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Breckenridge — There was a palpable sense of more tension than usual as 55 competitors filed into the clubhouse for the Gold Run 15K freestyle Nordic race Saturday: The racers anticipated the daunting challenge of racing on the vaunted Hoodoo Voodoo trail, a Gordian knot of advanced terrain located in the Peabody Placer area.
The “Hoodoos,” which opened last season, is 5 kilometers of tight turns and steep pitches on a mere 5 acres of real estate. While Gold Run Nordic Center's promotional brochure describes it as a “north-facing trail (that) winds through geologic elements left over from the hydraulic mining era,” racers are more likely to describe it in far fewer words: very difficult.
Accomplished Silverthorne racer, Scott Oberbreckling quipped, “We could call it the Hoodoo Voodoo Curse!”
Greg Ruckman, a racer from Breckenridge, remarked on the unique character of the trail: “It isn't really like any other Nordic trail around.”
Gold Run Nordic Center director, Jon “Zeke” Zdechlik, elaborated on the nature of the course he designed for the race: “You can't just hammer it all the way; you have to think about what you're doing because of the transitions that need to be made throughout. The course went from flat to a long, gradual climb to the ‘dark side' and back to a flat element to finish. It was very much like a World Cup course — a thinker's course.”
Zdechlik, a long-time coach who most recently served as an assistant for the U.S. Adaptive Cross Country ski team, guided competitors on a preview of the course Friday morning. A proponent of what he calls “no mindless skiing,” he noted, “There is a flow to the Hoodoos and a thinking skier will tune into that rhythm and ski it well.”
Oberbreckling and Ruckman clearly demonstrated their aptitudes as thinking skiers — and no small amount physical capabilities — as they finished second and third respectively behind Boulder's Nathan Schultz, a two-time Nordic All American at the University of Colorado and a professional Nordic racer for well over a decade.
Breckenridge's Monique Merrill won the women's title, followed by Miroslava Gores and Heather Enos.
When not part of a race, the HooDoo offers intermediate and advanced skiers a recreational trail that is both challenging and unique in this area. For skiers training for racing, the trail offers a place to develop ski skills and fitness that will match any race course in Colorado.
Next up for the region's Nordic racers is the Governor's Cup 15K and 30K at Devil's Thumb Nordic Center on Saturday January 30. For more info on the race and the Nordic center, visit www.devilsthumbranch.com.
The “Hoodoos,” which opened last season, is 5 kilometers of tight turns and steep pitches on a mere 5 acres of real estate. While Gold Run Nordic Center's promotional brochure describes it as a “north-facing trail (that) winds through geologic elements left over from the hydraulic mining era,” racers are more likely to describe it in far fewer words: very difficult.
Accomplished Silverthorne racer, Scott Oberbreckling quipped, “We could call it the Hoodoo Voodoo Curse!”
Greg Ruckman, a racer from Breckenridge, remarked on the unique character of the trail: “It isn't really like any other Nordic trail around.”
Gold Run Nordic Center director, Jon “Zeke” Zdechlik, elaborated on the nature of the course he designed for the race: “You can't just hammer it all the way; you have to think about what you're doing because of the transitions that need to be made throughout. The course went from flat to a long, gradual climb to the ‘dark side' and back to a flat element to finish. It was very much like a World Cup course — a thinker's course.”
Zdechlik, a long-time coach who most recently served as an assistant for the U.S. Adaptive Cross Country ski team, guided competitors on a preview of the course Friday morning. A proponent of what he calls “no mindless skiing,” he noted, “There is a flow to the Hoodoos and a thinking skier will tune into that rhythm and ski it well.”
Oberbreckling and Ruckman clearly demonstrated their aptitudes as thinking skiers — and no small amount physical capabilities — as they finished second and third respectively behind Boulder's Nathan Schultz, a two-time Nordic All American at the University of Colorado and a professional Nordic racer for well over a decade.
Breckenridge's Monique Merrill won the women's title, followed by Miroslava Gores and Heather Enos.
When not part of a race, the HooDoo offers intermediate and advanced skiers a recreational trail that is both challenging and unique in this area. For skiers training for racing, the trail offers a place to develop ski skills and fitness that will match any race course in Colorado.
Next up for the region's Nordic racers is the Governor's Cup 15K and 30K at Devil's Thumb Nordic Center on Saturday January 30. For more info on the race and the Nordic center, visit www.devilsthumbranch.com.
