Snowplay 2017

y a l P w o n S FLAGSTAFF

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Snowplay on the Wing

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It’s all uphill

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Snowbowl gets a big lift

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Playing in the park

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Rise of the big shoe

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Laying down the tracks

The Wing Mountain Snow Play Area has new rules and new changes thanks to the Arizona Nordic Village taking over management of the site.

Arizona Snowbowl sets up a permit system for skiers who want to ski uphill before and after hours at the ski area.

New Grand Canyon Express chairlift brings big changes to Arizona Snowbowl in terms of capacity and new layout.

Fort Tuthill County Park has introduced a new snowplay area that brings fun and amenities for a day of snowplay.

Snowshoeing has become a popular activity among winter recreationists, and improved traction systems have opened the door to winter hiking.

The Arizona Nordic Village supports the love of cross-country skiing and backcountry adventure as it continues its traditions under new ownership.

PLUS

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Snowplay Map Courtesy of the Flagstaff Convention and Visitors Bureau

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EVENT Calendar

Contents

flagstaff365.com Performances and exhibitions, recreation and family events, classes and workshops, venues and artists.

Snowplay on the Wing

Popular Wing Mountain Snow Play Area under new management By the Daily Sun Staff

A

lthough the traffic along U.S. 180 out past the Arizona Snowbowl Road can prove a hassle, snow-play families cannot help but head to the highlands north of town in search of great snow and great slopes. And the slopes don’t get much better than those along Wing Mountain.

The Wing Mountain Snow Play Area has long been the big draw for sledders and tubers out to catch some major velocity. Once the snow is packed and slick, revelers can pick up some speed and maybe get airborne along the way. And located at 7,600 feet in elevation, it has 600 feet on Flagstaff and often sees more snow.

The challenge has been to manage the snowplay area with sturdy oversight, given how much traffic, trash and safety issues the area can generate. This year, Babbitt Ranches is operating the snow play area as an extension of Arizona Nordic Village, which it now also operates.

“Wing Mountain Snow Play Area offers us the opportunity to expand recreational winter activities for locals and out-of-town guests,” said Arizona Nordic Village General Manager Wendell Johnson. “We are also thrilled to have another location to interact with the public and share the Babbitt Ranches Outdoor Recreation Ethic Attitude, which entrusts all of us with the joy and responsibility of caring for our public and private lands.”

While answering the high demand for sledding and tubing, the Wing Mountain Snow Play Area promotes safety by offering a managed area, groomed runs and parking off the busy highway.

“Safety is a key component of our

operations,” said Wing Mountain Manager Brad Lasher. “One of the ways we strive to accomplish a pleasant, safe experience for everyone is by managing the number of cars we can accommodate in the parking lot, which is about 450 to 500 vehicles. Typically, the parking lot fills up within 30 minutes of opening.

We try to re-open the lot throughout the day as much as possible as early snow play enthusiasts leave and space opens up. The hardest part of our job is turning people away.”

When snow conditions allow, Wing Mountain typically is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on Thursdays; 8 a.m.-6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays; and, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sundays. It is also open on holidays.

“There is the bigger sledding hill and some smaller ones, plus a big open area for making snowmen and enjoying bonfires,” Johnson said. “It operates like a water park, where a manager cues sledders for their turn in individual lanes.”

Plastic sleds and items like gloves are sold on site (no sleds or toboggans with metal or wood are allowed). In addition, Pine Top Catering sells food. Cost is $20 per car (for up to five people).

“We strive to create a quality, controlled atmosphere where guests can enjoy family fun, sledding, tailgating and hanging out by the fire and want to stay awhile, which takes some of the pressure off end-of-the-day traffic on Highway 180,” Johnson said. “It’s really a lot of fun. Our biggest challenge is keeping up with demand.”

For more information and an update on conditions, visit arizonanordicvillage.com/wingmountain-snow-play-area./

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Snowbowl gets a big lift

Flagstaff’s downhill ski attraction adds Grand Canyon Express six-person chair.

By the Daily Sun Staff

F

or anyone who has not travelled to Arizona Snowbowl for a day of skiing or snowboarding in the past few years, they might find surprise in how much the ski area on the slopes of the San Francisco Peaks has grown and evolved.

