Sunday Trail Closures - 2/21/21

On Sunday, the Biathlon program participants are hosting a training event which will lead to trail closures near the range and Jane’s Gate. See the map below for details and plan your route accordingly. Closures begin at 8am, last throughout the day, and will also be marked on the trails.

From Lots B & C - access to outer trails via Crosscut return and Five Rings. From Lot A, access outer trails from Crosscut Return and Five Rings above the pumphouse.

Please respect trail closures and signage so we can host safe and high quality events for our youth and adult biathletes. Thanks!

Scott Lacy: Mid-Season Reflection on How I Got Here

Written by Scott Lacy, Crosscut Elite Team

With the current break in races perfectly timed for powder skiing the Tetons, I have been taking some time to reflect back on the season so far.  Three months ago there wasn’t a clear idea of what the race season would be, if it happened at all. Now I have driven to Soldier Hollow twice, spent a race weekend in Sun Valley, gone down to West Yellowstone more times than I can count on one hand and raced two days here in Bozeman - totaling 15 races and 2 team time trials.  Plus spending the holidays with family down in Colorado.  Needless to say, it’s been busy in the best way.  

The season has also held many opportunities for learning more about racing and why I race.  With an international pandemic up-ending everything we used to do, there have been ample reasons to bail out, to complain, to be frustrated with changes made or wanting the way it was in years past.  And I have found all of this ultimately fortifying my drive to train, to race, to improve on something every session.  I love this strange sport, I love skiing, I love to push myself; growing my physical and mental limits.  And no pandemic changes my ability to grow, and yes, it changes the methods and fashion of achieving those goals, but that actually aids in the achievement.  

Ski testing in Anchorage, AK where I stopped denying my drive to race again.

Further reflection brings me back to why I came to elite racing after so many years off.  In fact, graduating college had me nailing closed the coffin on my race skis the week after NCAA’s senior year, to much surprise including my own.  That was spring 2013.  Then following a winding and wonderful path, I found myself ski testing for the Intermountain Junior National Ski Team in Anchorage, Alaska late winter 2019 and with a 5 year tenure coaching for Jackson Hole Ski Club under my belt.  Skiing former World Cup trails on fast skis, about as fit as a coach gets, huge grin on my face and feeling the Nordic fire burning strong in my gut I accepted the truth:  I wasn’t done racing, I wanted to race, I love this sport and I want to be the best skier I can be; no more denying it.  In the bitterest of sweet, I gave my two weeks notice that evening.  Coaching had truly touched my heart and the athletes I rose through the program with became true friends, leaving them was right for me and painful. 

Coaching athletes in Jackson 

The next 12 months became the foundation of my elite skiing career.  I climbed the sand dune of training and racing as an independent athlete being seeded with the glorious 990 USSA points one has with no national ranking. Racing as an independent taught me more about myself, training, competing and the Nordic community than I had ever learned before.  I raced into multiple top 20 Super Tour finishes and an overall ranking of 34th on the USSA list before the season abruptly ended in mid March.  I must admit, I was proud of the result after making my own training plan, coordinating with 6 different teams for waxing throughout the circuit and fundraising to cover the season expenses. Being an independent racer is a tough approach to success.   

It must have been day 323 or maybe 216 of quarantine in April when The Luke Brown of Crosscut’s inaugural team sent me a link to apply to the Crosscut team of today.  With the bass turned down on my phone, I talked to Seth about kayaking for an hour and applied to the team.  A few weeks later I drove to Bozeman to run the M time trial and decided this team was going to be home for the remainder of my ski career.  

Lapping those roller ski roads

This past summer of Triple Tree and Mountain Project showed the true power of a team, regular coaching, and skin donations to the pavement we pound. I was feeling the strongest I have ever been with positive karmic debt to the ski gods and had my best results to date in the first 10km of the season in West Yellowstone at the end of November with a top 5.  The season kept on rolling with mixed results and I continued learning how to best prepare for races, warm-up, recover and more.  Mid January held a huge learning opportunity for me when I was hoping to have my best results and be eyed for a pick to Europe in both biathlon and FIS skiing but instead had my worst results of the season.  Transforming disappointment and frustration into motivation and lessons learned, I ended January with my best races of the season: A win and second place for our home USSA races!!!

