Trails were packed last night following the storm. Some wind was blowing and drifting the meadow back in, but everything was rolled and some bladed, including some of the cut-offs.
Finish grooming awaits, including setting the classic track. Perhaps tonight (Tuesday).
Don't forget about the ski clinics this coming weekend! See www.swnordicski.org for more details.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
Trail Conditions: update
Donna and I skiied the woods loop after 3:00 today, and were amazed at how good the conditions were once you got past the coat tree and Point "C". Doing Classic with Swix VF30 kick wax I had great glide and great kick in good solid tracks that hadn't been skiied to death. Skate zone looked pretty good.
We didn't ski the road or the meadow, and I expect they were pretty trashed and icy from all the holiday traffic, and will probably benefit from the coming storm.
If this little storm dumps a couple inches on the trail to cover the excess trash, regrooming the woods will probably be pretty easy, for Dave's work with "big red" really dozed the trail into shape and got it good and wide, with good classic track.
Thanks guys for all the grooming and cutting... from all the sawdust we saw, there were a LOT of trees down and you got them all! We did a more modest effort of clipping aspen shoots along the nicely widened classic track.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Grooming Report 12/31/08
Big Dave groomed and pulled out "Big Red," our biggest, heaviest, drift buster/crust buster/foot traffic posthole filler/dog poop cleaner-upper and trail leveling grooming implement that we have. We don't use it that often, as we usually end up getting stuck with it somewhere on the system, even when it hasn't just recently snowed. I guess Dave got stuck once today, so the pattern holds.
Anyway, the trails had been taking a beating with the massive amount of foot/snowshoer/dog traffic, so they needed some love. They also desperately needed the classic track set, which was also accomplished. Things should be good for tomorrow.
Everyone be careful tonight and have a Happy New Year.
Anyway, the trails had been taking a beating with the massive amount of foot/snowshoer/dog traffic, so they needed some love. They also desperately needed the classic track set, which was also accomplished. Things should be good for tomorrow.
Everyone be careful tonight and have a Happy New Year.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Seeing the Light! report 12/29/08
SWNSC is definitely short on grooming staff! A barrage of storms like that really shed light on that situation...
Anyway, the trees have been cleared and the trails (most of them anyway) have been packed and bladed. Some of the cutoffs and the outer meadow will have to wait for another day.
The Pajarito Mountain ski area is open all during the holidays, so the road is plowed. Bear in mind that the road still remains snow-packed and icy in places, especially the last mile, as is the parking lot. Front-wheel and all-wheel drive vehicles seem to be doing OK.
Looks like a stretch of nice weather for a while. We'll try to get the classic track set soon this week.
Anyway, the trees have been cleared and the trails (most of them anyway) have been packed and bladed. Some of the cutoffs and the outer meadow will have to wait for another day.
The Pajarito Mountain ski area is open all during the holidays, so the road is plowed. Bear in mind that the road still remains snow-packed and icy in places, especially the last mile, as is the parking lot. Front-wheel and all-wheel drive vehicles seem to be doing OK.
Looks like a stretch of nice weather for a while. We'll try to get the classic track set soon this week.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Windy (and a little snowy) 12/26/08
The winds are a'howlin' out there. The beautiful blading that was done the night before looked nice except for all of the tree debris and abundance of blow-down trees. There are several of them, mostly on the early stages of the trail system (both upper trails and lower multi-use road).
It is also snowing on and off, sometimes really hard for a period, so the trail is still very soft. It's skatable, and with it being so soft, skiing in your own classic track works well too.
It is also snowing on and off, sometimes really hard for a period, so the trail is still very soft. It's skatable, and with it being so soft, skiing in your own classic track works well too.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Trail Report 12/25 (evening)
Merry Christmas!
The entire main big loop (inner meadow trail included) was packed and bladed this evening in anticipation for more snow arriving tonight/tomorrow. A bunch of new snow has fallen (including today) since last week's grooming, so it has taken a while to get packed out.
Trail is wide and level, but needs to be "finish-groomed." No classic track is set, but in general, skiing is just amazing.
The entire main big loop (inner meadow trail included) was packed and bladed this evening in anticipation for more snow arriving tonight/tomorrow. A bunch of new snow has fallen (including today) since last week's grooming, so it has taken a while to get packed out.
Trail is wide and level, but needs to be "finish-groomed." No classic track is set, but in general, skiing is just amazing.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Grooming Report 12/24/08
Most of the tree trails were rolled last evening by Dave Wykoff. The lower Canada Bonita road trail was rolled from the grooming garage out to point P (see trail map), then up from point A, all the way up to the meadow turn-around at point L and back down on TJ's & Dave's loops (D-E-F; H-I), one pass each.
