… and I knew I’d arrived at the right place,-West Yellowstone. For winter, the side streets remain snow covered to make it easier on the the tracks of snow machines that crowd this small town in the southwest corner of Montana, hard by the borders to Idaho and Wyoming.

But for a few weeks in between fall and reopening of the West Yellowstone entry to the national park, XC skiers can usually take advantage of early season powder for training camps and fun. The Rendezvous trails are gentle and the terrain and grooming make for an easy entry back into skiing.

Camps or events are also an opporutnity to let your inner nerd out in company with the like-minded. How often do you get a chance to spend two hours talking about waxing cross-country skis? Ski prep can seem confusingly complex and mysterious so It was helpful to watch him go through it step-by-step. The session ran way over time due to questions from the audience and the amount of product to cover. Link to the video below:

According to Harvey, Toko’s product line is simpler than some other brands. And even though he restricted his presentation to hand-waxing products, it still ran long, not that anyone in the audience was complaining. Now if someone could tell me why they prefer a brass or bronze brush over fine steel…