Cross Country Skiing

[Skierchickie]

I guess my new skis will be rock skis in a coupla years

Or sooner, if you play your cards right! It's so hard to see that first gouge. I got a nice one in my "not quite rock skis, but not my good skis" my first day on them this year. Oh well, those were never going to be fast anyway. I'm totally sick of my actual rock skis, so these will probably take their place anyway.

We now have about 1-1/2 feet of snow on the ground, and all of our xc areas are open. And using the big groomers! I need to get out tomorrow morning, before we leave town for several days (boo hoo!). Won't be doing any skiing downstate. We're supposed to get another 8 inches or so here tomorrow & tomorrow night. It has slowed down quite a bit now, from what it was doing for a couple of weeks.

May you all get a good dumping on soon!

[roadie gal]

I've been out skating twice. The first month is always humbling... no matter how much I've swam/biked/run it never carries over to ski skating. *sigh*

I'm a lazy waxer. I like the stuff I can just roll on and go. No irons and benches for me.

[bmccasland]

I missssss snow. I wanna go cross country skiing. WHINE, whimper, whimper

[roadie gal]

I just got back from going out with the 3 dogs for a semi-backcountry ski. I say "semi" because the snowmobiles had gotten there first and the trail was packed down.

The dogs loved it! They've been wading through chest deep snow for a week, so this hard packed stuff was a blast. Even my big lazy guy... um, I mean my energy conservationist ... was running and playing.

We were out for an hour. Now the dogs are lying around exhausted.

But the best part is that it didn't bother my plantar fasciitis! Yay, yay, yay!

[bambu101]

In the last few days we have gotten about 20 inches of snow- beautiful fluffly powder, and then a little granular snow/sleet on top. I went out Friday and Saturday and got to use the new skis. It was great, and I worked my butt off breaking a trail through all that snow.

For the first time in years, it looks like we will have lots of snow over the Christmas to New Year's week, which I have off. Yippee!!!!!

[short cut sally]

Yesterday was my first outing with my skis. I had no trails so I had to make my own. It wasn't fun. the snow has a icy coating so I either had to use them like snowshoes or when I got under any momentum, I would come to an abrupt stop as I would sink into a hard spot in the snow. I wish the snowmobilers would go my the house so I could have a trail to go on! Last year a friend let me use his snowmobile to make some trails and that was really nice. I should put a bug in his ear and see what he's doing. I hope the snow sticks around. Calling for warmer weather today and possibly tomorrow.

[madscot13]

i've been out skking everyday since I got home. It has been fantastic. My goal is to get all of the skiing out of my system before I have to return to DC.

[Skierchickie]

Yay for the new equipment! The carbon poles should make a huge difference - not just lighter, but stiffer, too. Years ago my first skating poles were probably the first generation of Swix Alulight. They were sooooo sproingy (in a bad way). Sometimes I still run with them, and they just flex and vibrate. I'm sure the more current aluminum poles are much better, but carbon rocks! While it's true, they do break easier, I'm on my second pair of carbon poles since 1990 - I've never broken one. I do worry when I'm headed into a big, icy crash, but so far, so good. My DH fell on one once and broke it. Well, twice, actually. Plus the replacements for the more recent pair, he broke by slamming the hatch to the Jeep on them, as they were sliding out. Practically new.

Bron: I haven't used the grip tape, but I've heard good things. However, one person recently told me she's been having trouble with it peeling off, but that maybe she isn't applying it quite right. I should also say I don't know if it was Start or some other brand (I don't know if anybody else makes it?). I don't stride that much anymore, and it's usually 20F or below here, so usually it is really easy to wax. I don't even remember when to use klister. So I haven't tried the tape yet.

Doing my first race of the season tomorrow! So scared. I've been racing for about 30 years now, and I still get all stressed out. I don't know why - I'm too old, fat & slow to expect much. Anyway, 23k freestyle tomorrow, either a 10k or a 5k (+ 5k skijoring if I do the 5) next week, and a kinda big 25k the next week.

[madscot13]

I'm back in DC and horribly missing skiing already. When I was home in minnesota I bought a season pass for 3 weeks of skiing at the local trail. It was the best winter I've ever had! I went skiing everyday and topped it off with the Gunflint trail with some friends.

