December 8, 2008 – For some high school kids Thanksgiving break is a time for stuffing their faces and sleeping in, but for ten anxious teenagers and two coaches this week meant more than the excitement of turkey and pie. To us it meant a chance to put away the roller-skis and a full week of training on snow. Amid the hoards of bags and coffee laden coaches our van pulled out of the Boulder High parking lot at 6 a.m. bound for West Yellowstone, Montana. After a painfully cramped ten-hour drive we arrived in the tiny town of West where the wildlife outnumber the inhabitants. However, the population was about to soar when the wave of juniors, masters, college skiers, and elite teams rolled in.

The ideal scenario would have been to ski on the Rendezvous Trail system located right in town. Unfortunately, the lack of snow brought us up to the South Plateau, a twenty minute drive from our hotel. Once we reached the plateau the drive was deemed worth while. Twenty kilometers may not seem like much, but the pristine gleaming white tracks pleased the 1,400 skiers. Our training plan consisted of a long morning ski and a shorter afternoon one. Mainly we worked on long distance and technique but added in an interval workout. The elite skiers tested their mettle by racing in the Super Tour at the end of the week; where as we were content just to watch.

Nights in such a small town can be boring, so to pass the time the Holiday Inn hosts a range of events including: an expo, presentations, and raffles. At the expo all of the major ski companies advertise their newest line of product. Demos are available for anyone who wants to test out new equipment. This year world class skiers were present, signing the many free posters and stickers handed out. Toko had the best raffle. You would write down you information and the exact coat you wanted to win. However, despite our light bribing none of us won anything.

The drive home was very eventful. All our anxious excitement had turned into dreary exhaustion. The only notable part was our treacherous drive over Teton Pass. It was raining hard and the temperature plummeted, resulting in a sheet of sheer ice covering the road. Eric expertly crept along at a cautious pace and we got up and over safely. On the long ride home we had time to reflect on our amazing trip and write this article. We did everything we wanted to, saw old friends, met new ones, and got in big training hours.

– Wesley Geer, Jessica Jortberg, Dailey Kluck.