Category Archives: Training Ideas

The Unpleasantry wasn’t

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SCUM before starting Frank Soos Distance Race #3, the Unpleasantry–photo by Sarah Jackson

Thanks to NSCF timer, Claire Ferree, the three SCUM signed up to ski 30 km were allowed to start our ski an hour earlier than the rest of the field. This would allow the timers and course crew to head home before dinner. Unlike the World Championships in Trondheim, our trails were awesomely groomed with a trace of new snow. It was 24 deg and snowing lightly when we started and 28 deg when I finished 3.5 hours later. Although I was the red lantern, I was overjoyed because my longest ski this season before Saturday had been 17 km (1.7 x the White Bear course).

https://zone4.ca/race/2025-03-08/e263c35e/results

Jerome Jackson finished in under 3 hours and Byron was not that far behind him. However, Jerome had Sarah as his support team.

Jerome (and Sarah) and Byron at finish

Thanks to FXC Masters Power Lunch and Strength workouts, I was able to ski 30 km without falling. After dislocating my right shoulder before Thanksgiving, I had to skate ski with one pole for weeks with my physical therapist’s warning not to fall. Knowing that I had skied the White Bear loop with one pole made it possible to ski it the third time yesterday when multiple body parts were screaming.

Finishing the Unpleasantry–photo by Jerome Jackson

Even at 75 years old, you can refine your ski technique and develop strength to overcome the inevitable slowing down that comes with aging. Thanks, Christina Turman!

Unpleasantries 30 km is Saturday

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Mike Schmoker and Chris Puchner carbo load and taper for World Masters–photo by Margaret Mannix

The twice postponed Frank Soos Distance Race #3 Unpleasantries is Saturday, 8 March 2025. Unless you are part of the SCUM travel team in Klosters, participating in Masters World Cup, you should be skiing the Unpleasantries 30 km event.

Fairbanks skiers enjoying the trails in Switzerland–photo by Mike Schmoker

Today Colin had groomed the Black loops so we skied them easily in preparation for tomorrow’s 30 km challenge. However, some of the SCUM won’t be participating in Unpleasantries so they did an extra ascent of the Black Funk today.

David slogs up Black Funk as his kick wax doesn’t work
Bill leads Bernardo up Black Funk

Some SCUM failed to show up today at all:

Where’s Dan, who hammered the inverted double omega yesterday? —photo by Bill Husby

So, enjoy the beautifully groomed White Bear trails tomorrow as we honor our friend and primordial SCUM, Frank Soos. It’ll be >3.5 hours of unalloyed pleasure.

Lots of snow, no groundhog

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Wolfman shredding snow down the Black Cross–all photos and videos by Bill Husby

There was at least three inches of new snow atop the firm pistenbully groomed black trails so it was a good day to ski all the downhills. There was no sun this morning, so we saw no shadows.

No guts, no glory. Bernardo and Greg (below) are “dusted with the snow of shame” from the Black Funk and Competition downhills (yeah, Black Funk is supposed to be skied uphill, but the trails needed packing and Bill is a groomer, so we went down then up the Black Funk).


Bernardo and Greg dusted with the snow of shame
Latest SCUM to be “dusted with the snow of shame”–photo by Bill Husby on 2/5/25

Bill had so much fun packing the trails and setting tracks with his skis, he swapped hats and decided to pack the Sunnyside and Cliffside trails using one of their machines:

He saw lots of animal tracks while traveling down the sunlit Cliffside trail. Could some of them belong to a groundhog?

At least on the Cliffside trail, the sun was out, so a groundhog could see his shadow.

With the 4 to 5 inches of new snow on the Sunnyside and Cliffside trails since they were last groomed, I think the ice storm remnants will be well buried before the Gingersnap Special, the Frank Soos Distance Race #2 scheduled for Sunday, 9 February 2025 at 11:00 a.m. Homemade gingersnaps (Frank’s favorite) will be available if you ski either race or volunteer to help out.

Happy 2025!

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SCUM and friends before sunrise on New Year’s Day

On the first day of 2025, we had much to celebrate. Bill Husby, SCUM groomer and classical skier par excellence, was back from his medical tests and consultations in Seattle. We missed his spirit and his quality grooming. In his honor, one of the other groomers had packed and tracked the North and South Classical only trails yesterday.