Snowbowl has added snowmaking — though, this year the slopes are buoyed by a 140 percent above-average snowfall to date as of this publication’s press time. Last year, it added the Humphreys Peak Quad as a new chairlift. It also expanded the rental shop and added new dining options.

This season brought the unveiling of the Grand Canyon Express, a high-speed, six-seater chairlift that has become a major piece of hardware for getting more skiers and snowboarders up the mountain. It’s helping to keep up with the snow area’s massive

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demand.

“The Grand Canyon Express changes the way skiers can access the mountain from the base area, giving them more time on the slopes since it’s a high-speed, high-capacity lift, plus it’s much easier to load and unload,” shared J.R. Murray, Arizona Snowbowl’s general manager.

Notable changes

The Grand Canyon Express is a big lift by industry standards. The length of 5,800 feet and vertical gain of 1,546 feet make for

an impressive ride. The drive machinery is at the top, which is the most efficient use of power and pulls the cable uphill opposed to pushing it like Agassiz and Sunset lifts. There are not many six person chairlifts around, but they are gaining in popularity. The big bonus is that an entire family can now ride together.

As for the speed, the Express lift takes six minutes, half the time of the Agassiz Lift.

This allows the new addition to transport as many as 1,800 people per hour, according to

information from Snowbowl. The chairlift is part of a $20 million capital improvements campaign.

For regulars at the ski area, the Grand Canyon Express has its top terminal directly below the island of trees where Upper Ridge intersects with Midway Catwalk. Riders unload and have access to both Ridge and Midway Catwalk. A new trail to the left of Ridge has changed the traffic flow of skiers, so it’s led to some improvements in the runs, according to Snowbowl.

This new lift has the latest in technology for the drive and safety systems, communication and electronic package.

It helps reduce wait times and increase numbers of runs as the demand continues for Arizona Snowbowl. Weekends and even weekdays throughout the winter are showing signs of increased attendance.

“The staff is very excited for the ski season and you should be too,” Murray noted. “Grand Canyon Express is a significant improvement in our uphill capacity and provides new ways to ski the mountain.”

In another way of moving people efficiently, Arizona Snowbowl also has partnered with Mountain Line Transportation to provide bus service from the city to the mountain. Details on the service are available at www.arizonasnowbowl.com/ mountainexpress.

First timers

Arizona Snowbowl, as mentioned, has become a different kind of experience for returning skiers and snowboarders. But the operators also are expecting new visitors and fresh faces on the slopes with all the upgrades and fuller season, and have been working to inform everyone on how to have a safe and comfortable day on the mountain.

The big message is to plan ahead.

Eating a healthy breakfast, being rested and hydrated will help lead to an enjoyable experience while at Snowbowl for everyone in the family. Keep a few snacks in-pocket to keep the energy level high while on the slopes.

For clothing and gear, skiers and riders will need waterproof jackets, pants and gloves (mittens are preferable for younger children), goggles or sunglasses with UV protection and sunscreen of at least SPF 15. For parents, be sure to label each article of clothing or gear sent with a child. As a note on ski or riding lessons with youth, parents are encouraged to watch all lessons from a distance and not to call out or distract the child during the lesson. “With the best learning terrain in the west, a top-rated safety program, and professionally certified, bilingual instructors, Arizona Snowbowl is the perfect place for those first learning how to ski or snowboard,� the staff shared in a statement.

Learn more about lessons, prices and packages at www.arizonasnowbowl. com.Please note that Arizona Snowbowl is a ski and snowboard area only and does not offer tubing or sledding options. Refer to the snowplay map for locations to engage in other snow activities.

Images this page courtesy Arizona Snowbowl

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All uphill from here Skiing up the slopes is growing in popularity at Snowbowl

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By Emery Cowan

ayers of gray clouds trailed off into the muted yellows and golds of a winter sunset as five skiers started up the North Star run at Arizona Snowbowl. Competitive runners Alicia Shay and Chris Vargo, two of those in the group, make the mile-and-a-half, 2,100-foot-elevation-gain climb nearly daily for off-season cross training.

They are among the dozens of people who strap on skis or other winter mountain climbing gear to huff it up Snowbowl’s groomed runs after the ski area's lifts close for the day and before they open each morning.

