BEND, Ore. — Bend has never been much of a college town, but it is a place where college students — especially college athletes — want to spend summer vacation.
“Bend has been a go-to place for people to summer train for forever: When I was an athlete, I moved here in the early ’90s because the summer training was so good,” said Ben Husaby, a former Nordic skier who competed at the 1992 and 1994 Winter Olympics and is the longtime executive director of Bend Endurance Academy.
“I think late-season snow helps. This year, there was good skiing even into June. The roads used to be not very crowded, so it was good for roller skiing. There’s great mountain biking, I think that’s a big draw now. The dry climate has a lot to do with it. It used to be very affordable, although that’s changed a little bit. It’s just a good place to train.”
After BEA opened in 2009, many local skiers would return home during college breaks and lift weights and train with the younger kids at their former club. Meanwhile, groups of college skiers from across the country trickled into Bend each summer and tried to stay on task without the aid of a coach.