One of the offerings to the Roller Ski Gods

The experience of the last two years has been incredible.  Going back to racing has been incredibly gratifying, like answering a call that just kept ringing, but when finally hitting the green circle instead of the red, it wasn’t a robo call this time.  The last two years have shown me my time off has not held me back, my age doesn’t mean I can’t be fast and fit, that sewing my oats after college with everything outside of skiing has allowed me to now focus everything I’ve got on ski racing without distraction.  It has shown me a pure love of this sport and passion for skiing is truly powerful.  The last two years have stoked that Nordic fire in my gut into a raging bonfire, providing endless motivation to keep at it and it is paying off.  With eyes set on the Birkie in 2 weeks, it’s time to end the reflection on races past, focus forward and ski fast!

Skating to the win in Bozeman 10 km

Join our 2021/2022 Elite Team!

We are now accepting applications for the 2021/2022 season. Please email applications to info@crosscutmt.org by April 2nd, 2021.

About the Team:

Expanding upon the traditional model of professional skiing, the Crosscut Mountain Sports Center Elite Team is the first of its kind in the US to field a roster of cross country skiers, biathletes, and para nordic athletes. Standing on a unified foundation of the pursuit of nordic sport at the highest level, the team seeks to harness the individualities apparent in its makeup to optimize resources, increase development opportunities, and capitalize on its members’ abilities to inspire one another.

Qualifying 60% of our team for international competition in their respective fields in 2020, we will continue to give athletes the resources they need to reach their goals in and out of sport as we prepare for the 2022 Beijing Games and beyond.

Space Available in March Ski Education Sessions!

Participants have a good time learning to ski and skiing to learn

If you are looking for a fun, educational, and covid-conscious activity for your child this winter, Crosscut Mountain Sports Center has a few spots left in our Ski Education Session Programs in March! These half-day programs are designed for homeschool and remote learning students in grades K-8 and meet once a week for the whole month. 

We currently have availability in our Monday afternoon session and Thursday morning and afternoon sessions. 

Check here for more information and to register or email us with questions at skieducation@crosscutmt.org. 

Sign your child up today to experience nordic skiing and place-based education in the Bridger mountains!

Diving into Nordic Ski Racing with Dani Aravich

Written by Dani Aravich, Team Crosscut and USA Paralympic Athlete

Dani racing at Soldier Hollow this January

Racing can be intimidating.  Racing in a sport that you only started a year ago is more intimidating. And being new to a sport at the age of 24 is overwhelming.

But lucky for me, I have Team Crosscut.

I arrived at Soldier Hollow Nordic Center on January 1, parked my car, and walked into the stadium feeling completely and utterly disoriented and out of place.  There were so many people testing skis, club teams taking jogs around the parking lot, and dozens of wax benches set up.  I looked around in a panic hoping to find Coach Seth.  After spotting his silver truck, I hustled over and felt relief as I asked him and the other Crosscut members a million questions.

“What is the course for tomorrow?”

“Do I leave my skis with you or should I take them with me?”

“What type of wax are you putting on?”

“What is a technique zone?”

“How early do I need to be here before the race?”

“What is a ‘feed’?”

“Am I going to finish last in this race?!”

Let me give some background as to why I am clueless in this nordic ski world.  I am a Paralympic hopeful track & field runner suddenly turned nordic skier.  As a former college cross country and track athlete, I started training full-time to compete in Paralympic sport a year and a half ago.  As I was training for track & field, a Team USA Paralympic Nordic ski coach invited me to try out the sport at a developmental camp in Breckenridge, Colorado last winter.  I stepped on those narrow little Fischer skis and was hooked.

Now just a year later, I am training at Crosscut Mountain Center and with the Paralympic National Nordic Ski team.  I was not able to ski a lot last winter due to my track & field season and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Nordic skiing is a lot to process, and it is a very technical sport.  There are two different techniques to learn, there is a significant amount of equipment involved, and a lot of maintenance/care for said equipment. 

I am still learning.  But luckily, I have some incredible individuals between Team Crosscut and the US Paralympic Nordic staff helping me through the learning process.  

Over the race weekend at Soldier Hollow, fellow teammates Felicia, Ingrid, and Anna previewed the course with me, explaining what their race plan would be at certain turns or hills.  Coaches Seth and Cully answered my one million questions.

This was my third ski race EVER, and the first time without the Paralympic staff and athletes there.  I had never raced able-bodied athletes, let alone some of the best collegiate and pro skiers in the country.  And guess what?  I did get last in my sprint race.  And that is okay.  Because I am new, I am learning.  Without the support of Team Crosscut, I may not have showed up the following day for the distance race.  I was provided valuable feedback and encouraged, and guess what? I beat someone in the distance race on Sunday!