It was only roll-packed, not fully groomed, so it'll definitely be soft and there will not be a set classic track. All meadow trails are not packed yet and could use some snowshoe/ski traffic.
As of this writing, I'm not sure what the grooming plans are for Xmas day or beyond. Another winter storm warning has been posted, so here we go again.
It was only roll-packed, not fully groomed, so it'll definitely be soft and there will not be a set classic track. All meadow trails are not packed yet and could use some snowshoe/ski traffic.
As of this writing, I'm not sure what the grooming plans are for Xmas day or beyond. Another winter storm warning has been posted, so here we go again.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
MORE(!) new snow 12/23/08
The snow gods are smiling on (more like laughing at...) us so far this year. The only problem is, we're short on grooming staff and can't keep up with it.
It snowed another 14" - 18" overnight and during the day today, and we got a major bag of wind to further complicate things. As of now, it's back to snowshoeing and backcountry/touring to pack a track around the trails so that we might be able to get the machines through and then maybe start grooming again.
It's forecasted to snow again starting tomorrow night into Friday, so we'll just do what we can until all of this abates.
Get out there with your touring skis and enjoy the deep snow! (and help us make some tracks on the trails in the process)
It snowed another 14" - 18" overnight and during the day today, and we got a major bag of wind to further complicate things. As of now, it's back to snowshoeing and backcountry/touring to pack a track around the trails so that we might be able to get the machines through and then maybe start grooming again.
It's forecasted to snow again starting tomorrow night into Friday, so we'll just do what we can until all of this abates.
Get out there with your touring skis and enjoy the deep snow! (and help us make some tracks on the trails in the process)
Monday, December 22, 2008
Trail Report 12/22/08
Hope everyone had a good winter solstice. I must admit, that day did seem short!
After all of my lamenting on the somewhat sad state of the skate lane, Dave W. got out there as early as he could, and dragged it smooth with the bladed groomer. He also rescued the 4' rollers and even welded the hitch back onto them!
The skate lane looked a lot better, but it's still off-camber and in need of a lot of dragging passes to get it back to anywhere near level. The classic track was well-established, but still extremely soft, especially for pole-plants.
Anyway, the season is now off and running at full speed. It is already snowing again today, so here goes another round!
After all of my lamenting on the somewhat sad state of the skate lane, Dave W. got out there as early as he could, and dragged it smooth with the bladed groomer. He also rescued the 4' rollers and even welded the hitch back onto them!
The skate lane looked a lot better, but it's still off-camber and in need of a lot of dragging passes to get it back to anywhere near level. The classic track was well-established, but still extremely soft, especially for pole-plants.
Anyway, the season is now off and running at full speed. It is already snowing again today, so here goes another round!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Grooming report Saturday morning:
from Clay:
"""
Well, it was a VERY long night of grooming, and I must say it isn't a pretty job...at all. It is basically "groomed" all the way around, but there are a lot of messes everywhere and some places didn't get groomed out well due to some technical problems.
There is a classic track. It'll be soft, as I was often breaking trail while setting it. Skating will be good in some places and not so great in others. The wind was blowing, so the meadow will likely be a bit drifted in by morning.
Luckily, the snow is amazing and it's nice and cold. It will all need to be regroomed soon. At least it's groomable now. I was still sinking up to my eyeballs in some places.
"""
Thanks to the Groomers I say! I was up there last night on my backcountry skiis and the snow was amazing. Amazingly thick, soft and cold. Based on last nights conditions and clays report I would get the touring/classics out again today and ski the hell out of the trail. It would probably be helpful to cut new lines and pack it in on the periphery as well. Here are some pics from Friday night (pre big grooming):
Typical conditions pre grooming on friday night, soft and thick:
Me (Tarik) at the top of Canada Bonita, the meadow was drifty and crusty and windy:
Dave W. helps dig out the big roller so Nick and dog can get their groom on (post sunset cell phone cam granularity):
"""
Well, it was a VERY long night of grooming, and I must say it isn't a pretty job...at all. It is basically "groomed" all the way around, but there are a lot of messes everywhere and some places didn't get groomed out well due to some technical problems.
There is a classic track. It'll be soft, as I was often breaking trail while setting it. Skating will be good in some places and not so great in others. The wind was blowing, so the meadow will likely be a bit drifted in by morning.
Luckily, the snow is amazing and it's nice and cold. It will all need to be regroomed soon. At least it's groomable now. I was still sinking up to my eyeballs in some places.
