For the week of March 20 - 26, 2002

Like a little snow with your salmon en crout, sir?

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By PETER BOLTZ
Express Staff Writer

A hearty group of skiing gourmands braved blizzard-like conditions Saturday for the 10^th Annual Gourmet Ski Tour.

Lynn McCarthy, right, serves up a plate of salmon en crout, carrot soufflé and spinach salad with the help of Brenda Boyle, center, at the 2002 Gourmet Ski Tour. McCarthy is the owner of Cottonwood Catering. Express photo by Willy Cook

Event organizer and founder Jenny Busdon guaranteed this year’s event would be special, but she didn’t know how special.

The event, sponsored by the Nordic and Backcountry Skiers Alliance, raised $11,500, Busdon said. Last year’s event raised $10,000.

Busdon said the money will go to help maintain the North Valley Trails and "to help keep the doors open at Galena Lodge and to keep the price of crosscountry ski passes reasonable."

"We want to help more people to be involved in the sport," she said.

And then there was the weather.

Busdon said 250 people registered for the event, but not all 250 showed up to ski and eat.

Just as the event began at Baker Creek at 11:30 a.m., the weather went from pleasant and partly cloudy to whiteout blizzard conditions.

At the Cathedral Pines stop, where Christina’s Restaurant and Place Restaurant were set up, a sub-zero wind howled through the tent and scoured exposed skin with snow crystals.

Brenda Boyle, serving up gourmet food at the 10th Annual Gourmet Ski Tour, wore several layers underneath her Swedish army greatcoat to stay warm Saturday. Express photo by Willy Cook 

Worried about the volunteers and the skiers at the time, Busdon said, "There’s somebody not looking down on us today.

"Three or four years ago we had rain, but we’ve never had a blizzard," she said.

But on Monday, she was more upbeat after getting feedback from many of the skiers. She described them as "excited and thrilled" about being part of the stormy event.

"One man told me, ‘Don’t worry. It’s a winter sport,’" she said.

Another skier was delighted about having skied the entire 14-kilometer course.

And Busdon herself admitted that the event was always on "a crazy weather day."

"Everyone had a great time, but I was worried because I was the organizer," she said.

 

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