Frost Mountain Nordic

Hips High

2011-10-27T10:11:00.000-07:00

This article was first posted on SkiPost.com on October 27, 2011.
We have heard "hips high" a thousand times, but it is always interesting to hear it again.

I'm curious on how these two technique aspects can coexist? "Keep the hips high in classical skiing - through the whole stride" and "Initiate the skate or classical kick by dropping your weight onto the ski......"

Coaches should absolutely teach their athletes to ski with high and forward hips. But because words can be misleading:

I think of especially Virpi Kuitunen, Petter Northug, Bente Skari, Alex Harvey, Jacobsen, Longa, Majdic, Axel, Goering, Filbrich, Angerer, Russian 1 and 2 at the Olympics and basically any clip of Andy Newell... the more I think about it the easier it is to think of the very few top skiers who are more back like Emil in that shuffle sprint style acceleration, Kowalczyc slap-running up the hills.

The hips should begin literally high in order to be in a position where the center of mass is forward and up, which is a position that it can be dropped down onto the ski. You can't drop something from the level of the floor - to over state the point. And to turn the question around, how can you drop your hips if they aren't high? And in terms kids understand - you have to get up, to get down. The same is true for double pole and V2 and V2 alternate at higher speeds where the application of force is both lateral and up and down as well as applied more quickly like a classical kick. It is less true in V1 where the motion is much more lateral and much less or not at all up and down as well as (except in the case of jump skating) applied over a longer period of time.

Anyway back to classical, to experiment, try putting force down from a low crouch. Measure your force with an old-style bathroom scale. Then try from a high position. No question what the result will be. Try to apply force down with your weight back and low. What force you can apply cannot be applied quickly. Try to apply force down quickly from anything but a high and forward position and it is slow and laborious. To apply force down quickly, maximally and efficiently in any sport the hips should begin high and forward. If your skiers are walking around on straight legs they are closer to good technique than if they are walking around in a low crouch. And they are less fatigued. But in neither case are they skiing. Through the motions of skiing in different terrain and conditions and the differences you see in body type there is a range of high and forward.

Stride length is follow through.

What is (obviously) the important outcome of position, motion and application of power is the speed they ski. This is accomplished through power / effectiveness of the kick not stride length. Stride length can result from a powerful kick and in a lot of terrain should but does not contribute to it. Similarly and more importantly the length of the glide should result from speed but does not directly contribute to speed. If anything skiers are trying too hard to have a long stride and this decreases the power they can put into the kick which decreases their speed. This mostly results from trying to ski big and long, which puts them in a back and low position. The number one fault of most skiers is over-striding. It is also the technical fault of most runners. Trying to ski with a long glide generally just leads to bogging down and most skiers should shorten their stride earlier in transitions to maintain momentum rather than try to milk a long glide.

Frost Mountain Nordic is the 2011 NENSA Club of the Year

2011-10-27T10:03:00.000-07:00

This article was first posted on October 18, 2011 on NENSA.net.

Summary:

NENSA is pleased as punch to announce that Frost Mountain Nordic is the 2011 Club of the Year!

NENSA is pleased to announce that Frost Mountain Nordic is the 2011 NENSA Club of the Year! Frost Mountain is the club that serves Nordic skiers in the greater Middlebury, VT region. Dia Jenks, one of the club’s major organizers, says “Frost Mountain is at a juncture, where we are building on our momentum of the last few years and looking to the future development of our club.” That’s a great place to be in!

You will remember them from the spectacular TD Bank BKL Festival that they put on last year at Rikert Touring Center in Ripton, VT. Many thanks go out to the amazing BKL crew led by Chris & Barney Hodges and Bruce & Sarah Ingersoll, who hosted the biggest Festival yet with over 500 skiers and their families. Careful planning, attention to detail, and good humor were the key components in pulling off this complex and overwhelming event. The club was able to draw on the energy of their highly successful (and fun!) BKL program to provide this opportunity for the skiers of New England.

Frost Mountain Nordic promotes cross-country skiing for all ages and abilities in the mountains once home to Robert Frost in central Vermont. The club is a community-based, umbrella organization for the Bill Koch League (ages 7-13), middle and high school teams, masters’ team, and recreational skiers. They organize a weekly race series, group skis, back-country skis, camps, training groups, race teams, clinics, and occasional social events. Basically they do it all!

The club has been in existence now for 4 snow seasons and has grown exponentially to now have over 160 members. There is a tremendous amount of energy in this Vermont region and the club has an infectious spirit that draws in participants and helpers readily. Frosties typically ski at either Blueberry Hill in Goshen, VT or at the Rikert Touring Center in Ripton, VT. This club is situated in an outdoor-lover’s paradise: mountains, groomed trails, and back-country adventures galore!

Sue Halpren, FMN member, raves about the friendliness of the club. “Frost Mountain Nordic is incredibly inclusive. We’ve got high-level racers, but we’ve also older folks and little kids and people who just like to get together and be outside on skis. Because we have so many programs aimed at the whole range of skiers, we are able to draw in lots of participants.”

Head Coach Cam MacKugler (Middlebury College Alum) is dedicated to furthering the program and supporting all the members at the highest level. He works with all ages in the club, from BKL to Masters skiers, with organized practices, summer and winter camps, Sunday distance skis, and training during the week. One of the favorite events of the summer was an Orienteering Challenge that Cam designed in New Haven, VT.

Frost Mountain Nordic is also lucky to have some changes going on at Rikert to better support them. Mike Hussey, Rikert’s Touring Center Director, has a number of projects up his sleeve: trail work & design, homologation, and improvements to the building are just some of excitement going on in Ripton. Andrew Gardner (Middlebury College Head Nordic Coach) writes in the ski team’s blog, “Tropical Storm Irene slowed the process but as of today, all the trees necessary to remove from the site are down and the ebb and flow of what will be one of the best courses in the country is beginning to take shape…The home of the Middlebury Ski team is soon to be home to an Eastern course favorite.”

In addition to enjoying groomed skiing at Blueberry Hill and Rikert, Frosties are also able to enjoy the splendors of the backcountry, with tours being led by Andy McIntosh throughout the winter. New this year, in addition to his annual, Secret Trails of Ripton tour, Andy will also be hosting an “Out with the Old, In With the New” tour to explore some of the new Catamount Trail sections.

Congratulations to Frost Mountain Nordic for all their hard work to promote Nordic skiing in New England! Make sure you check out their blog to find out more about what they’re up to.

Star-studded BKL crew showing off their true colors at the 2011 TD Bank BKL Festival.

Robert Frost's Birthday Celebration where Frosties celebrate in style!

Malia and Abby show off their tandem style at Robert Frost's Birthday!

Cam MacKugler Named 2012 Junior Nationals Coach

2011-10-12T05:20:00.000-07:00

Our head coach, Cam MacKugler, has been named as one of the coaches for the 2012 Junior Nationals! Also, former Middlebury College nordie, Kate Barton, has been asked to coach, too. To learn more, read below as first posted on NENSA on October 12, 2012.

2012 New England Junior Nationals Coaching Staff named

Posted by: Janice Sibilia

Summary:

2012 USSA Junior Nationals will take place at the Soldier Hollow venue, home of the 2002 Olympics! The New England trip to JN's requires a solid staff of waxers, testers, and age group coaches and the folks who take care of the logistics for a 65 + person team.

Congratulations to the following coaches and staff who will be traveling to SoHo:

This March the team will be spending time with a diverse group of coaches- many who are multi-time veterans and also a few coaches who are newer to the JN trip. The enthusiasm is high already and planning well in the works to make this a successful trip for the athletes.

Head coach: Matt Boobar- SMS. Matt returns for another year after an Alaska Cup 'Three-peat'! Can the team bring it home again?

Team Leader: Janice Sibilia- NENSA. The lodging is set for the team to stay at the Zermott Hotel, vans are reserved, meals being planned and lots of other stuff that goes along with this trip!

Head Wax Coach/ classic: Justin Beckwith- GMVS. Justin returns for his third year in this role, and is well versed in getting the best kick possible for the athletes.

Glide Wax Tech: Nick Mahood, Woodstock Nordic Racing Team. Nick joins us for the first time this year, and will bring an extensive wax background with him to SoHo.

Wax testers: Tim Caldwell, Ford Sayre- Our ace tester for kick wax, Tim is already training to be able to withstand the roughly 50 km a day he will ski in Utah! Cam MacKluger, Frost Mtn Nordic, also joins the team for the first time as a coach and will be testing glide with Nick.

The Age Group Coaches bring a wealth of knowledge with them along with a wonderful enthusiasm and are excited about heading west to Midway, UT. The coaches are:

Rob Bradlee- CSU, Liz Kantack-SMS, Kate barton-Burke Mtn Academy, Pepa Milocheva-Craftsbury, Dennis Donahue-Ford Sayre, and Nina Gavriluk, Gunstock Nordic

A big thanks to all of the staff who without them, the trip could not happen. Also, if you are a parent who thinks you might like to help out either from home or on the ground in Utah, please drop a note to Janice Sibilia at janice@nensa.net.

Breadloaf and Beyond: Improvement Taking Shape at the Rikert Touring Center

2011-09-30T06:06:00.000-07:00

by Agardner on SEPTEMBER 29, 2011 in NORDIC

“If you had told me we’d have all the logging for the new trail done by 3 this afternoon, I would have told you, you were crazy.” – Mike Hussey on the progress of the new race trail.

Patty Ross and Mike Hussey survey the scene.

