Nordic Ski Festival

The Nordic Ski Festival in West Yellowstone reminds me of an extended Christmas Stroll for cross country skiers. Everyone has a smile on their face, people are psyched to be back on snow, there is a palpable excitement and anticipation to the season, and most importantly it is a fantastic social atmosphere where skiers can catch up with old friends and meet new ones from across the country.
With family and job schedules taking everyone in different directions, West Yellowstone offers a small town atmosphere where you can take a moment and spend some quality time with family and friends. The Dads took the kids sledding and swimming, so the girls could hit the trails (above).

Tony and I worked in Wyoming together about 20 years ago (yikes). The ski festival provides a great venue to catch up with old friends.
In addition to the miles of ski trails where you can lose yourself in the solitude and natural bliss both inside and outside of the park, the ski festival offers a great outdoor showroom where you can demo all the latest gear,
and watch some the best young cross country skiers duke it out in both sprint and classic races.
I think the thing that I enjoy most about the festival is seeing all of the families out there introducing a new generation to the exhileration of Nordic skiing. Seeing the grandparents out with the grandkids is probably the most inspirational for me.

To find out more about the festival go to http://www.rendezvousskitrails.com