[teawoman]

We've just got enough snow for me to try out my new skis, so I have been out a couple of times a week plus lessons since the beginning of Jan.

It's been pretty warm...what I'm finding though, is even with layers my wet base layer makes me freeze to death after we stop, so if we are having coffee or whatever I have to bring a dry sweater. I sweat like a horse. Any tips on that? I have a wool long sleeved base layer, a microfleece top, and a windbreaker (sometimes vest with that if it's colder). Doesn't seem to make a diff whether it's -5C or -20C.

[Skierchickie]

OK Bron, race #1 went badly! I felt, well..... old, fat & slow (oops! I said it! But there it is)! It had these huge hills. I hurt most of the way - more than I should have. I wasn't expecting walls out there. Anyway, I always say there is no better way to train for racing than by racing. I'm skipping the one this weekend (wimping out - it's supposed to be 3F and windy). I do have a conflict between the race and the kids' ski program I'm helping out with. It looks likely that the kids' program will be canceled (-10 wind chill cutoff), so I still could possibly do the skijoring race.

Biathlon sounds so cool! I'm pretty sure I couldn't settle down for the shooting. I bet it was all kinds of fun.

Teawoman: Welcome to the club! I sweat a lot too, and I have never found anything that breathes enough. If I dress warm enough to not freeze, then I sweat so much that I never get warm (if it is really cold out). By the time I take my jacket off to vent, I'm already wet. Then I freeze after. I do get cold afterward if I don't get out of my wet clothes. You may be overdressing, though (you don't say how warm the weather is, just that it is warm). When I was younger, I always dressed a lot lighter, never wore a hat, and usually ended up pushing my sleeves up unless it was 10 degrees or so. Now I'm 42, and I go from cold once I step out of the car straight to cold from being sweaty.

[Skierchickie]

The trails are still going strong! Of course, now it's too warm after work, so I can only get out on the weekends. It's been 50-ish the past 3 days, but our last significant snow was Monday night (8 inches of wet, heavy stuff). The banks have shrunk quite a bit, but no bare patches yet except right next to the house and anyplace that has been plowed. The trails are well-covered! The crust skiing isn't quite ready yet - I was breaking through a little this morning.

It was fun and fast this morning - I took a spectacular crash - stepping around a sharp curve, I thought I was doing great (too sure of myself = hitting a tree once, etc), then caught an edge. My right ski spun around, with the rest of me following, skidding several feet spread-eagled. Swollen, sore area just below my knee (where it hit the ski edge), sore shoulder, sore meaty part of one palm, sore legs in general. Achy neck, either from the crash or from the disease that is running rampant at work, starting with that and cruising on into a high fever. I'm still hoping not to get it.

Gotta get one really painful crash in every season. I'm just glad I didn't break a pole! I suppose some day it could be a bone, but we won't worry about that!

[anakiwa]

I'm glad to see this thread alive again.

But I'm finding I'm ready to move on to biking (which is unfortunate since we have so much snow and the roads are still a mess). I'm not sure if it's the slushy conditions or the long days or what (I was so looking forward to spring skiing, but now I just want to get on a bike- oh well). The crazy thing is that the base is still 18+ inches in most places (it's too bad they can't just ice pack the ski trails so they'd be all ready in December).

[Bron]

Funny you should say that - at one of the German elite training centres they do store snow over the summer - pack it up in a big mound and cover it with polystyrene! I think that they had enough for a 2km track at the beginning of this season.

My thoughts started turning to the bike after our last race. It has snowed a bit more this weekend, but most places have stopped grooming anyway.

On the plus side, I won a prize for our ski series - very happy about that, and motivated to do even better next year.

Skierchicke, that sounds bad, I hope you are feeling ok now. DH has broken poles while racing before, so far I´ve been lucky and only picked up bruises.

[Crankin]

Bump!
I went for my third ski of the season, but my first real ski... at Windblown in NH. It's at 1800 feet and was originally built to be a small downhill area. I am exhausted. Lots of climbing and downhill on the blue trails. I won't even go on a black trail here.
I went with a group and I was fine. Only fell (well knee touches, not total falls) on the ups.