Since beginning the process of the new trail roughly a year ago, there have been a solid stream of goals and objectives. Approval from the college, approval from Ripton town residents, approval from the state by way of an Act 250 permit and a lengthy planning process with alum and renown trail builder, John Morton and his business partner, David Lindahl were just steps along the way. Tropical Storm Irene slowed the process but as of today, all the trees necessary to remove from the site are down and the ebb and flow of what will be one of the best courses in the country is beginning to take shape. Excavation rolls soon and with plans to race the new trail at this year’s carnival events, there’s a lot of work to be done to get it to a race-ready condition. Early visits with FIS representatives have taken place with more to follow soon. The home of the Middlebury Ski team is soon to be home to an Eastern course favorite.

Simultaneously, the touring center itself is getting a facelift, improved adaptive bathroom facilities and indoor access to the second floor promising a wider more inviting place to enjoy some soup out of the cold, pick up a tin of wax and figure out the conditions of the moment.

The touring center's new look takes shape.

This blog was first posted on Middlebury Skiing. read more...

BKL FALL FUN

2011-09-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

From the top of Worth Mountain.

You'll find some of us

out-standing in our field.

Embracing the last daring splashes of summer.

Laying in wait for Jack Frost to arrive.

To the top of Snake Mountain!

where we stretch, perform some M(ountain)Yoga,

munch on some yummy treats, take a deep breath and enjoy the view!

Have fun and see you at the next stop.

More Festival Photos

2011-02-28T18:51:00.000-08:00

Clyde Malhatra and Zach Wilkerson

L to R: Kim Callahan, Linda Punderson and Maggie passing out hot cocoa
at Robert Frost's cabin. Kim even recited poetry. This was
a stop on a 10K loop for the Bill Koch kids and
their families. The skiing was beautiful!

L to R: Keith Wilkerson and Nick Wilkerson minutes after Nick's race.

L to R: Barney Hodges and Sam Hodges.

What would we have done without Donald Remeniak (far right) and his help
in feeding all the little hungry squirrels, mice, raccoons and bears. Cam (far left)
and Anders (middle) shift from waxing 170 pairs of skis to
flipping (and eating) a few burgers.

Circle-Of-Life of Skiers

2011-02-28T17:45:00.001-08:00

Below is a letter that Cam MacKuglar, our Frost Mountain Nordic coach, sent out today to his high schoolers, college kid and masters. We thought you would enjoy it, too. Cam waxed over 170 pairs of BKL skis this past weekend with the help of Anders Meyers. Wow!

Hey Frosties,

Firstly a huge thanks to all of you who helped out at the Festival this past week! I know that I had a ton of fun (despite only being in the background on tv and thus ruining my future movie-stardom), and it was really awesome to see how huge the sport is now! 525 registrants, insaaaane!!! I think the coolest part of the festival, for me at least, was really seeing and appreciating the circle-of-life (cue Elton John) of skiers and alums of the BKYL. You had a Middlebury College Ski Team captain organizing the event, ex US team coaches waxing and coaching, an Olympic silver medalist cheering on his son, foreign Olympians waxing up a storm, national champions forerunning, even the volunteers at the finish were NCAA all-americans and ex US team members!! That right there is a testimony to the sport, but also to the characters that it creates. These ex athletes and coaches have been on tv, raced internationally, competed in Olympics, nationals, college, and all enthusiastically volunteered to help usher the next generation of racers into the spotlight. That was really cool.

Tiger Zach Wilkerson

So with the festival behind us we're now in our own competition time! States, Loppets, World Masters, Eastern Highschools... you get the picture. This is how this week is going to break down: (remember that we're tapering right now, so I give you coaches' permission to put your feet up on your desks, take the elevator, and drive to the road to get your mail... the goal is to rest and be super recovered for your big races)

Thanks again so much for you all being total rockstars this past weekend and helping out, although I do have one question- who helped Zach write his name on his bib?

Cheers!

Cam

A good guess is that there were over 1,000 pairs of skis!

Individual Races and Painted Faces

2011-02-28T05:59:00.001-08:00

This article was first posted on Nensa.net

UPDATE: Results added. Stellar individual races at the 2011 TD Bank Bill Koch Festival wrapped up a very successful weekend for the Frost Mountain Crew in Ripton, Vermont.

Link to Results:

What an amazing weekend - and the weather was no slouch, either! For day-2 of the TD Bank BKL Festival, Mother Winter brought low temps and fresh snow at night, and the grooming team at Rikert Touring Center delivered beautiful, packed powder tracks all day. For today's individual classic races, the waxing was easy - your choice of just-north-of Extra Blue for kick wax - and the lanes were lined with super fans.

Local photographer Pam Quinn captured the faces and scenery throughout the weekend. Visit her collection here.

The photos below were taken with a GoPro camera hidden in the fur of a festival fox.

Isabelle Serrano sporting aerodynamic butterfly face paint and feathers, awaiting the race start.

Superfans line the lap lane to cheer on their favorite animals.

Disco Dog adds some pep to the final climb into the stadium.

Grade 1-2 skiers learn the fast-paced nature of a 15-second interval start.

Building a ski jump overlooking the Breadloaf Campus and site of the BKL Festival stadium.

Getting lined up for the start of a high-speed chase of Bucky Beaver and Disco Dog.

Lollipoppers gather mid-day to take a celebratory tour around the main field against a backdrop of cheering spectators.

Caden Cote watches on as Sam Hodges hands out lollipops to the eager finishers.

The picturesque yellow buildings of the Breadloaf Campus and Rikert Touring Center.

Taking a short break for chili bowls and apple cider in the lunch barn.

Fox, Squirrel, and Mice in Ripton, Vermont for Racing & Fun!

2011-02-27T16:26:00.000-08:00

This post first appeared on Nensa.

by BKL Alum Jake Whitcomb (a.k.a Bucky Beaver from New Haven) who attended the 2011 TD Bank BKL Festival today at the Rikert Touring Center in Ripton, Vermont.

Saturday, February 26, 2011 - Ripton, Vermont: Under snow-covered trees amidst skiers, parents, and volunteers of all ages in woodland creature-themed attire, athletes aged 5 to 13 descended upon Rikert Ski Touring Center in Ripton, Vermont today for the annual Bill Koch Cross-Country Ski Festival. The annual event brings youth skiers in New England a weekend of championship races as well as non-competitive open activities for families and festival-goers. With the close of the opening day's events, 515 registered racers had competed in a mixed-age relay race and an adventurous tour around Rikert's beautiful trail network, making for the most attended BKYL Festival to date.

The festival is rooted in the philosophy that cross-country ski racing with friends is both competitive and fun, explained Bill Koch, the 1978 Olympic silver medalist from Peru, Vermont-namesake and inspiration for the youth league. "Racing comes and goes, but skiing stays forever." This year's BKYL Festival brings a unique theme and the tradition of over 100 volunteers and organizers coming together to encourage courteous competition - faster racers that call "track" are given the right of way - and an event that celebrates the participation of all - from Olympic hopefuls to first-year participants.

To embody this year's theme, "Skiing by the Woods on a Snowy Day," racers and festival goers alike will be greeted all weekend with activities ranging from an opening parade (see video: http://gallery.me.com/maxkcobb#100368), to event videos at the local high-school awards banquet, a ski terrain park, a ‘mini-marathon' by poet Robert Frost's former summer residence, an animal-costume themed ski loop, and over 30 attending ski clubs from Madawasaka, Maine, to Rochester, New York, to Bedford, Massachusetts. There were the Berkshire Trails ‘Beavers' from western Massachusetts, a family of skunks, bears, moose, birds, canines and critters of all kinds.

For full results of the day's races see the NENSA website: http://nensa.net/news/index.php?id=4643

Here are some more pictures of the day: http://quinnpics.smugmug.com/

The following photos are from a GoPro camera that Abby Weissman was wearing today at the Festival. Fun!

Porcupine Alley!

Dani LeBlanc (GMVS skier) paints faces!

Festival organizers enjoying the sun in a rare quiet moment.
L to R: Amelia Ingersoll, Bruce Ingersoll, Barney Hodges and Chris Hodges

Eastern Ski Jumping set up a jumping site on the hill!

Malcom and Nina Badger enjoying some time between races.

Author and a family of skunks from Mountain Top.

Snowy Animals Parade

2011-02-26T19:24:00.000-08:00

The TD North Bill Koch Festival kicked off today with the Snowy Animals Parade.

Frost Mountain Nordic BKL leading the parade.

Mike Hussey

Abby Weissman

Sam the squirrel

Little skunk

Let the Festival Begin

2011-02-25T18:13:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow begins the 2011 TD North Bill Koch Festival. The theme this year is stopping by the woods on a snowy evening. Chipmunk, bear, mice, skunks, bears, porcupines, badgers and moose, who are really children, ages 6-13 on skis, will kick off the Festival in the Animals Parade on Saturday morning. Here is a preview of what else is to come:

Bear Den Trail
Kids are asked to visit the Bear Den and to pretend to live in a den and eat a little bear food while they are getting ready to wake up to those long spring days! The Bear Den trail is a short loop in the woods adjacent to the main field and there will other forest animals waking up along the way.

Mini-Marathon
The mini-marathon or Forest Animal Cruise, as we've dubbed it, will be open all day Saturday and Sunday. The tour will take a child along Breadloaf's beautiful trails with a stop at the Robert Frost Cabin, which was Frost's summer poetry writing spot. Along the way the child will play a poetry game and see and read about some of the interesting natural features of our forest. Between 2 pm and 4 pm on Saturday, there will be hot chocolate at the Robert Frost Cabin, the halfway point of the tour!

Individual and Relay Races
There will be a skate relay race and classic individual race.
There will be food! Wholesome, locally made vegetarian soups, chowders, chili, brownies, Rice Krispie treats, cookies, muffins as well as coffee, tea, lemonade and hot chocolate we be for sale at the race site. Sunrise Orchard apples and cider will be on hand and hot dogs, sausages and veggies burgers will be on the grill. Pricing will be reasonable.

