hicks, CBN executive director. Don’t let the name “masters” fool you though. These programs are for “never-ever skiers, poop-loop lappers, weekend warriors and veteran racers,” according to the program guide.
There are four levels of masters programs, ranging from level one to the original masters performance group, which Hicks says has been around for a few years, and sends experienced skiers on twice-weekly 10K+ jaunts. “Level four is for people training to do the Alley Loop, or extreme fitness,” says Hicks. Both classic skiing and skate skiing are offered in these programs.
New this year are the levels one through three masters programs, which, according to Hicks, were developed to “address the recreational and aspiring Nordic skier.” Hicks says, “Most of us in the Crested Butte area will get out on cross country skis now and then, but many of us ‘walk on skis’ or struggle through an inefficient and ineffective ‘skate’ technique.” She says these programs were developed for the local community to work on skills needed to truly enjoy Nordic skiing.
The level one through three masters programs run weekly lessons for six weeks, for $90. Each program is offered three times a season, in the early season starting in November, mid-season starting in January and late season starting in mid-February. Each program offers multiple days and times throughout the week to fit the participants’ schedules. “Masters is meant to be an affordable way to get consistent practice with dedicated instruction,” says Hicks.
The level one program is for those who have skied only a handful of times in the past, who have participated in the “Learn to Ski for Free clinics” hosted by CBN, or in private lessons.
Level two is great for people with some experience, but only minimal instruction, or are looking to gain more fitness and get physically stronger in the sport. According to the program guide, this is a great option for people looking to gain more experience on uphill/downhill terrain, and for classic skiers looking to do more than “ski walk.”
Level three, Hicks says, “is meant for folks who can get around on most of our trails, like they’re really strong but can’t seem to keep up with people.” She says it’s great for people to get ready for the level four performance group, or who want to get ahead in the Alley Loop or the Grand Traverse.
If you can’t participate in the full six-week programs, the CBN also offers level two and three classic and skate skiing weekend clinics that include three hours of instruction, drills and video analysis to address specific issues for each skier.
For those who are Nordic or skate ski–curious, but don’t want to commit to a season pass, or masters program, there are the Learn to Ski for Free clinics. New this year, the program will be for both skate skiing and classic skiing. Each lesson is an hour, and the program begins with three sessions in December, five sessions in January and four sessions in February.
There is a natural progression from the master programs into the masters skimo program that CBN will be offering in the spring. “We’ve found that in skimo, the people with Nordic backgrounds seem to really excel in the sport,” says Hicks. Skimo is short for “ski-mountaineering,” which is a backcountry skiing sport utilizing lightweight gear for backcountry travel.
The winter Grand Traverse is one of the CBN signature races held annually in the spring, which takes skimo racers 40 miles between Crested Butte and Aspen.
“After the Alley Loop, we’ll have the masters skimo program for folks who want to focus on the Gothic Mountain Tour and the Grand Traverse, which are taught by Cam Smith, who is a five-time skimo national champion,” Hicks says. These weekend clinics will focus on technique and transitions, gear management and how to pack a Grand Traverse pack, and more.
This year, CBN is also partnering with community group Immigrantes Unidos to offer Spanish-language lessons for the immigrant population in the Gunnison Valley. Hicks explains this outreach as a way to further fulfill their mission: “To give individuals of all ages and abilities the opportunity to learn, enjoy and improve in the sports of cross country and snowshoeing.”
The staff at CBN began thinking about different “barriers to entry,” to identify factors that might keep people from learning to cross country ski or snowshoe. Among those obstacles are proper clothing and equipment, associated costs, access to information (with language being a barrier), and general knowledge of the sport.
What developed from this investigation was a grant to address the needs of English as a second language community that calls the Gunnison Valley home. This includes five days of group programming throughout the winter, which will provide transportation, equipment, trail passes, and translated instruction, along with some clothing that will be made available to future participants.
Hicks is eager to expand this kind of community involvement, saying, “We look forward to extending this outreach effort to other groups, so reach out anytime. Any non-profit that wants to have a day on our trails is welcome. We try to work within their budget and it’s usually really easy for kids’ groups because kids always ski free.”
By offering affordable masters programs, low-cost season passes, which include free rentals, and outreach to non-profits and minority groups, the CBN is expanding their reach and helping to bring cross country skiing and snowshoeing to more people. Information can be found at CBNordic.org.
