Shalane Frost skis virtual 50 km Sonot

Posted on March 29, 2020 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Shalane writes:

Great trails! Could have picked a more imaginative route, but 5x white bear did the trick.

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While Shalane’s course may not have been imaginative, her time will definitely be one of the fastest.

Donna DiFolco, Bad Bob and Sharon Baker ski virtual 40 km

Posted on March 29, 2020 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Bad Bob writes:

DiFolco/Baker trio finish virtual Sonot 110 km

Donna DiFolco, Sharon and BAD BOB Baker complete the Sonot Kkaazoot 40-K…sort of… We combined a 15 km Sonot course from yesterday with a 25 km course we skied today to complete the SONOT KKAAZOOT 40 km Virtual 2020…

Here’s how we did it..Yesterday we skied on our home course here at Moose Mountain, which I had just groomed. It was 15 kilometers worth of soft, beautifully white snow with an uphill section that would make the regular Sonot course seem tame. Skiing right from our home, we skied up and over the top of Moose Mountain, then continued up and down, mostly up, to the next summit, did a short loop around that top, then headed back down to home, with one little out & back on the way up. That took us 2 hours and all in the CLASSIC technique.

Today, we arrived at Birch Hill at noon and found possibly the nicest grooming job of the season!! SUNNY, PERFECT TRACKS, AND TEMPS IN THE TEENS. We choose the SKATING technique today, and although a bit slow, it was ok, when you compare it to the snow speed we all experienced most of this winter. We chose a course that would take us around a potentially future course that may be in store for FUTURE Sonots.

Part of our course today involved skiing down SUNNYSIDE and CLIFFSIDE, then up the SONOT CONNECTOR. What we found was Cliffside had only a moose trail down to the Ft. W/W ski lodge, and once we started up the Sonot Connector, we had to pull off our skis and walk up to the White Bear, as not a single groomer or skier had been down the Connector since the last snow storm. The snow was about a FOOT deep. For those 2 kilometers we averaged about a 20 minute per/km pace.

Trio who hadn’t read our grooming posts head up Sonot Connector

Once back on top, we continued around the White Bear, Moilanen Meadows, finishing back in the stadium.

Our journey was just shy of 24 km, so we continued on around the Medivac loop to put us over the 25 km mark. Exhausted and satisfied, we decided to add our Moose Mountain course from yesterday to complete our 40 km Virtural SONOT KKAAZOOT.

Da man, Sonot Kkaazoot race director, Bad Bob Baker

Time for today’s 25 km portion was an amazing 3-ish hours. SO…our official Virtual Sonot Kkaazoot 40 kilometer finishing times was 5 Hours FLAT! SO….completing the 40 km virtual Sonot for SHARON and I , completes our SONOT KKAAZOOT TRI !! We did the 50, 40, and 20 k’s. That’s 110 Kilometers of VIRTUAL KKAAZOOT….

Bad Bob and Mark Ross holding the 2020 Sonot Kkaazoot poster

The 2020 Virtual Sonot Kkaazoot Posters (created by Mark Ross) can be found in the Birch Hill Warm-up Hut, throughout the week. I believe that that are about 75 copies, one per person please. Trail donations welcome but not required to obtain one of these posters.

Lisa Stuby skates “normal” virtual 20 km

Posted on March 29, 2020 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Lisa writes (with blogger’s notes in purple):

This morning (Saturday) I skated a more “normal” 20 km Sonot at Birch Hill.

Lisa had previously skied a virtual 16 km on classical skis and platform snowshoes:

https://sonotkkaazoot.org/2020/03/25/lisa-stubys-16-km-virtual-sonot-on-skis-and-platform-snowshoes/

The weather was cool and breezy and the trails a bit slow, but groomed to a fine corduroy. After 5.5 miles in 1 hr 8 min, I had to stop and warm my cold toes. I stopped my GPS watch for the approximately 10 minutes and then started it again and was on my way. When I finished, my watch was not working.

