Yellowstone Ski Festival: A week away!
Thu, Nov 20, 2008 - By Sara Hoovler
The Yellowstone Ski Festival is less than one week away and will take place during Thanksgiving Week on November 25, 26, 27, 28, & 29, 2008 in West Yellowstone, Montana. The event’s highlights include a series of one, three and five day Nordic skiing clinics, the SuperTour races, the Try It and Buy It Equipment Demo and an Indoor Ski Show. We are finalizing the last minute details for the Yellowstone Ski Festival here in West Yellowstone. We have begun to see Nordic skiers in town and are looking forward to visiting with old friends and making new ones. If you have not been here before, The Yellowstone Ski Festival is the perfect opportunity to start off your cross country ski season. We offer many lessons, demos, and clinics for the novice Nordic skier. For those of you who are returning, we welcome you back. Ski, shop, and smile the entire week.
Old Man Winter is taking the scenic route to West Yellowstone again this year, but never fear, we will be ready for him when he lands. We need a few, measly inches of snow to bring the trails to competition quality shape. For those of you who have been with us down this road before, you know we have a secret weapon. If all else fails, we will enlist the help of local skiers in a bikini clad, ski burning, bike riding, OFFICIAL snow sacrifice. Currently this system has a 100% success rate.
The trail conditions as of today are good on the South Plateau. (see photos taken 11/17/08) This is a US Forest Service road higher in elevation than the Rendezvous Ski Trails. We have about 6 inches of packed snow and hope to groom on Wednesday or Thursday. The road to the South Plateau trail can be hazardous. There is little parking or place to turn around. Four wheel drive and snow tires are recommended. Please carpool, be respectful of other drivers, and don’t block the gate. The Rendezvous Ski Trails have snow, especially in the wooded areas. Bring your rock skis and expect spring-like conditions. The forecast is calling for snow starting on Thursday. Keep your fingers crossed, start the snow dances, and we will announce the second we begin grooming!
Ben Husaby to speak Friday night: We are excited to announce that Ben Husaby will be back in West Yellowstone and will be our featured speaker on Friday night, November 28. Ben has spent over twenty Thanksgivings in West Yellowstone and keeps coming back for more. His experience throughout the years as a member of the U.S. Ski Team, founding member of the Factory Team, former Olympian, and coach are sure to add insight to many Nordic skiers.
Fall Camp Clinics: The one day clinics are full on Friday and rapidly filling on Thursday and Saturday. However, there is still room in the three and five day clinics – please register soon! A registration form is available on the website. The clinics can be held on the South Plateau if necessary and there is currently enough snow to support them.
SuperTour Registration: Online registration is available. Register before Saturday, November 22 to avoid the late fee. If you have questions about the races, a race schedule is currently online. The Men's and Women's Classic races will take place on Friday, November 28th. The Men's and Women’s Freestyle races will take place on Saturday, November 29th. A Sprint and Novice Biathlon event will be held on Thanksgiving Day. Register online or download a form at www.yellowsotneskifestival.com/tour.html
Try It and Buy It Gear Demo: At this point, all of the exhibitors that you have come to expect to see at the Yellowstone Ski Festival are planning to return to the ski trails and the Holiday Inn again this year. They include: Alpina, Atomic, Boulder Nordic Sport, Cirrus Design, Craft, Exel, Fischer, Madshus, Podiumwear, Rossignol, Salomon, Solda, Swix, and TOKO. There is no better place to demo the latest in Nordic gear than at the Yellowstone Ski Festival.
Kid’s Clinics by the Montana Outdoor Science School: The folks at MOSS have put together another amazing lineup of children’s clinics during the Ski Festival. The clinics will be based out of the Days Inn and pre-registration is required! For more information, visit the Clinics page of www.yellowstoneskifestival.com (scroll to the bottom where you will find a link to the MOSS website).
Stone Grinding by Boulder Nordic Sport and Engineered Tuning: Boulder Nordic Sport (BNS) will again bring a full-service stone-grinding ski shop to the Yellowstone Ski Festival. Owner Nathan Schultz will travel to the event with two Tazzari stone grinding machines (skis that are stone ground generally absorb more wax and perform better) and staff to provide professional ski service at the season-opening event.
Thanksgiving Turkey Trot: Gear up for a meal or cool down after a workout with a festive walk/jog/run around town. Meet the locals at the Rendezvous Trailhead Building at 3pm for a tour of the town. We will wind up at the West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce where warm refreshments will be provided. This is the 4th year for the Turkey Trot and we are in danger of losing it from our program. Come on out, put on a costume, and move around with us!
Dining Options in West Yellowstone: We always hear “Where should I eat?” from visiting skiers. This year the following eateries will be open over Thanksgiving week…the Bar N, the Oregon Short Line Restaurant, Uncle Laurie’s at the Povah Center, Mocha Mamma’s at Freeheel and Wheel, Morning Glory Coffee, Arby’s, Bullwinkle’s, Wild West Pizza, Sydney’s Bistro, Wolf Pack Brewery, and Kiwi Takeaway just to name a few. Please check with each location for hours. Don’t forget our two local grocery stores, the Food RoundUp and the MarketPlace.
For close to 30 years, West Yellowstone, Montana has played host to cross country skiers during the month of November. There is no better place to start your ski season! For more information, visit www.yellowstoneskifestival.com.
We are looking forward to seeing you in West Yellowstone from November 25-29, 2008.
Think Snow!