Comments on: Nordic Ski Town USA? Active Living USA? http://sustainablecommunitysolutions.com/2009/02/09/nordic-ski-town-usa-active-living-usa/ Alternative energy in Northfield, Minnesota Sun, 31 Jul 2011 18:49:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Bruce Anderson http://sustainablecommunitysolutions.com/2009/02/09/nordic-ski-town-usa-active-living-usa/comment-page-1/#comment-56893 Bruce Anderson Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:08:27 +0000 http://sustainablecommunitysolutions.com/?p=554#comment-56893 Bill, Not to whine, but I think the cross country ski facilities could be better. I love skiing in the Arb (where I've done the great majority of my skiing since I started in about 1968), but the grooming is pretty hit or miss. In addition, there's lots of foot and dog traffic on the Arb trails, which tends to chop things up pretty badly soon after any grooming is done. For whatever reason, I've never skied at St. Olaf so I can't speak to the conditions there. I've also enjoyed the occasional outing to the Cannon River Wilderness Park (no grooming) and Nerstrand Big Woods State Park (sometimes groomed). My experiences in recent winters on occasional outings with friends or by myself to destinations in the Three Rivers and Dakota County parks systems in the Metro area (Lebanon Hills, Cleary Lake, Highland, Baker and Elm Creek) have spoiled me. All of these parks do a FABULOUS job of grooming, and it IS nice to have a chalet to retire to after skiing to enjoy a sit by a fire, a hot drink, and conversation. That being said, I don't know if Northfield or Rice County could support much more than we have. Better grooming would undeniably be a good thing, though... Bill,
Not to whine, but I think the cross country ski facilities could be better. I love skiing in the Arb (where I’ve done the great majority of my skiing since I started in about 1968), but the grooming is pretty hit or miss. In addition, there’s lots of foot and dog traffic on the Arb trails, which tends to chop things up pretty badly soon after any grooming is done. For whatever reason, I’ve never skied at St. Olaf so I can’t speak to the conditions there. I’ve also enjoyed the occasional outing to the Cannon River Wilderness Park (no grooming) and Nerstrand Big Woods State Park (sometimes groomed).

My experiences in recent winters on occasional outings with friends or by myself to destinations in the Three Rivers and Dakota County parks systems in the Metro area (Lebanon Hills, Cleary Lake, Highland, Baker and Elm Creek) have spoiled me. All of these parks do a FABULOUS job of grooming, and it IS nice to have a chalet to retire to after skiing to enjoy a sit by a fire, a hot drink, and conversation.

That being said, I don’t know if Northfield or Rice County could support much more than we have. Better grooming would undeniably be a good thing, though…

]]> By: Bill Ostrem http://sustainablecommunitysolutions.com/2009/02/09/nordic-ski-town-usa-active-living-usa/comment-page-1/#comment-56791 Bill Ostrem Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:09:29 +0000 http://sustainablecommunitysolutions.com/?p=554#comment-56791 Great post, Bruce! I've enjoyed skiing around St. Olaf. Do you think we're adequately set for cross-country skiing facilities here? What about the city and county parks? The golf course? And how can we get even more people skiing? If we had a warming house with ski rental somewhere, that would be even better. I have fond memories of skiing at Baker Park in western Hennepin County as a kid. Much of the skiing area is a golf course in the warmer months. Great post, Bruce! I’ve enjoyed skiing around St. Olaf.

Do you think we’re adequately set for cross-country skiing facilities here? What about the city and county parks? The golf course? And how can we get even more people skiing? If we had a warming house with ski rental somewhere, that would be even better.

I have fond memories of skiing at Baker Park in western Hennepin County as a kid. Much of the skiing area is a golf course in the warmer months.

]]> By: Bruce Anderson http://sustainablecommunitysolutions.com/2009/02/09/nordic-ski-town-usa-active-living-usa/comment-page-1/#comment-56757 Bruce Anderson Mon, 09 Feb 2009 20:10:21 +0000 http://sustainablecommunitysolutions.com/?p=554#comment-56757 While the Northfield Bike Club has been kinda-sorta functioning as a nordic ski club for a modest number of folks the past few years, I think a quasi-formal Nordic Ski Club would be a great thing, Christopher. You strike me as just the guy to pull it together! Whaddya think? While the Northfield Bike Club has been kinda-sorta functioning as a nordic ski club for a modest number of folks the past few years, I think a quasi-formal Nordic Ski Club would be a great thing, Christopher. You strike me as just the guy to pull it together! Whaddya think?

]]> By: Christopher Tassava http://sustainablecommunitysolutions.com/2009/02/09/nordic-ski-town-usa-active-living-usa/comment-page-1/#comment-56756 Christopher Tassava Mon, 09 Feb 2009 19:40:07 +0000 http://sustainablecommunitysolutions.com/?p=554#comment-56756 Great post, and nice race! Thanks for the collected info. Kudos should go also to Peter Wilton of Carleton, who skied ridiculously fast to finish 51st in the 58k race. That's after skiing very well at the City of Lakes last week, too. More personally, I think it's great that Northfield is so ski-happy. For a place our size, we have a number of great assets - a culture of human-powered recreation, at least two good places to ski (the Arb and the Natural Lands), at least four good ski organizations (the NHS team, the college teams/clubs, and you biking yahoos), and (mostly) reliable snow. Could we form a Northfield club? Even more personally than that, I hope I can get up to Mora next year and add to the town's over-representation at the races. Think snow! Great post, and nice race!

Thanks for the collected info. Kudos should go also to Peter Wilton of Carleton, who skied ridiculously fast to finish 51st in the 58k race. That’s after skiing very well at the City of Lakes last week, too.

More personally, I think it’s great that Northfield is so ski-happy. For a place our size, we have a number of great assets – a culture of human-powered recreation, at least two good places to ski (the Arb and the Natural Lands), at least four good ski organizations (the NHS team, the college teams/clubs, and you biking yahoos), and (mostly) reliable snow. Could we form a Northfield club?

Even more personally than that, I hope I can get up to Mora next year and add to the town’s over-representation at the races. Think snow!

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