Remember 1988?

Posted on April 29, 2025 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Even in 1988, the Chena River threatened to move the inaugural Sonot Kkaazoot off the Chena River. However, a last-minute cold spell allowed race organizer, Bob Baker to start and finish the first Denali State Bank Sonot Kkaazoot on the Chena River near the Cushman Street Bridge.

A total of 23 skiers competed in the 50-km race, and another 8 in the 20-km event. As the Fairbanks News-Miner reports, “the first Sonot Kkaazoot cross-country ski races came off without a hitch Saturday, with Tim Kelley and Dexter Ittner posting victories in the two races.”

Bob and Sharon Baker organized that first Sonot Kkaazoot and the majority of the following 37 events. In his post-race report to the Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks board of directors, Bob announced that the 38th Sonot Kkaazoot will be his last as organizer. It’s been a long run for the Bakers. Since 1988, the Sonot Kkaazoot has grown almost tenfold in race participants and in the volunteers required to successfully put on the event. Volunteers younger than the SCUM are needed as our physical and mental abilities are rapidly declining.

If you know of someone interested in taking over the organization of the Sonot Kkaazoot, urge them to contact Thad Keener, executive director of the Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks. His contact information is: executivedirector@nscfairbanks.org.

SCUM move from snow to dirt

Posted on April 27, 2025 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Donovan at Sonot Junction on Friday–all photos by Joanna Fox

After last Sunday’s delightful Easter ski on over 10 km of pistenbully-groomed trails, weather conditions weren’t favorable for additional grooming. We skied Wednesday and Friday as more ground and less snow as visible on the trails. So today we made the switch to dryland training and headed up Ester Dome.

Ester Dome Road was ice free and dry to Ullerhaven and had patchy wet spots beyond the first set of towers. However, at the second set of towers, the trail was still wet and icy. The roadway lacks sufficient dry ground to turnaround so park at or before the first set towers. While we were on the top of Ester Dome, one offroad vehicle ended up backing up on the road from the second towers to the first towers.

Denali was out as Audrey started down the out-and-back trail

Mom walking around wet ruts left by off road vehicle

Dermot abandons idea of swinging on the top of Ester Dome

SCUM and family members on Ester Dome after meeting up with Army overnight campers

It was a great day for an Ester Dome ascent as it was 45 deg at 10 a.m. when we started and in the mid-50s when we finished 2 hours later. We saw a number of runners on Ester Dome Road–all of them in shorts.

Thus, Wednesday SCUM workouts will officially move from Birch Hill to Ester Dome starting 30 April 2025. We’ll start from the bike trails parking lot on Ester Dome Road (roughly one mile above St. Pat’s Road) at 10 a.m. The general plan is to ski walk down to St. Pat’s Road from the bike trails and then ski walk up to Ullerhaven for a 5 km uphill ski walk and then walk back down (2 miles) to our cars. Starting out, you could just start ski walking uphill (like we did today) and you can turnaround whenever you feel like you’ve done enough or have to get back to work.

Ski walkers, hikers, or runners are welcome to join us for all or part of our workout.

4/28/25 NOTE: The SCUM made their training transition Sunday before the Nenana Ice Classic tripod on the Tanana River had gone out. We make our weather observations based on our 29 years skiing together and act accordingly. We’re not climate deniers.

SCUM enjoy Easter grooming

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Donovan descends Sidewider celebrating his 3-hour ski on fresh corduroy

Dave descends Sidewider singing Minnesota State song

SCUM enjoying sunshine after descending from Hilltop Junction on White Bear–*photo by Joanna Fox*

Above are some of the happy sounds and faces seen on groomed trails at Birch Hill Recreation Area on Easter Sunday. An absolutely fun ski for all.

Two inches of wet new snow greet SCUM

Posted on April 11, 2025 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Two inches of fresh snow in the past hour and snowing steadily on 11 April–*all photos by Joanna Fox*

Some SCUM missed the grooming yesterday as one of us needed to file her income taxes. However, two inches of fresh snow covered the icy trails, so we enjoyed a day that looked more like Christmas than approaching Easter and Passover.

A busload of kindergarteners and first graders arrived on skis (no poles needed) as we were leaving, excited to have fresh snow approaching some of their knees.