Although the trails were somewhat windy when we started out today, the tracks were solid and the corduroy unmarred by other skiers. Susan was skating and Norma was classical skiing today. We followed the grooming by skiing the blue, outhouse, and Sunnyside.

Norma skiing the Outhouse tracks with Rode blue and Swix extra blue kick

The grooming ended at Cliffside, but we continued on opting for an adventure.

Norma warmed up from our adventure

Mistake! I discovered on one of the downhill corners that the deep transformed snow concealed an icy berm that totally engulfed my skate skis so I unceremoniously face planted–jarring my heart rate monitor to momentarily read 214.  Fortunately, Norma didn’t have a camera so I was spared further embarrassment. 

Conditions got tougher when we got to the Sonot Connector so I took off my skis and walked. The snow was deep and occasionally we could see the brilliantly blue colored ice underneath the blanket of snow from the Color Running Race that Fort Wainwright had held last Sunday. Norma classical skied our uphill adventure while I walked.

Norma setting her own tracks up the Sonot Connector

Sometimes taking off the skis is easier than slogging

Halfway up the Sonot Connector we saw two moose (a mother and yearling) who were moving slower than we were. We waited for them to cross the trail before heading up. Although the White Bear hadn’t been groomed since Saturday morning, our adventure made that trail seem SO much easier. We finished up by taking Meridian cutoff to the warm-up and then skiing the warm-up again to enjoy the fresh grooming.

Here is our adventure data (10.64 km, 2:09.46):

and our ski and adventure route:

Our ski and adventure route

So as I head into my two grad classes on Monday and Tuesday, I have only 20 km left to ski on my 50 km Virtual Sonot Kkaazoot, when I can return on Wednesday.