At the time of this blog post, it is 47 degrees at my house in Gilmanton. Today I raced at my old stomping grounds at Gunstock in what were easily some of the worst conditions that I have ever skied in: puddles, rocks, many loops of a 1.6k course, and huge gobs of klister. To think that just over a week ago I was skiing on VR40, and had bomber kick and glide. I remember thinking as I was driving home through the snow from the Trapp Family Lodge after the Eastern Cup opener, "well, we should be set for a little while."
What a difference a week can make. So what happened? Conditions were still spectacular at Gunstock on Tuesday! But then came the rain on Wednesday, and cold again for Thursday and Friday, and then more rain, and heat over the weekend. Any Nordic skier reading this blog will commiserate with me here. The temperatures we had today are the kind that make you feel sick to your stomach when you walk outside on a December day. It was 65 in New York City, which ties the previous record high for this date, and believe me when I say that it wasn't much colder in New Hampshire. The two feet or so of snow that we had last week evaporated faster than you could say "thaw."
I suppose I should be pulling my hair out right now... but I'm not. Why? It's December in New England, and one doesn't have to look far into the forecast to find reason to hope. Chance of a little snowstorm for New Year's Eve? Chance of a BIG snowstorm on Friday? Give it another week, and I bet we'll be skiing on VR40 again in perfect tracks. All we have to do is train hard, keep the fire burning, and all will be well.
Keep on keepin' on, and pray for snow!
-Sam EB
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
A Week of Studying
Skiers are also students. For some, this becomes more of a reality at the end of the semester when constant e-mail checking, Facebooking, and humorous YouTube videos are replaced with back-to-back sociology and psychology statistic finals, along with 20 page labs and research papers. Yes, it is finals week again. While work is at the forefront of our minds for the time being, there is of course that place that exists in every skier's head that is reserved for thoughts of snow.
Sugarloaf camp is coming soon and we can't wait to get there. After a week of work and upredictable weather, that never lets us know ahead of time if we can snow ski or rollerski, we are ready to be done and focus on a good ski camp with the crew.
We will have updates from the 'Loaf' throughout the week. Keep in touch.
-BN
Sugarloaf camp is coming soon and we can't wait to get there. After a week of work and upredictable weather, that never lets us know ahead of time if we can snow ski or rollerski, we are ready to be done and focus on a good ski camp with the crew.
We will have updates from the 'Loaf' throughout the week. Keep in touch.
-BN
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Great Glen Sprints
Bates Nordic headed to Great Glen this weekend, 
which was the closest Nordic area to Lewiston with any snow. Skiing on the Great Glen trails is always kind of a treat for me. They are an old stomping ground of mine, from back when I raced in windpants and a t-shirt, so there's the nostalgia factor. Also, the trails are pretty nice for such a small nordic center: very nicely maintained in the summer, and well groomed, despite the fact that they don't have a Piston Bully. The trails this weekend were hardpacked, coarse snow. The granulated stuff that you expect in New England after one of these rain/snow type storms. Conditions weren't at all bad though, and the skating was fast and fun.
The actual race is another matter entirely. The conditions better than last year, when the race trail deteriorated throughout the day and we were pretty much skiing that beautiful Granite State bedrock by nightfall. However, the race organizers seem to be dead set on making the results of the race as arbitrary as possible. First, the course is very short -- 400meters long -- and two laps of it are still less than a kilometer. This is exacerbated by the fact that for one round of heats they shorten the race to one lap. Second, it is so narrow that there are very few places where passing is at all possible. Finally, they don't do a qualifier, but instead just put everyone randomly into heats. The first and second place skiers from the each of the first round heats advance to the third round, while third and fourth place skiers move to the second round. This sounds fair, right? If you get first or second you get a by! Not quite true, because the first place skier from each heat in BOTH the third round AND the second round advance to the fourth round, meaning that those who do badly in the first round have an easier path to get to the fourth round. This silliness is compounded by the fact that the second and third round heats are shortened to one lap to save time. The course is so narrow and so short that, in the words of coach, "the first guy to get to that first corner is the winner." The Great Glen Sprints is a contest of 25 meters.
But, it was fun; especially for me since I did terribly the first round, and as such made it all the way to the final (while many better sprinters than I were eliminated in the "lightning round" of the third round heats). Also Kirsten Gill had a great race, getting second overall and winning a sweet ski suit. Mostly this race just gets the engine revving for the real thing that starts up in a week or two. Everyone is excited, and the weather is starting to look favorable for some significant snow for New England! This week is finals and then the team is off to Sugarloaf for winter camp.
See you out there!
-Sam eb
which was the closest Nordic area to Lewiston with any snow. Skiing on the Great Glen trails is always kind of a treat for me. They are an old stomping ground of mine, from back when I raced in windpants and a t-shirt, so there's the nostalgia factor. Also, the trails are pretty nice for such a small nordic center: very nicely maintained in the summer, and well groomed, despite the fact that they don't have a Piston Bully. The trails this weekend were hardpacked, coarse snow. The granulated stuff that you expect in New England after one of these rain/snow type storms. Conditions weren't at all bad though, and the skating was fast and fun.The actual race is another matter entirely. The conditions better than last year, when the race trail deteriorated throughout the day and we were pretty much skiing that beautiful Granite State bedrock by nightfall. However, the race organizers seem to be dead set on making the results of the race as arbitrary as possible. First, the course is very short -- 400meters long -- and two laps of it are still less than a kilometer. This is exacerbated by the fact that for one round of heats they shorten the race to one lap. Second, it is so narrow that there are very few places where passing is at all possible. Finally, they don't do a qualifier, but instead just put everyone randomly into heats. The first and second place skiers from the each of the first round heats advance to the third round, while third and fourth place skiers move to the second round. This sounds fair, right? If you get first or second you get a by! Not quite true, because the first place skier from each heat in BOTH the third round AND the second round advance to the fourth round, meaning that those who do badly in the first round have an easier path to get to the fourth round. This silliness is compounded by the fact that the second and third round heats are shortened to one lap to save time. The course is so narrow and so short that, in the words of coach, "the first guy to get to that first corner is the winner." The Great Glen Sprints is a contest of 25 meters.
But, it was fun; especially for me since I did terribly the first round, and as such made it all the way to the final (while many better sprinters than I were eliminated in the "lightning round" of the third round heats). Also Kirsten Gill had a great race, getting second overall and winning a sweet ski suit. Mostly this race just gets the engine revving for the real thing that starts up in a week or two. Everyone is excited, and the weather is starting to look favorable for some significant snow for New England! This week is finals and then the team is off to Sugarloaf for winter camp.
See you out there!
-Sam eb
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