Park City Nordic Betties Gets Women on the Trails
Poles up! Teresa Eggersten Cooke, a Betties coach (third from left), and fellow Betties get ready for some fun at the Quinn’s Junction Trailhead for Round Valley.
Take a lap on any of the Nordic trails in and around Park City, and you will likely come across more than one woman sporting a colorful “Betties” hat, the signature accessory of members of the Park City Nordic Betties, a women’s Nordic ski club now celebrating its eighth winter. Co-owners Inge Travis and Anne Morgan have designed a fun new hat most years, from solid pink to multicolored hearts, chevron print, and polka dots.
While the hats add a stylish element, the success of this program is found in the camaraderie of its members. Morgan and Travis have created a club that reaches beyond simple skills-and-drills clinics, introducing the sometimes complicated discipline of Nordic skiing in a relaxed, supportive, and fun environment.
Running from December through March, the Betties program, coached by women for women, offers both a 10-week Skate program and a 6-week Newbie Skate or Classic Skiing program for skiers of all abilities, from never-evers to advanced racers. While Betties participants can expect to receive quality coaching from seasoned, Division I athletes (and some Olympians!), the greater goal has always been to foster a lifelong love of the sport.
Park City Nordic Betties co-owner Inge Travis at the Quinn’s Junction Trailhead for Round Valley
For Travis, the opportunity to get more women out on the trails enjoying the outdoors is particularly rewarding. “Now more than ever, we all need a break,” she says. “Being outside with the ladies, getting some exercise, learning something new, or adding to your Nordic toolbox definitely gives us the break we need.”
In addition to providing technical skills to increase efficiency and maximize strength, Betties learn about sizing skis, boots, and poles and the fundamentals of waxing and tuning skis for speed and varied snow. By the end of the program, Betties will have skied the entirety of groomed trails in the area, rotating through Jeremy Ranch, Willow Creek Park, Round Valley, White Pine Touring, and the Utah Olympic Park. There, the season’s program finishes with the highly anticipated Easter Egg Hunt: a bonanza of eggs filled with chocolate and gift certificates for local merchandise and equipment, as well as a Golden Egg with a coupon for free membership the following winter.
Camaraderie, cardio, strength, and balance while soaking up the natural beauty of the area—plus chocolate—what’s not to love?
