The National Weather Service is now predicting (with the highest probability that I’ve seen this winter) that we’ll have significant snow to close out 2016.
So “Ski your age in km” on Monday, support the Groomers’ Ball on Friday, and plan to sign up for the 30th annual Sonot Kkaazoot soon. We’ve been having some difficulty getting the Wild Apricot online entry system updated for 2017, but when the elves can find time to do this, we’ll let you know. We have special swag to celebrate the 30th annual celebration of spring skiing in Fairbanks.
If you haven’t already done so, support the Birch Hill Trails fund. We cannot have the Sonot Kkaazoot without grooming.
This morning, Doyon, Ltd, had a drilling team out on the Chena River in the vicinity of the Sonot Kkaazoot start determining ice thickness. The thinnest ice found was 8″ in one spot. Most was a 12″ – 18″ thick. They checked for several hundred meters from bridge and into the curve.
Groomers found that yesterday’s melting left a crusty surface this morning. They were able to chew it up into skiable icy snow. Again, the plan is to groom Birch Hill, the Sonot Connector, and the Fort Wainwright trails late tonight with the piston bully. Saturday morning, they will drag and set tracks on the Chena River.
Check this website before you leave for the start tomorrow morning.At 4:30 p.m. Friday, conditions look great for the traditional start on the Chena River. However, if we have to move the start, we will post a notice on this website, and will start all events 30 minutes later than currently scheduled at Birch Hill Recreation Area.
Mother Nature holds all the cards, and Sonot Kkaazoot organizers obey.
While some of the Sonot organizers were buried with late registration and bib pick-up, the groomers were busy working on the trails. Here’s the Thursday update from Bill Husby:
“Today Tom took the ginzu down to the river and leveled the bumps between the RR bridge and FWW bridge. He also got above the RR bridge. We also added some snow by electrical box along the road. As of now that 200 meter section is beautiful corduroy with no vehicle ruts. There are piles of snow by the crossing areas ready to be shoved onto the road with the piston bully (PB) on Saturday morning making for little or no shoveling for the crossing staff.
Ken and I will be grooming the river tomorrow morning. Expect an update with pristine photos. Tom will start grooming all the BH trails with the PB tomorrow evening. He will also PB the Sonot Connector, road and down to the river. Around 0700 he and Ken will drag and set tracks on the river and wherever else they are needed. This should prove the best 50K course in the state of Alaska this year.”
So that’s the most recent report. The Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks are working hard to make the 2016 Sonot Kkaazoot special for all skiers.
One final note: Sonot Kkaazoot volunteers will be drilling the ice on the Chena River to make sure that the ice will safely support skiers and run all our equipment on Saturday.
A HUGE THANK YOU to all our wonderful volunteers who have come together to pull off the 29th annual Sonot Kkaazoot, and our awesome groomers who have allowed us Fairbanks skiers to continue skiing through our winter drought.
Bad Bob Baker finished regrooming the 20 km Sonot Kkaazoot course this morning at midnight. The course has been groomed 20 feet wide including the 20 km turnaround area. Up and down the Chena River, the course is as much as 40 feet wide. Because Bob was grooming in the dark, he wasn’t able to see if there were areas with dirt or rocks showing.
Ken Coe and Bill Husby hauled two loads of manmade snow down to the Fort Wainwright bridge and combined with river bank snow. Here are some photos from Tuesday morning taken by Bill after their work and that of Bob last night. The Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks groomers plan to groom the river tomorrow so we’ll get an updated report. However, as of now, it looks like no snow enhancement work party will be needed.
ENJOY the fantastic spring skiing! Urge your friends to sign up for the Sonot Kkaazoot now.
This year’s conditions are perfect for those skiing their first Sonot Kkaazoot. Please note that on race day, classical tracks WILL BE SET on both sides of the skate platform.
Also, remember grooming doesn’t come free. Please donate to the Birch Hill trails fund:
We also are looking for more race volunteers so if you would like to support the Sonot Kkaazoot and the efforts made to groom the Chena River, please sign up at: contact@sonotkkaazoot.org
New for the 2016 Sonot Kkaazoot:If you are a foreign national and have signed up for the 40 or 50 km Sonot Kkaazoot, we need to give the Fort Wainwright authorities your passport number. If you are already registered for the 40 or 50 km events, please send contact@sonotkkaazoot.org your name, country, and passport number at your earliest convenience. If we do not have this information by bib pick-up, we will be unable to give you a race bib.
We apologize for the inconvenience. Because of increased security on Fort Wainwright, we must provide them in advance a list of non-US skiers and their passport numbers because the 40 and 50 km Sonot Kkaazoot courses traverse Army land.
