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It’s well off the beaten track,
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but once you get to the
Chicken Creek Nordic ski area,
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you’ll be glad you made the trek.
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You’re watching the Local News Network
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brought to you by The
Overlook at Edgemont Highlands
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and Serious Texas Bar-B-Q.
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I’m Wendy Graham Settle.
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The Chicken Creek Nordic ski area
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is a short five and a half
mile drive North of Mancos.
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But it’s worlds away from
the hustle and bustle
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of daily life.
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It’s 14 miles of trails,
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wind through the pristine forest
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of Ponderosa Pine and Scrub Oak.
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And the farther you ski,
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the more solitude you can experience.
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The solitude and the beauty
of being in the trees
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Just being able to quietly
move through the forest
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in that, in that beautiful
winter environment,
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you know, breathing hard and sweating
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and just you know gliding
through the woods.
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It’s pretty unique kind of thing.
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Long time Southwest Colorado ski pioneer
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and former Olympic Nordic
ski coach, Dolph Kuss,
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worked with the San Juan National Forest
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and a team of Mancos area volunteers
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to establish the first trails in 1984.
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They really wanted, when
they started this ski area,
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they wanted a non-motorized section
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that they could completely
not have snowmobiles
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come up behind them or tear up the track.
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Today an all volunteer group called
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Friends of Chicken Creek
maintains the ski area,
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grooming trails for both skate skiing
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and traditional cross-country.
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It operates as a nonprofit
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under the umbrella of
Mancos Valley Resources,
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and it raises funds to pay
for grooming equipment,
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gas and other trail maintenance costs
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through donations at the
Trailhead, memberships,
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commercial sponsorships from
local businesses and grants.
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Several years ago, the
group opened the two loops
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closest to the Trailhead to dogs.
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Although pet owners are expected
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to be considerate of others
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and haul out the gifts
their pets leave behind.
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We want the lower two loops
to be as family-friendly
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and accessible to everybody as possible.
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So we try to strike a balance that way.
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On a good snow year, the ski area
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will see more than 6,000 skiers.
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But it rarely if ever
can be called crowded,
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even on days when cars spill
over from the parking lot
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onto Montezuma County Road 40.2.
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Volunteers post ski conditions
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and grooming schedules on the ski areas
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Facebook page Chicken Creek Nordic.
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For directions, use the Google maps app
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and search for Chicken Creek XC.
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Thanks for watching this edition
of the Local News Network.
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Find us on Twitter and Instagram
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and get the latest news updates.
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I’m Wendy Graham Settle.