Beating a single person in a race of 80 people may not seem like much, but it was something.  I am so appreciative to have the opportunity to learn and grow in this crazy sport of Nordic skiing with the support of Team Crosscut.  

Vincent Bonnaci Checks In With an IBU Cupdate (cup-update!)

Written by Vincent Bonnaci, Team Crosscut Athlete

This December, I was selected to race on the IBU Cup for the US Biathlon Team, and I just wrapped up the first two rounds of racing in Arber, Germany. This year, the participation quota for IBU Cups was increased so each country could send more athletes to the races, making these some of the biggest races I have ever done; some of the races have more than 160 competitors, making the experience that much more fun. I have been focusing on learning as much as possible from each race, and slowly trying to make improvements from day to day. I was incredibly happy to cap off my time in Arber with my best sprint race to date, hitting 8/10 targets and skiing smoothly, but I still know I can definitely improve in some areas which gets me excited for the races to come. 

The next round of racing is the Open European Championships in Duszniki, Poland, and so far I am loving the course and range here. The snow is fast, the terrain skis very well, and everyone is psyched to be here.  The first race is the 20k individual, which is by far the longest biathlon race I have done, but I am going into it with no expectations and just a few simple focuses and I will see how it goes.

If anybody has any questions they would like to ask me about biathlon, I can be reached easily through my social media channels, ig: @vbonacc, or just Vincent Bonacci on Facebook.

Sacagawea Classic Event - Rescheduled for 2022

POSTPONED This Year. RESCHEDULED for February 12, 2022

With cautious approach to the COVID-19 pandemic and a desire to host a premier ski event, we’ve decided to postpone this year’s Sacagawea Classic. The event and suite of races will now take place on February 12, 2022.

Join us in thanking and acknowledging our sponsors, notably our title sponsor First Security Bank, Excel Physical Therapy, Bank of Bozeman, Tanoshi, Dee-O-Gee, Hilton Garden Inn, Bangtail Bikes and XC Ski and Townsend Collective, and our volunteers and community members who have already put so much into hosting a great event.

You can read more about what we’ve been planning here.

Check back for details as they progress. See you in 2022!

Max Durtschi Checks In From the World Cup

by Max Durtschi, Team Crosscut and US Biathlon Athlete

*Written on Dec. 24, 2020

Greetings from Ramsau, Austria, the home of US Biathlon for the holiday break. Having just finished the first four World Cups in Kantiolahti, Finland and Hochfilzen, Austria we are looking forward to some recharging before heading to Oberhof, Germany for World Cup 5!

US Biathlon's season began with a pre-season World Cup camp in Vuokatti, Finland. We spent two weeks in Vuokatti skiing on their tracks and taking advantage of their ski tunnel and other World-Class facilities. I personally enjoyed getting on snow and practicing technique in some softer conditions. Because much of the World Cup season takes place in central Europe, being confident in wet, soft snow is very important.

We finished off our camp with some training races against national team biathletes from Ukraine, Finland, and Bulgaria. These races were a great way to wake up the body as I had not raced on snow since last March in Minsk, Belarus. I felt good on skis and solid in the range, cleaning the sprint race and shooting well in the individual.

After our training camp, we traveled to the site of World Cups 1 and 2 in Kantiolahti, Finland. This venue was fantastic with some challenging hills and a range that often sees strong wind. The conditions were pretty soft which made the steep hills even more challenging. The range conditions oscillated daily and this gave us a great chance to practice wind shooting!

In Hochfilzen, we finally experienced consistent sunshine which was wonderful after spending nearly a month in the darkness of northern scandinavia. Snow conditions were good as well with a little more natural snow mixed into the track.

So far, the biggest change to this season has been the COVID-19 protocols. Overall, I have been very impressed with the efforts made by both US Biathlon as well as the International Biathlon Union (IBU). Using protocols put together by our medical staff, we travelled overseas and have done our best to mitigate risk while in hotels. As a team we have made some sacrifices including subdividing into pods in order to prevent potential spread within our team, but have found ways to enjoy each other's company nonetheless!

In addition, the IBU has done a great job keeping us athletes safe! These measures include: frequent testing (roughly every 4-5 days), restricted hotels, charter flights, and (unfortunately) prohibiting fans at the venues. For our time at the venue our sponsors Maloja and Sunlight have provided us a team RV which we can use to safely relax, while maintaining strict protocols.

I wish everyone safe and healthy holidays! We hope that Crosscut has some great conditions!