Ski Jumping Demonstration
Coaches and athletes from Eastern Ski Jumping will be on hand to help kids try out the mini-jump that they have set up. Stop by and see them and give it a shot!

Terrain Park
Check out the terrain park for some fun with jumps and obstacles!

Sit-Skiers Fly Through Hill and Gale

2011-02-20T08:08:00.000-08:00

Ten sit-skiers braved the wind and cold to compete in Frost Mountain's second annual carnival adaptive race. The 3k course took the skiers around the stadium field in sometimes white-out conditions, then up and over Battell and back into the field for a final lap. It was a tough course, in tough conditions, yet everyone powered up the hills and negotiated the downhill turns with finesse. At the end of the day, last year's winners, Brian Genovese and Alicia Dana, members of UNH's Northeast Passage, took home the vaunted first place maple syrup prize. Frosties were out in full-force to guide the sit-skiers as they made their way around the course, assisted by members of the MUHS nordic team. The grooming crew, led by Michael Hussey, did a fantastic job in difficult conditions, as did the timers, sprinting over from the sprint action across the road as soon as the men's college race was over. Thanks to everyone who helped, and to the Rikert staff and to Middlebury's Andrew Gardner and Patty Ross for including FMN adaptive in the carnival mix. For more photos, check out our album.

More smiles at the Citizens Race

2011-02-18T09:21:00.000-08:00

More photos from last Sunday's Citizen Race at Rikert Ski Touring Center.

Amelia Ingersoll all smiles.

L to R: Eric Warren, Rowan Warren, Amelia Ingersoll and Ingrid Punderson

Sarah Wesson waxed and ready.

L to R: Eric Warren, Carrie Herzog, Nathlalie Ingersoll and Sarah Ingersoll.

Breadloaf Citizen's Race 2011

2011-02-18T08:52:00.000-08:00

This article was first posted on Nensa.

FEBRUARY 17, 2011

Summary: Last Sunday there was a great Citizens Race at the Rikert Touring Center in Ripton, Vermont (also the site of this year's TD Bank Bill Koch Festival). Check out photos below!

There was a festive atmosphere in the air as local skiers gathered (many in costume) to celebrate a mild mid-winter day at their home touring center. Lots of smiles for skiers of all ages who classic and skate skied the 5k woodsy course. Participants were greeted at the end by warm snacks and plenty of great raffle and age category prizes!

More photos can be found on NENSA's Flickr page here!

Woody Jackson with lots of racers in the starting lap around the field!

Chas Lyons showing off the 1980s Rossi colors...

Todd Kincaid on the last hill!

Tom Hussey tests out his Festival costume for aerodynamics...

Racers of all ages skiing together!

Training is Paying Off!

2011-02-15T16:20:00.000-08:00

All smiles after a good day of racing. L to R: Lydia Allen, Britta Clark and Alia Johnson

Britta Clark on course.

Hey Frosties,

I just want to express how proud I am of all y'all. Its wicked awesome to see how well your training is paying off, and see you all turning into really strong skiers! This weekend was awesome on so many levels, the high schoolers crushed Eastern High School Qualifiers, and from what I've heard so far regarding the citizens race FMN has turned out a couple victories and all-around solid efforts! Everyone put in tremendous efforts this weekend but special props have to go out to Alia for her 16th place in the EHSC skate race (WITH BAD SHINS!!!), and Kelsey for his solid races too!!! These two came in without any real intention of qualifying for anything and after their efforts realized that they are a force to be reckoned with and some of the top skiers in the state!!!! Will Earle also retaliated after a tough morning classic race with an awesome skate race and ended up as one of the EHSC alternates. Britta and Lydia both qualified for the EHSC team and will be representing the 802 in the final championships in rumford, ME, with hopefully Will and Alia joining them as alternates! I just want to say to all of you, from my experience, Vermont always wins Eastern High School Championships, and in the past 8 years New England has usually won the Alaska Cup (best region) at Junior Nationals: so pat yourselves on the back, you guys are some of the best racers in the best state in the best region of the ENTIRE country. Not too shabby!

Alia Johnson powering over the hill.

So here's how this week is going to work out for you all: As a reminder this weekend is Middlebury Carnival so there will be some INSANELY exciting division 1 college races going on at breadloaf on Friday and Saturday. I HIGHLY recommend that you all go out there, not only to cheer on the panthers, but to also soak in all of nordic knowledge that is there. Walk by the college tents as they're frantically waxing, watch what athletes are doing for their warmups, watch their techniques as they cruise about the course, watch their aggressive double-poling during the mass start, watch how colleges team up to support each other, watch how drafting is used in the mass start race.... You could essentially LEARN how to ski after watching a race like this, so take the opportunity to soak it all in!! I will be there all weekend so definitely feel free to ask me to explain anything for you, or answer any questions you might have. I am your nordic interpretor!

Cam

A Truly Spectacular Event Planned

2011-02-11T06:43:00.000-08:00

This post first appeared on Nensa.com on February 11, 2011.

This year's crew [Frost Mountain Nordic BKL] has a truly spectacular event planned for the 2011 TD Bank Bill Koch Festival in Ripton, Vermont! Don't miss out. Get registered today to join in the fun!

This year's crew has a truly spectacular event planned for the 2011 TD Bank Bill Koch Festival in Ripton, Vermont. There will be races, healthy and local snacks, a challenging and magical mini-marathon with poetry clues and games, hot chocolate, stunning prizes, a lavish silent auction, woodland animal costumes, a Bear Den trail for the littlest skiers (and those young at heart!), goody bags choc full of fun presents, live music, and plenty of other surprises! Don't miss it!

Can't wait to see you all there!

To find out more info....

To register go here...

Blue Hats With White Stars

2011-02-09T21:19:00.000-08:00

Pausing briefly in the Horse Pasture at 4 pm, Bill Kochers show off their new team hat.

The Frost Mountain Nordic Bill Koch League is gearing up for the upcoming Bill Koch Festival we are hosting at Rikert the last weekend in February. Between 400-500 kids and their families are expected to join in on the fun. Have you noticed the new hats made by Carrie Herzog in bright blue with white stars? These are the new Bill Koch League team hats. Go Frosties!

Frosties Glide Fast at Trapp's Eastern Cup and Lake Placid Loppet

2011-02-09T06:35:00.001-08:00

Alia Johnson powering out of the start.

This is an excerpt of an email from Cam to the Juniors and Masters after competing at Trapp's Eastern Cup Race and the Lake Placid Loppet last weekend.

I want to give some well deserved shout-outs to all the racers of last week. Will, Rick, and Kelsey competed in their first ever 15k and looked super strong even despite worsening classic conditions! Mia and Lisa both stood on the podium and won some delicious Lake Champlain chocolates after both skiing a fabulous race. Britta and Alia tore up the weekend as well, both of them beating several college racers! Meanwhile in Lake Placid Bill threw down a first place finish for his age in the Lake Placid Loppet and a 9th place overall!!!

Glad to see y'all putting the hard training to work and capitalizing on your summer and fall efforts!

Britta Clark

So this weekend will follow the same progression that we have been on, recovering after a weekend of racing and then ramping up for another weekend of racing.

Frosties at the Eastern Cup

2011-02-06T19:47:00.000-08:00

Cam and Anders waxing up.

Britta Clark

Alia Johnson with a powerful start.

Emma looking strong!

Wagon Wheel

2011-01-31T07:48:00.000-08:00

First posted January 17, 2011 by Jeff in Ski Touring.

Last Sunday finally gave me what I was looking for – blue skies, blue wax conditions (for those of you on waxable cross-country skis) and great snow cover – perfect for the first ski posting of the season. I decided to begin the day’s ski from my home area- the Rikert Ski Touring Center operated by Middlebury College, and make the route a mixture of well-groomed touring center trails and lightly traveled remote paths. The day’s route began by reversing the route described in one of my posts from last winter, entitled “The Robert Frost Cabin”. Heading up Craig’s Hill, the beauty of the fresh snow and groomed trail provided all I needed to justify stopping for a picture.

Fresh Snow on Craig's Hill

At the top of the first hill, I took a left on the “Figure 8″ trail, and then followed the signs leading to the Frost Cabin. The lack of any truly bitter cold subzero days this winter have made it so that many of the surface streams are still running, rather than iced over, and in a few spots, I had to chose my path carefully to avoid waterskiing. Around the periphery of the Frost Fields, the 2-3 inches of snow from the previous nights snow on packed trail made for pretty easy skiing, but the snow was up to my knees in the unpacked powder! Joining the trail heading into the woods behind the Frost cabin at the top of the meadow, which by this point in the season was pretty well packed by previous skiers, brought me to the site of the title of this entry – the Wagon Wheel Road.
The Wagon Wheel Road was so named due to the presence of dance hall by that name which operated at the end of the road, where the Rikert Trails meet the road, until about 60 years ago. I wanted to try and find a source of information on this former Ripton hot spot, but found the best information from an unlikely source. A friend told me that a well-done booklet on the history of Ripton was put together by the 5th and 6th grade classes of the Ripton Elementary School back in 1996, and that it might have some information on The Wagon Wheel. Fortunately, I learned that a copy of this book was available on the bookshelves of the Rikert Touring Center. According to this source, the dance hall operated from 1950-1952 with dancing every Saturday night in the summer, and was owned an operated by one Leonard Zeeman. Although the language used to describe this site is appropriately guarded, given the age of the authors, one gets the impression that it was a pretty wild place! They also report that the owner, who was also a contractor, collected enough beer bottles that he used them to build the cellar walls of a home he constructed in Middlebury. The dance hall stood derelict until 1962, when it was torn down, leaving behind just another cellar hole. With all the snow, there was no chance of finding this, but a small clearing at the end of the road appears to be a good place to begin searching for it in the spring.

