The end of a nordic season feels a little like the closing of a school year. Some people never want it to end, others are ready for dirt and singletrack, and staff may get a little bit of senioritis, but at the end of the day, we're left with another chapter of memories that will last a lifetime.
The spring newsletter offers us a chance to reflect on the year - the ups and downs, the weather patterns, the friends we made, and the new faces we met on the trails.
This year, we're closing it out with a look back at the "Class of 2025." While we could fill a whole book with superlatives from the season, here are a few highlights from some people you may share a trail with throughout the winter.
No matter how you engage with CB Nordic, it's clear that there's a special kind of person who uses and loves the nordic trails. It's a different crowd from the mountain or the hockey rink. It's hard to put a finger on it, but it's certainly something special.
If you frequent the West Side trails, you’ve probably seen Chris Hanna. He’s tall, kind, fast, and an exceptionally graceful skate skier. By the time you see him heading back to his bike at Three Ladies Park, there’s a good chance he’s coming off of a 42km skate.
Chris has always been naturally athletic, but at first nordic skiing was by far the hardest most humbling sport he’d ever tried. Chris was taken by how some people just made it look effortless. He took a couple of lessons and made it his mission to master the mechanics and learn to do it well. Now, he’s the one out there making it look effortless.
For Chris, there’s something special about skating in the early morning hours. The cold aspect of winter sports adds an extra layer of planning for most of us, but Chris loves the dynamics of exercising in the frigid temperatures - you know, like tasting pennies and sweating when it’s 12 degrees out.
The West Side holds a special allure - it’s quiet, there’s minimal development, and it’s more akin to a backcountry adventure. For Chris, fresh skate tracks on Mike’s Mike are just as gratifying as a day of powder skiing.
You won’t see Chris at the Alley Loop or Community Race Series. He’s not out there to be the fastest or compare himself to others, he truly just wants to ski until he doesn’t feel like it anymore on any given day. Most weekends, Chris skis at least a 42km morning, with tune-up sessions and Masters Performance Group sprinkled in throughout the rest of the week. To finish out the season, he connects all the trails on a grand tour of CB Nordic and often puts in an 80-100km day to finish strong.
A graphic designer by day, his job is pretty plugged in. So when he hits the trails, Chris leaves his phone at home, tunes into some reggae on an old iPod shuffle, and makes the most of the trails all season.
Though Chris likes to ski solo, he noted that you naturally end up on the same cycle as many other community members. You see the same people out there at least a few days a week, smile, and share a mutual appreciation for what the other person is doing. You don’t have to know someone by name to know that they’re your kind of people.
The Dillon family is no stranger to the nordic trails. Bryan came to Gunnison to ski on the NCAA Nordic Team at Western - a theme we see a lot from the nordic crowd in the valley. Molly made her way to Western a few years later and got into nordic skiing after she and Bryan met.
Though life as a family of five means that things look a little different than they might have ten years ago, the Dillons still spend their weekends outside and on snow. Saturdays are reserved for alpine skiing, and Sundays are reserved for the Yurt.
After being pregnant for the majority of the last five years, the Yurt started to play a larger role in the Dillon Family routines. It’s the perfect place for a whole family outing, including both sets of grandparents, mom, dad, Emma (4), Nona (3), and June (5 months).
Emma made the ski independently from the Alien Shack to the Yurt this winter. She joined the ranks of what we affectionately refer to as “Toddler Ragers” when she celebrated her fourth birthday at the Yurt Bistro, complete with a piñata and, of course, a giant cup of hot chocolate with a pile of whipped cream.
Emma and her sisters enjoy being a little wild and a little free at the Yurt. There’s space to roam, plenty of fresh air, and a warm fire when it’s chilly outside.
No matter the temperature, Emma makes a habit of sitting by the wood stove and taking off all fifteen layers mom painstakingly just put on her - because life is short, enjoy that wood stove.
The Dillons are all-weather Yurt kind of people. Warm or cold, snow or blue skies, nothing beats a Sunday morning in the backcountry at a place where everyone from the kids to the grandparents thrive.
Janice has been a Crested Butte resident for four years, but just found her way into the nordic scene this past season. Now she’s a lifer, as we like to say.
