It’s been said that I lack drive. This deficiency might explain why skiing without gravity’s pull appeals to me about as much as racing a car with an empty fuel tank.
Cross country skiing does have its place, however, outside the limits of my imagination.
In “the last great Colorado ski town,” residents and tourists alike not only enjoy cross country skiing along a 45-kilometer network of trails that are well maintained by the local Nordic center, but they also have been celebrating the überaerobic activity for years.
Two decades, to be precise.
The 20th annual takes place tomorrow in Crested Butte, situated roughly 28 miles north of Gunnison within the Elk Mountain Range. At this event, cross country skiers can choose from six different race lengths — 1K to 42K — along a route that starts amid the Victorian storefronts of the town’s main strip, weaves through the town’s historic district, advances to the Crested Butte Nordic Center’s trails in the midst of the Slate River Valley and finishes at the Elk Avenue starting point.
While the six race lengths appeal to various ages and adroitness, they also appeal to various approaches.
“Costumes are highly encouraged,” according to the Crested Butte Nordic Center, for those wishing to entertain the onlookers. There’s something in store for the more hardcore, too.
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CRESTED BUTTE’S ALLEY LOOP
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The Alley Loop’s 42K is a qualifying race for the Birkebeiner, North America’s largest cross country ski marathon that spans 51 kilometers in Wisconsin from the small communities of Cable to Hayward. Held each February, 9,000 skiers visit the three-day event, billed as the “Greatest Show on Snow.” With a strong showing in the Alley Loop, a skier can qualify to move up the starting waves at the “,” which is held this year on Feb. 25.
And if you prefer a frosty upper lip to a frosty ski tip, try taking in the Alley Loop from a perch on the porch of Brick Oven Pizzeria on Elk Avenue. There from noon to 4 p.m., you’ll find the inaugural “Taste of the Alley,” with brews from Fort Collins’ New Belgium Brewery and live music ($5 for racers; $10 for public).
It’s not too late to register for the event. You can sign up today from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce.
Advance planning not your cup of cocoa? No problem. You can also register on race day at the Chamber of Commerce from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.
An online exclusive that runs each Friday, examines the memorable, less visible and lighthearted aspects of Colorado’s sports landscape. DenverPost.com sports producer Bryan Boyle can be reached at bboyle@denverpost.com.
From the columns
“Greg Johnson has watched the Hahnenkamm downhill on television for years and imagined what it’s like to be there when the world’s best skiers risk life and limb for glory in front of 50,000 wild and crazy Austrians.”
From the mailbags
“Faceoffs are an issue with the Avs, in a negative way. The team was 25th in the league in winning them as of Saturday (48.5 percent). The loss of Andrei Nikolishin hurt the team in that department. I don’t think you’ll see the Avs go out looking for a guy just to win faceoffs, however, not in the new salary-cap environment.”
From the message boards
“T.O to Denver? I would hope Denver would learn from the past. Look at what T.O. did to a playoff qualitiy team. Have T.O. go play his style of football somewhere else. Football is a TEAM sport.” — Pawalski
From the online exclusives
Provided by Colorado Ski Country USA, this online report of snow conditions covers Colorado’s ski resorts. Information included: lifts open, new snow, mid-mountain depths, surface conditions and more.
A look back
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30 YEARS AGO: Bill Koch of Guilford, Vt., crosses the finish line to win the silver medal in the men’s 30-kilometer cross country skiing race in the Winter Olympics at Seefeld, Austria, on Feb. 5, 1976. Koch, at 1:30:57.84, was less than 30 seconds behind the Soviet gold-medal winner. Koch won the first and only medal for the U.S. at these games, and became the first U.S. skier to win an Olympic cross-country medal. |
