Real SPRING skiing NOW!

Posted on April 15, 2023 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Although the Sonot Kkaazoot has traditionally been our spring celebration of nordic skiing, the calendar of the weather gods was different than Bad Bob’s this year. April 2023 has been our March. With record snowfall on some of our April days, the Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks groomers have been busy. If the Sonot Kkaazoot had be held today, I might have been able to finish the 50 km course.

Yesterday, the groomers had done their magic on the FWW trails, specifically the trails necessary to do the SCUM “military transit” that includes the Sunnyside, Cliffside, and Sonot Connector. The White Bear was also being groomed as we skied. With the sun out, I was eager to climb the Sonot Connector (as penitence for not skiing it in the Sonot Kkaazoot). Thus, I kept skiing as the others paused for a photo in the sun.

SCUM soaking in the vitamin D at the Cliffside gate–*all photos by Joanna Fox*

All of the SCUM are faster than me, so it was only a matter of time until they caught me on approach to the Sonot Connector. Again, they wanted a group photo (SCUM excuse for a rest break), but I wanted to continue slowly uphill. However, Mike’s ski on top of mine was a persuasive argument against that option.

Mike holding me back from skiing on the beautiful corduroy

To extend the break, they pointed out Byron’s facial injury from a head plant on the Cliffside downhill. If appears that a crazed squirrel grabbed his ski as he tried to get out of the tracks and the impact broke his sunglasses:

Seriously, the skiing was great. Here’s the entire gang enjoying the sun and vistas:

At the top of the Sonot Connector, half of the group decided to ski back to the stadium on the White Bear. Jerome battled the ungroomed snow to ski the trail in the designed direction while the other two, skied backwards on the corduroy that had been set within the hour or so. Three of us decided to ski back down the Sonot Connector and up the Cliffside and Sunnyside trails that were firm, sunny, and provided fantastic views of the Alaska Range and Tanana Valley.

Enjoy the spring skiing. Now is the time to work on technique so that you start next season with good muscle memory of what is needed for the Sonot Kkaazoot in March.

SCUM take on Ride or Glide Relays

Posted on April 1, 2023 by Sonot Kkaazoot

SCUM do Ride or Glide–video and interviews by Bill Husby

In the Ride or Glide relays, two person teams either bike or ski a 9-km course. The biker must do the first leg. Mike Mathers was ahead of Corrine Leistikow on the first leg. However, Eric called Dan an old man as he passed him. It may have had something to do with the tights that Eric wore. Alternatively, Eric must not have gone off course (like he did in last year’s Sonot Kkaazoot) or his bike wheel didn’t fall off (like in last year’s Ride or Glide).

Congratulations to all. I’d still be out on the course if I had attempted to ski it.

Get well quick, Poles!

Posted on March 29, 2023 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Although the sun came out today, the SCUM were less animated without Bill Husby leading us on trails less traveled:

Bill leading Norma up the Fort Wainwright alpine hill in February using the route before the Sonot Connector was built

Without you, Don and Dermot wimp skated up the Comp Loop twice after we finished the Flat Black and Tommy Knocker Extension trails. Dan and I were able to V1 and not get our heartrate above level 2 while chasing Mike on classical skis. Still suffering the residual fatigue from his epic 50 km Sonot Kkaazoot, Dermot demonstrated wimp woodeling:

Dermot wimp woodeling up the Comp Loop

We hope that your surgery went well today. We miss you and hope that we’ll be chasing you soon.

Wednesday SCUM skiers (minus Byron who skipped the Comp loop) sending blue skies to Bill Husby–*photo by Mike Mathers*

Ski Ride or Glide this Saturday

Posted on March 27, 2023 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Spring has arrived! Celebrate the Ride or Glide this Saturday.

https://www.rideorglide.com/

Help local skiers participate in Junior Nationals next year (and future years) when it won’t be held in Fairbanks. The Ride or Glide relays this Saturday support scholarships for local skiers who have qualified for Junior Nationals. You witnessed the excitement in the skiers faces as they skied up the Groomers Ramp and crossed the finish line at Birch Hill.

Help more Team Alaska skiers to have that opportunity next year.

Our FXC Masters Power Lunch class skied the Ride or Glide course today at the same time of day that the race will take place. Make sure you have structure on your skis! Otherwise, your cold bases will “suck” and you’ll struggle for glide. Unless we actually get some new snow, there’s a lot of tree debris (and dog dew) on the trails so wax your skis for “dirty snow.”

However, it’s warm and marvelous out on the trails. Have fun at Ride or Glide.

Data supporting “woodel walk” for the over 70 year skier

Posted on March 27, 2023 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Jerome Jackson, second place among M09 men in the 30 km Sonot Kkaazoot (an age group that had only one original equipment knee out of the four skiing), was among the three back-of-the-pack skiers at the top of the South Tower loop along with Dermot Cole and yours truly. He like Dermot was using the “woodel walk” technique. However, unlike Dermot, Jerome woodel walked for 20 km and then decided to skate. The huge spike in heart rate, shown above, resulted from this decision.

In addition to be 70 years old, this is Jerome’s first Sonot Kkaazoot with his bionic knee. Jerome acquired his first total knee replacement this past summer. The rehabilitation is long and arduous after a total joint replacement, but many more years of less painful skiing are possible. More specific skate ski training may be necessary to get one’s heart rate down as low as woodel walking, though. Jerome may be the first documented prove of the value of woodel walking.

