 departed Hayward, WI in our new and much improved van for West Yellowstone, Montana. Clear roadways allowed us to easily make eastern Montana on the first day and we comfortably arrived in West Yellowstone in the afternoon on the 15th. </p><p>Snow or the lack there of, was the major topic of discussion for the first days in West Yellowstone. We had been forewarned and therefore brought rollerskis along. There were shades of optimism with white in the hills above West Yellowstone and icy patches on the roadways from a recent overnight snow. The morning of the 16th brought further encouragement with another inch or two of overnight snows.</p><p><b>November 16</b><br />
We made the trek up to the higher elevations above the Rendezvous Trails (locally known as the plateau). The new snow provided an opportunity for ungroomed classic skiing. There was no base, so rock skis were necessary.</p><p><center><img decoding=)
CXC Team West Yellowstone Recap
FasterSkier · December 1, 2007
“One of the highlights of the week was our ski into Yellowstone Park—albeit on rollerskis. The road in the park was closed to cars, so there were no worries about traffic. The wildlife in the park was abundant. It was the first time I’ve skied into the park since coming to West Yellowstone and it certainly won’t be the last!†-Garrott Kuzzy
November 19 — 22
Monday was a day off for our athletes and snow was predicted for Tuesday the 20th. The owners of Free Heel N Wheel assisted the forecast and organized a sacrificial burning of brand new skis on the streets of West Yellowstone on Monday night. In the next 12 hours it snowed a foot. We were able to break out good skis on Tuesday morning and the skiing held up very well throughout the whole week despite the minimal snow coverage. Special thanks to the groomers and volunteers.
Thanksgiving dinner played a dual role. It was a pre-race dinner, but it was also a unique opportunity to join the Elite team, the newly formed junior team, coaches, CXC administrative staff as well as parents, relatives and spouses. It was a great way to lead into the first races of the season.
“We went to bed on Monday with the understanding that the races would most likely be canceled due to lack of snow. I wasn’t sure I was awake yet when I opened the blinds on Tuesday morning to nearly 12†of snow. Going from no snow, to solid snow skiing is a skiers dream. “ —Brian Gregg
November 23 — Skate Sprint Race-1.65km men, 850m women
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November 24 — Classic Distance Race — 8 km women and 16 km men
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