Christmas Eve Candy Canes on the Roller Coasters

Posted on December 24, 2023 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Festive SCUM elves at biathlon range–*photo by Joanna Fox*

Although the SCUM can often be naughty rather than nice, on Christmas eve (before dawn), the SCUM were busy decorating the Roller Coaster trail with candy canes. Even if their ornaments were tossed by the wind and broken, they’d still be edible.

Poles and Mom struggle with candy canes and pole straps-*-photo by Joanna Fox*

Poles goes down skiing while carrying a bag of candy canes:

Santa down, but candy canes still fine–*photo by Joanna Fox*

We separated and distributed candy canes through the Roller Coasters:

Bernardo hides a big candy cane full of Hersey kisses-*-photo by Bill Husby*

Thoroughly cold after searching for somewhere to discard our detritus, we headed out the White Bear and had professional lighting for our photos there:

Elves: Jerome, Bill, and Greg at the biathlon range–photo by Joanna Fox

And despite the protests of some of us who were freezing as the temperatures were rapidly dropping, we documented sunrise on the WB:

Sunrise on the White Bear-*-photo by Joanna Fox*

After skiing White Bear and Moilanen Meadows, we encountered a group of young skiers and urged them out onto the Roller Coasters, where some of them found their rewards:

Skier finds candy cane-*-photo by Bill Husby*

One skier found one of the candy canes full of chocolate kisses:

Skier finds Jerome’s candy cane full of Hersey kisses-*-photo by Bill Husby*

Happy Holidays!

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Sonot Kkaazoot

SCUM off the Tower Loop with flashy lights on hats-*-photo by Joanna Fox*

Happy Winter Solstice (tomorrow)! —*photo by Dan Johnson*

The lighted loops were beautifully groomed after our recent snows, but some of us had to test our uphill techniques to get into the frame for the group photo:

Uphill technique used when your right leg and foot has been immobilized for 2 months–*photo by Dan Johnson*

Enjoy the holidays with family and friends. After you have overindulged, remember that the FXC Ski your age in kilometers event will be held Saturday, 30 December.

LOL ornaments that Dan froze his fingers to document

Posted on December 8, 2023 by Sonot Kkaazoot

It was -5 deg F at the stadium thermometer shortly before sunrise today. With the first Frank Soos Distance Race tomorrow, there was poor attendance for today’s workout. The freshest tracks were on the black loops so we headed that direction. LOL #1 was the first ornament that the Friday SCUM located, but no one’s hands were warmed up enough to stop and photograph it. You can see it in yesterday’s post.

It was so cold that I’m not sure if we found LOL #4 before or after we descended Black Baron. Bob Moloney, who was skating today, doesn’t snowplow (like a normal SCUM) but did two acrobatic falls in his descent of Black Baron. We saluted our 80-year-old SCUM with our poles as he finished that trail.

I found LOL #9 as my thumb was being to throb again after temporarily thawing.

Tomorrow’s Frank Soos Distance race will be conducted under Frank’s favorite conditions: cold snow and classical technique. Hope to see you there.

Today’s ornament haul by Poles

Posted on December 7, 2023 by Sonot Kkaazoot

With the ornaments that Poles found on his ski today, the SCUM have found 7 of the 12 LOL ornaments in our first week.

Most of the trails are newly groomed and the temperature inversion is setting up again. Come and join the fun. We’ll be back on the trails tomorrow at 10 a.m. (before sunrise).

SCUM take on LOL ornament challenge

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Most of the active SCUM are in their eighth or ninth decade on the planet and carry hardware within their carcasses rather than earning it in races. However, we have accepted the challenge of the LOL and have started searching for their 12 ornaments of Christmas. We will only indicate the number of the ornaments we find UNLESS there is no number visible.

LOL ornament on the Blue Loop that matches the ornament on Byron’s nose–*all* *photos by Joanna Fox*

The SCUM hope that skiers enjoy the newly groomed trails on Saturday at the first of the Frank Soos Distance Races. It begins at 11 a.m. and will be 7.5 or 15 km classical technique. Many of the SCUM will be participating so you won’t be last. Here’s the URL for online registration: