Bruce’s Trail on Rabbit Ears Pass is opened and groomed
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Steamboat Resort opens in three weeks. Howelsen Hill Ski Area opens a week after that, and the Nordic trails are reliant on snowfall. But, there is officially one groomed place to ski in Routt County.
On Tuesday, Bruce’s Trail on Rabbit Ears Pass was groomed by members of the Steamboat Nordic Council.
The trail, located just east of the West Summit on Rabbit Ears Pass, is a 5-kilometer loop and will be groomed so long as the conditions allow.
The Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club Nordic programs have already taken advantage of access to the trail, strapping on their skinny skis Wednesday evening.
“There’s not many places in the country that get to ski on snow this early,” said SSWSC U16 and U18 Nordic combined coach Karl Denney. “In Europe, it’s pretty much restricted to just glaciers that they can ski on in the early season, and they’re lucky to have those. Same with Canada. But here in America, you’ve got to find the right climate. Luckily, we usually get that October cold snap that brings in just enough snow to get us a quick head start.”
Snow doesn’t reappear in the forecast for Steamboat until Nov. 8, so the conditions on the trail may deteriorate over the next week or two.
For more information about Nordic skiing in Steamboat Springs, visit nordicski.net/.
Shelby Reardon is the assistant editor at the Steamboat Pilot & Today. To reach her, call 970-871-4253, email sreardon@SteamboatPilot.com or follow her on Twitter @ByShelbyReardon.
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