{"id":36205,"date":"2023-01-19T02:34:42","date_gmt":"2023-01-19T09:34:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durango-nordic-center-offers-affordable-skiing-and-snowshoeing\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T02:29:56","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:29:56","slug":"durango-nordic-center-offers-affordable-skiing-and-snowshoeing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durango-nordic-center-offers-affordable-skiing-and-snowshoeing\/","title":{"rendered":"Durango Nordic Center offers affordable skiing and snowshoeing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Molly
Molly Hummel, left, and Missy Neagos skate up a hill Saturday during the Pine Needle Langlauf 30K race at the Durango Nordic Center. Neagos won the female division, wrapping up the title of Queen of the Rossignol Southwest Series with her performance. (Courtesy Frank Mapel)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Durango Nordic Center Manager Helen Low has a quick answer as to why she has worked for the nonprofit organization for 21 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a wonderful place to work,\u201d Low said. \u201cVolunteers come back year after year to work here. We\u2019ve had the same staff forever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally from the Isle of Wight off the southern coast of England, Low settled into the Durango area in the early 2000s and started out as a Durango Nordic Center volunteer herself, before becoming a full-time manager in 2006.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, there\u2019s not a lot of skiing where I\u2019m from,\u201d Low said with a laugh. \u201cWhen I moved to Durango, that\u2019s one of the first things I learned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Founded in 1952 as The Durango Nordic Ski Club, the nonprofit\u2019s intent was to provide an area for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing for people of all ages and skill sets with affordable prices for rentals and passes. The area would also provide a space for those interested in honing their skills for competition. The DNSC currently offers racing programs for even the youngest skiers, from ages 6 through 19.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Durango Nordic Center has been around since 1986, but the current building the organization uses for its operations (pictured here) was built only seven years ago and is owned by the Purgatory Metro District. (Courtesy of Durango Nordic Center)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

According to the Durango Nordic Center\u2019s website, \u201cOur mission is to help young athletes achieve great things as individuals and as competitors by providing financial, developmental, and organizational support to the athletes and their coaches.\u201d<\/p>\n

Low maintains the programs and classes the Nordic center provides are just a few of the things that set it apart from other cross-country skiing and snowshoeing businesses in Southwest Colorado.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe offer classes and teach lessons on skiing and snowshoeing,\u201d she said. \u201cWe also have skate clinics. It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019ve had any experience or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Low emphasizes that there is plenty for the whole family to do at the Durango Nordic Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a lot of kids programs and a junior race team,\u201d she said. \u201cSometimes, we have kids who don\u2019t race or want to ski. They just want to have fun, so they come up here and play in the snow.\u201d<\/p>\n

For those who do want to get out onto the trails and do some cross-country skiing or snowshoeing, there are plenty of trails to choose from.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have 25 kilometers of trails,\u201d Low said. \u201cThere are 48 Nordic ski trails.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trail Grooming<\/div>\n

\"The
The Durango Nordic Center grooms its trails every day, a feat the center\u2019s manager, Helen Low, said sets it apart from other similar organizations. (Courtesy of Helen Low\/Durango Nordic Center)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Low said another thing that sets the Durango Nordic Center apart from others is the organization\u2019s ability to groom their trails on a consistent basis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe groom our trails every day,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re the only place in Southwest Colorado that does that. Our new snow cat does an amazing job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Low also credits trail work completed before the winter season in aiding the snow cat\u2019s efforts in grooming the trails.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can extend the season by doing dirt work,\u201d she said. \u201cWe smooth out the trails, so there will be less work for the snow cat when the snow comes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new snow cat was purchased through the Nordic center\u2019s fundraising efforts, as well as through trail fees, memberships, and donations made by community members and sponsors.<\/p>\n

Many in the Durango community would be surprised that the Nordic center has to rely on fundraising and donations, as there has been a long-running misconception that the center is either owned by or associated with Purgatory Resort.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not connected with Purg,\u201d said Low, \u201cbut a lot of people think we are. The Nordic Center sits on private property. The one who owns the land, who doesn\u2019t want to be named, wants to preserve all of the trails. We also do all our own fundraising, like paying for fuel for our (snow) cat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though the Nordic center\u2019s benevolent landlord wishes to remain anonymous, Low said she and fellow co-workers have named a special trail after the person.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe knows one of our trails is named after her,\u201d Low said. \u201cIt\u2019s a hidden little trail. We (the employees) all know it\u2019s there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The
The Durango Nordic Center provides 48 Nordic skiing trails for cross country enthusiasts. (Courtesy of Durango Nordic Center)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Besides the cross-country skiing, those interested in snowshoeing can rent equipment at the center and participate in activities like Full Moon Howlers, a guided snowshoeing activity that took place at midnight on Jan. 6.<\/p>\n

Snowshoeing at midnight is just one of the many unusual activities the Nordic center embraces as part of its organization.<\/p>\n

According to its website\u2019s mantra, \u201cWe are a community. We celebrate the solitude and stark beauty of a winter\u2019s day. We embrace the pursuit of fitness traversing our backyard wilderness under our own power. We get stoked if it\u2019s a blue wax day. We thrive on type II fun (miserable while it\u2019s happening, but fun in retrospect). We enjoy some of the finest scenery in the State of Colorado from our trails. And some have the nerve to say, we wear silly clothes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cross-country skiing benefits<\/div>\n

Fitness is what many who visit the Nordic center are looking for, and cross-country skiing is considered to be one of the best forms of cardiovascular workouts, according to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cCross-country skiing uses a large percentage of your muscle mass and is more efficient and effective than activities using legs alone or arms alone,\u201d said Randy Clark, the exercise laboratory manager and manager of UW Health\u2019s Pediatric Fitness Clinic, on UW Health\u2019s website.<\/p>\n

Clark said the low-impact nature of the activity reduces impact loading on joints, which can be a safe activity for individuals with arthritis or joint surface defects.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe weight shift in ski-skating and the diagonal stride techniques while gliding on snow increases your balance,\u201d said Clark, \u201cand balance is critically important in all sports, and as we age to prevent falls. Skiing increases your cardiac output (your heart\u2019s ability to pump blood) and increases your oxygen carrying capacity (your body\u2019s ability to take in, oxygenate, transport and extract oxygen at the working muscle), or stated another way: increases your cardiovascular fitness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Low agrees with Clark\u2019s assessment. Besides having affordable fun amid the majestic mountain ranges and snow-powdered Blue Spruce and Douglas-fir trees surrounding the Durango Nordic Center, cross-country skiing can also benefit the hearts and bodies of those who hit the trails.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the best workout,\u201d Low said. \u201cAn all-around great workout for the whole body.\u201d<\/p>\n

molsen@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"The
The new snow cat at the Durango Nordic Center, purchased through donations and memberships, ensures the nonprofit can keep its trails groomed every day. (Courtesy of Helen Low\/Durango Nordic Center)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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