Crosscut Mountain Sports Center is seeking to hire enthusiastic educators for our Summer Education Program team. Our program strives to provide an inclusive and accessible opportunity for children to explore and learn about the natural world. Additionally, we work to provide an educational experience, learning through exploration and hands-on activities. This job is very active and requires instructors to be comfortable hiking with a backpack and able to be outside with students for 6+ hours.
Mikayla Maier's IBU Cupdate!
In this crazy time that we currently live in, I felt extremely fortunate to get called up to represent the USA in IBU Cups 3 & 4 in Orsiblie, Slovakia. Luke (Crosscut Elite team member), Carsen (a new Team USA athlete), and I took to the friendly skies on February 1st to meet up with the rest of the team in Germany for a mini training camp before the next races. Fast forward many travel hours later and we arrived in Arber, Germany and reunited with the team, which included a couple of our fellow Team Crosscut athletes: “Slucy” Lucy and “Fully Engaged” Vincent! Our team worked hard this past off-season with great team chemistry and supportive coaches, and the results have shown it!
First ski in rainy Arber, Germany!
Training in Arber
The first few days I spent some time settling in, COVID testing (the team is tested every 3–4 days), and getting in some real foggy, rainy skis. The following week was spent with some quality time on the range in Arber along with some intensity sessions to “wake” the body back up. After eight days in Arber it was off to Slovakia — an eight-hour drive away. After some “adventures” at the Austrian border, we all made it into Osrblie on a very snowy night. Our hotel was right at the venue and we arrived with the Swedes (STINA!) along with several other counties. With this being my first IBU Cup and international race debut, it was all a bit of a whirlwind the first few days (I can’t wear my Crosscut neck buff, but whhhhy!?!) but I got it all sorted and started things off with a Sprint Race. I shot well and actually skied decently so I made the Pursuit in my first international race. Can’t ask for much more than that! The following races didn’t go quite as well as my first race and I could slowly feel myself getting into a hole from the not-so-nutritious Slovakian food. I would have loved to have something else besides potatoes with my potatoes, but such is life in Slovakia!
First Pursuit race!
Maddie placed 3rd in the Short Individual!
After the final races in Osrblie we headed over to Vienna, Austria, where some teammates were heading home and some to World Juniors (Go Vincent and Ari!!). The rest of us piled — and I mean PILED — into a single van and headed to Antholz, Italy for a two-week training camp while we awaited word on what the final IBU Cup team would look like. I had high expectations for Antholz and let me tell you that it has lived up to them and then some! The skiing is seriously gorgeous and the Biathlon venue is literally world class. (And future Olympic site!) The first week some of the USA World Cup team was also training in Antholz after the World Championships so we all had some really good quality training sessions. I was pushed way beyond my comfort zone in both skiing and shooting, but what great training it was! This past week has consisted of some really great focused training and shooting along with plenty of stunning long skis.
Antholz Biathlon venue
Luke and I on a beautiful ski in Dolomiti di Sesto
The final IBU Cup races have been moved to Obertilliach, Austria, where I’m happy to say that I have been named to the USA team as well! It’s a full week of racing so I’m looking forward to ending the season on a high note before finally heading back home to Bozeman!
Christian Gostout with a Strong Case of Birkie Fever
“You now tap into the strength of the original Birch Legged warriors. May you ski with the wind, may you attack off the pack, and may you lunge for the win. But most of all, may you be the one that awakens ready to give your all.”
-Luke Brown, Crosscut Elite Team Member, Birkie Eve, 2021
Myself and several other members of the Crosscut Elite team recently headed to the midwest to take part in the excitement of the great American Birkebeiner ski race. This successful experience for the team began a week before the Birkie, with Ingrid and I travelling back to our home state of Minnesota to hop in on a local CXC Super Cup series race weekend. Ingrid’s coaches from high school with Loppet Nordic Racing kindly offered to support us for the weekend’s races. They gave us fast skis, and we had great races! It was good Birkie prep, and left me more excited for more low altitude racing in Wisconsin.
10k skate at Wirth
Over the week before the race, Ingrid, Scott, Felicia and I all made it safely to the Hayward area. Our coaches, Seth and Cully, arrived before us, and spent an enormous amount of time driving around rural roads to ski every part of the course, testing skis, waxes, and structures all week. Despite it being the coaches’ first Birkie experience, by the time everyone arrived in the area, we were receiving strategic advice on the course from the likes of seasoned Birkie veterans. Our ski testing and pre-race days flew by in anticipation, and before we knew it, it was Birkie day (the first).