Possible site of "The Wagon Wheel"

My original plan was to follow the Wagon Wheel Rd as far as I could towards its source in the more civilized parts of Ripton, but was surprised by the fact that the upper reaches of the road were actually plowed. There was enough snow at first, but after about a km, the cover got too thin to ski, so I reversed my path, and headed back to the touring center. When I reached the Frost meadow, I took the upper trail back, which led to the well-groomed tracks on the outer Frost trail. From this high point on the terrain, I descended to the touring center to complete this 11.5 km route.
Once again, I am reverting to the common use of metric measurements when describing nordic ski routes, as is common. Curiously, the only time I have received any “troll comments” on my postings was last winter when one reader took offense at my use of this Unamerican system of measurement!

Google Earth of the route

Altitude Profile

Widows Clearing to Blueberry Hill is Fantastic

2011-01-31T06:19:00.000-08:00

Ten Frosties posing on the Goshen Dam from L to R: Alia Johnson, Britta Clark, Kelsey MacGlashan, Coach Cameron MacKuglar, Lisa Berardin, Dia Jenks, Rick Klein, Bill McKibben and Mia Allen.

Thanks to efforts from groomers from Rikert and Blueberry Hill and snowmobilers, the trail is sublime from Widows Clearing to Blueberry Hill.

Ladies Lead Frosties' Craftsbury Effort

2011-01-29T18:51:00.000-08:00

Mia Allen and Lisa Bernardin--second and fourth place in the women's 50-59 age group in the 25k event--led the Frost Mountain Nordic contingent Saturday at the Craftsbury Marathon, New England's largest nordic race. The event was held on perfect snow with temperatures in the 20s, and thanks to coach McKuglar, everyone had well-waxed skis, with enough fluorocarbon for fast progress in the hard tracks. Rick Klein--in just his second race outing--placed in the top 10 in the 60 and above category. Bill McKibben also had a solid race placing in the top ten in the 50-59 age group. Go Frosties!

Mia Allen wrote "The race was fun - beautiful snow, tracks, temp. Quite an improvement over last year. My skis were expertly waxed, kick great - loved them. Haven't seen overall results but I was second in my age category. Trina beat me by 5 min. I think. I love that she's out there at age 65, pulling us along - our carrot!"

Three Frosties Wear Bibs

2011-01-17T13:55:00.000-08:00

On a cold and beautiful Sunday morning, three of the Ripton Frosties met up at 7 a.m. for the drive to Montpelier and the Maple Onion 15k skate race. Rick Klein--having driven 600 miles the day before--was behind the wheel, and soon got us to the Morse Farm ski area three miles past the capitol building. We were the very first ones to register, which gave us plenty of time to tour the 5 k loop; it wound through a couple of open fields, and then into a narrow corridor through the woods, ending with a couple of steep and sweeping descents back into the starting field. About 60 people were on hand for the race, including some very capable racers fresh out of college--when the gun sounded they were off fast, and the rest of us strung out behind. The snow was soft, which meant it was hard work skating; there were no steep uphills but lots of long, grinding ones.

Anyway, Mia Allen came in 4th among the women--missing the podium by 8 seconds, and Rick Klein was second in the 60+ age group. Mostly it was fun to do it as a team--and to have bibs on for the first time this season!

Canadian Ski Marathon Returns Skiing To Its Roots

2011-01-10T09:01:00.000-08:00

First posted in the New York Times
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 10, 2011

Skiing 100 miles over two days is hard enough. Try doing it carrying a 30-pound pack and camping out overnight in temperatures that can drop below zero.

Welcome to the Canadian Ski Marathon, where an emphasis on adventure and camaraderie return cross-country skiing to its origins.

"I really like that it's a classic event," says Mary Peabody, referring to the marathon's traditional kick-and-glide skiing. "So much of skiing nowadays is skating. You go fast and look cool. This kind of brings it down to the roots of skiing." To read more click here.

Pole Length

2011-01-08T07:10:00.000-08:00

This post first appeared on SkiPost.com on January 6, 2010

I have been hearing from a few folks out my way that ski poles for skating are on average getting a bit longer. The explanation is that with more and more skiers using the V2 technique, that it makes sense to go up in length so that one can get more torque with the poles. I am not able to explain very clearly, but thought you might have an opinion on this subject. I am thinking I would get a greater glide if my poles were longer. Your thoughts please... I am 6'tall and use 170's and they come up to just about the bottom of my nose.

Yes, poles on average have been getting longer due to a couple of reasons. 1. Skiing has gotten faster due to improvements in technique, equipment, and wax. The faster average speed you ski, the longer the pole will be. 2. Skiers have recently emphasized strength much more than in the past. Stronger skiers = longer poles. 3. For the highest speeds (sprint races) they use longer poles. Sprinting has impacted distance skiing in many aspects, poles included. Personally, I don't think having skate poles with a height past your nose is necessary. Somewhere in between the chin and nose is good. Classic poles should fit uncomfortably under the armpits. Longer poles can add speed but shorter poles help ensure proper technique (an overlooked advantage on hilly distance courses). In the end, it comes down to personal preference. Go with what feels right!
Gus Keading CXC Team

Tom this is the Elite athletes answer. For us Master skiers who do not hit the weight room nor get up on our toes and have an overall slower turnover and more docile technique the old rules still apply your height in inches less 20cm for skate and less 30 for classic is the target to consider. Andy at SkiPost

Britta, Alia and Will at the Eastern Cup

2010-12-20T09:25:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, December 19, Britta Clark, Alia Johnson and Will Earle raced in the TD Bank Eastern Cup as a warm-up for their first high school race on Tuesday. Tim Reynolds, a former Frost Mountain Nordic coach and Middlebury College alum won the race in a close finish. Britta and Will are Co-Captains of this year's MUHS team and Alia races for Mt. Abe. See Nensa article below.

Britta Clark's (left) final cork.


Britta Clark striding out.


Alia Johnson shows how to work the terrain.

Will Earle on course.

TD Bank Eastern Cup Day 2: Reynolds and Caldwell Repeat

This post first appear on Nensa.net

Jericho, VT – The Ethan Allen Firing Range hosted today’s TD Bank Eastern Cup. The original host, the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, had enough snow to pull of yesterday’s freestyle sprint on their own trails, but felt that moving to Jericho for the longer mass start classic races would provide the best possible racing conditions for the athletes. They were right. With temperatures in the mid-twenties, easy waxing, and a beautiful race course, smiles were everywhere at today’s events.

The biggest smiles might have been from Tim Reynolds (Craftsbury Green Racing Project) and Sophie Caldwell (Dartmouth College) who completed sweeps of the weekend’s racing. Each won both today’s 12K classic and yesterday 1.3K freestyle sprint.

Tim Reynolds (Craftsbury Green Racing Project) takes the big victory over teammate Patrick O'Brien. Photo by FlyingPointRoad.com

The day began with the J2s, athletes aged fifteen and younger. In the boys race it was the experience of Hamish McEwan (CSU) and Tyler Foulkes (Stratton Mountain School) edging out Ben Hegman (Mansfield Nordic) who enters his first year in the age group. The sprint to the finish between Halvorsen and Brams was perhaps the most intense of the day. The girls were next and once again, it was the 2nd year J2s Heidi Halvorsen (GMVS) and Cate Brams (CSU) taking first and second with 1st year J2 Brooke Mooney (Stratton) taking third. The sprint to the finish between Halvorsen and Brams was perhaps the most intense of the day.

Collegiate standouts Sophie Caldwell (Dartmouth) and Caitlin Patterson (UVM) dueled at the front of the women’s race. In the end, it was Caldwell gliding to a 2.6 second victory. About 20 seconds later, Heather Mooney (Stratton) crossed the line to take the top junior spot and third on the podium.

Women's Podium. Sophie Caldwell (1st), Caitlin Patterson (2nd).
Missing: Heather Mooney. Photo by FlyingPointRoad.com

Men's Podium L to R: O'brien (2nd), Reynolds (1st) and Horst (3rd). Photo by FlyingPointRoad.com.

The men’s race stayed in a pack until Reynolds, his teammate Patrick O’brien, and UVM’s Scott Patterson broke away on the third of four laps. While the break was not huge, it was enough to decide the podium. Reynolds stretched across the line 1.6 seconds ahead of O’brien with Patterson another 4.5 seconds behind. In grabbing third, 2010 World Junior Championship standout Patterson also grabbed top junior honors.

The first weekend of TD Bank Eastern Cup racing concluded and will be remembered for excellent conditions despite general lack of snowfall so far this winter. It will also be remembered for attracting very strong fields on both the men’s and women’s side. Momentum from this event will help carry New England athletes to success at the upcoming US Nationals January 2-8 in Rumford, Maine and the next Eastern Cup on January 30th at Weston Ski Track, just outside of Boston.

TD Bank Eastern Cup events are sanctioned by the International Skiing Federation (FIS), the United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) and NENSA; it is widely recognized as the premiere regionally skiing circuit in the United States, attracting strength of fields second only to the Super Tour in this country.

See NENSA.net for full details, and after the event, check back for results, photos, and more. For immediate updates during the events, follow the athletes and coaches directly at www.twitter.com/nensa/athletes

Frost Mountain Bill Koch League Starts The Season

2010-12-18T15:41:00.000-08:00

Caroline Damon (above) said, "My spirits are buoyed as I look over the field and see so many children out skiing and enjoying the snow."

The Frost Mountain Bill Koch League had their first on-snow Saturday morning session up at Breadloaf. Just under one hundred kids and their families were out gliding over the fields.