Called everything from “skimo” to touring to skinning, the activity of skiing uphill, instead of just down, is surging in popularity as more people latch onto its appeal of providing a heart-pounding workout, mountain solitude and a quiet ski down open slopes.

“Ten years ago there were probably 10 to 15 people in town who did it at all,” said Bob Tusso, who has been skiing up Snowbowl for years. Now, there can be 60 people or more heading up Snowbowl’s slopes at dawn and dusk, said Jon Gauld, the ski area's safety and risk manager.

Watching the rise in people interested in uphill access, Arizona Snowbowl implemented a new permit system this year that aims to increase safety on the mountain and allows the ski area to communicate directly with the uphill community.

In recent years, Gauld and other skiers said people have been injured or put in risky situations and equipment has been damaged as skiers try to navigate around

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mountain operations like avalanche control, snowmaking and grooming. Dogs running around off-leash had become another safety hazard, Gauld said.

Under the new policy, anyone headed uphill on Snowbowl’s slopes before or after the lifts close must get a free permit. It comes with a reflective armband that must be worn at all times. Dogs are no longer allowed and skiers are asked to stay to the right side of the trail on the way up and down.

There is a designated parking lot for uphill access parking and a kiosk that shows routes that are open and closed everyday

depending on the location of snowmaking, grooming or other nighttime operations.

Demand has blown past expectations, Gauld said. Snowbowl was expecting 250 to 300 permit registrations and so far there is a database of nearly 700 people. When people get the permit, they also provide their email address, which allows Snowbowl to get in touch if it needs to close the mountain for something like avalanche control, Gauld said.

The majority of other ski resorts

to work out positively so far, Butler said.

Nathan Friedman, who has been skiing up Snowbowl for about a decade, had good things to say about the system as well. With the increasing popularity of the activity, no longer are experienced backcountry skiers the only ones skinning up the mountain.

More and more, it’s people who are new to it and aren’t necessarily aware of the beforeand after-hours mountain operations that skiers need to avoid, said Friedman, who

“Because Flagstaff is such a tight-knit ski community, we felt it was really important to find a way to offer (access) and keep everyone as safe as we can.” – Jon Gauld

nationwide allow for uphill access and Gauld said Snowbowl wants to support it as well.

“Because Flagstaff is such a tight-knit ski community, we felt it was really important to find a way to offer (access) and keep everyone as safe as we can,” he said.

So far the new permitting system is looking like a success, he said. From the users’ side, there was some grumbling at first, especially about the no dogs rule, but other than that most people seem to be complying, said Carrie Butler, who just started skinning this year. The system “probably needed to be done,” and has seemed

owns Wanderlust Brewing Company.

Friedman and Tusso both gave a lot of credit to Snowbowl for working to accommodate uphill skiers, letting them climb the ski area's groomed slopes and its manmade snow, when they could simply close off that access.

Learn more about uphill skiing access at www.arizonasnowbowl.com. The information is located under “Discover” and the tab “Mountain Safety.”

A version of this article originally appeared in the Arizona Daily Sun.

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From FORT VALLEY RD use HUMPHREYS or BEAVER

ON RETURN TO MILTON RD

I-17 North turns into MILTON RD, continue following north until MILTON merges into ROUTE 66 Turn Left onto HUMPHREYS ST Turn Left onto FORT VALLEY RD /HWY 180

ACCESS FROM MILTON RD

NORTH OF FLAGSTAFF

From I-40 West go 32 miles, take EXIT # 163 Turn Left onto N. GRAND CANYON BLVD Turn right onto W. RAILROAD AVE Turn Left onto N. 4TH ST, 2.9 miles to Elk Ridge Ski & Outdoor

ACCESS FROM I-40 TO ELK RIDGE SKI & OUTDOOR

From I-40 West go 17 miles, take EXIT # 178 Turn Right and go to Historic Route 66 Turn Left on Historic Old Route 66 Go 4 miles to Oak Hill Snow Play Area on left

ACCESS FROM I-40 TO OAK HILL SNOWPLAY AREA

WEST OF FLAGSTAFF

From I-17 N., take EXIT #339 /LAKE MARY RD / MORMON LAKE Turn Right on S. LAKE MARY RD Cont. 38 miles to MILE POST 292.5

HAPPY JACK LODGE

From I-17 North, take EXIT #339 / LAKE MARY RD/MORMON LAKE Turn Right on S LAKE MARY RD go 21 miles Turn Right on Mormon Lake Village exit Continue 7 miles to lodge.

