Forest Wagner, UAS faculty member, who is working remotely from his father’s house in Fairbanks writes:
Although I didn’t document myself through GPS or photos, I did participate in the virtual Sonot today. Starting at 10 a.m. (4 deg. F) I skate skied the black loops (cold), then everything near and including the outhouse (cold, windy, but sunny), including the sunnyside loop, not recommended but sunny!, then the tower and coasters down through the White Bear, including Moilanen Meadows, and concluding with the Warm Up. Finished my ski at 1:02 p.m. (11 deg. F) right as the glide was getting good!
I imagined I would ski the White Bear a couple more times, but decided to call it complete as described. I skied everything that was groomed, or groomed recently, and had a great outing. Although I signed up for the 50, I suppose what I skied is probably more 20-25ish. Thanks for all of the effort getting and keeping the trails in shape and for the good vibes in this challenging time.
Best, and hats off to all of you,
Thanks, Forest.
Forest is also working on an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Arctic & Northern Studies focusing on endurance sports. He writes:
I am running a survey about what motivates winter marathoners and ultra participants. I am particularly interested in the perceived psychological effects of climate change on winter people, like how we feel in winter when it is lacking in cold or snow– not a problem this year, thankfully. The project is non-commercial research approved by the UAF Institutional Review Board.
Forest is one of my fellow classmates in our grad Images of the North class and his father was a former SCUM, so I attest to the legitimacy of his survey.
A informational flier with a link to the 5-minute survey is below. Download the PDF version to get a direct URL to the survey.
Sonot Kkaazoot 