So I’ve had to guesstimate my time based on the pre-toe warming and my finish time. So, I assume I took 2.5 hours to ski 21 kilometers and did the course of Blue, Outhouse, Tower Loops, Rollercoaster, White Bear and extension with Moilanen Meadows, and Warm up Loop.

Overall a nice ski and day and saw many smiling faces on the trails. I’ve enjoyed reading the other Sonot posts.

Eric Buetow skis virtual 40 km

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Repurposed Eric Troyer photo with Eric, Mike, Pat, and Dave (L to R)

On March 18, Eric Buetow and Dave Prusak skied the virtual 20 km Sonot Kkaazoot on the traditional Chena River course that runs in front of the Buetow home.

https://sonotkkaazoot.org/2020/03/19/prusak-and-buetow-finish-virtual-20-km/

Today, Eric writes:

Pat Reinhard, Mike Schmoker, Dave Prusak and I did a grand tour—minus Sunnyside—at a proudly SCUM-ish pace with multiple stops for conversation, reveling in the wonderful trail conditions, enjoying virtual feed stations, and waiting for the now 1 1/2-armed Prusak.

They called it a day and I cobbled together another 13-or-so km, encouraged by Jerome Jackson, who was in leisure mode with grand kids and Sarah.

All in all, a great day!

No photos because my phone died, but just wanted to get on the board. Total time for Eric: 4:10.

We’ll put the Eric on the board for 40 km and Pat, Mike, and Dave on for 27 km.

Anna Rix skis 80 km virtual Sonot Kkaazoot

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Anna long ski

Anna writes:

I finally got around to doing my longer ski, the wind last Sunday and blisters yesterday stopped me from doing it sooner. I cut it shorter than intended when they closed the Warming Hut, so only got 80 k instead of my intend 100 k to complete the “Virtual White Mountains 100”. I managed only about 118 k at Birch Hill during the virtual Sonot (skied on 3/21, 3/27, 3/28, total time about 12:20). I did ski 86 k at UAF during the virtual Sonot, but I not going to calculate that total time.

Anyways, for today, I was going to break the ski into the first 50 k, which was all classic. My 50 k route was a tour of all the groomed trails. I started out with the black loops, then West Ramp, Blue, Outhouse, Sunnyside to Clifftop, rest of Outhouse, rest of Relay, Tower (including Classic Tower), Medevac, East Ramp, Rollercoaster, White Bear with Moilanen’s Meadow, and Warm-up. After one lap, I stopped to wax a different pair of classic skis, shed some layers, and refill my drink belt. I said hi to Donovan. For the second tour lap, I started off trying to get a few of the bits that I was missing: Main Ramp into the part of Relay I was missing by doing Blue, up the sprint wall to the second half of Green Dot, Rollercoaster bypass, somehow ended up taking the sprint elbow downhill, then I started another Tour lap. Tower, Rollercoaster, White Bear with Moilanen’s Meadow (more enjoyable when the kick wax is still kicking), got Sidewinder and the Roundabout on the way out of White Bear Access, at some point I did Loki and the other one in the stadium (could have been before with Rollercoaster bypass), Warmup, and onto the Black Loops. I hit 50 km just before finishing off North Forty’s Corkscrew. 50 k classic total: 5:18 total time, 5:05:45 ski time.
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For the next 30 k it was a mixture of skate and classic. I finished by Tour lap finishing with the trails with more debris, so the rest of Black Loops, Blue Loop, Outhouse (which was pretty clean and not many people ventured onto the full version), Sunnyside, and Relay. I went back to the Warming Hut to change socks, coats, gloves, headband, and boots. Onto skate skiing! I started out by taking White Cub and all of White Bear (Shalane zoomed by me) to the Groomers Ramp, Warmup, White Bear access out to the biathlon range (since I hadn’t ski that trail), took Zoomer’s Cutoff back and went to change to my other skate skis when I heard that the Warming Hut was closed, I grabbed my stuff out and skied part of North Forty, then Green Dot, Rollercoaster Bypass, and a lap in the stadium to bring my total distance for the day up to an even 80 k. That way my stuff didn’t freeze and I didn’t feel like changing into my other classic boots in the cold (my original plan was to change to my classic skin skis for the last 10-15 k). So, for the 40 k add the 13.2 k I did on Friday on my skin skis, the black loops, blue, outhouse, sunnyside (stopped and tried to readjust my boot), and relay before quitting to stop my blister for getting bigger (I put moleskin around it today). 40 k mixed techniques and day’s total: 5:04 total time, 4:44 ski time.