She’d rented nordic skis and tried it out a few times but jumped in head first after finding a Black Friday Deal on a set-up. Then the sport just took over her winter.
Living in town, she found herself on the trails three to four days a week. Ruthie's, the East, the West, and all the trailheads are accessible when you call Crested Butte home. Whether you need a quick ski or a longer outing with friends, nordic skiing was a great way for Janice to get some fresh air and exercise all winter long.
But maybe the most surprising part for Janice was that once she started nordic skiing she found a whole new network of friends - maybe even more friends that choose nordic over downhill these days (we love a good nordic convert story).
For Janice, nordic skiing has been revolutionary. It's an outlet to explore and create a deeper connection with the area. A nature escape in the winter.
Bob came to Crested Butte in 1975. He was a ski patroller at CBMR from 1977 to 1988 and built custom homes from 1977 to 2018.
Bob started skate skiing in the late '90s when the new technique was all the hype around town. He was looking for something different to try in the winter and quickly caught the bug. When Bob gets into something, he gets way into it. He had played hockey in college, so skate skiing was a natural skill to pick up. He started entering the Alley Loop and worked his way up to the marathon distance.
In 2003, Bob helped Rich Smith host a Junior National Qualifier out at the Gronk. No stranger to hosting complicated events after coordinating volunteers for NorAm and National Championship events up at CBMR, Bob was a natural. But there was something different and special about volunteering for nordic events. He attributes it to the character-building frigid after-school practices. Nordic breeds a different kind of athlete. The kids are kind and supportive. They thank the volunteers and lift each other up. If you pay attention, it’s the 10-year-olds coming in last place that get the loudest cheering section at a JNQ.
The culture hooked Bob, and he’s been an integral part of every CB Nordic JNQ ever since.
Two new knees later, Bob has now switched to classic skiing. You’ll find him enjoying the West Side Dog trails with his wife Kris and their two red labs Lexi (10 years) and Gabi (10 months).
Though many of us tend to embark on 90% of our outdoor activities solo around here, Bob also enjoys the social aspect of getting out and catching up with friends. You see a whole different crowd of people in your winter activities than in your summer activities. So he spends time with his buddy Dick Sweitzer and his dog Clooney on Pooches and Beaver when their schedules align. Good thing winter is still just a little longer than summer in CB.
Though Bob admits, he would still prefer to alpine ski on a powder day, when you think about skiing and look at the dogs, the dogs always win.
So look for Bob next time you’re on the West Side dog trails. He loves to stop and chat on the trail amidst the beautiful mountains we are fortunate enough to call home.
Meg moved to Crested Butte in 2005. Originally from Poland, but with a layover in Montana, she came to be a snowboard instructor at the Crested Butte Academy. Wanting to be a ski bum, she taught on the snow by day, then washed dishes and made pizza at the Secret Stash by night.
A decade later, you now know her as the owner and chef at the ever-popular Breadery on Elk Avenue.
Though Crested Butte might be one of the most dog-friendly environments, there just aren’t any true off-leash dog parks. That is - until the snow flies and Town Ranch comes to life.
Meg has been a Town Ranch regular for about 10 years now. Living near the East Side Trails, it’s convenient and the perfect place to get the dog out for fresh air and exercise before work.
You’d probably recognize her as the one skiing with a St. Bernard. For years, she frequented the Poop Loop with the lovable Terry. Now, she’s out there with the equally jolly Rico.
She said that each fall the dogs get a sense that their season is near. Walking to the Poop Loop for the first lap of the season, Rico is always buzzing with excitement.
There’s a whole Poop Loop human community that comes to life in winter as well. You have your routine, so you see the same people each day. People are respectful, the dogs are friendly, and there’s no competition or stress. It’s just a great place to go see your neighbors and get some fresh air.
Meg has crossed over to the full nordic lifestyle and got a season pass two years ago, which opened up a whole new world of nordic skiing. Where Town Ranch holds the community, the West Side trails hold a sense of beauty and peace.
Though Town Ranch will always be her bread and butter, she’s now a CB Nordic pass holder for life.
You may recognize him as this year’s Kilometer Krush King of the East, but his love for the East Side trails goes beyond friendly competition.
