Photo by Bill Husby
Birch Hill groomed with set classical tracks
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Author Archives: Sonot Kkaazoot
Finally, on snow!
Snow has finally arrived in the greater Fairbanks area, and the groomers are busy packing the trails at Birch Hill.
On Sunday, Bill, one of the groomers led a group of three other Sonot organizers on our first on-snow ski adventure. Bill had already skied 100 km this month, so he enjoyed watching the rest of us fall and take rest breaks.
Photo by Robert Hannon, ace KUAC journalist and director of Northern Soundings.
First Town Race is this Saturday. Get out and enjoy the snow. The Sonot Kkaazoot is just 4 months away!
No Fairbanks snow in late October isn’t unique
Although we are firmly in new record territory for the late arrival of Fairbanks’ first snowfall at the airport, we have had brown Octobers previously. In his blog post from October 2013, Richard James from the National Weather Service notes that the ground was bare and the temperature in Fairbanks had reached 51 deg F on 28 October 2013:
http://ak-wx.blogspot.com/2013/10/record-warmth-again.html
Yet, the 2014 Sonot Kkaazoot had excellent spring skiing conditions as noted by Dermot Cole’s Alaska Dispatch column:
I agree that it is very frustrating to not be skiing in October, but the snow will come. The Birch Hill trails that have been mowed and summer trail work will make grooming easier. Groomers have been busy working on the new terrain garden so the late arrival of snow has avoided their early season burnout.
Just 5 months until the 32nd annual Sonot Kkaazoot
Bad Bob has developed the schedule for the 32nd annual Sonot Kkaazoot, which is a mere 5 months away.
Check the main Sonot Kkaazoot page for all the details. https://sonotkkaazoot.org/
Registration fees will be the same as last year. All registration will be online except at bib pick-up on Thursday, 21 March 2019, and from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. on race day. In person registration will be at late- and day-of-race entry fee levels.
The main change for the 32nd annual Sonot Kkaazoot is that there will no longer be a separate 50 km classical event. Classical tracks will be set for the entire 50 km course, but classical skiers will start and compete with the 50 km freestyle skiers for overall and age-class awards.
The online registration page will be live soon.
May Day ski with Bill and Jerome
Skiing is still preferable to road biking in Fairbanks as this May Day video from Birch Hill shows. Both Bill Husby and Jerome Jackson skied the 50 km classical Sonot Kkaazoot in March 2018, and are training for 2019.
April 15 skiing on Sunnyside Trail
With temperatures dipping to the mid teens early this morning, the Birch Hill groomers were able to groom and track 9 km of trails to complement the 10 km groomed on Saturday. Although we were unable to see Denali from the Sunnyside Trail, there was plenty of sun and blue skies:
SCUM gather on top of picnic table to approach Frank Soos (far right) in height for last group shot of season.
Coach John Estle slows down to join the gathering crowd
Above, Norma Haubenstock, Volunteer Coordinator for Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks competition events, negotiates the damage done to the corduroy by SCUM.
Enjoy the Spring Skiing! Thank you Birch Hill groomers! Today’s ski was a treat! Even 320 m of climb went by quickly.
Thanks to Sonot Kkaazoot sponsors and volunteers
The 31st Denali State Bank Sonot Kkaazoot took place under fantastic sunny skies and nearly perfect temperatures for skiing. This year 285 skiers aged 8 to 72 successfully finished their events.
We are extremely grateful to the support of Denali State Bank, who has been our title sponsor from our modest start in 1988 when 21 skiers crossed the finish line for the 50 km and 8 for the 20 km. Other sponsors key to organizing this event include: Doyon, Ltd, Fort Wainwright, U.S. Army Alaska, Fairbanks North Star Borough, Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks, Advanced Physical Therapy, Foundation Health Partners, and Subway.
The Sonot Kkaazoot remains a community ski event organized by volunteers who this year numbered over 105. Many individuals served multiple roles in the Sonot Kkaazoot and were essential to our success. Enthusiastic and helpful volunteers kept skiers fueled, safe, and ensured an accurate time. The volunteers page on the Sonot Kkaazoot website lists all volunteers that we identified: https://sonotkkaazoot.org/volunteers/
We absolutely could not have done this without the groomers who worked for days to make the trails absolutely first rate. Over 110 man hours were spent trail clearing and/or grooming for the 2018 Sonot Kkaazoot.
