TAHOE/TRUCKEE, Calif. andamp;#8212; The 2nd annual Far West Nordic Festival andamp; BBQ was held Saturday, Sept. 17 and again was a big hit. Fondly known as andamp;#8220;Far West Nordic,andamp;#8221; The Far West Nordic Ski Education Association is a division of the Western Region of the United States Ski Association (USSA). Although they have a strong cross country skiing program for Master skiers (age 30 and up), the primary focus of Far West Nordic is to develop and support training and racing opportunities for young skiers.Specifically, they are committed to creating a training and competition pipeline from middle school through post-college racers. Some skiers have aspirations of attaining national and international racing success. Much of what Far West Nordic does is about creating a fun social environment and healthy participation in an active lifestyle.Far West Nordic has also found youth in the school cross country ski programs excel academically and socially.Given the aim of supporting youth programs and keeping costs down for their participation, many functions are fundraisers. The Far West Nordic Festival andamp; BBQ is an exception. The main purpose of this event is multi-fold: To show appreciation to our members; gather people for fun socializing, games and food; recruit new members; provide a venue for people to learn about performance cross country ski equipment, technique, and training and stimulate motivation for ongoing training and the upcoming ski season.Far West Nordic would like to thank Sports Exchange, the Coffee Bar, Diego’s, Tinker’s Station at Soda Springs, Tahoe Donner Cross Country, Tahoe Cross Country in Tahoe City and New Moon Natural Foods for prize donations.Don’t miss the 26th Annual Far West Auction/Raffle and Party to be held Nov. 5, 6 p.m. at the Olympic Village Lodge. Visit http://www.farwestnordic.org for more information.