* **
After a several month drought, several inches of snow fell over the Fairbanks area yesterday. Today the hoarfrost and snow crystals were glistening on the newly groomed trails at Birch Hill!
White Bear Trail on St. Pat’s Day (photo by Bill Husby)
All the snow shoveling that we did last week to cover areas where debris or ground was showing now lies beneath a blanket of fresh white snow. For those of you who might have been considering doing the 50 km classical Sonot Kkaazoot, the abrasive ground ice in the tracks is now covered. You will no longer need multiple pairs of skis to finish the 50 km course.
What are you waiting for? Trails look fantastic and the Chena River is still holding solid. Remember that regular registration for the Sonot Kkaazoot ends tomorrow. Join the 207 skiers who had already registered by this morning at:
If you have ventured out on the Sonot Kkaazoot trail from the Chena River to the Fort Wainwright Alpine area, you may have noticed that the ditch on the east side of the road where we’ve skied for the past 2 years, was far from ideal. This year the Fort Wainwright Birch Hill Ski and Snowboard area will be closing before the Sonot Kkaazoot weekend. Thus, the Sonot Kkaazoot trail will be on the west side of River Road over the pond to Ski Lodge parking lot. Then the trail will ascend the lower part of Alpine Ski hill before joining up with the Sonot Connector Trail.
With the wonderful new snow, the trails should be absolutely awesome.
Remember, regular registration for the Sonot Kkaazoot ends on Friday, 18 March 2016.
Friday night, Bad Bob Baker took a skid-steer down to the Chena River and put a 10 foot wide snow path under the Steese Highway Bridge over the ice and rocks. The snow didn’t adhere well to the slick icy surface. Bad Bob will groom the river when he gets back to Fairbanks after Spring Break. In the meantime, there is now a snow path under the Steese Highway Bridge.
Nordic skiing in Fairbanks continues to be fantastic! In addition to groomed ski trails at Birch Hill and UAF, the Chena River has been groomed in preparation for the Sonot Kkaazoot. The snowmachines on the Tanana River have made skate skiing great there, too.
Today, the Sonot organizers were enjoying the brilliant sunshine on the trails:
at temperatures ranging from the mid-teens to mid-20s above zero. What an unusually warm (and dry) winter we’ve had in Interior Alaska this season.
So far, 164 skiers have signed up for the various Sonot Kkaazoot events. Why don’t you join them? This link will take you through the process:
Classical tracks will be set on the Chena River for both outgoing and incoming skiers so you don’t have to skate ski to enjoy any of the Sonot Kkaazoot events.
We have 2 skiers who have registered, but haven’t paid, so they don’t show up in the official entry list. Please make sure to enter your credit card information to complete your registration. Also, check to make sure your registration information is correct as this spreadsheet will be used for timing and results. We have one skier registered who is only one month old according to his date of birth, so please check that you entered your birth date instead of the current date.
Birch Hill trail donations have been down this season, so groomers are having to cut back their efforts. Remember that donations pay for all the grooming at Birch Hill Recreation Area including maintenance on the equipment. We, the skiers, pay for grooming, not the Fairbanks North Star Borough.
We still need volunteers for the Sonot Kkaazoot. Even if you plan to ski the Sonot Kkaazoot, we need help with the bib pick-up, and with set-up and clean-up for the Sonot Awards soup, bread, and potluck event. We will also need help hauling snow under the highway bridges on the Chena River.
If you have friends or family who are not planning to ski in the Sonot, we really need help with timing and with staffing the road crossings on Fort Wainwright. If you want to see the wonderful folks who have already volunteered, a current list is available here:
Work on your spring time tan by skiing on the Chena River. Sonot Kkaazoot 20 km course has been groomed by Bad Bob Baker to perfection. Here’s his first hand report submitted yesterday afternoon:
What a nice day to ski the Chena River, as I just finished grooming it at 3:00 pm today. I groomed the start/finish area right up to the centennial bridge and it turned out much better than I thought it would, very flat and plenty wide for a SONOT START. I also roughed in the 20 km turnaround, The whole CHENA RIVER is groomed at least 16 FOOT WIDE, and wider in some places. It’s very safe for skiing right now, as long as one skis atop the grooming. There is bad gravel and ice under the STEESE HIGHWAY BRIDGE and the FT. WAINWRIGHT BRIDGE. Taking you skis off for both of these are a must. SO, Please, everyone get out on the CHENA RIVER and test out the SONOT KKAAZOOT course!
Sonot Kkaazoot 