Stay off the Chena River for now!

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Bad Bob Baker, Sonot Kkaazoot director, sends this Chena River update:

I got down onto the Chena River yesterday afternoon…  I successfully completed the entire 20 km course..  I did not take my drag down on the river at all, just the snow machine. Although I was able to get from one end to the other……THE CHENA RIVER IS NOT SAFE TO BE ON especially from the Sonot Kkaazoot start through the Island Homes section.  The  YUKON  QUEST  has put in a trail  marked with wood lathe stakes and their trail is NOT SAFE either…

I advise all to STAY  OFF  THE  CHENA  RIVER at this time .   

We have 7.5 weeks to go before the Sonot Kkaazoot and the Chena River can change a lot between now and then. Bob will continue to work on the Chena River trail portion of the Sonot.

Until further notice, ALL SKIERS SHOULD STAY OFF THE CHENA RIVER.

Registration open for 32nd annual Denali State Bank Sonot Kkaazoot

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Registration for the 32nd annual Denali State Bank Sonot Kkaazoot to be held on Saturday, 23 March 2019 is now open. Click on the “register” tab at the top of this website and you’ll be taken to the Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks secure site. You’ll need a valid credit card to complete your registration. Your Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks membership MUST be current to register at the member rates.

Register now as entry fees will increase if you wait. Remember that the Sonot Kkaazoot has never been canceled.

If you need a some guidance in preparing for your first 40 or 50 km Sonot Kkaazoot, Kristen Rozell is offering a Sonot Kkaazoot training course that starts soon: https://sonotkkaazoot.org/2018/12/14/nscf-sonot-training-class-opens-soon/

Make 2019 the year that you take your skiing and overall fitness to a new personal best.

NSCF Sonot training class opens soon

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The colder weather will allow the ski trails to set up nicely. Take a break from the  pre-holiday rush to get out and enjoy the fantastic skiing that Birch Hill, UAF, and other local areas offer.

Online registration for the 32nd annual Sonot Kkaazoot will open soon. By registering then, you will be assured the least expensive entry fee, and will have the incentive to start training in earnest.

If you need additional motivation, Kristen Rozell will once again be offering a 2-month long Sonot Training Course that includes technique refinement as well as training and pacing needed for long events. For the skier who wants to successfully ski the 40 or 50 km Sonot Kkaazoot for the first time, this class is for you. Draw on the experience of a successful Sonot Kkaazoot skier who has helped many others train for the Sonot Kkaazoot in the 11 years that she has been offering this class. 

Lock in your slot among the 15 lucky skiers:

https://nordicskicluboffairbanks.wildapricot.org/event-3164689

If you have any questions, you can contain Kristen by email at:   kbrozell@gmail.com. 

Buetow Dental Distance Race #1 course changed

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Because of this winter’s unseasonably warm temperatures at Birch Hill Recreation Area and our limited snow pack, the course for the Buetow Dental Distance Race #1 presented by Pangaea Health has changed. The revised course map for 4, 7, and 15 km events can be downloaded below:

2018-12_08-distance1-course-map1Download

The mass start will be at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday 8 December 2018. To register go to:

https://register.chronotrack.com/r/42668

See you Saturday on the trails.

Training for 32nd Annual Denali State Bank Sonot Kkaazoot has begun

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First SCUM ski of 2018-19 season

Over twenty SCUM skied the White Bear trail today under remarkably good snow conditions thanks to our Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks groomers headed up by Tom Helmers. Bill and Travis are groomers who are also SCUM. Owen and Chris are missing from this photo as they headed back to the stadium to get warmer kick wax.

Training for the 32nd annual Denali State Bank Sonot Kkaazoot has officially started. We have 4 months of training time before race day on March 23, 2019.

Today was the first time out for some SCUM while one overachiever probably has 200 kms on his skis already. SCUM ski the Sonot Kkaazoot but also help organize the event that Bad Bob Baker originated and has resumed heading up again.

Online registration will be available soon. Entry fees are unchanged from last year.

Remember, donations to the Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks trail fund and trail sponsors pay for expenses incurred in trail maintenance and grooming. Please make sure you contribute to this ongoing effort:

http://nordicskicluboffairbanks.wildapricot.org/Donate

Enjoy the trails!

Finally, on snow!

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Snow has finally arrived in the greater Fairbanks area, and the groomers are busy packing the trails at Birch Hill.

On Sunday, Bill, one of the groomers led a group of three other Sonot organizers on our first on-snow ski adventure. Bill had already skied 100 km this month, so he enjoyed watching the rest of us fall and take rest breaks.

First 2018 ski.JPG

Photo by Robert Hannon, ace KUAC journalist and director of Northern Soundings.

First Town Race is this Saturday. Get out and enjoy the snow. The Sonot Kkaazoot is just 4 months away!

 

No Fairbanks snow in late October isn’t unique

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Although we are firmly in new record territory for the late arrival of Fairbanks’ first snowfall at the airport, we have had brown Octobers previously. In his blog post from  October 2013, Richard James from the National Weather Service notes that the ground was bare and the temperature in Fairbanks had reached 51 deg F on 28 October 2013:

http://ak-wx.blogspot.com/2013/10/record-warmth-again.html

Yet, the 2014 Sonot Kkaazoot had excellent spring skiing conditions as noted by Dermot Cole’s Alaska Dispatch column:

https://www.adn.com/sports/article/excellent-spring-skiing-fairbanks-draws-hundreds-trails/2014/03/31/

I agree that it is very frustrating to not be skiing in October, but the snow will come. The Birch Hill trails that have been mowed and summer trail work will make grooming easier. Groomers have been busy working on the new terrain garden so the late arrival of snow has avoided their early season burnout.

 

Just 5 months until the 32nd annual Sonot Kkaazoot

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Bad Bob has developed the schedule for the 32nd annual Sonot Kkaazoot, which is a mere 5 months away.

Bad Bob_cropped

Check the main Sonot Kkaazoot page for all the details. https://sonotkkaazoot.org/

Registration fees will be the same as last year. All registration will be online except at bib pick-up on Thursday, 21 March 2019, and from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. on race day.  In person registration will be at late- and day-of-race entry fee levels.

The main change for the 32nd annual Sonot Kkaazoot is that there will no longer be a separate 50 km classical event. Classical tracks will be set for the entire 50 km course, but classical skiers will start and compete with the 50 km freestyle skiers for overall and age-class awards.

The online registration page will be live soon.