Silas, who is a Bill Kocher, and his dad, Woody (right), had already been out doing their stuff. When asked how the skiing was today, Silas said "Good," as he shuffled his skis back and forth. He couldn't wait to end the conversation and get back to skiing.
"We could use a little more snow," said Woody, "but I am so glad to be outside and it is so beautiful."

Frost Mountain Nordic Bill Koch League is hosting the 2011 TD North Bill Koch League Festival the end of February. Forest animals will comprise this year's theme to the festival.

Skiing By the Woods on A Snowy Day

2010-12-17T07:48:00.000-08:00

The 2011 TD Bank Bill Koch Festival will be held at Rikert Ski Touring Center (click here for map of area) on Middlebury College's Bread Loaf Campus in Ripton, VT on February 26^th and 27^th. The Breadloaf area was the summer home of Robert Frost and is the year round home to many forest animals, both of which will comprise the theme for this year's festival. Start thinking about your costume for this year's opening parade! Raccoons, squirrels, mice, deer, moose, bobcat, bear, fox and even skunk are all invited! Kids, ages 5-13, will be participating in the festival which includes two days of competitive and non-competitive events. We are proud to be the host site in 2011! http://www.bklfestival2011.org/

For more information email Bruce Ingersoll (bruce@keewaydin.org) or Christiana Hodges (christiana.hodges@gmail.com)

Gliding Under A December Moon

2010-12-17T06:54:00.000-08:00

When the sun sets at 4:30 p.m. in December, skiers may be seen gliding by as the mountains turn a dusty mauve and the moon rises over Breadloaf.

Dry-land training

2010-12-16T19:01:00.000-08:00

First posted in Middlebury Magazine.
by Robert Keren | Photography by Robert Keren

You have probably seen them roll by. Dressed in tights, helmets, and orange safety vests, there they go again. It’s the Middlebury College cross-country ski team on roller skis.

Often in groups of 10 or 12, the men and women skiers take to the paved roads around the College for demanding workouts starting in September and continuing until, well, until there’s enough snow on the ground for actual skiing.

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Roller-skiing workouts start at the Peterson Athletic Center (above), loop around the country roads surrounding the College, and return about two hours later.

Like a short ski on two wheels, roller skis have been used for Nordic dry-land training for decades. And because the action is almost identical to cross-country skiing on snow, Middlebury athletes on roller skis develop balance, rhythm, muscle strength, and cardio-vascular capacity in the weeks and months leading up to the skiing season. They can also refine their techniques since there are two types of roller skis: one with wider wheels for classic skiing and another with narrower wheels for the newer style known as “skate” skiing.

“Roller skis offer us the best training we can do without snow,” says Andrew Gardner, coach of the Middlebury cross-country ski team. “It’s roughly the equivalent of working out on a stationary bicycle in the off season for competitive cycling.”

“But,” Gardner cautions, “you can’t roller ski every day. If you did, you’d just end up tired when it comes time to race. So we develop workout plans in four-week cycles in order to combine roller skiing with weight training and running.”

Sometimes the skiers roller-ski with poles and sometimes they train without them. Sometimes they run on the roads and sometimes they “bound” (i.e., run) up hills. Some days they rest and others they push hard. Each athlete’s exercise program is charted out weeks in advance on a white board in Gardner’s office. And the number next to each skier’s name on the board—575, 625, etc.—is the target number of training hours expected of each athlete per year.

“Like in any endurance sport, it’s all about how efficiently you are getting oxygen to your muscles,” he explains. “And of course the goal for us is to peak at our races.” Two critical factors for Nordic skiers are “VO2 max,” or the highest rate of oxygen consumption attainable during maximal exercise, and lactate threshold, or the point at which lactate starts to accumulate in the blood stream. Gardner and assistant coach Patty Ross monitor both variables, and create individual workouts, for all 19 members of their team.

But exercise physiology aside, it’s clear that roller skiing has helped Middlebury’s skiers excel at the highest level against NCAA Division 1 schools like Colorado, Utah, UVM and Dartmouth. The team has a long and storied history. Most recently, Garrott Kuzzy ’06 and Simeon Hamilton ’09 represented the United States at the 2010 Winter Olympics and, according to Gardner, almost every returning member of this year’s squad has had a top-10 finish in a major college race.

Chewing the Wax

2010-12-15T19:34:00.000-08:00

The Mountaineer in downtown Middlebury filled up last night, with Frosties young and old who gathered for a wax clinic with Panther ski coach Andrew Gardner and an all-star lineup that included high school coach Anders Meyer, Frost Mountain coach Cam McKuglar, and that great Olympian Patty Ross. Everyone was rosy-cheeked from a day of skiing in frigid temperatures (the word on the street: Sleepy Hollow is tracked out; Steam Mill Road is nifty), and so we ate Powerbars and watched as Andrew explained the mysteries of glide-waxing and then of generating kick. Many thanks to Steve and the Mountaineer crew--and remember that they've got all your waxing needs covered (including the LF6 and LF7 that Andrew said were the cornerstone of a glidewax kit, and the Swix extra blue and 65 that should cover most of your kickwaxing conditions!

November 2010 Video Review

2010-12-01T06:34:00.000-08:00

Well November has now come to a close and I have to congratulate everyone that came out for the Nov. training sessions. Nov is the toughest month of the year, training wise, it is when we have the longest hours, and the most intensity, and everyone made it through admirably! It was awesome to see how quickly you athletes took to the drills and immediately began incorporating them into your skiing. As a coach one of the most enjoyable aspects of the job is watching athletes improving, taking advice and adding it to their technique repertoire, this November the air was tangibly thick with PROGRESS! ... and a little sweat, but thats normal...

Here is a video that I made up that delves a bit into our last couple sessions, and breaks down each individuals technique and offers suggestions. Now you will see some repetition in my comments, and it may sound like I'm harping a bit on only a couple of issues, but those issues are key and the basis for all techniques. Body position, and leg drive. Our first workout we ran a Spenst (fancy Norwegian way of saying "jumping up a hill") session, and the very first thing we did after our jogging workout was work on body position. I made the analogy of a 'gun-slinger', who as he pulls out his guns his hips move forward and his legs bend forward at the ankles. I also made the analogy of a string connected to your belly button that is pulling you forward, you want to be bent at your ankles, hips forwad, upper body at the same angle as your ankles, and your shoulders slightly hunched in a neanderthal-esque fashion. Leg drive is also an integral part of a good skier's technique. During our Spenst workout we did a drill where we skipped (like on a playground) explosively, trying to go for height. How did we get extra height? By driving our legs and knees forward. While bounding try to emulate that leg drive and try to drive your back leg forward like you would do on snow. It is easy on a bounding workout to fall into a running technique, try to resist the urge, and drive your leg like you're classic skiing.

One of the driving (pun intended) factors of good body position is your hands. I've said to be 'whippy' with your arms and literally throw them up and forward to help bring your weight forward. This is especially evident during double poling and v2 alternate. When we were doing two-leg jumps for distance we were throwing our arms to give us extra momentum, while skiing we do this also. Here is an example of what I'm talking about:

See how the skier's arms are up, the hips are forward over the ankles and he is airborne, this is what an agressive arm swing can do. This is definitely one side of the intensity spectrum though, you can get a similar body position to a lesser degree (which makes much more sense during a longer race, the above position would only be able to be sustained for a sprint race or final push) by lessening the intensity of the arm swing and leg pop.

More posts coming soon, stay tuned and keep working hard!

Cam

Middlebury Named Host School For 2013 NCAA Skiing Championships

2010-07-09T08:22:00.000-07:00

July 1, 2010

Press Release: Middlebury College has been named the host school for the 2013 NCAA Skiing Championships. The Panthers are one of just two ski programs in the country that own and manage its own skiing facilities. Alpine events will take place at the Snow Bowl, while the Rikert Ski Touring Center will host the nordic races.

"We're pretty thrilled to show our coaching colleagues and fellow programs our best efforts at hosting a National Championship," said Stever Bartlett, head alpine coach. "It's been over 10 years since we've hosted and it's an important role to play on the national stage of skiing."
Over the last five years, over two million dollars have gone into improvements in trail safety and to replace the well-loved Worth Mountain Chair lift, a necessary expense for the aging equipment.
"Since Middlebury last played host to the collegiate skiing championships, skiing has evolved, courses have changed and with this selection, we can show that our program and facilities have kept pace," added Andrew Gardner, head nordic coach.

Further preparations for the championships will begin this summer with improvements to the nordic trails. A new nordic groomer has been approved for purchase for the 2010- 2011 ski season, an acquisition that comes as a groundswell of Nordic Skiing participation that has welled up in Addison County. Gardner noted, "The Frost Mountain club has a number of great programs from the youngest kids to master athletes. They've built a great culture of skiing in the county over the last few years and I know that the effect of having the country's best skiers on the same trails as the local Bill Koch league will spill over in enthusiasm and love for skiing,"

This will mark the fifth time the school has hosted the event, previously hosting in '61, '73, '88 and '01.

Training Periods for Cross-Country Skiers

2010-07-01T08:34:00.000-07:00

This post first appeared in Ski Post.

Transition or Recovery Phase (Spring)
Recover from the physical, mental and emotional stresses of training and racing. Complete rest is fine, but active rest is better.
Preparation: Begin building into your modes of training.

Base (Summer)
Base training is so called because it is the base upon which later phases of training are built.

Endurance:
Aerobic endurance is the number one component of cross-country ski racing, and it is the component of ski racing which takes the most time to develop. It is the primary aim of the base training period. Example: 2hour rollerski or run split between level 1 and 2 or a 3hourr bike on hilly terrain split between level 1 and 2. Please note: about 80% of all training is endurance training. The rest is strength, intervals and races, etc.

Strength:
General: Power and strength-endurance are built on max strength. General strength develops overall tendon and muscle strength necessary to support latter forms of training. General strength is the focus through the spring and summer. Example: after building up to weight training for 5-6 weeks, include some ski specific high weight and low rep work.
Specific: Specific strength becomes more a focus later in the summer and into the fall once a solid base of general strength has been established. Example: Endurance session using only double pole over gradual terrain.

Intensity:
Most intensity should be below the lactate threshold early in the summer. Anaerobic training such as speed is good, but hard aerobic and anaerobic intervals should be kept to a minimum early on. Example: 2x10 minutes at 5 bpm below LT with 2 minutes rest between intervals. Start with 1-2 sessions a week.

Technique and speed:
Speed training during the base period should not be done at a hard intensity (short bouts of speed with full recovery are recommended) and should be oriented toward using correct movements at race speeds - not at moving at an unrealistic pace. Example: Incorporate 10 20second bursts of speed into your endurance training.

Pre-Competition (FALL)
Training becomes quite specific to the motions and intensity of ski racing. Aerobic endurance is still the primary focus, but the means to develop it have become more specific and more intense.

Endurance:
Training volume levels off or even decreases slightly to allow for the increase in intensity. Most of the training volume is aerobic endurance training - low intensity training of medium to long duration. Example: Rollerski or run almost exclusively in level 1.

Strength:
General: General strength takes a back seat to specific strength. Max strength is the general strength focus in this period (for only 4 weeks). Strength endurance is the primary concern of a skier, but power and max strength cannot be neglected. Example: circuit using body weight exercises and more ski specific motions. Include some fairly ski specific max-strength exercises as well.

Specific:
Rollerski specific strength sessions are the primary forms of strength training and should be predominantly endurance based. Skiers should also incorporate plyometric, explosive jumping exercises into their strength routine during the pre-competition phase. Example: 10x 200meters single pole, 10x200meters double pole. Distance double pole session over all terrain.

Intensity:
During the Pre-comp phase, duration and intensity of "intensity" training should reach levels similar to competition. High intensity (Vo2, above threshold) intervals are used. This type of training must be built up to, to be effective. Example: (LT) 2min, 3min, 5min with equal recovery, times 3 at LT. At the end of each interval you should feel like you could have kept going. At the end of the workout, you should feel like you could have done more. (VO2) 5x5min with half recovery at 95% of max. (target heart-rate will not be meet until the second interval). Each interval should take you the same distance.

Technique and Speed:
All training is technique oriented. Speed training is a great way to train the anaerobic system, but also to learn to ski relaxed and with smooth technique at a challenging pace. Example: 10to20x20seconds incorporated into an endurance session

The stylized photo above is attributed to Janice Siblia in her Nensa post More Pictures from the Eastern Reg Camp, June 29th, 2010. _____________________________________

What is Spenst?

2010-06-28T13:02:00.000-07:00

What is Spenst training? Spenst training is a well-worn mode of training that is practiced in some form or another by world-class skiers the world over. Spenst is a Norwegian word that means either explosiveness or literally "Boing!"

Spenst training involves ski specific plyometric exercises that develop power, explosiveness, balance and strength. If you are looking to gain that extra snap in your technique, learn to accelerate over the tops of hills, around corners, sprint to the finish, improve balance and strength, or just impress your friends at parties, then spenst training is for you.

Ski technique has always demanded a quick, dynamic kick, for both skating and classic, and spenst training is a great way to develop it. Often it is the skiers who seem to be skiing with the least effort that have the most dynamic kick. Their secret is a dynamic push and then relaxation of the pushing muscles. Spenst is a great addition to training and it yields noticeable results with a fairly small time investment of 10 to 15 minutes a week.

Goal: develop power and balance.
Means: several short repetitions of the following exercises with full rest. Gaining maximum distance with each jump - going as far as possible in the shortest number of jumps. Generally one takes between 10 and 20 jumps in a row (10-20 seconds of work) followed by a good recovery (about 2 minutes should suffice).

Type of spenst exercises:
One-legged hop: This is a spenst training staple. As the name suggests you will be hopping on one leg - up a hill. Start with a tame grade and build toward a steeper hill. Take 10-15 jumps on one leg moving continuously up the hill (don't stop between jumps, but keep your momentum going); walk slowly back down the hill and take the same number of jumps on the other leg. Repeat 2 to 3 (or more as you build up to it) times.

Stationary Skate hop: Simply jump sideways back and fourth as if skating from leg to leg aiming for max distance with each leap. Make sure you have your balance on each leg before you leap again. You can use your arms as if you were skating. You shouldn't move forward, but should leap directly sideways off the whole foot, side to side, in the same place.
Take 10-15 leaps per leg, rest, repeat.

Bunny hop: Return to the hill where you did the one legged hops. This time hop with both legs at once. Unlike the one-legged jumps, hesitate slightly between jumps so that energy must be regenerated with each jump. This is a killer, and can cause soreness as well as loud guffaws, snarks, snorts and general hilarity among spectators.

Organization of workout: Warm up very, very well. Stretch thoroughly and begin slowly to make sure you are warm enough. The goal is not to work out your aerobic system, so take your time and recover well between each set of jumps so that you can make maximal efforts with each jump and each set of jumps.

Placement of workout in the week: It is best to place spenst training after a bit of rest because for it to have maximal effect you should be fresh enough to perform the work maximally.

Example: Midway through an easy distance run or after warming up (the Jr. team I trained with in Sweden for a year did spenst as part of an interval workout) stop at a nice grassy hill. Stretch out some; perform a few easy one-legged jumps, side jumps and bunny hops (bunny hops can make your whole body sore if you're not careful). When you are ready, take 15 one-legged jumps up the hill. Walk slowly down the hill and then take 15 jumps on the other leg. If it is your first outing take not more than 2 times up the hill per leg. The idea is to try to get further up the hill with the same number of jumps each time. Do the skate jumps, and bunny hops and be creative with jumps of your own creation. Just remember it isn't spenst if it isn't explosive - more isn't better. If you are too tired to jump far, or if you feel any twinge of pain or pull, stop (start slowly to avoid injury!) Warm down well. The whole spenst routine can take as little as 10 minutes and so on a day when time is limited spenst is a great workout option.

If running and jumping is not in your repertoire, power can also be built on a bike with 15 to 20 second sprints up a very steep hill. Do some sprints seated and some standing, some in a tough gear and some spinning in an easy gear to work all the muscles. Explosiveness of this kind is more difficult to build on rollerskis, but like on the bike, sprints of 15-20 seconds on a steep hill are effective.

reprint from 2001 SkiPost

Secret Trails of Ripton

2010-03-11T03:23:00.000-08:00

by Andy McIntosh

A beautiful ski was had by everyone last Sunday on the secret trails of Ripton. Conditions were really nice (melting corn snow, but not too soft) to the point we could ski just about anywhere! We followed a similar route to last year's tour with some scenic variations around the top of Chandler Hill. With clear skies, we got views of Frost Mt., Cobb Hill, Mt. Abe, Breadloaf Mt., Worth Mt., the tip top of Romance Mt., and Mt. Moosalamoo, totaling 360 degrees throughout the tour! We explored the the hardwood forests and back beaver meadows of Chandler Hill, skied through the spruce and fir tunnel to Wagon Wheel Rd., skated down the icy surface of Wagon Wheel, schussed down and across Bucky's Bridge and on to the Big Pine, slinked across the twin bridges of Sparks Brook, up and over Peddler Bridge Rd., waltzed across Cooks Brook bridge and back home.

Skiers included Lynn Luginbuhl, Barb and Mayumi Otsuka, Patrick Keating, and myself. More would have joined us if not for the Breadloaf Citizen's Race occurring the same day.

If you didn't make it this year, there will always be next year, late February or early March.

Still finding plenty of snow to ski on in Ripton.

Frosties at Nordic Relay for Life - Luminaria Champions

2010-03-07T08:08:00.000-08:00

Frost Mountain Nordic rocks Nordic Relay for Life - March 6, 2010

No white paper bags for us! Willem Jewett and Mike Hussey brought some Frost Mountain creativity to the Luminaria display at Nordic Relay For Life.

South facing slopes were a touch hard but once we got out back on the haul road conditions were fabulous. The haul road downhill is always fun. Under the stars adds considerably to the experience. Great food and company as well.

Thanks to all who traveled with us in spirit.

First-ever Nordic Adaptive Race in Vermont Held at Bread Loaf

2010-02-28T12:54:00.000-08:00

For the first time in history, a nordic adaptive race was held in Vermont, at Bread Loaf this weekend, kicking off two days of Middlebury Winter Carnival skiing. Thanks to the efforts of Sabra Davison, the FMN coach, and Patty Ross, the Middlebury College assistant nordic ski coach, as well as Patrick Standen from the Northeast Disabled Athletics Association and Cathy Thompson from Northeast Passage at UNH, six racers from New Hampshire and Vermont sped through a 3K course on sit-skis, powering up the first hill on Battell, charging across the Picnic Loop, and sliding down the final pitch on Battell before climbing back into the stadium field and doing the whole thing all over again. (The course had to be altered at the last minute due to wet conditions in the field.) First across the finish was Brian Genovese (pictured) for the men, and Alicia Dana for the women. Here are the final results, adjusted for disability level:

Genovese, Brian LW-12 14:19

Standen, Patrick LW-11 16:41

Dana, Alicia LW-10.5 17:18

Shepard, Marlon LW-10 20:10

Zielfeld, Arika LW-11 23:15

Nelson, Rick LW-10 29:12

The sit-ski race grew out of FMN member Sophie McKibben's efforts this past summer to start, with Sabra Davison, an adaptive program for Frost Mountain. FMN now has its own sit-ski, which is offered free of charge to any disabled athlete who would like to learn nordic skiing. In addition, NDAA holds sit-ski clinics throughout the winter.

Thanks to the Bread Loaf groomers, to Fischer, to the Middlebury Ski Team, and to all the volunteers on the course. Let's make this an annual event! More pictures here.

Craft's Speedsuit Will Give Sweden Olympic Medals

2010-02-03T05:17:00.000-08:00

This post first appeared in this form in Faster Skier.

Last week Craft presented the speedsuit that has been under development for the past year in collaboration with the Swedish national team for the Vancouver Olympics. According to experts, the new suit could actually make a big difference. To read more....

Source: langd.se

Translated by Tim Reynolds

Born and raised in Vermont, Tim Reynolds is psyched to be operating out of the Northeast Kingdom of his home state as part of the Craftsbury Green Racing Project. He spent his undergraduate years at Middlebury, where he was an EISA carnival winner and three-time NCAA qualifier and All-East pick. Tim captained the Panthers his senior year, and is looking forward to winters with more skiing and less studying. A convicted Europhile, look for Tim to do all he can to earn races in Europe this season. At Craftsbury he’s working on local food sourcing.

Record Turnout at the BKL Race at Breadloaf

2010-01-31T19:18:00.000-08:00

From Bruce Ingersoll

We had a fantastic BKL race at Rikert Touring Center at the Breadloaf Campus of Middlebury College on January 25th. Almost 80 skiers for the day double our last year's turnout. The snow was excellent for a classic race. Teams from Mansfield Nordic, Woodstock and Ford Sayre joined the Frost Mountain Nordic team for a great day.

Craftsbury Marathon

2010-01-31T14:52:00.000-08:00

left: The Cold Start. Photo by Jim Rodrigues/NENSA.

An intrepid group of Frosties ventured forth in the sub zero weather for the Craftsbury Marathon. The tour was postponed due to the rain earlier in the week, but the 25K and 50K races went off as scheduled. Frost Mountain Nordic had strong showings in the 25K with both Mia Allen and Andrew Gardner winning their age groups in the Masters National Championships. Andrew was also second overall. Yay Frosties!

Bill Hegman had the unfortunate or perhaps comic experience of stepping on a packet of energy gel left on the trail. The chocolate goo affixed itself to his green klister and stopped him dead in his tracks, which sent him tumbling head over heels. Bill picked himself up, scraped the mess off and skied on to place a respectable 12th in his age division.

New friends were made in the course of the day and sometimes in unusual ways. Dia Jenks introduced herself after the race to a woman she did not know wearing a red Frost Mountain hat.

"You have got to be kidding," the woman exclaimed as she whipped off her hat to show the name Dia Jenks magic markered in the inside. "My husband picked this up in the lost and found at Trapp's." A new acquaintance and a hat returned...

From Nensa:
Craftsbury, VT -- It was cold for the start of this morning's TD Bank Craftsbury Marathon. Most athletes covered their faces, wore mittens instead of gloves, and added an extra layer under their spandex racing suits. The lead pack of men included 2006 Olympian Justin Freeman, home-club athlete Jeurgen Uhl who is a recent graduate of UVM where he was an NCAA all-American, and another home-clubber Crafsbury Green Racing Project standout Tim Reynolds (a Middlebury alum and forever a Frostie, finished 2nd overall! Go Tim Go!). The lack of wind and absolutely perfect tracks made everyone quickly forget the -4F temperatures as the gun sounded to start the race.

Frosties at U.S. Masters National Championships

2010-01-31T14:47:00.000-08:00

On Thursday, January 28th, the first race of U.S. Masters National Championships was held at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center in Craftsbury Common, Vermont.
Read More »

Photo on left of our Frostie, Mia Allen, flying down the trail.

Two Midd Alums Named to 2010 Olympic Nordic Team

2010-01-31T14:23:00.000-08:00

Andrew Gardner, Head Coach of the Middlebury College Nordic Team, writes:

We're pretty proud that Middlebury College has 2 alums on the Olympic team, Garrott Kuzzy and 09 graduate Simi Hamilton!!!

http://fasterskier.com/2010/01/one-more-spot-for-us-hamilton-joins-2010-olympic-team/

Paintball Biathlon 2010

2010-01-31T13:46:00.000-08:00

by Sophie Hodges, a Bill Koch League participant.

Today a lot of people from Frost Mountain went to the Paintball Biathlon at Mountain Top, Vermont. It was a freezing cold day, and unfortunately, I was only wearing one pair of socks. It was a skate race, and super duper fast. You would start out with a small loop and come into the shooting range, shoot five targets about the size of dinner plates, and ski off down the hill. At the bottom of the hill, you would either finish, or go off for another loop. Camille and Malia go first, and they both have really good races, really, I'm not just saying that to be nice. Sam, Nick, Tom, Rowan, Oliver, Harlow and Morgan all had good races too. I didn't get to see a lot of them, it was too cold to stay outside for a really long time. But some how, my dad, Barney Hodges stayed outside the entire day, and has told me personally that he did not get cold once the entire time. The way the race worked was you would start in 15 second intervals and race against the clock. Then you would go up a hill and ski down a flat into the range. They had eight stations and would tell you to go to one of them. You would have to take a bunch of deep breaths after skiing hard up the hill, but luckily Mike Hussey and Barney Hodges had taught us how to do it right the day before. Then you line up the top of the gun to the bottom of the target and pull the trigger. Do that five more times, then put on your poles and V-2 off down the hill. At the bottom, you either head right under the blow up finish line or go off for another lap around the course. It was a really fun race!

Viking Night Race

2010-01-16T12:33:00.000-08:00

by Sophie Hodges, a Bill Koch League participant

Last night a bunch Frost Mountain Bill Kochers went down to Southern Vermont's Viking Ski touring Center. There we had a very fun kind of race, a night race.

The experience was very interesting. Some had been the year before, others were newbies. The race-course was lit with lanterns, which made it look a little bit like Narnia. It was really exciting to go whooshing through the woods in the darkness trying to catch the person ahead of you.

It was a classic race, and pretty warm, so we used klister. Our coaches, Bruce Ingersoll and Barney Hodges did a very great job finding the right stuff to put on our skis. I don't think anyone from Frost Mountain was complaining about how their skis were too slippery or too sticky.

Our first racer was Malia Hodges. She was the youngest of the group and had to race first. Next was Sam Hodges. He tells me he had great wax, very nearly beat his friend, and chewed his gum throughout the entire race. Then Rowan Warren and Nick Wilkerson raced. They did very well, and had a great time, I believe. The next racers were myself, Sophie Hodges, and Amelia Ingersoll. I know from personal experience that we had a fabulous time. Finally Oliver Clark raced his race, the last one, and did a great job as well.

Afterwards, we were all starving. It was already 9:00 at night, much to the adults disappointment, and we still hadn't had dinner. So, it was decided that we were going to have sandwiches on the drive back. Altogether, the race was a complete success!

How Do I Wax for a Marathon

2010-01-15T06:18:00.000-08:00

This post originally appeared on Ski Post's weekly emails. To subscribe, send a message to weanswer@skipost.com.

How Do I Wax For a Marathon?

I've been waxing successfully for shorter distance classic skiing for many years but when skiing marathons the kick wax doesn't last. What can I do to better prepare my kick wax to last longer? Note that given my slow speed I'm on the trail for several hours and thus have to expect that temperatures will climb significantly during the day, so the softer wax I need later in the marathon would be a hindrance to glide early in the day. I've seen recommendations for ironing on multiple layers of wax, but doesn't scraping off the excess after ironing on each layer negate the effort of builiding up layers? And if you are building up layers in the kick zone, doesn't that detract from glide?

Please help me understand how to improve my waxing for marathons!

Thank you!

Hello,

There are a few things that can certainly be done to help you improve the overall durability of your wax for a long race. You hit on one when you mentioned ironing in a base layer. Swix VG35 Base Binder is a great wax to get on the ski with the help of an iron the night before. The VG35 wax has a range that is wide, and if you get down to that layer you will still have something that will kick. However, the primary responsibility of this wax is to hold the wax you put over it on your ski base.

Often times a layer of Swix Blue Extra is your next best layer. Blue Extra has a unique characteristic in that it will physically harden when the temperature gets cold, and soften as it gets warm - a wax with a brain, if you will. This helps a great deal as you begin to experience temperatures rising over the course of a long race, and it is not a wax that we've seen have too much icing happening when you are near it's large range.

Here's the trouble with your question: it is nearly impossible to cover a super soft (warm) wax with a cold wax. It can be attempted, but the nature of your warmer waxes will often result in a combining of your colder layer and your warmer one. This will almost always result in slower skis in colder temperatures. We would have to suggest that if you know the temperature is going to warm up during the course of a race, you're happy with the line of waxes you have chosen for your early-race layers, and you're willing to sacrifice a few minutes to get them back you bring a warmer wax and cork along for the race. Re-waxing happens even at the elite level if the course conditions change, and it can often be the person who stopped to put a new layer down that comes out on top.

Finally, if you have doubts that your skis are stiff enough to keep your wax pocket off the snow, you should have them flexed. We see many skiers skiing on skis that are simply too soft for them. During a shorter race you might be able to get away with this, but in longer races a properly flexed ski is going to be the ticket to success!

For the Frostie On Your Gift List

2009-12-10T07:23:00.000-08:00

a tomato-red, FMN Ski Club hat! Very stylish and warm. One size fits all. A bargain at $12. Perfect for the holidays--or any time. There aren't many, so get them while you can. Email: frostmountainnordic@mac.com.

