The Vail Nordic Town Series, a friendly cross-country and alpine competition series organized by Ski & Snowboard Club Vail, kicks off Thursday evening with the Nordic opener at the Vail Nordic Center.<\/p>\n
The first Nordic race of the season, which begins at 4:30 p.m. with lower and middle school-aged athletes followed by adults, has become an annual holiday tradition bringing together current SSCV athletes, club alumni and recreational racers. Adult and high school-aged athletes will start at 5:15 p.m., followed by a holiday dinner at the Vail Nordic Center and golf club.<\/p>\n
“The first race in the series is the big gathering where everyone comes home for the holidays, which is cool because we’ll have a lot of alumni coming home to help organize the race, giving back as much as they can,” SSCV Nordic Director Dan Weiland said. “You’ll see a lot of former NCAA guys \u2014 some are still fit, some are not so fit.”<\/p>\n
The dinner to follow is a nice opportunity for these former club athletes, many of whom were involved in the early days of the Nordic program, to see how the program has developed and grown into a larger community, Weiland said.<\/p>\n
The first Town Series event consists of a handful of race lengths, including 5K (adult race), 3K (middle school) and 1K (younger kids). The adult race usually attracts 60 or more athletes.<\/p>\n
Anyone can race. Headlamps are recommended, as the sun will set throughout the course of the race, but organizers will have flashlights and other lights on the course.<\/p>\n
“A headlamp will be helpful, but the chain-up zone provides a lot of light and the course is pretty easy,” Weiland said. “It’s a great opportunity to work off the holiday ham \u2014 that’s my plan anyway.”<\/p>\n
The Vail Nordic Town Series continues throughout the season with Nordic events on Jan. 23, Feb. 26, Feb. 27 and March 16.<\/p>\n
The six-event Alpine Town Series also kicks off in January with races on Golden Peak beginning Jan. 10. through March 28.<\/p>\n