"""
Thanks to the Groomers I say! I was up there last night on my backcountry skiis and the snow was amazing. Amazingly thick, soft and cold. Based on last nights conditions and clays report I would get the touring/classics out again today and ski the hell out of the trail. It would probably be helpful to cut new lines and pack it in on the periphery as well. Here are some pics from Friday night (pre big grooming):
Typical conditions pre grooming on friday night, soft and thick:
Me (Tarik) at the top of Canada Bonita, the meadow was drifty and crusty and windy:
Dave W. helps dig out the big roller so Nick and dog can get their groom on (post sunset cell phone cam granularity):
Friday, December 19, 2008
Trail Report 12/19/08
The trail is not really "groomed" as of yet. We finally busted through the other night with the machines, but not with any grooming implements. Actually, the lower portion of the upper trails has been groomed around TJ's loop -- that's about 1.5 miles of grooming total. The rest of the trail has just been track-packed, so it's nice and skiable with a set of touring or backcountry skis.
One tree is down near the coat tree (point B on the trail system).
There are plans to get things in order over the weekend. We're short on grooming staff, so things are running a bit slow. Sorry.
One tree is down near the coat tree (point B on the trail system).
There are plans to get things in order over the weekend. We're short on grooming staff, so things are running a bit slow. Sorry.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
RE: Grooming report...sort of...
Scott and I spent a couple of hours snowshoeing up there this evening. Looked like someone else had been up there on snowshoes as well. Still more to be done.
Thank you, groomers!
From: tclaynm@juno.com
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:39:31 +0000
To: members@swnordicski.org; losalamosnordic@yahoogroups.com; tclaynm1.swnordicski@blogger.com
Subject: [Members] Grooming report...sort of...
Got up there with Nick Piazza, a club member and new groomer, and found hip-deep snow (more than two feet). It took quite a while to dig the shed out, then dig and tack a path out to the Camp May road, saw a couple of trees that were down and now buried, etc. Everything just took a huge amount of time, so not a whole lot got packed.
We attempted to go pack the trails with the machines (nothing in tow), but just submarined, even with our "fastest" snowmobile. The snowmobile got stuck 7 times in one mile! So, after a long time spent digging out, we opted to head back and hope that some folks would go out on backcountry skis and snowshoes. It's that deep. We only made it around the TJ's loop once with a snowmobile and Kermit. Nothing else got a pass -- we were first tracks on everything around noon (no one had skied up beyond that).
With some ski and snowshoe traffic, and some settling, it'll be passable.
Thank you, groomers!
Lisa J. Smole
From: tclaynm@juno.com
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 2008 01:39:31 +0000
To: members@swnordicski.org; losalamosnordic@yahoogroups.com; tclaynm1.swnordicski@blogger.com
Subject: [Members] Grooming report...sort of...
Got up there with Nick Piazza, a club member and new groomer, and found hip-deep snow (more than two feet). It took quite a while to dig the shed out, then dig and tack a path out to the Camp May road, saw a couple of trees that were down and now buried, etc. Everything just took a huge amount of time, so not a whole lot got packed.
We attempted to go pack the trails with the machines (nothing in tow), but just submarined, even with our "fastest" snowmobile. The snowmobile got stuck 7 times in one mile! So, after a long time spent digging out, we opted to head back and hope that some folks would go out on backcountry skis and snowshoes. It's that deep. We only made it around the TJ's loop once with a snowmobile and Kermit. Nothing else got a pass -- we were first tracks on everything around noon (no one had skied up beyond that).
With some ski and snowshoe traffic, and some settling, it'll be passable.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Ski Report -- posted December 15, 2008
I got up to the Pajarito Nordic trails to ski for the first time yesterday (Sunday, Dec. 14). It was 17 degrees when I got there, and the polar jet stream must have passed overhead because it was 9 degrees when I left. My water bottle had pretty much frozen solid.
There was a good amount of new snow. It was hard to tell, because it had snowed the previous day, then gotten a little warm, then snowed again on top of that. All in all, it was over a foot for sure for the past two days.
So, the xc skiing was quite good. No one had groomed yet, but the packing job from a few nights ago (and all of the tree cutting and fence-putting up, etc.) has made things look ready to be groomed in earnest. With this new snow, it should be awesome by week's end. More snow is in the forecast, so it'll be a while before it's all truly a finished product.
There were some track-packed classic touring tracks (thanks to local club members). It was a nice day on the Pajarito Nordic trails!
I am a little bummed out that I didn't bring my camera up, not only to take pics for the blog, but to get a shot of the SWNSC shed "equipment garage." Tom and John U. got the sign and the skis mounted and it looks AWESOME!!! I love it. I'll try to get a shot of it tonight in the dark. The gleam from the cheap corrugated siding that we used should have a nice effect in a digital photograph taken in the dark.
Oh yeah, and I plan on going up with Nick Piazza to run some packing laps and get him all oriented on using the machines. We may only make it around a couple of times, as we're going to have to get a late start on things...
There was a good amount of new snow. It was hard to tell, because it had snowed the previous day, then gotten a little warm, then snowed again on top of that. All in all, it was over a foot for sure for the past two days.
So, the xc skiing was quite good. No one had groomed yet, but the packing job from a few nights ago (and all of the tree cutting and fence-putting up, etc.) has made things look ready to be groomed in earnest. With this new snow, it should be awesome by week's end. More snow is in the forecast, so it'll be a while before it's all truly a finished product.
There were some track-packed classic touring tracks (thanks to local club members). It was a nice day on the Pajarito Nordic trails!
I am a little bummed out that I didn't bring my camera up, not only to take pics for the blog, but to get a shot of the SWNSC shed "equipment garage." Tom and John U. got the sign and the skis mounted and it looks AWESOME!!! I love it. I'll try to get a shot of it tonight in the dark. The gleam from the cheap corrugated siding that we used should have a nice effect in a digital photograph taken in the dark.
Oh yeah, and I plan on going up with Nick Piazza to run some packing laps and get him all oriented on using the machines. We may only make it around a couple of times, as we're going to have to get a late start on things...
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Sunday snow conditions
6" new snow last night, 6" the night before, made for very nice ski touring, pretty much rock free.
No grooming yet, the guys have been too busy cutting and moving deadfall off the trails, of which there has been a lot!
Looks like grooming will begin this week.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Trail Work Day and Party
Nice turnout for big workday.... and we got lots done and followed up with perfect weather [warm, no wind] for the cookout party afterward. Thanks to all who helped!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Trail Work Day and Potluck BBQ! This Sat Nov 15th!
Lets get the season going with potluck BBQ, membership drive and trail work day this Saturday November 15th.
WHERE: meet at the end of the Pajarito ski area parking lot at the Canada Bonita trailhead.
TIME: This Saturday, Nov 15th. 8am-noon trail work and 12:30-2pm potluck BBQ
BRING: friends, work gloves, tools (like a leatherman and limb loppers) and something for the grill.
WHY: by donating your time and/or renewing your membership you support our work which includes
- maintaining Canada Bonita trail in cooperation with the Forest Service
- providing free groomed xc ski trails during the snow season
- hosting social events like moonlight ski and bonfire, free xc ski lesson for members (flyers will be handed out at the BBQ), group training, recreational trips and tours. Come help us out, make new friends and enjoy the outdoors!
WHERE: meet at the end of the Pajarito ski area parking lot at the Canada Bonita trailhead.
TIME: This Saturday, Nov 15th. 8am-noon trail work and 12:30-2pm potluck BBQ
BRING: friends, work gloves, tools (like a leatherman and limb loppers) and something for the grill.
WHY: by donating your time and/or renewing your membership you support our work which includes
- maintaining Canada Bonita trail in cooperation with the Forest Service
- providing free groomed xc ski trails during the snow season
- hosting social events like moonlight ski and bonfire, free xc ski lesson for members (flyers will be handed out at the BBQ), group training, recreational trips and tours. Come help us out, make new friends and enjoy the outdoors!
Monday, April 7, 2008
Spring Cleanup "party" a success
Several intrepid SWNSC members showed up to clean up the fencing, the signs, the wands, the abandoned snowmobile, the grooming equipment, etc., etc. from the trails this past Saturday. A BIG thanks goes out to all of you who turned out to help. It went very smoothly and it was actually fun.
Chilly and windy weather greeted us, but it didn't deter spirits as we all had such good memories of the very active season. After the work was done, we gathered at the end of the parking lot for a tailgate party cookout.
One of our Albuquerque members, Rich Besser, showed up and was a big help. He also brought his camera, which is good because Dina's is broken and my batteries died. So, pending him processing those and sending them along somehow, we may have some pictures from the final club event of the season.
Again, thanks to everyone who helped out!
Chilly and windy weather greeted us, but it didn't deter spirits as we all had such good memories of the very active season. After the work was done, we gathered at the end of the parking lot for a tailgate party cookout.
One of our Albuquerque members, Rich Besser, showed up and was a big help. He also brought his camera, which is good because Dina's is broken and my batteries died. So, pending him processing those and sending them along somehow, we may have some pictures from the final club event of the season.
Again, thanks to everyone who helped out!
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Master's World Cup part III
This is long...I'm sorry for all of the gory details.
