KMTA and Girdwood Nordic Ski Club join in celebrating spring skiing with Corduroy Crush event

By Jon Scudder

TNews Publisher

The third annual Corduroy Crush Ski Race is just around the corner Nordic skiers!

 “The event is a collaboration with Girdwood Nordic Ski Club and Kenai Mountains Turnagain Arm National Heritage Area to highlight the history and trails in Girdwood valley, which are of course right in the Heritage Area,” said Briana Sullivan, Secretary of the Girdwood Nordic Ski Club.

 This year she and Rachel Blakeslee, Executive Director of KMTA, are organizing the event.  The groups together recognize the significant history here and one of the main objectives of KMTA is to share in the access of the corridor, so this is one small example of that in a celebratory way.

 "This is a family-friendly ski race and a ton of fun, low stress, and the perfect opportunity to get outside for some spring skiing," said Blakeslee.

 “One registration fee gets you access to any, and all the races you want to sign up for. Even better, it's free for kids 12 and under!" she added.

 The event features a 2K Snowball Biathlon, timed 5K race, and 2x2x2 relay. Early bird pricing is through March 24.  Those interested can learn more and sign up via the link below

Race participants prepare to start at a previous Corduroy Crush. (Photo courtesy of GSC/KMTA)

 "The most fun to watch and participate in is the relay," shared Sullivan, as kids and adults can join to be a team and families really get excited to ski the short distance--twice each. Sullivan added.  "They get two chances to ski a small section of the 5K Nordic Loop, which has a big hill to enjoy after working hard to climb the beginning section."

Sullivan said last year they added the snowball biathlon, which was a hit (pun intended!) so that was a keeper in the planning this year. It is also a nod to Stumpy's Snowball Biathlon, which used to take place years ago in the spring in Girdwood - and GNSC has been trying to reinvigorate the event.

This year’s race is happening April 7 at the 5K Nordic Loop in Girdwood, AK. It's co-hosted by KMTA and the Girdwood Nordic Ski Club and is a celebration of the joy of Nordic skiing and the region’s rich history. Come play in the snow and crush some corduroy with us!  

Donations help the community

 This year through the Corduroy Crush, KMTA hopes to raise funds to help expand KMTA’s growing, year-round outdoor education programs. While registration fees help cover the cost of hosting this race, donations will go directly to helping provide high-quality outdoor learning opportunities to more local youth.

 Sullivan said their goal is to connect kids to nature, instilling in them a pride of place and an enduring stewardship ethic for the spaces they live and recreate in—including treasures like the 5K Nordic Loop.

 One of KMTA’s greatest privileges is helping local partners bring the colorful histories of our heritage area communities to life.

 Interpretive Signs celebrate History

 The  Girdwood Nordic Ski Club  is one such partner that has worked to create interpretive signs for the 5K Nordic Loop and surrounding area through support from a few KMTA grants.

 The goal of these interpretive signs – which you can see during the Corduroy Crush – is to honor the local history of this area and those who helped make it so special.  

 Race History of the “Crush”

The first of these signs highlights the legacy of the 1969 Junior National Ski Race and the 10K trail that was constructed for it and maintained for a decade thereafter.

This trail– the first recreational-purpose trail built in Girdwood– helped bring tourism and ski racing to Alaska. In fact, the 1969 Junior National Ski Race was the first national race held by the Nordic Ski Club of Alaska.

The remarkable  Shirley Firth  from Inuvik championed that race and, unbeknownst to many, went on to become one of the first Indigenous women to compete in international ski racing, eventually as an Olympian.

The Nordic 5K Loop we know and love today is built over a portion of that historic 10K trail, and boasts small handmade signs hidden throughout the forest that show the original route.

The second of these signs, located in the Arlberg Trailhead parking lot, tells the history of Sewell “Stumpy” Faulkner and the ski trail he built through the meadows of the Girdwood Valley.  (KMTA and GSC contributed to this story)