Early registration for the 39th Denali State Bank Sonot Kkaazoot is open
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Author Archives: Sonot Kkaazoot
SCUM shred half foot deep powder on Black Loops after finding LOL ornament #2
After having to brave a half foot of ungroomed powder on the black loops to locate LOL ornament #2, our LAST of the 12, the SCUM decided to shred all the black downhills. In the process we also did some trail maintenance–moving downed trees from the trails. Most of us fell (Greg and Mom, 4 times), but the video below records the best one. Click on the full screen icon on the lower far right of the image to appreciate the moment more fully.
Here are Greg Kahoe’s photos of Bill leading us on our first shedding adventure:
Here is a photo gallery provided by Pam of our fun on the black loops:
Sometimes you have to discard your training plans to have a little fun.
It took 2.5 hours and 10 km, but SCUM found the 3 LOL ornaments today
It was -14 deg F when we started and -16 deg F when we finished 2.5 hours later. However, the SCUM persevered and found 3 LOL ornaments. I thought that finished our tally of all 12 LOL ornaments, but it looks like we are still missing one.
The first ornament, LOL ornament #9 was spotted by Bill Husby on a trail that we had all skied multiple times during the holidays without seeing it.
After skiing Sunnyside through deep powder, we returned to our quest for LOL ornaments and Mike Schmoker found LOL #11:
With cold toes and thumbs among his fellow SCUM, Mike spotted LOL ornament #1.
After finding LOL ornament #1, Jerome did some trail breaking through the entire winter’s snowpack to allow us to take a short cut back to the Birch Hill stadium. Even taking this short cut (and the groomer’s ramp instead of the rest of the WB access), we skied over 10 km. Jerome had already skied before we arrived so he probably skied 12 to 15 km.
Unfortunately, it appears that the SCUM missed LOL ornament #2, so maybe we’ll find it on Sunday. Sorry, guys! Mom found out when she added our haul today to our prior tally.
A huge thanks to Pam Laker, who took a break for organizing volunteers and volunteer care for tomorrow’s Town Race, to join us. She took photos when Mom’s thumb wouldn’t stay warm.
Warm weather SCUM
Temperatures were almost 20 deg warmer than Sunday, so SCUM skied through 2 inches of ungroomed snow. Bring it on.
Happy New Year
Although December had 12 days with temperatures below -40 deg F at the airport and January has continued that trend, the SCUM workouts have been no colder than -25 deg F in the stadium, although temperatures dropped much colder on lower lying trails. Descending the Warmup Loop (not an accurate descriptor today) at the end of our workout, I developed a severe ice cream headache that didn’t resolve even on the uphill sections. It was definitely below -25 deg on Wake Up Loop.
Today the thermometer on the building said -19 deg F when we started and -12 when we finished. We managed to ski 10 km (all but about 1 km on pistenbully tracks) in a little more than 90 minutes. This is not bad considering that 3 of us are well over 70 years old and the kid among us had gotten her second shingles vaccine earlier in the week.
Here’s Bernardo and Mom gliding down the stadium hill with the full moon over our heads:
Although just two years ago, the SCUM skied on a -37 deg F Sunday, we’re getting soft in our old age. If it’s colder than -25 deg F at Birch Hill at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, we’ll cancel our workout and make up the kilometers on Tuesday:
However, if the inversion holds, skiing above the ice fog is good for the mind and body.
New Sonot Kkaazoot race organizers
The 39th Denali State Bank Sonot Kkaazoot is scheduled for Saturday, March 21, 2026!
Thanks to Cyrus Freeman and Alex Morris stepping forward to be race directors for the 39th Denali State Bank Sonot Kkaazoot, we will be opening registration in mid-January 2026.
Bad Bob and Sharon Baker are sharing their collective race organization wisdom with these young men so this year’s Sonot Kkaazoot will be great. With our abundant December snowfalls and cold temperatures, this is the motivation we need to get out and train when trails are chilly and glide is less than optimal.
A huge thank you to Cyrus and Alex for stepping forward to continue this spring ski celebration in Fairbanks.
Happy Holidays from the SCUM
Today it was -23 deg F in the Birch Hill stadium at 10:30 a.m. but the temperatures dropped as we lost elevation. However, the newly groomed trails were fast allowing us some “free speed” on the graduals and downhills. Jeff Conn kept his speed in check and spotted LOL ornament #10 shown below:
This brings the SCUM total load of ornaments to 8. We need to find 4 more before the New Year.
Enjoy the holidays and we’ll see you on the trails.
SCUM find 2 more LOL ornaments on a -25 deg F day
It was a snowy Friday morning, but the pistenbully tracks were amazingly fast and secure. Thank you, Tom Helmers! Even at -25 deg F, the firm tracks made it possible to ski fast enough to keep all the appendages thawed and warm.
Today’s discoveries bring the SCUM total of LOL ornaments past the halfway mark. We have located 7 of the 12 ornaments for this season.
Hopefully, the recent accumulation of almost a foot of fluffy snow doesn’t conceal the five ornaments that we need to find.
Great tracks lead SCUM to 3 LOL ornaments
A deep inversion had temperatures a balmy -8 deg F in the stadium and -24 deg F in Shannon Park at the bottom of Birch Hill Road and City Lights Blvd. However, Bill Husby set beautiful classical tracks on the Black Loops yesterday, so we were lured down into the chilly depths where we found three more LOL ornaments.
In the black loops, there are a number of cutoffs so the SCUM group scattered, so only Bill, Greg, and Mom found ornament #3:
The other SCUM found LOL ornament #8 when they were lost in the Black Loops but Jerome was able and willing to go back down so we could document his find:
Even on a cold day, Bill’s tracks were a delight as on the N40, you could glide entirely up the uphills after tucking the downhills in the tracks. It was also possible to stride up the Competition Loop in Bill’s clean and deep tracks. As we were finishing up, the grooming crew was heading out the blue loops so likely by now they have new clean tracks, too. The Outhouse Loop really needed new tracks after the recent winds had filled the tracks with balsam poplar leaves.Today was a good day to not be skiing on skins as you enjoyed more free glide.
Enjoy the inversion and the beautiful tracks.
SCUM do the military transect in the -15 deg F breezy warmth
Preparing to do the military transect (down Sunnyside and Cliffside and up the Sonot Connector) meant protecting SCUM noses and faces from the cold. Here are some of the novel approaches to this challenge (top 4 photos by Joanna Fox)
These SCUM actually made it up to the White Bear loop where en route they were treated to the moon rise over the Sonot Connector:
It was chilly but a beautiful day on the trails.
Sonot Kkaazoot 