MORMON LAKE LODGE

From I-17 North., take EXIT #337 Turn left, proceed through roundabout Continue straight onto FAIRGROUNDS RD

ACCESS FROM I-17 TO FORT TUTHILL PARK

to exit 178

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*Please Note: No snowplay is permitted within the Arizona Snowbowl ski area or along Snowbowl Rd. (Forest Rd 516), and NO parking is permitted along either Snowbowl Rd or Hwy 180

arizonasnowbowl.com

Arizona Snowbowl*

SAN FRANCISCO PEAKS

Fort Tuthill County Park

www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab

Oak Hill

snowplayaz.com

Wing Mountain Snow Play Area

Mile Post 226

arizonanordicvillage.com

Arizona Nordic Village

www.fs.usda.gov/coconino

www.fs.usda.gov/coconino

Walker Lake Parking Area/Kendrick Park*

Crowley Pit Parking Area

Forest Rd 222B

180

Mile Post 232

Mile Post 233

Mile Post 235

TO GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK

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SOUTH OF FLAGSTAFF

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AZ511

Road Conditions

Foxglenn Park

Mormon Lake Lodge

exit 198 to Butler Ave

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1-844-256-SNOW

FOR UP-TO-DATE SNOW TRAVEL INFO

CALL THE FLAGSTAFF WINTER SNOWPLAY HOTLINE

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For information about local attractions, events and activities, stop by the Flagstaff Visitor Center, located A98 in the historic train station One E. Route 66.

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Flagstaff offers numerous indoor and outdoor family-friendly winter activities. Stop by the Flagstaff Visitor Center for a customized itinerary.

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Be sure to take your trash and snowplay items back to your vehicle for proper storage, recycling or trash.

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Dispose of your trash and recycle appropriately.

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Do not block driveways, entrances or exits, use restrooms prior to arriving at snowplay area, play in approved designated areas as shown on the Rou te 6 snowplay map.

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RESPECT PROPERTY

to exit 178

Slow down, only park in designated areas, do not park along highways, allow for extra time due to road conditions or travel delays.

SAFETY FIRST

Travel with cold weather necessities including to plenty of Williams gas in the tank, fully charged cell phone, supply of drinking water, flashlight, batteries, pack blankets, gloves, scarves, snacks and medication.

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Playing in the park

Snowplay in Flagstaff expands with Fort Tuthill operations By the Daily Sun Staff

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or snowplay enthusiasts looking for an easy solution to the traffic problems of U.S. 180 and wanting quick access to a sweet spot for some downhill tubing fun, the new Flagstaff Snow Park at Fort Tuthill offers a new alternative.

The park, which is nestled in the woods behind the Coconino County Fairgrounds to the west, currently consists of six snow tubing runs, including a kiddie hill for children under 5, and a large open area set up for fire pits, food trucks and other amenities. It opened in December and is already drawing people of all ages.

The company is not allowing people to bring their own sleds. Jonathan Allen, one of the park’s owners, said workers cleaned up the broken pieces of about 10 to 15 cheap plastic sleds while working on the tubing runs. In order to avoid cleanups, Flagstaff Snow Park is providing visitors with snowtubes. The cost of the tube is included in the price of admission, which is $8 for children ages 3 to 17 and $10 for adults.

The tubes are designed to withstand repeated use. They have a hard shell bottom and a canvas top that wraps around an inner tube that is replaceable. A cushion can be placed inside the tube to make it more comfortable for small children. Flagstaff Snow Park currently has about 450 of the tubes.

Flagstaff Snow Park only had about four months to get the area ready for the winter season after the Coconino County Board of Supervisors approved the 10-year agreement in September. Allen said the company had to cut down trees, grade and seed grass to make the tubing hills at the same time that Flagstaff Extreme Adventure Course was adding to its course. The two companies worked in tandem in order to make sure that both projects were completed in a timely fashion, he said.

Flagstaff Snow Park plans to use the smaller trees for firewood and the large trees to

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make lumber for future warming huts.

“We tried to disturb things as little as possible. If you look at the slope of the hill, you’ll see that we didn’t make any major cuts into it and the small bump at the bottom was created with dirt from the area,” Allen said.

