Unexcused Absences

I’ve always been slightly dubious about cross-country skiing.  It just looks like so much work.  The stern-and-spindly folks in the Olympic Nordic competitions simply aren’t having fun, by my perspective.  My uncertainty, though, is tempered by my desire to actually try the thing I’m skeptical about, so that I can at least speak from authority when I denounce something.  In many cases, this has gotten me into a spot of trouble/adventure.  I have eaten rancid raw fish in Tahiti (a local delicacy, they claim), dry-roasted cicadas during the last 17-year cycle in Maryland (there was drinking involved), and a salami-and-peanut-butter sandwich in college (delicious, really!)

X-C Trail at Tennessee Pass

In the case of x-country skiing, my hesitation was totally unfounded.  Gliding through the pine trees in the Colorado high country is absolutely fantastic.  In spite of the fact that it’s a pretty strenuous activity, it uses a (mostly) different set of muscles than downhill skiing, so that an afternoon workout on skinny skis will not negatively impact the subsequent day on the slopes of our adopted, temporary home of Beaver Creek Resort.

Greg, Susan, Kent and Heather

A few days ago we invited our friends Susan and Greg (mentioned in several previous posts) to an afternoon of x-country skiing followed by dinner at the Tennessee Pass Nordic Center and Cookhouse, just north of Leadville, Colorado.  The place is run by Ty Hall and his wife Roxanne.  Ty is a friend of mine from way back in the 1970’s/80’s at Bryce Resort, our little ski area in Virginia.  He had come to Colorado a couple decades ago (once he tired of beating me on the race course) to live the ski-bum life and met his future wife in Leadville, a town off the beaten path (the I-70 corridor) about an hour south of Vail and Beaver Creek.  At some point they opened a nordic center at the base of Ski Cooper, and have been expanding ever since.

Dinner inside the yurt

I’ll jump to the conclusion right here – you must plan on an afternoon/evening at their place at some point during your trip to the Colorado Rockies.  The Nordic Center is a hive of Colorado “granola” sensibilities, and the cookhouse is simply a divine dining experience.  Ty and Roxanne have created a gourmet restaurant located out in the woods about one mile from the parking lot.  You meet at the Nordic Center at about 5:30pm, put on either x/c skis or snowshoes (included in the price of dinner), and ski/hike the 25 minutes out to the yurt (a canvas-covered wood-frame circular structure) for your 4-course, prix-fixe meal.

View from the deck of the Yurt

The yurt has an amazing view of the Rocky Mountains, a potbelly stove, and a delicious wine list.  Lighting is by candle and gas lamp.  Somehow, out in the wilderness, they manage to create a memorable gourmet meal with entrees such as elk tenderloin, rack of lamb, or stuffed whole chicken.  Dessert on our recent trip was hand-made strawberry/rhubarb pie.  And did I mention the wine list?

Tennessee Pass Nordic Center

So please, do yourself a favor and plan to spend an afternoon cross-country skiing (or snowshoeing) at the Tennessee Pass Nordic Center and Cookhouse.  If you don’t want to stay for dinner, they also serve a yummy lunch on Saturdays and Sundays.  If you find yourself in the Colorado Rockies in the spring, absolutely nothing beats a few hours of x/c skiing through the woods, followed by a delicious lunch on the deck of the yurt, followed by more x/c skiing and then happy hour back at the Nordic Center.  And if you think you’re a good ski racer, invite Ty up to the slopes at Ski Cooper and then watch him clean your clock in the gates!

If you plan on going, you need to choose your entree in advance, when you make your reservations.  See http://tennesseepass.com/cookhouse.htm for details.