Summit County's other skiing
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- Created on Wednesday, 29 December 2010 17:55
- Written by Dave Philipps
Photo by Bryan Oller, The Gazette
By DAVE PHILIPPS, THE GAZETTE
Summit County is synonymous with skiing.
Perched high in the central Rockies, it’s home to four popular downhill ski areas that account for about a third of all skier visits in Colorado each winter. In almost every valley, the pine-covered mountainsides are cut by the long, white trains of manicured slopes.
But Summit is the king of another kind of skiing that often goes unnoticed: cross-country skiing. The county has four cross-country, or Nordic, ski centers with a combined 73 miles of trails and gets plenty of storms to keep them stocked with snow. It’s the best place in Colorado to get your Nordic on.
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“You can cross-country ski in Colorado Springs, but usually only a few days a year,” said Bob Otlin, a devoted Nordic skier who lives on Colorado Springs’ west side. He’s one of those anonymous fanatics who leave early morning parallel tracks across the city’s bike paths and parks on those rare days when there is enough snow.
When he needs to feed his cross-country jones, he heads to Summit. Earlier this month Otlin strapped his skis on at the Breckenridge Nordic Center, tucked in the forest between the town and the ski resort.
“I love it,” he said. “There is a grace to it. It’s so silent and quick.”
Nordic skiing has changed steadily over the years. Forget those long, heavy skis of yore and the floppy boots that resembled duck-billed bowling shoes. Today’s Nordic setups are sleek and light. They range in style from backcountry touring skis with metal edges and a hint of sidecut that make turning a breeze, to narrow, snappy skate skis designed to zip along groomed paths.
Summit has trails for both, and terrain to suit all kinds of skiers.
The Breckenridge Nordic Center is the granddaddy of them all. Matt Dayton, whose family owns and runs the center, and also runs the Frisco Nordic Center six miles north, says the skiers that use the trails run the gamut from beginner to hardcore.
“For tourists, it is real common for them to come and snowshoe here after a few days of skiing. It is something anyone can learn quickly and the families can do together.
“But we also have a lot of people who come on a family ski vacation and will not want to learn to downhill ski with the rest of the family,” Dayton said. “So they come and learn a different sport with us.”
Summit’s vast network of trails is also a playground where the fitness elite keep their heart rates up during the long winter closure of hiking and biking trails.
On a recent morning, Sherryl Gordon, a first-timer from Oklahoma, was gingerly shuffling on new skis when Monique Merrill, a world champion adventure racer and ski mountaineer, zoomed past at what seemed like mach speed.
Speed is a relative thing when it comes to skiing. The potential momentum at a Nordic center is paltry compared with even the green runs at neighboring downhill resorts, but it can be just as thrilling. Small hills seem bigger when your boot stops at your ankle and your skis are narrower than your foot. And there is something appealing beyond speed that draws so many people to cross-country skiing. The silence of gliding through a snowy forest with no sound other than your breath and the chirp of a few hearty birds is a joy. It is one of the best ways to appreciate winter in Colorado.
Each Summit County Nordic center has its own advantages. Breckenridge is big on hills and sheltered by trees. Gold Run Nordic Center takes over the town golf course in winter, and is relatively flat, open and sunny.
Frisco Nordic Center, on a peninsula jutting into Lake Dillon, is somewhere in between, with more of a local flavor because it is not right next to a ski resort.
Keystone Nordic Center is also on a golf course, so it is rolling and relatively mellow, but its location offers a chance to access forest roads and trails that go for uncounted miles.
“You can never get bored up here, there is so much terrain,” said Otlin, who estimates he comes to Summit to ski 12 times per winter.
“And you never have to wait in a lift line. Even on crowded days, places like this seem empty.”
Summit County’s Nordic gems
Breckenridge Nordic Center
breckenridgenordic.com
Rolling forest with big climbs and descents for skiers who want a challenge. Plenty of beginner terrain, too.
20 miles of trail
$17 day pass
$17 ski rentals
Frisco Nordic Center
frisconordic.com
Rolling, open forest with quick climbs and descents. Beginner to expert terrain.
28 miles of trail $17 day pass
$17 ski rentals
Gold Run Nordic Center
townofbreckenridge.com
A flat, open golf course, perfect for people who don’t like hills.
13.5 miles of trail $17 day pass
$17 ski rentals
Keystone Nordic Center
keystoneresort.com
A rolling golf course, open, but with some hills.
9 miles of trail
$11 day pass
$19 ski rental
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