The company also installed erosion mats to cut down on mud and keep the grass seed

in place. The mats make for a smoother ride on the runs because they keep the tubes from getting muddy. Mud on the tubes freezes and makes it harder to slide down the hills, he said.

The company and Coconino County is hoping that the new park will draw some of the snowplay traffic off downtown Flagstaff roads and Highway 180. Allen said he isn’t

sure how much traffic the park will draw in its first year. The area can handle about 1,200 to 1,500 people, keeping in mind that not everyone will be sledding or want to go sledding at the same time.

“After you’ve gone up and down the hill four or five times, you get pretty tired and cold,” he said.

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$8

FOR KIDS

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But the runs are pretty fun, Allen said.

He and some of the other employees at the park tested them after a snowfall and before the official opening. Allen is hoping that there’s enough interest in the park for the company to expand it. They want to add a seventh run with a Zorb ball next year. A Zorb ball allows a person to sit inside it and be rolled down a hill.

Like other operators at Fort Tuthill County Park, Flagstaff Snow Park’s use permit includes a revenue-sharing component that gives the county an annual base fee of $1,000 plus a cut of the profits. The county will receive 3.5 percent of gross revenue when the company makes $600,000 or less in net revenues. The county’s share will increase to 5 percent and then 7 percent as the company’s net revenues increase above $600,000 and then above $1 million. Up to half of the percentage the county collects, depending on the company’s net revenues, will be put into a fund dedicated to future repairs, replacements and capital improvements on the site.

Allen said the company has already put about $85,000 into improvements on the site; more than half of that went to purchasing the snowtubes.

The park is also hoping to get approval from the Board of Supervisors to add snowmaking to the mix. The company wouldn’t need to make a whole lot of snow: It only takes about six inches for the runs to operate properly, Allen said.

Maintaining that shouldn’t be hard on the runs since they face north and are well shaded by trees. The main concern would be getting water to the site, since the area does not have utilities currently.

Flagstaff Snow Park would also like to expand one of the jumps to include a bump where riders can catch air and land in an air bag at the bottom. There are plans to add warming huts, permanent bathrooms, an ice skating pond, more sledding hills and in the far future, a lodge.

All of this work would be completed in phases, he said.

SNOW TUBE USE

INCLUDED

TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE & ON SITE

W W W. F L A G S TA F F S N O W PA R K . C O M

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Rise of the big shoe

Snowshoeing becomes a more popular wintertime activity around Flagstaff.

By Seth Muller

for a time, created high-tech snowshoes.

“With skiing, if you’re overweight, don’t have the skills or haven’t skied all your life, there’s a learning curve. With snowshoeing, if you can walk, you can snowshoe.”

He added, “I can say there is an enthusiasm and interest for getting out in the winter. If you want a little solace, you’re going to need a way to get around, whether it’s skis, snowshoes or traction devices.”

Also, backcountry of the San Francisco Peaks has experienced more snowshoeing explorers in recent years. “The rangers who are patrolling have started to see an increase in snowshoeing,” said Brienne Pettit of the Peaks Ranger District in a past interview.

“It’s growing in popularity because it’s so simple. There is nothing technical to it.”

Help through intervention

S

nowshoes hold a long and deep history. The earliest known snowshoes date back to 4000 B.C. Archaeologists believe ancient people used them to cross the Aleutian Land Bridge from Asia into North America. Later, the Athaspascan Indians of the Northwest and the Algonquin Indians of the St. Lawrence River Valley perfected them.

In the pioneering years, hunters, trappers and prospectors used snowshoes as a regular mode of winter transportation.

Anybody needing to travel in snow country owned them and most made their own

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until about one hundred years ago. Some historians suggest snowshoes proved as important to taming the West as were the axe and flint-lock rifle.

During the last 10 to 15 years, the mode

of snow transportation has resurged with higher-tech shoes and a desire to keep the outdoors a four-season endeavor. And more people who live in and who visit Flagstaff have gravitated to snowshoeing as a sport.

Downhill skiing, cross-country skiing and tubing have dominated the winter recreation scene. But the need to find a trail no matter the weather, to get outside and to breathe fresh air, has moved many to buy snowshoes and head out in the cold and snow-buried forests.

