Nordic Conditioning
If you want to take your winter conditioning from the road to the snow, why not check out a couple of the following Nordic ski areas? Fear not if you’re not experienced, it’s pretty easy to learn; but if you’re the type that wants instruction before pursuit, most offer lessons (private and/or group) as well as guided nature tours should you have a group that’s interested in some fun snow conditioning.
Beaver Creek offers over 32 kilometers of trails in elevations ranging from 9840 feet to 10200 feet.Breckenridge offers 30 kilometers of groomed trails including easy flat teaching terrain with a top elevation of 12998.Breckenridge Gold Run offers over 25 kilometers of classically groomed trails (and 15 kilometers of snowshoe trails) with special “newcomer” packages.Crested Butte has 50 kilometers of trails (including 10 kilometers of dog trails for your furry friend) nestled in the quaint mining town. Trails range from flat and rolling hills to slopes that are guaranteed to get anyone’s heart thumping.Keystone offers 16 kilometers of trails (ranked easy to advanced), and nearby you can access over 57 kilometers of backcountry trails (all very well marked, of course). For those of you with a lucky woman in the group, Friday is Ladies Day, so keep that in mind!
There are many others, of course, like Eldora, Frisco, and Snow Mountain Ranch. We suggest you do a little upfront homework to determine which one(s) will best meet your needs and ability levels.Our personal favorite is Crested Butte since every runner knows the importance of having a canine companion by their side!