Nordic Nights in Buena Vista
Articles - BV Outdoors

_MG_0467by: Keith Baker

The winter air is so clear and crisp you can almost hear the little white lights on the buildings of Buena Vista tinkle as they twinkle. The stars above – mostly unchanged since the Celts mused upon them during the harsh, pre-Polartec winters of ancient Europe - are pinpoints on the dark vault of an infinite universe. One word accuratelyIMG_0288 summarizes the entirety of the atmosphere – crystalline. Rising in the east, the rich yellow, silently glowing orb of the Moon, Goddess Luna, with such majestic presence our modern minds half expect a low mechanical rumble. Your breath-fog is dense and luminescent, and the subdued chat of your companions is punctuated by an occasional, gleeful whoop or giggle.

“Everybody ready? Everybody clicked in?” asks the leader. Silence and a quiet murmur offer assent. “Headlamps – OFF! Okay – off we go!”

But this isn’t July and this is no amusement park ride. This is Nordic skiing and snowshoeing by moonlight. It is one of the great joys of living in the mountains in winter.

Many – probably most – people think of downhill skiing first when they hear the words “winter sports.” For neo-Luddites who enjoy winter’s take on nature, want to reduce carbon footprints and waistlines without a commensurate reduction in their wallets, and avoid the crowds while socializing with friends and family – it’s Nordic skiing and snowshoeing. An evening tour under a full moon is Nordic skiing at its best.

Nordic is the essence of skiing. No lifts, no lines, no beeping scanners, no “ski and be skeen” scene. [NOTE: I still enjoy practicing my downhill terrain skiing skills at Monarch Mountain!] From our shop in Buena Vista, I can be alone in the woods, moving along silently under my own power, within thirty minutes of making the decision. Perhaps my wife or friends, and always Prana, Wonder Dog of the West are with me – a little band moving quietly or with joyful banter, not unlike the ancient Celts and Nordic peoples of yore.

Nordic skiing and snowshoeing offer many ways to connect – with nature, our family and friends, our primal roots, and our selves. Nordic skiing and snowshoeing are playing on snow. Anywhere with snow is a potential Nordic and snowshoe playground. A tour in the evening – the amorphous period between oh, about 6 pm and oh, about bedtime when nothing, absolutely nothing, satisfies like bonding with friends and sharing stories – is one of the highlights of winter life in Buena Vista.

Come share it with us, once or for the rest of your life.


The Trailhead in Buena Vista offers rentals and sales of all the gear you could need for an outdoor adventure such as this.

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