With my 6th in the classic race, I was the 2nd American, so JD Downing, the head USA delegate gave me the nod to be on the USA relay team for the M-02 (35-39). It must have been a hard decision, as there were about 4 great classical skiers in the M-03s and that meant that two of them were left off of that team and could have been dropped down to be on our team instead of me. But, my 10km classical time was in the same ballpark, so he took a chance, and I’m grateful for that.
The relay was just fantastic. It was so much fun and the adrenaline was high for everyone. That was probably the most electric day of the whole race week. National pride was at stake, so everyone was going to put in a 110% effort, especially since the legs were only 5km each. That’s not much time to make any mistakes at all. For the top countries, margins of victory (or loss) were small.
The night before, all of the USA skiers picked to be on their respective age-group teams had to attend a mandatory meeting. I realized this was serious business, and these were just the top masters in the USA. I recognized everyone from their pictures in the magazines, their sponsored clothing, and their names at the top of the result lists from the biggest races, etc. I felt a little small, but figured I earned it and would give it 110% too. Dina and Paul were there with me, which helped a lot. They were really interested in the discussion and the instructions and the energy.
After the meeting, we were to meet with our teammates and discuss the strategy and whatever else we needed to prior to race morning. My teammates were Dan Streubel, one of the nation’s best 35-39 classic skiers; Michael Brothers, Colorado’s top masters skier (he won the last two editions of the 90km North Routte Coureur des Bois by over an hour); and Stephen White from Vail, last year’s Colorado Cup champ. This was a good team. And then, there was little ol’ me from New Mexico… where? I thought Mexico was supposed to field their own national team…;-)
At the meeting, our alternate, a great skier from Idaho, said he thought we, the classical skiers should maybe consider not using grip wax at all and just double-pole the whole race on skate skis! Yikes! There was a big climb on the classic course, and several short, steep ones too. I quickly saw myself out there on the torture rack trying to double-pole that whole course. I reared back and he must have seen that and then suggested that maybe we could use one classical ski with wax, and use a skate ski for the other. Dan Streubel thought that was a good idea and said me may try it. I could feel myself breaking out into a nervous sweat. I wasn’t prepared for that.
I gave it some thought and talked it over with Dina, Denny and Paul, and they all reckoned that I should stick with what I know, so I just did my best with the classic skis and put only a thin layer of the coldest grip wax, which also glides the best.
The next morning dawned cold and crisp, so the grip wasn’t going to be a big issue. I didn’t want very much grip at all, so that it didn’t interfere with the glide. I did a warm-up lap and decided I’d just “stick” with the very thin layer. It held just enough on the big hill while warming up that I figured it would be just fine in an all-out race.
I did two laps of the course for warm-up and some milling around. The races were off right on time and we watched the 30-34 guys go off. It looked fast and I knew we had the fastest classical skier in our age group. I was SO glad not to have to lead off.
When our race got underway, I went into the “on deck” pen and got my stuff ready. I needed to stay loose and calm, so I did some little jogging. I knew it wouldn’t be long, so I quickly got into my stuff and got escorted over to the hand-off zone. This felt official.
Sure enough, not much time passed and the M-01s were coming in. The American, Adam Swank, from Minneapolis (aka “Golden Boy” for his second overall at the American Birkebeiner this year), lead in and gave a perfect hand off to their second leg. The Canadians were second and the Italians not far back. To all of our surprise, the first of our group M-02, the giant Russian Schastlivvy, had already caught and passed most of the M-01 teams and was coming in for their second leg. It was not long, but seemed that way, before my guy, Streubel, came in to hand off for me. My heart raced and soon I was sliding forward getting the tag. I could hear Dina up around the bend cheering very loudly among a solemn group of foreigners. She said she could hear some Norwegians start to cheer for me, but realized I wasn’t their guy and they all said to stop cheering...
The first bit of the course was pretty flat and headed into the giant Ponderosa trees of the trail system. It was a twisty course, so double-poling was most efficient. It took a lot of strength to do it, but was the fastest way to go. It was short, so it took a big effort and I quickly felt completely loaded up and got a bit nervous about that. I just had to relax mentally and keep it strong and efficient as best as I could. When I hit some of the early little kicker hills, I opted to kick and glide to give my arms some relief. I knew it wasn’t the fastest way to go, but I needed to keep from blowing up. I started catching a couple of the M-01 teams myself and got a second wind. Around a bend, I could hear a lot of yelling and knew the biggest climb was approaching. Once the climb was in sight, the Italians were going nuts, as they knew we were ahead of their team and their guy was making time on me.