The feed stations had drinks and feeds ready for 5 to 6 hours. They fed and encouraged those of us in the back of the pack when we really needed a boost. Watershed School was a new addition to the Sonot Kkaazoot this year, and staffed the White Bear feed station. Watershed principal, Jarrod Decker generously redirected their feed station honorarium to the Birch Hill Trail Fund because their students benefit from the groomed trails when they take field trips to Birch Hill during the winter. Thank you, Jarrod and Watershed School.
The road crossing teams were especially welcome with concurrent activities going on at the Birch Hill Ski and Snowboard Area. They kept Sonot Kkaazoot skiers safe on the Fort Wainwright Trails when the road crossings had vehicular traffic.
The timers and finish line announcer were working until the last skier crossed. Thank you for demonstrating that every skier’s race is important to them.
After 6 years attempting to be Bad Bob Baker’s sabbatical replacement as Sonot Kkaazoot organizer, I’m happy to be just SCUM again.
Enjoy the spring sunshine! I’ll see you on the ski (or fat bike) trails.
“I think I’ll stick to skiing”–Photo by Dan Johnson
Best ever conditions at Fort Wainwright Road Crossings
Thanks to Robert Hannon, Sonot Fort Wainwright liaison, and Dani O’Donnell, Fort Wainwright Community Engagement and Media Relations staff person, a crew of 17 Fort Wainwright volunteers were recruited to help Eric Troyer and Bill Chedister in staffing the road crossings on River and Ski Roads.
As shown below (all photos by Eric Troyer, https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2012647878765322.1073741843.106945789335550&type=1&l=a4233c29a2), these volunteers directed vehicular and skier traffic, shoveled snow on the roadway, and encouraged 40 and 50 km skiers in the early and late stages of their Sonot Kkaazoot journeys.
These Fort Wainwright personnel greatly enhanced the partnership with Fort Wainwright that has existed for all 31 years that the Sonot Kkaazoot taken place.
We urge skiers to thank their neighbors and Fort Wainwright personnel for their additional commitment to the greater Fairbanks North Star Borough community.(https://sonotkkaazoot.org/volunteers/). Without the partnership with Fort Wainwright, the Sonot Kkaazoot would not be possible.
Visiting ski teams at 31st Sonot Kkaazoot
We thank the coaches, skiers, and chaperones from Galena School and Anchorage’s Dimond High School for participating in the 31st annual Denali State Bank Sonot Kkaazoot. You are great ambassadors for your ski teams and communities.
Galena Ski Team–Photo by Martin Hornfischer
Dimond High School Ski Team–photo by Kyle Whisenhant
Photos by Martin Hornfischer (left, Galena team huddle) and Kyle Whisenhant (right)
We hope that you return next year.
For some skiers, the Sonot Kkaazoot isn’t challenging enough
Everyone who does the Denali State Bank Sonot Kkaazoot is amazing, but for some people the challenge of the Sonot is apparently not enough. The Sonot took place on Saturday. The next morning at 8 a.m. saw the start of the White Mountains 100, a 100-mile multi-sport race in the White Mountains National Recreation Area just north of Fairbanks.
Three people who skied in the Sonot also competed in the White Mountains 100, which is truly amazing!
Melissa Lewis (from Fairbanks), who has won the 50 km Sonot Kkaazoot SIX TIMES (1993, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2011)
Sonot Kkaazoot 50K: 3 hours, 3 minutes (third place overall female, first in her age division)
WM100: 21 hours, 54 minutes (third place skier overall, second place female skier)
Forest Wagner (originally from Fairbanks and now from Auke Bay near Juneau)
Sonot Kkaazoot 20K: 1 hour, 13 minutes (22nd place male overall, first in his age division)
WM100: 30 hours, 59 minutes (ninth overall skier, sixth male skier)
Peter Delamere (from Fairbanks; deserves a Special Dad award!)
Sonot Kkaazoot 20K: 1 hour, 9 minutes (14th male overall, second in his age division; while skiing with daughter Hannah, who finished seventh female overall and first in her age division!)
WM100: 18 hours, 23 minutes (26th biker overall, 24th male biker; biked with son Sam, who finished 25th and at 17 years old is the youngest finisher in the WM100!)
And one member of the Sonot Kkaazoot timing crew, who was on her feet a lot longer than it would take her to ski 20 km,
Tracie Curry, from Fairbanks, skied the WM100 in 26 hours, 39 minutes (seventh skier overall, third place female skier).
Thank you, Tracie.
Congratulations to Melissa, Forest, Peter, and Tracie!
Sonot Kkaazoot 