John Mahoney started nordic skiing about three years ago, about the same time he got into ultrarunning and backcountry skiing. Three sports that all go hand in hand.
Nordic skiing started off as cross-training for the summer season but quickly blossomed into a full-blown love of winter and the sport.
The allure of the East Side trails is two-fold. First, it’s easy and convenient for a few ski laps around the school drop-off and pick-up schedule. Second, this is where you go to find the big hills. When you need a cardio blast and elevation gain for the summer ultra racing schedule, there’s no better place than Mordor.
In between hill repeats, John’s favorite trail is the Maze. Generally used as a connector to get to the other trails, John finds the Maze the perfect place to coast. It’s got 360-degree views of Mt. Crested Butte, the Slate, and Whetstone. Hot laps here provide time to zone out, appreciate the view, and take it all in.
And for an added East Side bonus, the hilly trails are almost always empty. Where skiers typically gravitate towards the free trails or the West Side, you can travel for hours in the hill country and rarely see another person.
But John is quick to point out that when you do see another person out there, everyone supports each other with a smile. The whole nordic community is so encouraging to everyone else out on the trail. It’s such a special scene to be a part of.
While the trails are open 24 hours a day, they tend to quiet down after sunset. But for Andy, this is when they come to life.
A creature of habit. After a day of work, he gets the tunes ready, grabs the skis, takes the dog, and packs an extra headlamp. Unlike a summer jog, an after-work ski necessitates a headlamp for most of the nordic season.
Andy lives about 10 houses away from the Kapushion Trail. The perfect place to start a long ski with his German Shorthaired Pointer, Milo. While Andy gets in an eight or nine-mile day, he estimates Milo gets a good 15. It doesn’t matter what the thermometer says or what the weather is doing, Milo is just happy to be out - and winter or summer, a dip in the river is always the best way to end the day. Happy dog, happy human.
For tunes, Andy prefers what he describes as his college-era B-side alt rock. The stuff that was good in the '80s but didn’t make it to mainstream radio until the '90s, like The Cure, REM, and Elvis Costello.
For Andy, similar to the rest of us, the best part of living here is the access to world-class trails in every direction - winter, spring, summer, or fall. And then there’s the joy of experiencing the trails in all their glory through the changing seasons. Even if it’s just the simple act of shedding the after-work headlamp when March rolls around.
After getting turned around in the 2006 Grand Traverse, perhaps serendipitously, Jen and Bart experienced the kindness of the CB locals and had a great experience with the people here. The GT kept drawing them back before they made the move here in 2013.
The Spedden’s started nordic skiing as soon as they landed in CB. Their daughter, Dari, was 2 and they toted her around in a KinderShuttle, primarily on the West Side trails. The ability to walk to the trails was magical and Bart spent a lot of time skiing with their pup, Elmer, on Pooches and Mike’s Mile that winter.
Over a decade later, their home is closer to the East Side trails, so when convenience is a factor, they ski the East.
Dari has been a CB Nordic Team member since Kindergarten. Now on the Devo Team, she spends most of her time on The Bench.
On weekends or when there’s more time, they all go where the snow is good.
The Spedden’s have made a tradition out of The Alley Loop. In the earlier years, one of them skied with Dari while the other completed a longer distance. Then in 2023, they all completed the 21k together. Now Dari and Jen typically do the 21k - but no longer “together” since Dari started leaving Mom in the dust!
While their nordic skiing practices have evolved over the years, it always comes back to experiences together as a family. Starting out on Splains and Lily Lake early season and gradually moving down to town, they ski together for fun, training, relaxing, and just generally enjoying the outdoors.
Matt is a sociology professor at Western. He and his partner Paul were living in Fort Collins when a teaching position at Western opened up around 2015. Matt threw his hat in the ring and now he gets to live where he used to vacation.
Paul is a Western alum and a former nordic racer back when the college had an NCAA team. Matt picked up nordic skiing on a trip to McCall, Idaho - with a little help from Paul’s dad, Gary Giberson - a legend in the nordic world for those of you who may be familiar.
Once landing in Gunnison, Matt took to skiing Hartman’s and Mill Creek before “graduating” to a CB Nordic pass and he’s never looked back.