The lead-up to the hill was twisty and I had to be patient and not waste my effort. I could hear so much yelling among all of the different teams, in all different languages…this was what it was all about. I got a surge in my stomach and took in a deep breath to lay down an effort I had visualized and waited for.
The Italian was now breathing down my neck, so I started going really hard. My kicking was short and choppy at first, but once I “hit my stride,” I lengthened it out and used my leg strength for all it was worth. Soon, I could tell it was good and I was passing guys from other age groups quickly. The whole way up, various groups of USA coaches were spurring me on and giving me advice: “…this is it…dig deep…keep it steady until the halfway point and then bury yourself…kick it in NOW, NOW, NOW!”…and stuff like that. It was deafening.
At the top, there was a large multi-national crowd and I could hear people actually yelling my name. In that anaerobic state, I thought, “Who knows me?”
Anyway, it gave me that extra boost and I punched over the top for a couple of fast double-poles and then the little reprieve of the only real downhill before the last two short walls that lead into the final stretch to the stadium.
I was really hurting. I don’t remember much, but I do recall feeling numb and almost sick from the effort. I wondered how I was going to make it over the last hills, but it was like a dream and I never had a single slip or anything. I even powered the best step turns around the iciest corner of the whole trail system that I had ever done on my classical skis and boots. It was fantastic and I had actually pulled away from the Italian a little to come into the stadium still holding second place with a bit of a cushion. The last section of double-poling was in a completely anaerobic state, but I felt no pain and tagged Stephen White perfectly for his leg of freestyle.
It turns out that we would need that cushion, and them some. The Italians were fearsome skaters. Their two legs of skating were by far the fastest of the day and we lost our lead on Stephen’s first leg. It was not his fault…he skied a very fast leg, but the Italians were wickedly fast. Even our Ace-in-the-Hole, Michael Brothers (a former USA team biathlete) was not fast enough to match the Italians.
We held our own to place third. We also had one of the fastest relays of the day out of all of the teams…we would have won the M-01s handily too.
The two teams ahead of us, Russia and Italy, had the two fastest relay teams. We lost 1:30 to the Russians, and 40 seconds to the Italians. Although I skied probably the best I ever had, I was the weakest link. I looked at the splits and I was about 10 to 20 seconds off of what the other fast classic skiers were turning. That’s not bad, but I would have liked to have seen my time not stand out as the lame turkey. Oh well, that was still awesome.
One of the really exciting races of the day was the very strong USA M-03 team. They were awesome. They beat us by about 20 seconds, and had a stacked team of former USA team/Olympians. Read Toko guy Ian Harvey’s (much more brief and to the point) account of it here: http://www.tokous.com/Masters%20Worlds%202.htm
I want to really thank Dina, Paul, and Denny for really being there for me and giving me their advice and support. I helped out a lot and it would not have gone so well without them. They were really my friends and teammates that day for sure.
Afterward, we went into town and found the COOLEST bistro, actually called “Bistro 45.” It was a very neat place, with custom gourmet plates of food that were tailored around their vast wine selections and beers. We actually went there twice that same day, once right after the race for a beer and sandwiches, and then again later for wine and desserts. What a fun place. Ken, if you’re reading this, you would have loved it. It had YOU written all over it. We all talked about that, actually.
Later that evening, we finally went to an awards ceremony. We all became very familiar with the Russian national anthem, which sounds a lot like (ok, exactly like) the former Soviet Union national anthem. Dina and I looked at each other and she flipped out. She had to go ask a Russian person why we were playing the USSR national anthem. She was told that the music is the same, but the words have been changed. They are constantly hearing the old one because foreigners don’t know the difference. Isn’t that interesting?
Look at the awards picture. That Russian guy who could double-pole faster than most people can ride a bike, is just freaky.
Double-pole freak machine from Russia!
I promise the final blog about the Master’s World Cup will be brief!
Master’s World Cup, part III
OK, the last post was a long ramble about how bad the first 30km classic was. We just aren’t that wax savvy, but we learned a lot. The next race was the 10km classic for me, and the 10km skate races for Paul and Denny. That was a great improvement for all of us, as the weather was a lot colder and we didn’t have the wax problems, so we were all pretty psyched up about that. We got to watch Denny and Paul race, as their races were in the afternoon, and they were very exciting. The skate races, especially the shorter ones, were very fast…like watching a bike criterium, with all of the fighting for position and such.
OK, the last post was a long ramble about how bad the first 30km classic was. We just aren’t that wax savvy, but we learned a lot. The next race was the 10km classic for me, and the 10km skate races for Paul and Denny. That was a great improvement for all of us, as the weather was a lot colder and we didn’t have the wax problems, so we were all pretty psyched up about that. We got to watch Denny and Paul race, as their races were in the afternoon, and they were very exciting. The skate races, especially the shorter ones, were very fast…like watching a bike criterium, with all of the fighting for position and such.
