Nordic skiing in Fairbanks continues to be fantastic! In addition to groomed ski trails at Birch Hill and UAF, the Chena River has been groomed in preparation for the Sonot Kkaazoot. The snowmachines on the Tanana River have made skate skiing great there, too.

Today, the Sonot organizers were enjoying the brilliant sunshine on the trails:

at temperatures ranging from the mid-teens to mid-20s above zero. What an unusually warm (and dry) winter we’ve had in Interior Alaska this season.

So far, 164 skiers have signed up for the various Sonot Kkaazoot events. Why don’t you join them?  This link will take you through the process:

https://sonotkkaazoot.org/register/

If you wait, registration fees will go up.

Classical tracks will be set on the Chena River for both outgoing and incoming skiers so you don’t have to skate ski to enjoy any of the Sonot Kkaazoot events.

We have 2 skiers who have registered, but haven’t paid, so they don’t show up in the official entry list. Please make sure to enter your credit card information to complete your registration. Also, check to make sure your registration information is correct as this spreadsheet will be used for timing and results. We have one skier registered who is only one month old according to his date of birth, so please check that you entered your birth date instead of the current date.

https://sonotkkaazoot.org/entries-2/

Also, if you haven’t made a donation to the trails fund this year, please do so at:

https://nordicskicluboffairbanks.wildapricot.org/Donate/

Birch Hill trail donations have been down this season, so groomers are having to cut back their efforts. Remember that donations pay for all the grooming at Birch Hill Recreation Area including maintenance on the equipment. We, the skiers, pay for grooming, not the Fairbanks North Star Borough.

We still need volunteers for the Sonot Kkaazoot. Even if you plan to ski the Sonot Kkaazoot, we need help with the bib pick-up, and with set-up and clean-up for the Sonot Awards soup, bread, and potluck event. We will also need help hauling snow under the highway bridges on the Chena River.

Just send an email to: contact@sonotkkaazoot.org and let us know what you’d like to do.

If you have friends or family who are not planning to ski in the Sonot, we really need help with timing and with staffing the road crossings on Fort Wainwright. If you want to see the wonderful folks who have already volunteered, a current list is available here:

https://sonotkkaazoot.org/volunteers/

Enjoy the sunshine skiing. Remember the Sonot Kkaazoot is just 20 days away!