WINTHROP, Wash. — It may end up being the biggest producer of Olympic talent in Washington state history, and is still one of the region's biggest secrets at the same time.
The Methow Valley has once again been able to cheer a homegrown Olympian, for the third straight Winter Games, and welcome home another.
Novie McCabe is skiing for Team USA in the games in Beijing, China, furthering the story of a region that has consistently been a training ground for world class athletes dating back to the late 80s.
"It took me traveling the world to realize really what we have here in the Valley," said 30-year-old Erik Bjornsen on a glorious, bluebird Saturday.
The two-time Olympian moved back home, part of a long line of athletes who have spent countless hours on the Methow snow.
The history dates back to Leslie Hall, who was on the US Nordic Ski Team in Calgary in 1988, and again at the games of Albertville in 92 and Lillehammer in 1994.
Laura McCabe was on the Lillehammer team, and the team in Nagano in 1998 - Laura and Novie are now the first mother/daughter Olympians in Methow history.
Valley native Brian Gregg represented Team USA in Sochi in 2014, and his wife Caitlin did the same in Vancouver in 2010.
Bjornsen and his sister Sadie were on the last two Olympic teams, and there have been near misses for the US Biathlon team as well.
Winthrop's Erin Martin will represent Team USA in the upcoming Paralympic Games.
Not bad for a region with a full-time population of fewer than 2,000 people.
"It attracts a certain type of individual that loves to be outside, that loves to train hard all the time," said James DeSalvo, the executive director of Methow Trails, the nonprofit organization in charge of maintaining 120 miles of winter Nordic trails, which includes nightly grooming and environmental controls through the valley. "We also have over 200 landowners who grant permission to access their land to create a trail network that really weaves in between everyone's neighborhood.
"It just creates this kind of magnet effect, even if you're not into cross country skiing or biking or running or whatever it is. You look over there and you see people having fun and enjoying themselves and you want to do it. You want it you want to be a part of it."
Marine Bjornsen felt it when Erik pitched his wife the idea of moving here in 2020.
"I really often say like, I've been to all the best places we can go for Nordic skiing. I haven't seen a place like it. It is, to me, my favorite place to ski," the multiple French champion biathlete said.
Marine and Erik now own and operate Winthrop Mountain Sports, living just outside of town.
"It looks like the big French community in Seattle, and that come here to Nordic ski or in the summer. I see a lot of people from Russia also that come to Nordic ski because it is national sport. I see a lot of people from all over, even in these tiny towns far away from everything," said Marine, adding, "It's, like, bigger than most of the places in Europe."
The couple is done with international competition, but that doesn't mean they are finished with races.
On Saturday, the duo competed in the annual Ski to the Sun Marathon and Relay. Erik beat every competitor by 6 minutes. Marine was the top female finisher. Then they came back and ran the store, which was bustling with race-day foot traffic.
Laura McCabe was in the Top 20 as well, before handing out the awards to the rest of the racers.
It is part of the circle of life that has made the Methow so magical on a global stage.
"I hope I can do everything I can to make sure that we just keep this tradition going," Erik said.