Great shot of Denny in the scrum of the M-02 10km freestyle -------------- Paul sprinting in to hold off a Russian guy behind
With my 6th in the classic race, I was the 2nd American, so JD Downing, the head USA delegate gave me the nod to be on the USA relay team for the M-02 (35-39). It must have been a hard decision, as there were about 4 great classical skiers in the M-03s and that meant that two of them were left off of that team and could have been dropped down to be on our team instead of me. But, my 10km classical time was in the same ballpark, so he took a chance, and I’m grateful for that.
USA Team Director, JD Downing & Clay talking strategy
The relay was just fantastic. It was so much fun and the adrenaline was high for everyone. That was probably the most electric day of the whole race week. National pride was at stake, so everyone was going to put in a 110% effort, especially since the legs were only 5km each. That’s not much time to make any mistakes at all. For the top countries, margins of victory (or loss) were small.
The night before, all of the USA skiers picked to be on their respective age-group teams had to attend a mandatory meeting. I realized this was serious business, and these were just the top masters in the USA. I recognized everyone from their pictures in the magazines, their sponsored clothing, and their names at the top of the result lists from the biggest races, etc. I felt a little small, but figured I earned it and would give it 110% too. Dina and Paul were there with me, which helped a lot. They were really interested in the discussion and the instructions and the energy.
After the meeting, we were to meet with our teammates and discuss the strategy and whatever else we needed to prior to race morning. My teammates were Dan Streubel, one of the nation’s best 35-39 classic skiers; Michael Brothers, Colorado’s top masters skier (he won the last two editions of the 90km North Routte Coureur des Bois by over an hour); and Stephen White from Vail, last year’s Colorado Cup champ. This was a good team. And then, there was little ol’ me from New Mexico… where? I thought Mexico was supposed to field their own national team…;-)
M-02 (35-39) relay team l to r: Stephen White, Michael Brothers, Dan Streubel, Clay Moseley
At the meeting, our alternate, a great skier from Idaho, said he thought we, the classical skiers should maybe consider not using grip wax at all and just double-pole the whole race on skate skis! Yikes! There was a big climb on the classic course, and several short, steep ones too. I quickly saw myself out there on the torture rack trying to double-pole that whole course. I reared back and he must have seen that and then suggested that maybe we could use one classical ski with wax, and use a skate ski for the other. Dan Streubel thought that was a good idea and said me may try it. I could feel myself breaking out into a nervous sweat. I wasn’t prepared for that.
I gave it some thought and talked it over with Dina, Denny and Paul, and they all reckoned that I should stick with what I know, so I just did my best with the classic skis and put only a thin layer of the coldest grip wax, which also glides the best.
The next morning dawned cold and crisp, so the grip wasn’t going to be a big issue. I didn’t want very much grip at all, so that it didn’t interfere with the glide. I did a warm-up lap and decided I’d just “stick” with the very thin layer. It held just enough on the big hill while warming up that I figured it would be just fine in an all-out race.
I did two laps of the course for warm-up and some milling around. The races were off right on time and we watched the 30-34 guys go off. It looked fast and I knew we had the fastest classical skier in our age group. I was SO glad not to have to lead off.
When our race got underway, I went into the “on deck” pen and got my stuff ready. I needed to stay loose and calm, so I did some little jogging. I knew it wouldn’t be long, so I quickly got into my stuff and got escorted over to the hand-off zone. This felt official.
Sure enough, not much time passed and the M-01s were coming in. The American, Adam Swank, from Minneapolis (aka “Golden Boy” for his second overall at the American Birkebeiner this year), lead in and gave a perfect hand off to their second leg. The Canadians were second and the Italians not far back. To all of our surprise, the first of our group M-02, the giant Russian Schastlivvy, had already caught and passed most of the M-01 teams and was coming in for their second leg. It was not long, but seemed that way, before my guy, Streubel, came in to hand off for me. My heart raced and soon I was sliding forward getting the tag. I could hear Dina up around the bend cheering very loudly among a solemn group of foreigners. She said she could hear some Norwegians start to cheer for me, but realized I wasn’t their guy and they all said to stop cheering...
Heading out of the stadium on my leg of the relay. Italy just around the bend not far behind.
