Scroll up to: https://sonotkkaazoot.org/ and you’ll find the URL to the Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks Zone 4 registration system. Early registration through 28 February is your best deal.
When you’re a PistenBully guru, you know your ski trails under all conditions, so Bill Husby and the SCUM Rat Pack hit the Rat Ponds this morning:
Sunrise was spectacular (and warm)::
and even Bill shed his hat. He definitely approved of the classical tracks on the Rat Ponds.
Wolfman JACKson is emulating Dermot lately when it comes to dressing for SCUM workouts. The Silverback twins, shown above, had dermotized so that they wouldn’t get cold waiting for the slower SCUM.
Travis Kulp had groomed the White Bear and Moilanen Meadows with the PistenBully Friday night and with the 2025 U.S. National XC Ski Championships taking place in Anchorage this weekend, we had the awesome trails virtually to ourselves on Sunday.
Some SCUM take the path less traveled around corners like Dan Johnson, above.
It was a treat to have firm, fast tracks set by the PistenBully and allowed to set up overnight without having to be racing.
On the first day of 2025, we had much to celebrate. Bill Husby, SCUM groomer and classical skier par excellence, was back from his medical tests and consultations in Seattle. We missed his spirit and his quality grooming. In his honor, one of the other groomers had packed and tracked the North and South Classical only trails yesterday.
So after skiing the Tower and Medevac on firm PistenBully tracks, we headed out the White Bear to the helicopter trails on Fort Wainwright off the Sonot Connector. With 46 inches of snow this winter at the airport. where the snow depth currently is 22 inches, we are not suffering from the snow drought that Anchorage currently has. Birch Hill has received more snow and retained more of what has fallen than the airport so even though the Blackhawk trail had been packed and groomed several times this winter, the tracks and pole line was still pretty soft.
Being a wily skier, Bill chose not to lead us on the Blackhawk trail. Instead, Mike Mathers was voted that honor. Former firefighter, Mike was so much faster than the rest of the SCUM that we only saw the evidence of his headfirst tumble: the divot in the snow at the side of the trail and his snow-covered hat:
It was a magical ski, and we enjoyed the sunrise in route:
Happy New Year!
Sonot Kkaazoot 