The men’s race went off at a competitive pace, driven by a collective desire to escape the threat of broken poles, and a sprint bonus payout 2.5k from the start. I had no sights on either of the two bonus sprints set in the race. Longer races have always been my specialty, and I was in it to prove that by hanging on to the finish.
As we skied through the Wisconsin forests, athletes progressively dropped from the lead pack. In the aftermath of the OO midpoint sprint bonus, the lead pack had slimmed down to fewer than 10 skiers. Last spring I had set a top 10 Birkie finish as one of my season goals, so I knew that if I could do no more than just stay with the pack, I could meet that goal. I felt good though, and was setting my sights higher in the moment. As the remaining kilometers decreased, and the intensity of the race increased, I tried to focus on keeping my technique together and my thoughts calm.
With 6k to go, we hit a substantial climb, there was a big group shuffle, and suddenly Johnny Hagenbuch was several meters ahead of everyone. The race had begun. I was in a good enough position to respond to the attack with a few other skiers. A moment later, we had assertively separated the top 6 group. Five of us skied together in hot pursuit of Johnny for the rest of the race. We all knew we were in the prize payout, a success in itself, but it would be a tight race to earn a spot on the podium, and anyone could do it. We constantly shuffled the lead, making attacks and responses over every remaining hill and transition.
With just under 2k to go, I was leading the pack. I’d rather bet on my grit and fitness than my sprint speed any day, so I took the chance for an early break. I had all the willpower I needed to do it - a level of motivation I haven’t found yet this season - so I went all in. I didn’t know if my move was going well or not, but I do know that we hit a small incline, and suddenly I felt the entire line of core muscles from my triceps to my quads cramp up. Maybe my body had actually hit its absolute limit. Maybe I panicked at the thought of cramping. Either way, I went from second to sixth place in an instant, and lost a meter or so off of the back. I fought to regain the pack for as long as I could, thinking I might get lucky and have a second wind in the finish sprint, but I didn’t regain connection with the pack in time. By the time I could see the finish line, my fate was sealed. Nobody was behind me, I knew I was walking home with some cash and a season goal checked off the list. I skied the last couple hundred meters easy, knowing I had to do it all again the next day. Scott came in not long after me, and Ingrid and Felicia both finished competitively soon after!
I spent the rest of the day trying my best to recover for the next race. We found a sauna, jumped in a frozen lake, and went to bed nearly immediately after dinner. I went to bed knowing I did the best I could to prepare for round 2, but feeling like I was a little in over my head.
I woke up the next day feeling the effort of the day before, but ready and excited for a different kind of challenge from the day before. I figured a competitive finish would be a nice thing, but I ultimately just wanted to ski well and stick to a plan. The race went out hot! It did not take long for me to recognize that sticking with the lead was not sustainable for me. I then dropped my bottle containing my main carbohydrate source, and had to carry on with the knowledge that those sugars would come back to haunt me later in the race. They did. I skied most of the race as well as I had hoped to, working together with Brian Gregg, one of the most experienced skiers in the elite field. Eventually, once my lack of caloric intake set in, I was left alone. Did I mention it was snowing heavily the whole time? With under 20k to go, about 5” had accumulated. I bonked hard, and spent the rest of the race walking through the snow at a painfully slow pace, bonking harder, and getting colder. I did snag a nice bonus place on the finishing results in the last kilometer by passing another skier that had somehow managed to bonk harder than me, but to be honest, it wasn’t really even a race anymore by then. It had become a survival event. One that really set the participant/finisher medals they gave out into perspective for me.
I’ve spent the week since recovering, keeping my training easy and fun. I’m not sure what’s next for the season. Possibly some races in Sun Valley, and possibly nothing! If it’s over, I will be happy with the way it ended on the Birkie trail for myself and the team. If there are more races to come, I’m sure one of my inspiring teammates and friends will be back here to recount the successes we’re sure to have in them.
Employment Opportunity - Administrative Assistant
Position: Administrative Assistant
Start Date: 04/05/2021
Compensation: $15.00/hr or DOE
Reports to: Associate Director
Job Description:
Crosscut seeks an enthusiastic individual to support the organization's growing administrative
responsibilities. Working closely with the Directors, the Administrative Assistant will provide
administrative and data entry support for Crosscut Mountain Sports Center. The Administrative
Assistant will exercise discretion, confidentiality and a professional demeanor.
Hours and Scheduling:
20 hours/week, hours can be completed at the discretion of the individual and Directors. Some
M-F hours required on a weekly basis.
Tasks and Responsibilities:
● Assist the Executive Director with tasks that support the nature of remote work such as
office organization, improved phone communication with clients, scheduling and other
duties as assigned
● Assist in data entry and organization for Crosscut’s Salesforce database
● Assist with finance data entry for directors
● Manage Crosscut’s filing system and support record keeping
● Support Crosscut’s communication and marketing efforts
Job Standards and Experience:
1. Commitment:
a. The Administrative Assistant is committed to discretion, confidentiality and
creating an inclusive work environment with other colleagues.
2. Required Experience:
a. Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Google Docs, Sheets etc.
b. Ability to multi-task for different people and projects
c. Strong attention to detail
d. Excellent oral and written communication.
3. Preferred Experience:
a. Training or prior experience with administrative or organizational duties
e. Experience with database and/or accounting data entry
4. Prerequisites:
a. Must have transportation access to and from Crosscut, or other locations in the
city of Bozeman
b. Be able to pass a background check
c. Ability to work at Crosscut at least two days per week
Additional Information:
This position may require the employee to perform responsibilities in adverse conditions (such
as in the cold, or while sitting or standing or moving for prolonged periods). If the employee
does not feel comfortable with accomplishing these tasks safely, they are expected to seek
assistance.
Employee Information and Benefits:
● Season pass ski privileges at Crosscut Mountain Sports Center
● Pass privileges to Lone Mountain
● A great working environment nestled in the beautiful Bridger Mountains, with the option
to work remotely when tasks allow
● Pro-deal access on various brands
● Stipend for cell phone use
● Option for accident insurance
As an equal-opportunity employer, Crosscut Mountain Sports Center is committed to being
inclusive in our hiring practices. Crosscut does not discriminate based on race, color, religion,
national origin, sex, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or age.
How to Apply:
Please send a cover letter and resume to nicki@crosscutmt.org with the subject line
“Administrative Assistant Application: Your Name.” Interview invitations will be sent the week of
March 22nd and March 29th.
Follow and Cheer Along in Slovenia with World Para Nordic Skiing
U.S. Paralympics Nordic Ski Team in Slovenia
World Para Nordic Skiing was able to put together a covid safe World Cup event this March in Planica, Slovenia. The US Team made the trip alongside 14 nations, with five Crosscut athletes attending: Oksana Masters, Kendall Gretch, Ruslan Reiter, Dani Aravich, and Lera Doederlein.
After two days of racing, the US has earned four podiums and earned two more Beijing Games spots.
For those of you who want to pass along live streaming info to friends and family for the races this weekend. They will be on our U.S. Parlympics Nordic Facebook page during our race times:
Sat – 1:30 AM MT – Middle Distance VI
Sat – 3:30 AM MT – Middle Distance Standing
Sat – 5:30 AM MT – Middle Distance Sitting
Sun – 2:00 AM MT – CC Middle Distance Sitting
Sun – 4:00 AM MT – CC Men’s Middle Distance Standing & VI
Sun – 5:20 AM MT – CC Women’s Middle Distance Standing & VI
Ski the (virtual) Birkie at Crosscut!
In Bozeman but want to ski the Birkie? Here’s a course to ski at Crosscut. No course markings so bring the map to be prepared for the most fun. Skier policies, including trail etiquette apply.
For details relating to the Virtual Birkie, go here. Now get out there and have some fun!
FREE, Live & Online Avalanche Awareness Discussions
The Friends of the Avalanche Center will offer FREE 1-hr Avalanche Awareness Talks in partnership with Crosscut Mountain Sports Center. The talks will be live, ONLINE events. One class is geared toward adults and one is geared toward high school students. See below for details. Topics covered include: avalanche terrain recognition, the effect weather has on avalanche hazard, the development of the mountain snowpack, decision making skills, and basic search and rescue procedures. For more information, please contact friendsofgnfac@gmail.com.
Two Chances to Know Before You Go:
Wednesday March 24th at 6pm - For Adults
Join Zoom Meeting: "Know Before You Go" Avalanche Awareness Talk
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86441561955?pwd=b21WbXFKRTdWNUc1THlKZ3dGL0RIZz09
Meeting ID: 864 4156 1955
Passcode: 423950
Monday March 29th at 6pm PM - For High School Students
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86583484231?pwd=RmdLL042VUJVZU9zRlZiMWxhTkJUZz09
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!