The first bit of the course was pretty flat and headed into the giant Ponderosa trees of the trail system. It was a twisty course, so double-poling was most efficient. It took a lot of strength to do it, but was the fastest way to go. It was short, so it took a big effort and I quickly felt completely loaded up and got a bit nervous about that. I just had to relax mentally and keep it strong and efficient as best as I could. When I hit some of the early little kicker hills, I opted to kick and glide to give my arms some relief. I knew it wasn’t the fastest way to go, but I needed to keep from blowing up. I started catching a couple of the M-01 teams myself and got a second wind. Around a bend, I could hear a lot of yelling and knew the biggest climb was approaching. Once the climb was in sight, the Italians were going nuts, as they knew we were ahead of their team and their guy was making time on me.
The lead-up to the hill was twisty and I had to be patient and not waste my effort. I could hear so much yelling among all of the different teams, in all different languages…this was what it was all about. I got a surge in my stomach and took in a deep breath to lay down an effort I had visualized and waited for.
The Italian was now breathing down my neck, so I started going really hard. My kicking was short and choppy at first, but once I “hit my stride,” I lengthened it out and used my leg strength for all it was worth. Soon, I could tell it was good and I was passing guys from other age groups quickly. The whole way up, various groups of USA coaches were spurring me on and giving me advice: “…this is it…dig deep…keep it steady until the halfway point and then bury yourself…kick it in NOW, NOW, NOW!”…and stuff like that. It was deafening.
At the top, there was a large multi-national crowd and I could hear people actually yelling my name. In that anaerobic state, I thought, “Who knows me?”
Anyway, it gave me that extra boost and I punched over the top for a couple of fast double-poles and then the little reprieve of the only real downhill before the last two short walls that lead into the final stretch to the stadium.
I was really hurting. I don’t remember much, but I do recall feeling numb and almost sick from the effort. I wondered how I was going to make it over the last hills, but it was like a dream and I never had a single slip or anything. I even powered the best step turns around the iciest corner of the whole trail system that I had ever done on my classical skis and boots. It was fantastic and I had actually pulled away from the Italian a little to come into the stadium still holding second place with a bit of a cushion. The last section of double-poling was in a completely anaerobic state, but I felt no pain and tagged Stephen White perfectly for his leg of freestyle.
It turns out that we would need that cushion, and them some. The Italians were fearsome skaters. Their two legs of skating were by far the fastest of the day and we lost our lead on Stephen’s first leg. It was not his fault…he skied a very fast leg, but the Italians were wickedly fast. Even our Ace-in-the-Hole, Michael Brothers (a former USA team biathlete) was not fast enough to match the Italians.
We held our own to place third. We also had one of the fastest relays of the day out of all of the teams…we would have won the M-01s handily too.
The two teams ahead of us, Russia and Italy, had the two fastest relay teams. We lost 1:30 to the Russians, and 40 seconds to the Italians. Although I skied probably the best I ever had, I was the weakest link. I looked at the splits and I was about 10 to 20 seconds off of what the other fast classic skiers were turning. That’s not bad, but I would have liked to have seen my time not stand out as the lame turkey. Oh well, that was still awesome.
One of the really exciting races of the day was the very strong USA M-03 team. They were awesome. They beat us by about 20 seconds, and had a stacked team of former USA team/Olympians. Read Toko guy Ian Harvey’s (much more brief and to the point) account of it here: http://www.tokous.com/Masters%20Worlds%202.htm
I want to really thank Dina, Paul, and Denny for really being there for me and giving me their advice and support. I helped out a lot and it would not have gone so well without them. They were really my friends and teammates that day for sure.
Teammates
Afterward, we went into town and found the COOLEST bistro, actually called “Bistro 45.” It was a very neat place, with custom gourmet plates of food that were tailored around their vast wine selections and beers. We actually went there twice that same day, once right after the race for a beer and sandwiches, and then again later for wine and desserts. What a fun place. Ken, if you’re reading this, you would have loved it. It had YOU written all over it. We all talked about that, actually.
11:30am: all in a days work! ---------------------- Bistro 45 -- full of Italians...and Denny's head
Later that evening, we finally went to an awards ceremony. We all became very familiar with the Russian national anthem, which sounds a lot like (ok, exactly like) the former Soviet Union national anthem. Dina and I looked at each other and she flipped out. She had to go ask a Russian person why we were playing the USSR national anthem. She was told that the music is the same, but the words have been changed. They are constantly hearing the old one because foreigners don’t know the difference. Isn’t that interesting?
Look at the awards picture. That Russian guy who could double-pole faster than most people can ride a bike, is just freaky.
Double-pole freak machine from Russia!
I promise the final blog about the Master’s World Cup will be brief!
Lots of waxing geeks at MWC...these two were no exception. We call that guy "Solda Man!"
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