Fire and Ice, the latest cross country ski camp on groomed trails in the US will take place from June 16 to 20 on the trails of Mt. Bachelor. Run by the Mt. Bachelor Sports Education Foundation Fire and Ice is the only camp in the US offering the opportunity for skiers to ski on World Class trails with impeccable grooming that late in the year.
“Skiers around the world are looking for high quality on-snow skiing opportunities in June,” said Lars Flora, two-time Olympian and Head Coach of MBSEF’s Fire and Ice. “But unless you’re on the trails of Mt. Bachelor, there isn’t a better place in the world with deep snow, on real ski trails, with high quality grooming at a reasonable altitude.”
According to Dan Simoneau, MBSEF Nordic Program Director who organizes the camp, “Fire and Ice is the latest evolution of camps that have been on the trails and slopes of Mt. Bachelor for over 30 year. In the weeks and days leading up to Fire and Ice, the US and Canadian National teams and some of the best clubs in the US will be using the same trails. If these trails are the best training for Canada’s new World Champions Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw and US World Cup star Kikkan Randall, then this is clearly great skiing.”
“When Lars joined the staff of Fire and Ice a year ago, I fully expected to function as head coach, but once we got on snow, it was obvious Lars would function as head coach because he just had so much to offer the skiers,” said Simoneau. “He’s been skiing these trails from November till June since he was a kid and when he got in front of skiers he just wanted to share all that he has learned. Lars is a natural and gifted coach that we’re all lucky to be able to work with.”
New to Fire and Ice is the American Summer Cross Country Championships a sprint relay held on the last day of camp.
“After a few days of skiing the campers just want to go fast so we added fun race with a fun Championship format this year,” said Simoneau. “We just don’t know if this is the last race of last year, or the first race of the coming year.”
The 2011 Fire and Ice Summer Cross Country Ski Camp will feature:
- 15 kilometers of groomed skiing on the trails of Mt. Bachelor.
- Five on-snow training sessions (2 Classic and 3 Skating)
- Five dryland training sessions
- Daily video technique analysis
- Whitewater raft trip on the Deschutes River
- Camp t-shirt
- The American Summer Cross Country Skiing Championships
- A BBQ with beach volleyball, awards, and prizes.
Fire and Ice, Bend Camp 2010 will have the following options:
- 3 day on snow only camp for skiers 8-11 for $325.
- 5 day Junior Camp for skiers 12-18 for $325.
- 5 day Masters Camp for $325.
For more information Fire and Ice 2011 contact Dan Simoneau at dansimoneau@bendcable.com or 541-350-9126. Registration forms for the Fire and Ice camp are available at www.mbsef.org/programs/crosscountry/ or visit BendCamp on Facebook.
MBSEF: 563 SW 13th, Suite 201 – Bend, OR 97701. Tel: 541-388-0002 – www.mbsef.org
Inge Scheve
Inge is FasterSkier's international reporter, born and bred in Norway. A cross-country ski racer and mountain runner, she also dabbles on two wheels in the offseason. If it's steep and long, she loves it. Follow her on Twitter: @IngeScheve.