Adrenaline, speed, and ear to ear grins are only a handful of the words that can be used to describe this years annual Military Snofest at Keystone, Colorado. From January 29-30 the 21st Force Support Squadron, out of Anderson Air Base in Colorado Springs, hosted the event which brought an endless number of veteran skiers and snowboarders to the always epic, Keystone Resort.
From 11am till 1pm each veteran as well as family members were encouraged to participate in the annual NASTAR Race for prizes. The course was located just below Keystone's gondola along The Flying Dutchman Run. The course gave each skier and rider the same style of course that a professional would experience in the X-Games or Winter Olympics.
Along with the challenge of weaving in and out of the flags, each racer had to also face another difficult challenge, the ice packed snow. If the racer was towards the back of the line, they were put at a disadvantage of having to carve down an icy trail. Jamie Cody, a former Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps and resident of Westminster, was one of the unfortunate riders who had to experience these conditions.
“The race was a lot of fun......but I think if they groomed it (the trail) more through out the day, then it would have been a better race,” said Cody after completing her two runs down the trail. Even though most riders were faced with these unfavorable conditions many of them still finished the run with wide open grins.
“Despite the icy track I would most definitely do this race again,” said Jamie Cody. After the race each participant was invited over to the hospitality tent at the Mountain House Lodge, where they were given a variety of free sodas, Gatorade, and snacks. To find out more information on the times for next year's Snofest you can visit www.21fss.com for dates and times.
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