Might be too tired to explain what I was thinking, to remember my course, or edit my write up but I attached proof of my ski.

Anna, I’m tired just reading what you skied. Congratulations!

Mark Winford skies sunny virtual 20 km

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Mark selfie

Mark Winford’s virtual Sonot results. 20 K. March 28. Skied all of Outhouse, Sunnyside, Relay, down to East ramp, up to and all of Tower, Roller-coaster Bypass, White Bear, and Moilanen Meadows. Time 1:35.22. Age 50. Incredibly beautiful, sunny day. Seventeen degrees.

Bill Husby skis 40 km to complete his virtual Sonot Kkaazoot grand slam

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Sonot Kkaazoot

After skiing the 20 km traditional Sonot Kkaazoot on 19 March,

Poles and Thumper finish virtual 20 km

Bill Husby skied a creative route 50 km Sonot on 21 March:

Bill Husby skis 50 km virtual Sonot, just needs 40 km now

Today, in glorious sunshine, Bill skied a virtual 40 km, thus, completing his grand slam of all three Sonot Kkaazoot distances:

Poles 40 km

In between his three virtual Sonot Kkaazoot distance skis, Bill has groomed trails and skied casually with us mortals. Congratulations, Poles!

Maria Taylor skis and snacks to a virtual 20 km Sonot

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Maria map

Maria Taylor writes:

I completed the 20 k Sonot! I skied mostly with my family at Birch Hill. We had a great day and enjoyed plenty of tasty snacks!

maria data

Virtual Sonot: UAF to Birch Hill

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Peter Delamere writes:

Peter Delamere skied with Hannah Delamere and Hjelle Personius from UAF to Birch Hill. Hannah and Hjelle skied 27 km (just to BH).

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Peter skied 40 km with a few additional km at BH.

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It would be great if we could link UAF and BH via Creamers (especially if the river is not suitable). Crossing Farmers Loop near Ballaine was trivial. The Steese and Farmers Loop intersection is not so easy. If only we had an overpass…. Not sure about times. Started at 11:30 ended at 3:30.

Great day!

Great report, Peter! Your creative route warrants further consideration as Fairbanks’ winters warm.

Joanna Fox finishes 40 km virtual Sonot

Posted on March 28, 2020 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Joanna selfie

Joanna writes:

I finished my 40k virtual Sonot this morning with a 5.01 mile (or 8.05k) ski that included some of my favorite highland trails. I started with a trip around the Relay Start Loop to get warmed up, and then hopped onto Tower, which was impeccably well groomed. I knew I had to include Tower in my finale, as after all it’s my favorite trail at Birch Hill. It did not let me down! I honestly can’t remember enjoying that trail more. I had intended to ski Outhouse when I came out of Tower, but right there, beckoning me, was Roller Coaster. Who can resist a trip down Roller Coaster when it’s been freshly groomed?! Well, not I! It was well worth the side trip, as the tracks were deep and fast and I had it all to myself.

I then proceeded to Outhouse, where I had fun wondering if I’d encounter the moose who seemingly had cut straight down from the entrance and crossed every switchback. I didn’t, but I knew it must be lurking around there somewhere. After completing Outhouse I could have taken the Relay Return, as I knew I had exceeded the 6.25 k I needed to get to 40 k, but the trail gods urged me to go to take the complete loop so I could enjoy one more downhill before reaching the stadium hill and finishing my ski.

It was downright GLORIOUS out there! I ran into Poles right as I was starting, and he seemed to be in the middle of his 5th or 6th 50 k of the week, so I knew better than to try to follow him. After all, I wanted to save a little in the tank for tomorrow’s ski.

Here’s a short video clip for Joanna’s ski today: