Category Archives: Photo gallery

Back-of-the-pack view of the Sonot Kkaazoot

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Norma Haubenstock’s Sonot Kkaazoot snail award from 1998

Although I’ve been the last finisher in the 50 km Sonot Kkaazoot more times than I have fingers to count, I’ve never gotten a red lantern. I have gotten to be friends with the trail sweeps. Ken has taken my excess clothes to the finish for me, and I have told Danny to remove the remaining orange kilometer markers because I definitely knew the course (especially when it was on the Chena River).

In 1998, Norma Haubenstock was awarded the Sonot Kkaazoot Snail woodel made by Bad Bob from a particularly unique shaped birch log. We might need to offer incentives for women skiing the 50 km Sonot Kkaazoot. This year Corinne Leistikow was the only woman over 29 years old to finish the 50 km Sonot Kkaazoot. She was ahead of her husband, an under 20-year-old female skier, and one 30–34-year-old male skier. But no other Masters female skiers finished the 50-km Sonot Kkaazoot.

Since the pandemic, I haven’t been the last 50 km Sonot Kkaazoot finisher because I have been unable to finish 50 km. Likewise, most of the SCUM have chosen to ski the 30 km instead of the 50 km event.

Among the SCUM there is fierce competition for woodels since the M09 (70 to 74 years old) category had 5 SCUM skiers so only three would be successful.

Woodel winners in M09 men in 30 km Sonot Kkaazoot–Bill Husby (2nd), Mike Schmoker (first), and Dermot Cole (third)–Joanna Fox photo

Last year Mike Schmoker and Dermot Cole skied the 50 km Sonot, however, this year, only Eric Troyer skied it.

Here’s the URL to Eric’s blogpost on his race:

https://notquiteoverthehillcorrineanderic.blogspot.com/2024/03/struggling-to-finish-well-earned-sonot.html

In contrast, he provided these insights from the back-of-the-pack to me:

I don’t try to be at the back of the pack, but I enjoy being there. The people are friendly, and the atmosphere is more relaxed. It’s kind of like a pub in motion. But without the bar. Or the beer. And if you end up doing enough of the races, it’s like Cheers. Everybody knows your name!

One thing nice about being at the back of the pack is hope. You can always hope someone in front of you went out too fast and then runs out of steam badly.  Then you can cheerily call out “Good job!” as you pass them. Sure, it’s sad and petty, but it’s all we’ve got! 

I’ve been at the back of the pack many times. I’ve even got a list of all my Red Lantern finishes. I’m proud of them! Entered, competed, finished! Most important, though, is that you have a good time while you’re out there. Even when you’re struggling and feel like you want to puke. Good times! 

Regardless of distance attempted, the SCUM have a good time. Here’s the view before the Sonot Kkaazoot as they flex their bionic hinges:

SCUM before the Sonot Kkaazoot, posing in front of the spectator directional sign —photo by Dermot Cole

and a view of the morning after:

SCUM on the day after the Sonot Kkaazoot, with Bill Husby feeling the effects of grooming for 5 hours, sleeping only 3 hours, and having Dermot pass him on the black loops when he fell–photo by Joanna Fox

However, this year, Sonot Kkaazoot race director, Bad Bob Baker, felt the effects of his completely torn hamstring while setting up the courses, supervising all the volunteers, and providing the play-by-play in the stadium for 6 hours. The pain and swelling did force Bob to go home for several hours before race morning.

We wish him a successful surgery and speedy recovery so that he can have more fun at next year’s Sonot Kkaazoot.

Bad Bob Baker at rest during a lull in the finish line activities of the Sonot Kkaazoot–photo by Dan Johnson

Christmas Eve Candy Canes on the Roller Coasters

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Festive SCUM elves at biathlon range–photo by Joanna Fox

Although the SCUM can often be naughty rather than nice, on Christmas eve (before dawn), the SCUM were busy decorating the Roller Coaster trail with candy canes. Even if their ornaments were tossed by the wind and broken, they’d still be edible.

Poles and Mom struggle with candy canes and pole straps--photo by Joanna Fox

Poles goes down skiing while carrying a bag of candy canes:

Santa down, but candy canes still fine–photo by Joanna Fox

We separated and distributed candy canes through the Roller Coasters:

Joanna decorates a little spruce tree
Bernardo hides a big candy cane full of Hersey kisses--photo by Bill Husby

Thoroughly cold after searching for somewhere to discard our detritus, we headed out the White Bear and had professional lighting for our photos there:

Elves: Jerome, Bill, and Greg at the biathlon range–photo by Joanna Fox

And despite the protests of some of us who were freezing as the temperatures were rapidly dropping, we documented sunrise on the WB:

Sunrise on the White Bear--photo by Joanna Fox

After skiing White Bear and Moilanen Meadows, we encountered a group of young skiers and urged them out onto the Roller Coasters, where some of them found their rewards:

Skier finds candy cane--photo by Bill Husby

One skier found one of the candy canes full of chocolate kisses:

Skier finds Jerome’s candy cane full of Hersey kisses--photo by Bill Husby

SCUM reenactment on Sunnyside

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SCUM celebrate 1 December on Sunnyside trail–photo by Corrine Leistikow
SCUM on Sunnyside later in the season--photo in Eric Troyer’s files

Today some of the SCUM didn’t make it down the Sunnyside although we headed out the Outhouse loop with them. No Hawaiian shirts were worn today.

Thanks for the reminder of Frank and Pat, who have left us for warmer locations.

North & South Classical trails offer SCUM a change of pace

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Dan and Eric taking a break on Blackhawk–photo by Bill Husby

Comment from groomer Bill Husby, “Today’s ski was definitely a change of pace ski. Burned more energy climbing out of snowbanks after crashing than I did skiing today (6+ falls).”

Bernardo trying to assist two downed SCUM on the North Star–photo by Dan Johnson

When the trail groomer takes off his skis and walks the downhills that he groomed, you realize that you might have made a mistake.

Fata Morgana on Sunnyside (Robert’s belt is causing a belly mirage–really, he’s as slim as Bernardo)

Snow on Dermot’s vest isn’t from any of his tumbles on the North Classics. However, he chose to bail out of the South Classics and do the Sonot Connector to Sunnyside instead.

However, we all made it back to our cars intact, although some of the snow from the trails was still on our ski gear.

SCUM failed to find all 12 LOL Christmas ornaments

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The SCUM skiers were too focused on their workouts so were unable to find all 12 of the LOL Christmas ornaments. However, we did find 8 while skiing:

LOL #1--photo by Joanna Fox on 12/26/22 on WB access during Ski Your Age in Kilometers
LOL #3 found on Skadi loop, hanger was separated from ornament–photo by Byron Broda on 12/9/22
Santa Bill with LOL ornament #4 on Roller Coaster on 12/11/22–photo by Dan Johnson
LOL ornament #5 on Medevac on 12/11/22–photo by Dermot Cole
Ornament #6 on White Bear near biathlon on winter solstice--photo by Bill Husby, who spotted it
LOL #7 ornament on White Cub, 12/9/22–photo by Dan Johnson
LOL ornament #8 on Tommy Knocker trail–photo by Joanna Fox
Byron and ornament #11 on Old Tower Loop

Bill Husby saw LOL ornament #12 on Little Bird while grooming, but we never got out there on skis, so we failed to nab that one, too. We thank the LOL for this fun addition to our December skiing and an excuse to take a rest break–a SCUM necessity.

SCUM close out 2022 with Birch Bakken

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SCUM Birch Bakken skiers on 12-30-22 including Bob, Eric, and Eric (FS), Joanna, Bernardo, Dan, Mike, Dermot, and Susan (CL). Bill took the long way down to the start so missed our group start before sunrise.

To those unfamiliar with the Birch Bakken challenge, it was dreamed up by groomer Bill Husby, who was suffering a chest injury today from his fall skiing the Chinook loop on Thursday after he had set it. The course takes a 4.0 km route from the low point to the high point of the Birch Hill Recreation Area. The red line in this GPS trace is the course:

From the FWW alpine building (point 1 on the map), we headed up Cliffside, at the Cliffside gate, we head up the downhill section of Sunnyside to Section Line junction (this is much steeper than the regular inbound trail shown in blue). We then skied the inbound Sunnyside trail to the Outhouse Loop, then to Relay Return, backwards to the Blue Slot, then back on Relay Return to South Tower to the light pole at the highest point of the Tower Loop (point 2).

Here are the statistics for the oldest and slowest No Y SCUM, who was skiing at “Sonot Kkaazoot pace” and kept her HR within level 2:

Hopefully, finish photos will be added as they become available. The temperature inversion on the BB Challenge was about 20 degrees today. After finishing the BB Challenge, we skied back down the South Tower to look for wayward SCUM.

As promised, action photos by Eric Troyer and Corinne Leistikow. Corinne passed me on the Outhouse after she skied White Bear to Sonot Connector, Blackhawk, Chinook, and the rest of the Sonot Connector. She saw the SCUM gathering at the bottom of the hill so skied by most of us while chasing Eric. The day before Dr. Leistikow told me the importance of recovery days. I guess that only applies to her older patients.

Joanna heading up the Birch Bakken first–until she took a wrong turn at the Cliffside gate–photos by Eric Troyer except where noted otherwise
SCUM chase Joanna up Birch Bakken
Eric Buetow chases Mike Mathers
Mom and Dermot take off last (except for Eric Troyer, photographer)
Mom ahead of Eric Buetow on the South Tower, only because Eric forgot the Blue Slot so had to backtrack before starting South Tower again
Eric finishing strong up the South Tower
Corinne joining the SCUM from the Tower Loop
Finished SCUM
SCUM after Birch Bakken–photo by Corinne Leistikow

End of an era for the SCUM

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When the SCUM group started 25 years ago as an uncoachable group of men, mostly over 40 years old, the final exam was to ski the 50 km Sonot Kkaazoot. This year, 25 years older, slower, and perhaps, wiser, none of the SCUM finished the 50 km course yesterday.

The new 50 km Sonot Kkaazoot course had an additional 20 km of hilly Birch Hill trails instead of the flat Chena River. After a La Nina winter of unusually cold weather, abundant snowfall and record rainfall, those of us who remained in Fairbanks all winter, had spent more time shoveling and scooping snow than skate skiing.

Yet, the 35th Denali State Bank Sonot Kkaazoot was held under glorious spring weather so all of us, 10- and 30-km Sonot Kkaazoot skiers and volunteers were sore and exhausted today before our post-Sonot workout.

Still dealing with Sonot Kkaazoot organization duties, I was late for today’s workout and hoped that the group would have left without me. Alas, they were still in the stadium discussing whether predator-prey ratios in the ocean are mathematically determined. Some SCUM don’t understand the meaning of retirement.

I headed off down the White Cub and White Bear toward the Sonot Connector that none of us skied on race day.

SCUM rest on the White Bear on the morning after the Sonot Kkaazoot–photo by Joanna Fox
Joanna falls on White Bear trying to demonstrate how a high school skier tried to slow her down during the Sonot —photo by Bill Husby

The Sonot Connector descent was exhilarating and the views from the FWW alpine hill were stunning.

Dermot, Bill, and Susan look out to the Alaska Range–photo by Joanna Fox

However, the real SCUM antics surfaced when they discovered a new avalanche patch on the Cliffside trail and in their delusional states from yesterday’s Sonot, thought they saw a body near the bottom of the avalanche requiring investigation.

All that remains of some poor SCUM in an avalanche on Cliffside trail–photo by Joanna Fox

First Joanna skied toward the avalanche and fell, so Carl attempted to rescue her. but decided against it.

Carl attempts to rescue Joanna–video by Bill Husby

Then Dermot tried to approach the avalanche on foot.

Dermot attempts to approach avalanche on foot–photo by Joanna Fox

and discovers the SCUM hat belonging to Susan that he propped up on his ski pole:

Susan’s SCUM hat--photo by Bill Husby

before discovering how tiring walking in deep snow can be:

Dermot rescues Susan’s hat–video by Joanna Fox

Sufficiently recovered, the SCUM skied up until they found a snowy patch that they thought might be suitable for snow angels. Robert demonstrates a face down snow angel:

Robert attempts snow angel in early morning crust–video by Joanna Fox

Amazingly, we eventually finished our military transit from White Bear to Sunnyside and back to the stadium in under 2 hours on the morning after the Sonot when trails were icy and fast. All bets are off on whether I would have been found with my hat in the Cliffside avalanche today if I had attempted section 3 of the 50 km Sonot Kkaazoot.

Thanks to everyone who volunteered for or participated in the 35th Denali State Bank Sonot Kkaazoot. The trails were awesome and the spirit of everyone on them was fantastic. Enjoy spring skiing.

Blues skies and Ester Dome PRs after 1.5″ of rain

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After several days of rain in Fairbanks, the SCUM were delighted to find blue skies on Ester Dome. There are no photos of the climb since Bernardo and Bill were moving WAY too fast. Bernardo had just returned from Palm Springs where it had been 109 deg F, so it was 70 deg cooler when we started climbing at 9 a.m from St. Pat’s. Seeing as Bernardo has absolutely no body fat, his “strolling” gait overtook all of us. Meanwhile, Bill was on a mission to get his ascent time under 50 minutes and achieved that by chasing Bernardo.

Bernardo and Bill in shorts had seasonal PRs on their Ester Dome ascents

After Bernardo was duly reprimanded for not using his poles correctly, we asked Robert Hannon to demonstrate good technique. Robert was just returning to action after being on the SCUM disabled list for a painful hip. Here’s his demo with his right leg:

and his not-quite-so perfect left side:

The SCUM were impressed by the cloud formations in the valley below us:

Awesome clouds below

before switching to conversations about state politics. Mom stopped to take photos of our more interesting local surroundings:

Robert urging Mom to hurry up

All of us agreed that the workout was amazing and even for those of us who fell short of making a seasonal PR, the effort, company, and beauty made the effort worthwhile.

The gray cars driven by the gray haired and bearded SCUM

Adapting to a little rain on Ester Dome

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After a very dry summer, the recent rains have resulted in soft and slimey road surfaces with an occasional downed tree. SCUM attendence for today’s ascent (and descent) of Ester Dome was down in numbers and enthusiasm as seen in this first photo from the top:

With proper coaxing, they were able to smile and then show mud residues from their ascents.

Right footed Mom and left foot dominant Bernardo

Bill had sprayed some vegan bug dope with teflon on his legs before we started. Not only were mosquitoes repelled, but mud was too:

Bernardo without teflon (left) and Bill with (right)

Only Bill would be wearing white socks on a thoroughly wet day. However, he kept his socks and legs a lot cleaner than the rest of us did.

Descending into the fog, we celebrated another Ester Dome ascent as we can prepare for winter 2021-2022 and whatever surprises it will bring.

No rainbow with a pot of gold yet this morning

4 FWW ascents for the 9th of July (delayed due to smoke)

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For the SCUM, each year increases the challenge. Last year, one 70 year old SCUM and two youngsters did 4 ascents of the Fort Wainwright chair lift trail for the 4th of July. (https://sonotkkaazoot.org/2020/07/03/4th-of-july-celebration-under-covid-19/).This year, we hoped to do better. However, last Friday (our normal ski walking day at FWW), winds blew smoke from the Munson Creek fire into Fairbanks so the air quality was hazardous. Thus, we delayed our workout until today.

Six of us left the Birch Hill stadium at 9:00 a.m., three were youngsters and three were over 70 years old. Robert Hannon, one of the kids, opted to just do 3 speedy ascents so he missed the photo documentation.

On their second ascent, Poles was leading Dan (hidden behind Bill) and Bernardo
Dan, the youngest of the SCUM, was working to draft behind Bill

And two-way traffic on the trail was spreading out as we used different pacing strategies.

Bill, Bernardo, and Dan head down as Carl works his way up for his 4th ascent

Temperatures stayed in the low 60s, but we were definitely overheating by ascent 3. However, all of us completed 4 ascents.

Dan, Carl, and Bernardo claim their 4 ascents

Billl had dropped his poles midway up his 4th ascent figuring that he’d go back down to meet Carl after he’d finished his. However, Carl ended up a lot faster than Bill expected so three of us accompanied Carl on his last ascent. Meanwhile, Bill had to go further back down the hill to retrieve his poles and to finish 4 ascents WITH poles.

Bill after his 4 full ascents with poles (and half without)
Mom and three SCUM ski walk with poles for 4 FWW ascents (photo by Bernardo Hernandez, who also did 4 ascents)

The lupines, roses, and irises have gone to seed on the trail already as summer speeds by. Will your carcass be ready for skiing by the time the snow covers the trails? The SCUM hope theirs will be.

Bad Bob Baker is planning new courses for the 35th annual Denali State Bank Sonot Kkaazoot in 2022, and they will involve more climbing (including the Sunnyside trail instead of the Chena River) than in the past for all 3 distances. Start hill training now.