Work Off the Turkey at Nordic Thanksgiving Training Camp in Crested Butte, Colo.

Learn, Tour and Ski Your Heart Out - Nov. 26 - 27, 2010

GUNNISON-CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. (October 22, 2010) - Work off turkey dinner and start the Nordic season off right with fun, informative cross-country ski clinics and activities at the Crested Butte Nordic Council's annual Thanksgiving Training Camp on Nov. 26 - 27.  Skate and classic Nordic skiing and racing clinics for various levels will be offered by professional instructors, including three-time Olympian Ingrid Butts, Masters Nordic World Champion Murray Banks, and Ross Matlock, a PSIA Nordic and Telemark examiner. 

With all clinics held at elevations in excess of 8,800 feet, camp participants of all levels are sure to get a jump on conditioning for a successful season of competitive racing, recreational touring or fun winter exercise.  A silent auction/gourmet dinner, wax clinic, active isolated stretching class, and movie night featuring the film "Fire on the Mountain" that tells the story of America's 10^th Mountain Division also are part of the fun.  

Beginner clinics are $40 and intermediate and advanced clinics are $50.  Clinics are designed to enhance and improve skills and are limited to approximately 12 people in each, so register early.  For more information or to sign up, call Crested Butte Nordic Center at (970) 349-1707 or visit http://www.cbnordic.org/.  A more detailed schedule will be available closer to the event.

Crested Butte Nordic Center Facts

The Crested Butte Nordic Center is a full-service cross-country ski center providing lessons and complete rental packages for skate and classical skiing, as well as ice skating, snowshoeing and sledding.  The Nordic Center maintains more than 50 kilometers of groomed trails that meander around the outskirts Crested Butte and offers backcountry and moonlight tours and Nordic events and ski programs (e.g., Master Skiers, Gray Hares and Junior Nordic Team). 

Located in the heart of town at Second Street and Whiterock, the Nordic Center will open for the season from Nov. 20, 2010 - April 3, 2011, and is connected to Crested Butte Mountain Resort ski area and various stops in Crested Butte by a free shuttle bus.  For more information about the Crested Butte Nordic Center and its winter 20010/2011 calendar of events, visit http://www.cbnordic.org/.

LODGING & CAMP DEAL

Elk Mountain Lodge is within walking distance to the Nordic Center and is offering lodging, breakfast and two clinics for $115 per person, per night.  King rooms also are available for $135 per person per night. These rates are based on double occupancy; call (800) 374-6521 for single rates and visit http://www.elkmountainlodge.com/.

Spend Thanksgiving Training Camp weekend at The Ruby of Crested Butte bed and breakfast, where you start the day with a gourmet breakfast and end it relaxing in the hot tub or by the fire. This package is available Nov. 25 - 28, 2011, with rates starting at $109 per person per night (including lodging, breakfast and one clinic per day). Call The Ruby at (800) 390-1338 or visit http://www.therubyofcrestedbutte.com/.  

Visitor Information & Personalized Vacation Packages

To find out more about Gunnison County or to book personalized vacation packages, call (800) 814-8893, or visit http://www.gunnisoncrestedbutte.com/.  Find the Tourism Association on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gcbta or follow us on www.twitter.com/gcbta. 

The Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport is served year-round by United and during the winter season by American Airlines and Continental Airlines.

About Gunnison-Crested Butte, Colorado

Gunnison-Crested Butte is nestled among almost two million acres of pristine wilderness in southwest Colorado.  Winter sports enthusiasts know the area for its world-class alpine skiing and snowboarding at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and ice fishing.  Gunnison-Crested Butte is also a haven for outdoor summer activities.  In the warmer months, visitors can choose from recreational activities such as hiking, climbing, mountain biking, boating, whitewater rafting, kayaking, fly-fishing, camping and horseback riding.  Year-round visitors enjoy distinctive restaurants, unique shops and stimulating cultural opportunities, and have a wide range of lodging options - from rustic inns to guest cabins and bed-and-breakfasts to full-service resort hotels. 

Gunnison, county seat and a real western town, is home to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, Gunnison Whitewater Park, Gunnison Valley Observatory, Pioneer Museum and Western State College, which offers bachelor's and master's degrees in liberal arts and sciences and pre-professional fields.  Both Crested Butte and Gunnison have thriving historic central business districts packed with shopping and dining opportunities. 

Recognized as the "Official Wildflower Capital of Colorado" by the Colorado Legislature and one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "Dozen Distinctive Destinations" in 2008, Crested Butte is 28 miles from Gunnison and the site of rich mining, ranching and skiing heritage and home to the Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum and Mountain Bike Hall of Fame.  Only three miles up the road is the resort village of Mt. Crested Butte, home to the ski area, an active base area, the area's conference center, and outstanding hiking and biking trails. 

In Gunnison County, visitors will find the Curecanti National Recreation Area, where dinosaur fossils were recently discovered; the Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado's largest body of water and home to the largest Kokanee salmon fishery in the United States; and The Black Canyon of the Gunnison, one of our country's newest national parks.  Gunnison County includes the quaint and historic towns of Pitkin, Gothic, Tin Cup, Marble, Powderhorn, Almont and Crystal, plus the better-known communities of Gunnison, Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte.  Gunnison County is part of the West Elk Loop and Silver Thread Scenic & Historic Byways.

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Photo courtesy of the Crested Butte Nordic Center 

For a Word version of this press release, click on the link below.

Contact:                        Beth Buehler                                        

                                    Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association                 

                                    (970) 349-1168 or bethbuehler@qwestoffice.net

                                    http://www.gunnisoncrestedbutte.com/