Photo of Chena River start by Denise Jerome, photos in the Birch Hill stadium by Corrine Leistikow; photos from Fort Wainwright by Chris Broda, and photo of the return trail under the Graehl St. bridge by Dermot Cole.
Reports from Sonot Kkaazoot participants (both local and from Anchorage) were that the trail conditions were fantastic in spite of the record heat during the week prior to the 28th annual Sonot Kkaazoot. Here are some photos of the heroes behind those trails at work and the final results of their efforts:
Although most skiers were too tired when they got to the crest of the bunny hill to look up at the slope that had melted away as a river of water on Friday, Sonot Kkaazoot skiers really owe their great day to Jeff Skeels who bulldozed this alternate route for them.
All photos by Chris Broda, Fort Wainwright alpine hill crossing volunteer and leader of Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks “Ladies of Leisure”
Fast snow conditions led to fast times in the 2015 Sonot Kkaazoot.
Rebecca Konieczny set a new record time for the Women’s 50 km freestyle Sonot Kkaazoot. Her time 2:23:40.6 took 7:32 off the previous record finish time held by Melissa Lewis from 2005. In addition, the Sonot Connector was added to the Sonot Kkaazoot course in 2012, so Rebecca skied a couple of km further than the old “50 km” course when skiers accessed Birch Hill Recreation Area via the Fort Wainwright alpine hill.
Likewise, Peter Leonard, also improved upon the previous record time for the Men’s 20 km Sonot Kkaazoot set in 2005 by Marius Korthauer. Pete’s time of 45:56.3 bettered the Men’s record time by about 58 seconds.
Bad Bob Baker, Sonot Kkaazoot Chief of Course, has been out on the river daily keeping an eye on the river ice thickness. Skiers must make sure that they STAY ON THE COURSE indicated by painted lines on the snow/ice and bright orange directional signs:
As of Thursday night, the ice thickness was greater than 12″ if you stay on the trail. This means no passing under the Graehl Street Bridge on Fort Wainwright:
Bad Bob will be out again Friday night to set up km markers and again very early on Saturday morning before the groomers do their last pass on the river section. So the final decision on the Sonot Kkaazoot start location will be made SATURDAY MORNING.
Photos by Bill Husby
We skied from Birch Hill to 2 km from the Sonot Kkaazoot start and the trails look amazingly good considering the week of warm weather. If the river still looks good at mid-week, we’ll need some snow enhancement work on the Sonot Connector (where a errant truck got stuck), some brushing and snow enhancement on the ditch between the Fort Wainwright alpine hill and the river, and some additional snow under the highway bridges. However, the ditch looks pretty good in most areas thanks to the brushing done by the Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks groomers and Bad Bob Baker, and the piston bully work of Jeff from Fort Wainwright.
The Chena River itself has the usual spring open water spots but was still very enjoyable today.
Late registration and bib pick-up for the 2015 Sonot Kkaazoot is this Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Doyon Ltd Headquarters downtown.
Enjoy the Spring skiing.
March in Fairbanks means long sunny days! The recent snow and cold weather has allowed our great Birch Hill groomers to create awesome corduroy with deep classical tracks. 
Enjoy the lovely trails but don’t wait too long to sign up for the Sonot Kkaazoot. Entry fees go up after 5 p.m. this Friday, 20 March 2015.
To prepare for the 40 and 50 km Sonot Kkaazoot, the Wednesday night race on March 18, 2015 has you competing on the Sonot Connector trail. See: WNRace_3-18-15
For more information: http://www.wnrace.com/
Although the current 7-day forecast isn’t optimal for training for the Sonot Kkaazoot, it is optimal for setting up the traditional Sonot Kkaazoot course that has skiers skiing 20 km on the Chena River.
Yesterday, Bad Bob Baker spent 5 hours dragging and grooming the entire Chena River section of the Sonot Kkaazoot to “race width.” The thick new blanket of snow has now been compressed and mixed with unfrozen areas so hopefully things will freeze back up thicker and firmer than before. So, keep your fingers crossed that a week of consistent cold will allow the 2015 Sonot Kkaazoot to be held on our traditional course with the Chena River start and finish. Stay tuned!
Also on Monday, groomers Tom Helmers, Bill Husby, and Ken Coe assisted by Bad Bob cleared brush near the 20 km turnaround and along the ditch from the river to the Fort Wainwright alpine hill. It’s up to Mother Nature now.
All photos by Dermot Cole.
Sonot Kkaazoot 