“Snowshoes provide an easy entry way to get out there and hike,” said Danny Giovale, who started the Flagstaff-based Kahtoola, in a past interview. The company makes traction devices for ice-walking and,

With the interest in snowshoes and in getting out in the winter and icy trails on the rise, Giovale has found success with his company Kahtoola. The name comes from the Tibetan word meaning “directly,” and the adverb is a good match for both the product and the company.

In 1999, Giovale established Kahtoola primarily to manage patents he claimed for the “leaf-spring extender bar” that became an important component to crampons made by companies Black Diamond and Grivel.

Giovale’s inventing skills are influenced by his father, John, who is a retired mechanical engineer from medical technology company W.L. Gore & Associates. In fact, Danny’s grandparents brought Gore — famously known for its development of the GORE-TEX outdoor waterproof fabric — to Flagstaff.

In 2001, Kahtoola launched its first product: KTS flexible aluminum crampons.

It made different versions and styles of crampons before introducing its first line of snowshoes in 2006. The snowshoes are part of a system. Users strap on crampons and step into the snowshoe. When in the backcountry, they can walk on snowshoes in deep snow or step out onto the crampons in icy conditions. It’s all about traction.

Giovale’s inspiration to start the

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Gaining traction

This led to improving traction systems with ice and ultimately the snow. Kahtoola in the past few years has put much of its emphasis on traction devices for winter hiking and running.

“The technology and craftsmanship we offered with our snowshoes turned out to be too much for the generally pedestrian nature of snowshoeing,” Giovale shared recently. “But applying that approach to traction has really raised the bar on what athletes can do when the trails and roads

turn to packed snow and ice. This is where we’ve really pioneered a new market.”

And, in northern Arizona, winter traction on the trail is a big deal. Winter trail hiking and running has grown in recent years, as people use the colder, quieter time as a chance to get out. So, icecleats and other kinds of traction allow allseason access to places such as the Grand Canyon, where the trails off the South Rim see little sun at the top and ice over for weeks and months.

Popular trails and accessible trails around Flagstaff — such as Fatman’s Loop and the trails of Buffalo Park — can turn treacherous fast in the winter. But new gear with snowshoes and foot traction can make all the difference.

Note: While snowshoeing is a fun way to get out into the wintry backcountry, it is important that anyone who explores the outdoors in the winter take extreme precautions. Before braving the cold and snow, check out www.fs.fed.us/r3/Coconino for some great information on how to be safe and how to explore the backcountry in the winter. For the latest on avalanche dangers, check out www.kachinapeaks.org.

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company came from an accident he had in 1992 in the Dolomite Mountains of Italy. He and his older brother climbed a 16-pitch route outside of their abilities and did not finish the route until 11:30 p.m. In the dark, they missed a ledge they needed to follow and instead ended up at the top of a steep and icy gulley.

“On the third step, I hit a solid patch of ice and I fell 600 feet headfirst down a gully in the dark and crashed,” he said. “I was extremely lucky because of my helmet ... The only thing I had to slow me down my hands. Life flashed before my eyes. I had the full-time dilation. I thought about everything in two seconds. So, it was a fairly life-changing event.”

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Laying down the tracks Arizona Nordic Village a big draw for cross-country skiing and winter recreation

By Seth Muller

W

hile thousands flock to ski areas to experience the downhill thrill of alpine skiing and snowboarding, more people are discovering the pleasures of cross-country. A pair of skis can take a solitude-seeker far back into the wilderness.

But, cross-country skiing also offers a chance for outdoor winter fitness and — despite most people’s perception — winter fun.

The Arizona Nordic Village, recently acquired by Babbitt Ranches, has long become a destination that promotes the wonders of cross-country skiing with groomed trails, backcountry yurts and a facility that offers other amenities and activities.

Classic crosscountry skiers, freestyle skate skiers, snowshoers and other outdoor winter recreationists have been enjoying the snow, trails, cabins, yurts, bonfires and movies at Arizona Nordic Village. A few good snowfalls will quickly open up the 35 miles of trails, and lessons and rentals make it an easy option for visitors and first-timers.

“The word is out and we have been very busy outfitting recreationists with gear and issuing trail passes,” said Arizona Nordic Village General Manager Wendell Johnson. “Yurts and cabins have been especially popular this season. The weekends are booked solid. However, there are still opportunities for guests to enjoy a backcountry ‘glamping’ (high-end camping) experience during the week.”

