Author Archives: Sonot Kkaazoot

Has the Sonot Kkaazoot become an event just for “old people”?

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Nordic skiers tend to be very frugal while also having a tendency to procrastinate. However, early registration for the 2014 Sonot Kkaazoot will end on 28 February (less than a week away) and only 19 skiers have registered, 15 of whom are older than 55 years old. As was the case last year, the White Mountain 100 is scheduled for the day after the Sonot Kkaazoot so the uber endurance athletes may have their focus there. This year the US Ski Association Super Tour Spring Races are being held in Anchorage the same week as the Sonot so the elite skiers wanting to test themselves against recent Olympians will be in Anchorage. So where are the rest of the skiers that we see on the trails at Birch Hill and UAF? This bib entitles you to ski on up to 50 km of perfectly groomed trails and feed stations that will provide you with fluids, food, and plenty of encouragement.

New Sonot bib_sm

Online registration is quick and easy. Just go to the “register” page near the top of this website. Or if you prefer, entry forms are available at Beaver Sports, Goldstream Sports, and Raven Cross Country (as well as in the Birch Hill Recreation buildings). Remember after Friday, registration for all distances and ages will increase by $10.

Training for the Sonot Kkaazoot in the cold

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Unlike Sochi, where the Olympic cross country skiers are dealing with tropical conditions and deep slush, we will have firm trails with deep natural snow for Sunday’s third Buetow Dental Distance Race, the Raven Run. Anticipating rather cold temperatures, John Estle, Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks Competition Director, has selected the warmest, flattest course possible at Birch Hill Recreation Area. The 4-lap course gives skiers a 14 or 30 km option.

Here’s a map of the course:

15-map-course (5)

In spite of the flatter course, classical skiing may be a faster option than skating for most skiers given the possibility of some delightful hoarfrost snow before or during this event. However, this final race in this season’s Distance Series will be a good endurance workout with the Sonot Kkaazoot a little over 6 weeks away.  Also, you need to race to be eligible for the post-race drawing of valuable ski equipment and supplies from Raven Cross Country.

Reminder to the procrastinators out there, the Sonot Kkaazoot early registration ends in two weeks. Make the commitment now and save some money to use on the post-race celebration.

The secret to enjoying your job (or ski conditions)

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This Calvin and Hobbes comic strip was on my office door for years as a partial explanation for why I hadn’t retired yet.

Calvin&Hobbes_work-hobby_sm

However, the key to enjoying your hobby (for me, definitely cross country skiing from November through April), is adapting to whatever Mother Nature dishes out to us. During the past 19 years, the SCUM have met Sundays (regardless of temperature) once there is sufficient snow on the ground to ski, and last January it was -37 deg F at Birch Hill for one of our Sunday training sessions.That workout was documented on this blog then.

January 2014 was quite the contrast as summarized by the National Weather Service today:

January 2014 weather summary

In addition, because of the strong temperature inversions, temperatures remained well above freezing at higher elevations (like Birch Hill) even after airport temperatures had dropped below freezing. This has made for very hard, icy trails that can result in painful bruises, rashes, concussions, and broken bones if one makes a careless mistake

Icy landing_sm

that can sideline skiing for an extended period of time (depending upon severity of injury).

As skiers, we need to be increasing our training volume with the Sonot Kkaazoot just 8 weeks away. So what is a skier to do, when hours of skate skiing on uneven icy trails overload our cerebral neurons and all those secondary stabilizers within our legs?

Relax, and enjoy a classical ski with klister for kick instead of hard wax. I admit, I usually skate when it’s too warm for blue hard wax, but today having rock solid tracks to direct my skis meant that I could concentrate on my knee and ankle bend or that my elbows were positioned out to the side when I doublepoled. Suddenly, the pointers that Pete Leonard had given us during this week’s FXC Masters skate ski sessions were easier to address without the fear of falling. Not only that, I enjoyed looking at the wonderful environment I was out in. Sure, klister is messy to deal with, but a little citrus cleaner (from your bike gear) will remove it from places it isn’t supposed to be. And a garbage bag around the kick zone area of your skis that have been secured at tips and tails will prevent the klister from getting inside your ski bag or the back of your car.

Try it! I’m sure you’ll enjoy your next skate session (or work for that matter) more. A little (or a lot) of change is good for all of us.

