The Nordic News

The snow is flying with more to come, trails are fully open, and the fun just doesn’t stop. We have events happening nearly every week through February, including races, Sunday Yurt Bistros, Yurt Trivia nights, and quite possibly the most eclectic nordic marathon weekend of all time, the world-famous Alley Loop. So, mark your calendars and make room to have a good time with your friends at CB Nordic.

The Alley Loop is just around the corner on February 4! Whether you’re gearing up to race your first marathon, forming a team to compete in the Club Clash, or just getting ready to shuffle around in a group of costume coordinated friends, it’s time to start planning for this iconic ski race.

New this year, CB Nordic is teaming up with CBMBA to bring you the Alley Loop Fat Bike Race. On Friday, Feb. 3, fat bikers will start and finish in front of the Eldo on a special Alley Loop style course that takes them out of town headed west to the Red Lady Loop trails and back. Fat bikes are allowed on these trails during this event only, so join in for some novel track before it returns to skiers only. Registration is at 3 p.m., race begins at 4:30 p.m., lights required while on course. The Eldo is generously supplying beer for contestants at the finish line.

In addition to the Alley Loop, we have a number of fun and festive winter activities coming up. Read on for all that’s happening in the CB Nordic world!

A quick reminder about our trails and how to stay in good relationships with our neighbors. Our trails are almost entirely on private property or Land Trust land with only a small percentage dipping into USFS and BLM administered land. In order to keep access to all this beauty, we need to respect our easements and stay on the trails. Skiing off-trail often means you’re skiing in someone’s backyard. Please help protect access to these amazing experiences by staying on trail and following all posted signage. If you enjoy our trail system, we need your help to protect it.

Join us for Trivia Night at the Magic Meadows Yurt. Our next Trivia Night is happening on February 15, from, from 6 – 10 p.m. Pre-registration is required; $40 cost covers admission, a trail pass, pizza, appetizers, non-alcoholic beverages, and one entry to the ticketed giveaway. There will be a cash bar for alcoholic beverages. Our first Trivia Night kicked-off with a bang last night. If you couldn’t make it, be sure to pencil in the next two on February 15 and March 15. See you at the Yurt!

The fourth race in our Pinnacle Orthopedics Community Race Series is coming up this Saturday, Jan. 21. This race will be held at Town Ranch. Bib pick up begins at 9 a.m., followed by the fun 1K and 3K races for the kiddos at 9:30. The adult’s race starts at 10 a.m. and this time we’re bumping it up to a 15K freestyle. This will be your last opportunity to brush up on your race strategy before the big Alley Loop weekend. So come on down and get into it!

If you haven’t heard, the Alley Loop Nordic Marathon weekend is in sight. Whether racing, spectating, or volunteering, you won’t want to miss this entertaining and iconic race on Saturday, Feb. 4. Pre-registration is required for this event and can be done online at Race Roster. Racers, be sure you’re registered for your preferred distance and discipline. Once registered, you will receive a registration confirmation email from that lists pertinent details of your event. If you have not registered yet, do it today. For those who participate by cheering and supporting, events kick off at 9 a.m. and the entertainment continues into the afternoon. However you choose to participate, a hand-craft, clever, or just abundantly colorful costume is encouraged. You won’t want to arrive underdressed!

CB Nordic simply doesn’t work without the thousands of volunteer hours you all put in each year. Thank you for stepping up, event after event, program after program, to keep our skis gliding! This year’s Alley Loop is no exception. If you’re not interested in testing the mettle of your nordic technique whether in costume, racing spandex, or both, we would be delighted for you and your friends to join us as volunteers. We are looking for folks to help with post-race clean up, course marshaling, finish support, and the soup tent. We have positions you can do and race, and positions you can do instead of racing. Be part of CB’s best party of the year! To sign up, please email Shay at [email protected].

Learning to ski can be daunting and is often best enjoyed with some professional instruction to get you started off on the right foot, literally. Fortunately, your community at CB Nordic can help you out with that. For FREE! We have several more opportunities for you to pick-up some skill in nordic ski technique in our Learn to Ski FREE program including a Skate only clinic this Friday, Jan. 20. Join in on this unique opportunity to learn some basic skills to help you glide the distance. You might even find a good ski buddy to practice your new skills with. More info on the Masters page on our website.

Local studio Thrive Yoga is teaming up with CB Nordic to bring you Yoga for Nordic Skiers, a series of yoga inspired classes focused on stretching and strengthening the nordic ski body to keep you supple and strong all season long. Classes are held on Mondays from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. at the Thrive studio at 326 Elk Ave. Three more classes are available in this series; drop-ins are welcome at the regular $22 class price and punch passes do apply. Get strong, get supple, get balanced with the joy of yoga. Sign up on Mindbody or call the Thrive Studio at 970.596.6667.

The 17th Annual Gothic Mountain Tour is coming up just two short weeks after the Alley Loop. This 22 mile race leaves from Town Ranch at 6 a.m. to circumnavigate Gothic Mountain before dropping down into Slate River Valley and finishing at the Magic Meadows Yurt. This event is almost sold out for this year; if you’re doing the Grand Traverse or simply interested in participating, the GMT is a great intro and prep race. If you’d like to be in the mix without actually doing the race, we need volunteers for registration assistance, shuttle driving, and finish timing at the yurt. Interested volunteers, please email Shay at [email protected].

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Crested Butte Nordic depends on your support to keep our trails world-class and our programs top-notch. Thank you for all the time, energy, and money you donate to make us a true community nordic center.