Yurts and movies

Johnson said one unique adventure is cross-country skiing from yurt to yurt.

“Guests can leave their overnight packs at the lodge where a shuttle will transport them to their yurt. A fun activity is skiing to

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our Lupine or Honeysuckle yurts, about a mile from the lodge, spending the night in a yurt and then skiing to Morning Glory about two more miles into the Coconino National Forest. Morning Glory is a yurt situated on top of Hochderffer Hills and the views are breathtaking.”

Yurts and cabins are also available to rent for day use to take a break from the elements.

Arizona Nordic Village also is offering familyoriented movies in the new Nature Discovery Center yurt on Friday nights. “Movie Night is free and open to everyone to enjoy,” said Arizona Nordic Village Manager Tuesde White. “Some family members may want to watch the movie, while others cross-country ski.

Movies start at 5 p.m. and trails stay open until 7 p.m. on Fridays.”

In addition, Arizona Nordic Village offers discounted Friday night skiing. From 4 – 7 p.m., skiers can purchase a trail pass for $5 and rental equipment for $5. Friday night bonfires are open for all to enjoy, as well. “We encourage guests to bring marshmallows and all the makings for s’mores,” White said. “We also have a barbecue grill that people can use.”

Arizona Nordic Village is open Thursday through Sunday and holidays for skiing, depending on snow conditions. Yurts and cabins are open all week. Beginner, intermediate and expert trails are available with elevations ranging from 8,000 to 9,000 feet. Rental gear and lessons are available, as well. “Whether you’re a beginner or expert, we encourage everyone to come out and celebrate winter with us,” Johnson said.

“It’s really nice to have such varied terrain so close to town,” said Amanda Repka of W. L. Gore & Associates, an Arizona Nordic Village season pass-holder who’s been cross-country skiing since she could walk. “I’m out here on weekends and as

much as I can during the week. I think it’s one of the most exhilarating sports because you are climbing up hills. It’s definitely a full-body work out.

Johnson advises dressing in layers, using sunscreen and drinking plenty of water. “A common mistake is over-dressing.

So prepare like you would for a hike and remember, it’s easy to get dehydrated when you’re exerting energy in the brisk, winter air.”

Beyond the village

While the Nordic Village offers groomed trails and amenities for beginners through advanced skiers, the national forest

also offers much in the way terrain beyond the village. In the area of the San Francisco Peaks, shut-down forest roads, old logging roads and drift-covered trails invite endless exploring. Flagstaff cross-country ski enthusiast Janlyn Gosse took to Nordic and backcountry skiing at a very early age.

“I’ve cross-country skied since high school, when no one else did it and they thought I was really weird,” Gosse shared in a past interview. “It’s just a wonderful way to get outside in the winter. I love the winter and I love the snow. I get out there and I get into a rhythm. I get out there and I get exercise and I don’t really realize it.”

Gosse, originally from Logan, Utah,

used to head up into Logan Canyon and into the snowy range beyond town — her skis offering her passage. “If you were the first one out, it’s just deep powder everywhere,” she recalls of her Utah skiing experiences.

“Then, it’s more like a snowshoeing experience. But then, after you have trudged to wherever you wanted, then you’re going back over your tracks, it’s more of a skiing experience coming back. And, if you go with a big group, then the tracks get laid down better.”

For many cross-country-ski enthusiasts, northern Arizona’s offerings around Flagstaff are boundless. And new people to the sport are finding multiple opportunities to get

started and explore the sport and nature.

“That’s the beauty of having this microcosm of the Rocky Mountains here with the San Francisco Peaks,” Johnson said in a past interview. “You can have these different kinds of experiences. You can go up to Lockett Meadow and get more of a backcountry ski experience. And, we have a Nordic center, we have a downhill ski area, we have snowplay areas and we have a lot of backcountry.”

For current conditions and more information, visit ArizonaNordicVillage.com.

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Baby, It’s Cold Outside Cross-country skiing Snowshoeing Glamping Yurts Cabins $5 Fridays 4 - 7 p.m.

Rentals Trail Passes Free Family Movies Bonfire

Highway 180, 15 miles north of Flagstaff

ArizonaNordicVillage • 928-220-0550