Six Fairbanks skiers at World Masters in Austria

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Six Fairbanks-based cross country skiers are in Austria competing in the 2014 Cross Country Masters Cup. These skiers include (in alphabetical order): Bad Bob Baker, Sonot Kkaazoot founder and longtime director; Dave Edic; Owen Hanley; Bruce Jamieson, co-President of the Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks (http://www.nscfairbanks.org/); Ken Leary, the only guy to finish all 26 of the Sonot Kkaazoot (long course), and the organizer of the Wednesday Night Race Series (http://www.wnrace.com/Home_Page.html); and Chris Puchner. All these skiers, in addition to being amazing local racers, have contributed countless hours toward improving the nordic ski opportunities in Fairbanks.

Here’s the link to World Masters Cup race results with first event scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday, 24 January 2014):

http://mwc2014.com/en/pillerseetal-masters-world-cup/home

Have fun, and ski fast!

 

Glistening hoarfrost and perfect classical tracks

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Although temperatures in town this morning were well below -30 deg F, the sun was out, skies were bluebird blue, and the temperature in the Birch Hill stadium was -16 to -18 deg F, depending on which thermometer you cared to believe. With days getting longer and the Sonot Kkaazoot just 11 weeks away, it definitely was a day to enjoy the enhanced sunlight of the South Side Classic Loops. However, to warm up, we skied the Relay and Tower Loops before heading down the White Cub and White Bear to SCUM corner where we assembled for a group photo before crossing Beacon Road over to Fort Wainwright.

2014 SCUM

Descending down the Sonot Connector, we skied past the Blackhawk Loop to the Chinook Loop that has bright southern exposure that warms a clear, chilly day.

White bear map_trimmed

Here Robert and Sam stop briefly to help the Sonot blogger demonstrate ski conditions.

Sam&Robert on Chinook_sm

We definitely saw more moose prints than skier face plants and had both trails entirely to ourselves. With blood and enthusiasm flowing even in distant appendages, we skied the Blackhawk and then headed back up the Sonot Connector:

Sam & Robert on Sonot Connector_sm

The overachieving SCUM went ahead and did the other White Bear Classical Trails, but the group gradually found their way back to the warming hut for coffee and conversation while cars and bodies warmed up again.

Sonot Kkaazoot training class starts 21 January 2014

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Once again, the Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks will offer an eight-week ski class designed to help prepare adult skiers for the Sonot Kkaazoot. The course is held Tuesday nights at Birch Hill Recreation area from 6 to 7:30 p.m. More information can be found here:

http://www.nscfairbanks.org/index.php/adult-lessons2/749-feb-2014-adult-lessons

with online registration available here:

http://www.nscfairbanks.org/index.php/racing/754-online-registration-for-adult-lessons-is-open

This is a great way to improve your marathon technique and strategy skills from an instructor with lots of experience doing the Sonot Kkaazoot.

Images from the Distance Race #2 on 1/4/14

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World Cup quality tracks, temperatures in the high teens (above zero), and a new race course incorporating the “mellowed” black loops awaited participants in Saturday’s Buetow Dental Distance Race #2, the January Jaunt presented by Raven Cross Country. Smiles, grimaces, and deep concentration were captured by photographer Bob Wilkinson on the new downhill section of the blacks and elsewhere. Skiers ranged in age from 12 to 70, many of whom are training for the Sonot Kkaazoot to be held on 29 March 2014.

2013 Female 40 and 50 km Sonot Kkaazoot skiers

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Please consider joining these female skiers (and those in the earlier gallery) who finished the 40 or 50 km events last year. Female skiers should make up more than 29% of the 40 and 50 km finishers. The 40 km event helped increase female participation in the longer distance events in 2013. Over the past 26 years, women have been roughly 20% of the finishers in the 50 km Sonot Kkaazoot. (All photos by Sam Lamont).

Distance Race #2 (new course)

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If you skied 50 km or more during the Ski Your Age event last Saturday, you probably need a new training challenge. You’ll have one if you ski the Buetow Distance Race #2, presented by Raven Cross Country. This 10 or 20 km classic technique race on Saturday, 4 January 2014, will have a new course this year utilizing some of the Outhouse and the recently “mellowed” upper Black Loops. Geographically challenged racers will want to make sure that they don’t get left behind in the colder regions of the Birch Hill Recreation Area. Here’s a look at the race courses: 20 km Distance Race_2013

Entry forms may be dropped off at Raven Cross Country and Beaver Sports through 5:00 PM Thursday evening. Entry fees are $15 for Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks members and $20 for non-members.  Race day entries will be accepted between 9:45 AM and 10:45 AM Saturday, but will be $5 higher than the early entry fee.