SCUM ski Skiathon on Sunday

Posted on March 7, 2023 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Most of the winter the SCUM meet on Sundays at Birch Hill. However, on Sunday, 5 March 2023, many of them competed the Skiathon at UAF, which was a mass start event this year. It was slow going on the graveyard loop for non-lightweight SCUM, but fun was had by all. From entry fees and donations, $1,734 was raised for UAF trails.

Skiathon Results 2023 Download

SCUM left behind

Posted on March 3, 2023 by Sonot Kkaazoot

By definition, SCUM rises to the top, but nowhere does being a SCUM signify possessing speed. Thus, during SCUM workouts, Mom is frequently left far behind, and she subsequently takes unplanned diversions to amuse herself. So today, Bill Husby, decided that I needed to carry an Apple AirTag so that overachieving SCUM could come back and find me. (Aside: 25 years ago, when the SCUM were much younger, Sgt. SCUM, aka Mark Haas, would ski back and find all the lagging SCUM without any electronic gadgets. FWW Army band members were better at tracking than former Lathrop High School teachers, apparently.)

However, out the South Birch Hill Parking Lot, I had multiple Rosie Brennan moments where my left ski was not attached to my left boot.

Mom’s Rosie Brennan moment before workout began–*all photos by Dan Johnson*

Fortunately, after I had inserted my ski boot to binding a dozen times without successful attachment, Dermot came to my rescue. Seven minutes later and with cold fingers and thumbs, we headed up the stadium ramp without a lot of glide.

Boot and binding aligned and cleared of ice thanks to Dermot

We started out on the newly groomed and tracked trails by skiing the Tower, Medevac, Blue and Outhouse. At the Sunnyside cutoff, Mom and Dermot decided that Sunnyside would be much more enjoyable since the sun was out today, unobstructed by clouds. Since we were headed downhill the extra inch of snow on the trails wouldn’t be a problem.

However, eventually the air tag told Bill that we weren’t following them:

The SCUM caught us as we had decided to go down Cliffside and up the Sonot Connector. Dan and Bill wanted to turn back at the Cliffside gate because Dan’s feet were getting cold and Bill said Sonot Connector wouldn’t be groomed until Friday. When Dermot and I pointed out that it WAS Friday, the SCUM followed us down Cliffside and up the Sonot Connector, where apparently, Bill was pinging the AirTag:

However, I couldn’t hear the pinging because Dermot serenades everyone around him when he skis with a cacophony of groans, moans, and other animal sounds:

Dermot penguin walking with south effects--video by Joanna Fox

Dan, Tim, and Bill waited for us in the sun at the road crossing at the top of the Sonot Connector, wondering why I hadn’t heard the pinging. We finished off the incoming White Bear, where Doyon Utilities had removed a number of trees touching the power lines recently. Much more daylight was seen on the last km of the White Bear as a result. Finishing on the Warmup Loop, Bill and Dan were humored by their IT success before they headed off for the Skiathon on Sunday.

Dermot and I won’t be at the Skiathon as we need to do a several hour skate workout as we prepare for the 50 km Sonot Kkaazoot. We’ve already signed up at the early registration rate, which ends at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday.

SCUM work crew move downed tree on N40

Posted on February 22, 2023 by Sonot Kkaazoot

The warmer weather and winds have brought down gobs of snow from trees along the Birch Hill trails. It also brought down a good-sized white spruce on the lower section of the N40 trail.

Here are the SCUM heroes that moved it off the trail. Doing a good deed is easy when you’re still fatigued from the 30 km Frank Soos Distance Race on Sunday.

SCUM trail crew on N40–*photo by Dan Johnson*

Frank Soos Distance Race #3

Posted on February 21, 2023 by Sonot Kkaazoot

Sunday’s Frank Soos Distance Race #3, The Unpleasantry turned out to be a tough tour on trails that were in immaculate condition at 9:00 a.m. before the 2 deg F snow started falling. The 70-year-old SCUM wave started at 10:00 a.m. when the PistenBully corduroy was still visible beneath the fluffy half inch of new snow. The tracks were ghastly slow so the three skiers on classical skis were skiing in the skate platform as were those of us who arrived with skate gear. The snow was absolutely lovely, but we didn’t see any lynx or moose tracks to distract us from our 3-lap tour of the White Cub and White Bear loops. Our tour took the “kid” among us 3:23:44.6, a full 1:34.16 behind FXC coach Jesse Wilkins. I had the opportunity to enjoy almost an hour more time on the White Bear than this “wannabe 70-year-old SCUM”.

A number of skiers didn’t start or finish because of illness, equipment failures, or better judgement than those of us who prevailed. A huge thanks to Chris Puchner, Pam Laker, Anna Sorensen and all the other volunteers who hung in there with smiles and encouragement. We really appreciated you.

Here are the results by distance:

https://zone4.ca/race/2023-02-19/647504b0/results

North & South Classical trails offer SCUM a change of pace

Posted on January 6, 2023 by Sonot Kkaazoot

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.

Sonot Kkaazoot

Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks' annual spring ski marathon

Category Archives: Training Ideas