Blue Sky Velo Nordic - ambassador outreach / CX reconnaissance?

Whats up kids?
Dave K. reporting in from the deep fringe.
Michelle and I just finished a two weekend nordic skiing adventure that turned into more of a Blue Sky Velo outreach / cx competition spy program.

(** NOTE: stock AP photo, not actual author)

It all started with Eldora last Sunday, trying to get in some leg burners when we ran into Darcy Tiglas of Cross and Ft. Collins Cycling Team fame with her husband Tim (also a masters cx racer). When the chit chat subsided, neither couple dared start up the trail to let on the "secret training" of the other .... something about that Darcy - all smiles on the outside but I know she's up to no good! :-)
I pretended to be all slow and out of shape to give them a false sense of confidence that Blue Sky may not be training. (ha!)

Cut to this past weekend. We went up to summit county to see my Dad who was visiting and skiing from out of town. We usually fly the Blue Sky colors while nordic skiing as cycling jersey's and vests with pockets lend themselves well to storing cross country skiing goodies like fudge and cookies (but I digress). I'm in the lodge and Tim? Mike? from Copper team comes up and asks how I'm doing, and talks about how he and his teammates raced against (and got spanked by a few of) the Blue Sky Nation in cross up there during breck, frisco, and some of the front range races. After assuring him that I was not one of the ones doing the spanking and having a nice chat.... I made sure to indicate that the rest of the cross team was back home, running up hills with logs, and doing squats for hours on end with rocks on top of their heads ... just waiting until next season to start.

Finally, yesterday, we're hitting up the Breckenridge nordic center, and I bump into Dave Hixson of Rocky Mounts and cross fame. He starts to sweat as Michelle and I ask where he's going to go ski.... he nervously creates about 10 excuses about why he can't join us .... and once again after some cx season small talk I make sure to let him know that the rest of the team is doing Lee Hill repeats with sand in their tires and frames - just for fun!
On to the skiing yesterday...so Dave's off on his own, Michelle and I hit the trails. The weather was sick, but the snow was a tad frozen - apre - sun-baked. Right when I was about to get hit by Michelle's ski pole for taking her out on the 'never coming back loop', we hear the groomer coming. Woot. We get in behind dude and everything is groovy.

(** NOTE: stock AP photo of sweetness, not actual trail, but pretty darn close)

So now, instead of turning around we blaze on. Well somehow I managed to guide us from "Blue" to "Black", and end up on the death hill called Hang Ten, which is directly under the gondola (gondola? holy crap breck is developed now).
Suffice it to say, instead of backing down, we welled up with Blue Sky Nation pride and turned it up a notch BAM!!!! Hang 10? pshstttt! We actually "Hung 11 !!!" - because thats how we roll.

(* Circle indicates where 11 was actually 'hung')
I believe there was applaud coming from the tourists in the gondola for Michelle's newly aquired skillz at the power wedge, but the wind was too loud in the ears.

Thats it folks, a rather short story made long.
What have we learned?
If nothing else, flying the Blue Sky nation colors remotely will at least guarantee some good conversations and run-ins.... and allow you to spy on the competitions secret training ! (and it looks like at least some of them ate as much fudge over the holidays as I did) :-)

Till next time .....
Dave K. - over and out.