Through the winter, Matt makes the trip up to CB once or twice a week and always gravitates to the Ruthie’s hills. He commits to four or five laps on Ruthie’s East and then another four or five laps on Ruthie’s West. Quite the circuit, but certainly a good way to get the most out of your time and drive up valley.
There’s something about being tucked into the Bench trees that’s special and unlike anything else - you’re in town but also worlds away at the same time.
Matt is exclusively a skate skier. The unparalleled full-body workout offered by skate skiing is hard to beat. Matt says, “Skate skiing is everything, and never one single thing. It’s an equal opportunity sport - punishing all the muscles the same.”
When Matt and Paul have time to come up and ski together, they also always head for the hills, whether that’s The Bench, Paradise Park, or Mordor, with the occasional springtime stop at the Yurt.
Now entering the summer season, Matt will turn his attention toward rock climbing, trail running, and road and mountain biking. Should be a piece of cake after a winter of skate skiing in the hills.
Jenny and Brian Smith are a powerhouse couple in the Gunnison Valley. If you’ve dabbled in any of the outdoor sports, chances are you’ve seen them out there.
Originally from New Zealand and upstate NY respectively, Jenny and Brian met in Gunnison after both attending Western, and as the age-old story goes, they never left.
The pair met in 2000 and immediately began nordic skiing together. Self-taught and friend-taught, they share the sentiment that “the suffering must continue” typical of so many endurance sports and athletes.
Though the series has changed over the years, Jenny and Brian keep coming back to the Community Races. Something about getting out there on the local trails on a regular old weekend morning has a special pull.
Jenny says she started racing the Community Race Series before she had any business showing up at a race, which in our opinion, is just the kind of people we want out there each weekend. Slow or fast, great form or just learning, we love offering a place for people to get out there and test their fitness or just have a reason to show up and be outside with friends.
Brian especially loves the competition. He says it’s fun to win races, but it’s even more fun to show up and have someone push you throughout a whole season. This year, he and JT Ryan went head-to-head. Training buddies in Gunnison through the week, they got the best out of each other each weekend there was a race through the culminating Alley Loop 42k skate.
Now a dynamic coaching pair, Jenny and Brian eat, sleep, and breathe endurance sports.
But of all the endurance sports, there’s something unique about the nordic community. When their daughter Jade was young, they could show up at CB Nordic race and leave her at the start line. One year, at the Gothic Mountain Tour, Brian brought the awkward load back from the Top of the World for the $100 prize premium. That year, the awkward load was a Rody doll. Jade, naturally fell in love with it, so they used the $100 to buy Jade a Rody of her own.
There aren’t many sports where the kids are safe to just roam about, but the nordic community takes care of it’s own.
So, whether in competitive or fun spirit, we hope you’ll join us for a Community race next year.
If you find yourself on Mike’s Mile, chances are you’ve seen Pam and Ellen. They’re always together, and they’re always accompanied by Ellen’s dogs, Brookie and Wyatt.
These two each came to Gunnison 45 years ago to ski for the Western State College NCAA Nordic Ski Team back in the classic-only days. From opposite ends of the country, Ellen from Oregon and Pam from Northern New York, a lifelong friendship was forged.
After college, both ladies moved to Crested Butte and worked at CBMR, Ellen as a kids ski instructor and Pam in the Marketing and Advertising department. And they’ve been skiing together regularly since 1982.
Their ties to CB Nordic date back to before we were an official nonprofit in 1987. Ellen was a cross-country ski instructor out at Ambush Ranch and Pam got involved in the first Alley Loop when it was under the Crested Butte Mountain Resort umbrella.
Now neighbors, these two ladies meet at “the mailboxes” four to five mornings a week and head up valley. They always ski the West Side Trails, with a preference for Mike’s Mile. Brookie, the black lab, loves to lead the way on the group ski, but Wyatt, the corgi, is really the one in charge.
Fun fact, Ellen always brings a giant plate of cookies to the front desk staff each season... because feed the people!
With a mutual love of snow and a deep appreciation for everything CB Nordic has to offer, it’s only a matter of months until this dynamic foursome is back out on the West Side again.
None of this is possible without the generous support of our donors, partners, and the Gunnison Valley community. Thank you!