So after skiing the Tower and Medevac on firm PistenBully tracks, we headed out the White Bear to the helicopter trails on Fort Wainwright off the Sonot Connector. With 46 inches of snow this winter at the airport. where the snow depth currently is 22 inches, we are not suffering from the snow drought that Anchorage currently has. Birch Hill has received more snow and retained more of what has fallen than the airport so even though the Blackhawk trail had been packed and groomed several times this winter, the tracks and pole line was still pretty soft.

Bill's back on the helicopter trails
Bill, Dan, and Don on the Blackhawk trail–photos by Joanna Fox

Being a wily skier, Bill chose not to lead us on the Blackhawk trail. Instead, Mike Mathers was voted that honor. Former firefighter, Mike was so much faster than the rest of the SCUM that we only saw the evidence of his headfirst tumble: the divot in the snow at the side of the trail and his snow-covered hat:

Mike Mathers after skiing Blackhawk trail and waitng for the slower SCUM to emerge from the trails
Skiing the winding singletrack through the Blackhawk trail

It was a magical ski, and we enjoyed the sunrise in route:

Sunrise on 1 January 2025

Happy New Year!

SCUM find LOL #7 on a -12 to -16 deg day

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SCUM on the Tower Loop at -12 deg F–photo by Joanna Fox

It was a chilly and somewhat breezy day at Birch Hill this Sunday, but we had a decent turnout. Glide was somewhat compromised in cold and newly fallen snow, but we prevailed, and the SCUM were able to locate LOL ornament #7:

Joanna and Byron in front on LOL ornament #7–photo by Joanna Fox
Best holiday dress award goes to Byron Broda–photo by Joanna Fox

This means we’ve found 2 ornaments in two weeks. We need to up our game but once the groomers catch up with all the snow dumped this week, perhaps we can do better.

The SCUM will be decorating Birch Hill trails with candy canes soon. So, keep your eyes open as you ski this week.

SCUM travel team moves workout today

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SCUM travel team and friends–photo by David Prusak

To avoid “biting the dust” (see post from earlier today), the SCUM travel team moved their workout to UAF today to avoid the speed bump SCUM. Several of the skiers shown here will be heading to the Masters World Cup in Klosters, Switzerland on March 8 – 16, 2025 along with other Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks Masters skiers.

SCUM thankful for:

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SCUM after fresh snow and relief from -20 deg F temperatures in Fairbanks--photo by Mike Mathers

**Over 9 km of newly groomed and set tracks on lighted loops, which were groomed overnight.

**Temperatures at 10 a.m. AST of +2 deg F after temperatures at Fairbanks International Airport reached -29 deg F at 10:01 a.m. yesterday. Thanks to the inversion, Birch Hill only dropped to about -14 deg F.

**The friendship and company of 10 SCUM enjoying well-groomed trails and balmy temperatures.

**All the Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks staff and volunteers who help our community enjoy winter outdoors with lessons, tours, training groups, races, and other fun events. They keep us healthy, happy, and at times, slightly sore or tired–but motivated for more.

P.S. Although SCUM may not be fast, two of the skiers in the photo above are skiing on skis that once belonged to World Cup nordic skiers!

Ester Dome singletrack with newly fallen snow

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Mike takes the trail less traveled up Ester Dome

Today, Mike Schmoker, Sonot Kkaazoot woodel guru was back in town after several weeks spent high altitude trekking in Peru. As he was the only SCUM showing up for our Wednesday Ester Dome ascent, I let him choose the route. Given that temperatures were around 30 deg with 12 to 18 mph SW winds, we opted to take the single-track trail up Ester Dome to Henderson Road.

Mike’s groomed track this morning

The wind protection was marvelous, but Mike’s high elevation acclimation made his pace rival that of Bernardo.

The clouds lifted and blue skies turned the trails magical

And unlike the SCUM mother, who is geographically challenged, Mike had a map in his head that mirrored those posted on the trail.

Mike finds the map
Unlike Bill’s maps that are sketched in the snow, Mike’s map was printed, sealed in plastic and posted on the trails.

Mike and I were both smiling through out hike:

Smiling Mike enjoying views of the valley

Mike’s fitness was again demonstrated when he fell but was too quick getting up for me to get a photo of his tumble:

Site of Mike’s first fall of the winter season.

If the National Weather Service is correct, we should be skiing soon. However, in the meantime, some of the trails less traveled will make for fun SCUM adventure workouts.