Sabra Davison to be the Frost Mountain Nordic Coach and Program Director

2009-06-06T11:54:00.000-07:00

You will not meet anyone more enthusiastic or encouraging than Sabra Davison, who has agreed to become our coach and director. She's got lots of programs planned for skiers of every ability and interest level--check them out, then sign up. Some of you will remember Sabra from her days (not that long ago) racing for the Middlebury College nordic team, while others might have seen her in the Vermont Stage Race, spinning her bicycle up the Gap. She's a remarkable athlete and a terrific person, and her love for skiing is infectious. We are incredibly lucky to have her with us!

Spring Skiing on the Catamount Trail

2009-03-15T16:58:00.000-07:00

by Dave Scott

An enthusiastic group of two struck out on a very spring-like morning, with backcountry gear and klister. The tour was shortened since the Natural Turnpike in Ripton was a little rough and unskiable. Starting from the VAST/winter sports parking area on the South Lincoln road, we climbed the steep unplowed forest road to the Spruce Lodge camp and started the tour. The Catamount Trail leaves the road just south of Spruce Lodge. Andy Mac and I skied north on the CT, conditions were a bit soft with plenty of snow cover. We entered a conifer canopy as we began, and for the first half mile we skied under tall trees, planted ages ago. Soon the trail started an easy, gradual climb as we skied through older hard woods. Tracks and signs of the animals that preceded us were observed, moose, deer, red squirrels, and many others we did not know.

The first, of only a few down hills, was a short descent, through young beech trees. It was a fun slow glide with the sun really warming the snow as well as our faces. We skied on as the trail rolled, following the contours of the land and soon dropping down and out, crossing an old road dating back to the 1940’s. (I was told that local farmers used to run their cows along that old path.) Continuing on our way we passed more signs of spring skiing, many small wet areas were showing. Easily bypassed, the tour left the Green Mountain National Forest as the trail turns east passing through mixed hard and soft woods and more fun, short down hills. We reached the New Haven River, crossed a privately owned bridge and the South Lincoln road. We took a short break had a beautiful view of the summit of Mt. Abe and near bye peaks.

From here on we started climbing, the CT climbs all the way to Lincoln Gap. Our end destination today was French Settlement. For the next hour, we skied up through hemlock shaded woods roads and some nice beech-maple forest. As we approached the French Settlement road, snow conditions were getting wet and we were glad and sad that the ski was nearly over. When we arrived at the road and my car we toasted a great day in the woods and made the short drive back to the starting point.

MUHS Nordic: The movie

2009-03-11T20:23:00.000-07:00

Hey there sportsfans: Check out the new MUHS Nordic movie on Youtube. Relive a great winter. Check out the awesome form. Thrill to spectacular jumps. It's all there. (It's also embedded, for all time, on Frost Mountain Nordic website.)

Classic States: Up Close and Personal

2009-03-08T10:20:00.000-07:00

by Maddie Kincaid

I stand tensed, the starting bar stuck awkwardly between my poles and my legs. The announcer on my left speaks into his microphone. “From Middlebury, we have number eleven Maddie Kincaid.” Then the countdown begins, “5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 – go.” I push off hard and the bar hits my pole on the way out. I double pole down the hill and it seems like I’m flying. I can see number ten ahead of me and I feel strong as I pass her and head into the woods. My kick double pole seems fast and I have enough kick as I push up the first small hill. Then I am going down around the corners and then I hit the big hill. I herringbone up it at what seems like a snails pace but I can see number nine ahead of me and I push to catch her. I hear my teammates ahead cheering, “Go Maddie,” and “you can do it, you’re almost to the top.” Finally I do get to the top, I am tired already but I continue on down the hill and then up again, passing number seven, then number eight. I finish my first lap and continue down the hill for my second. I don’t feel as strong this time and my wax is slipping but I push myself and thrust my knees forward to make my wax work. I already at the top of the first hill but then I see number six ahead of me and I push onwards. Again people cheer as go by but I feel even slower as number twenty-two comes flying past me. Finally I reach the downhill and I can rest some as I lurch unbalanced around the s-turn. I double pole hard and take the right to the finish line. I rest down the hill, passing number two, then I step turn around the corner and begin my last ascent. I try to look strong as I push towards the giant red inflatable finish line. I struggle for my last strides until I am across the line. I am exhausted but I’m done, at least for now. I give them my bib and go to cheer on my teammates as they race by.

Fast Skis at the BKL Festival

2009-03-07T06:51:00.000-08:00

By Sam Hodges

This last weekend at the Bill Koch Festival, I skied in two races and came in fourth in both. I was very happy. My dad made my skis very fast. He told me I could go fast as well. My partner in the skate relay was Tom Hussey, also from the Frost Mountain Nordic ski club, and he has been skiing with me since preschool. The next day at the classic individual race, my dad had to use blue and violet klister. It was very sticky. My favorite part was the time that I got the medal for the classic race.

MUHS and assorted Frosties at the State Championshp

2009-03-05T16:46:00.000-08:00

It was a glorious day at Mt. Top for the season-ending Vermont high school nordic championships' classic race. The top eight skiers from each team was there, plus coaches, parents, dogs and super fans--a couple of hundred skiers, and almost as many spectators. The MUHS team consisted of Eliza Carver, Dominque Powers, Sophie McKibben, Maddie Kincaid, Emily Anderson and Mira Atherton, with Ellen Watkins, Britta Clark and Alia Johnson, who have trained with the team all season, skiing as independents representing Vergennes, North Branch and Gailor. On the boys' side there was Walker Allen (soon to retire to North Carolina), Schuyler Klein, Will Earle, Zander Carver, Charlie Mulkahey, Kelsey McGlashan, Craig Burt and Austin Kincaid. Chas, Bill and Mia hit the wax just right, and both our boys, led by Will and Walker, and our girls, led by Dominque and Sophie, had really fine races. (Eliza Carver, who got turned around, will be skiing next year with a GPS unit on her skis.) The girls' relay finish was a sight to behold: coming into the final uphill, Sophie pulled up beside a girl and they fought it out centimeter by centimer, with Sophie digging deep and double poling her way to victory. Photos are here, and also on the FMN website. Results to come.

I Got To Shake The Real Bill Koch's Hand!

2009-03-04T15:32:00.000-08:00

by Sophia Hodges

This last weekend I went to the Bill Koch Festival in Notchview, Massachusetts. We stayed at The Crowne Plaza hotel, which was 12 stories high. The next morning we went almost straight to the Festival. It was cold, but perfect weather for skiing! There were lots of kids there. Kids from Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and even New York! The skate relay was about one and a half kilometers for the J4's, about two kilometers for J3's, and about one kilometer for the J5's. Thanks to Mike Hussey and Barney Hodges, we had really fast skis. My partner, Abby Grab, from Mt. Mansfield Nordic ski club, and I had a really good race and had lots of fun too. That night there was awards for the skate relay. My brother, Sam, got fourth! The next day we did the classic individual race. It was a klister day, so Mike and Barney took a while making our skis the perfect racing equipment. I liked that race because there was an individual start instead of a double-pole. We all raced fast and hard and (again) had fun. My favorite part of the Festival was when I got to shake the real Bill Koch's hand! I think that the Bill Koch Festival is a great way to show that the Frost Mountain Nordic team really has the heart for Cross-Country Skiing.

Young, Fast, Frosties Make The Scene at the BKL Festival

2009-03-03T15:57:00.000-08:00

by Nathalie Ingersoll

We went to the Bill Koch Festival this past weekend. It was great! We stayed in the Crowne Plaza hotel in Massachusetts. We did two races, a skate relay where we were partnered with one other person from Northwest VT and then a singles classic. For the skate relay, I was partnered with a really nice girl named Molly from Mt. Mansfield. The relay was about 2k and had a lot of uphills and downhills. After the relay we all did a 9k “adventure ski “ and got pancakes and hot chocolate. The funniest part of my weekend was when my dad, Bruce, went in front of Barney and Barney flipped over and did a somersault but did not get injured. That night we had a banquet and then the awards ceremony. I don’t think that any of the FMN kids stayed to watch that because we all went in the pool. The next day we packed up and left the hotel. It was a klister day and Barney and Mike spent a long time getting everyone’s skis perfect for the classic race. I had the last race both days and I got to watch everybody’s race. There was also a “Magic Wood” that Phoebe and I went in about ten times. My classic race was 4k and difficult. There were a good amount of hills and a lot of flat that were good for double poling. I still had a wonderful race with everyone cheering me on. After my race everyone packed up and left. I had a great weekend and hope to go next year.

by Amelia Ingersoll

This weekend I went to the Bill Koch Festival. I had a lot of fun. We went swimming in the pool at the hotel. Then on Saturday we had a skate relay race, and I was on a team with Malia Hodges (She was the second leg).I had fun with my friend Sophie and I also had a lot of fun cheering on my sister. One of the highlights of the trip was getting to ski a different race course for a change. I kind of wish that I had gotten a medal but it’s never about winning. You can see pictures here!

Frosties at the Birkie

2009-02-25T17:14:00.000-08:00

My dad and I just returned from a perfect weekend at the American Birkie and Korteloppet in Wisconsin, with plenty of stories and Bjorn Daehlie's signature in tow.

Though my dad's a veteran long-distance skier, this was my first long race. I skied in the Korteloppet, a twenty-three km race, along with around 1,200 other skiers. My dad did the fifty-four km Birkebeiner, a race of about 3,500 skiers. The skiers go out in waves of around three hundred, but being a new Korte racer, I was placed in the last wave, number ten.

The whole scene of the race was amazing; thousands of skiers, from novice to elite, gathering, discussing wax, and giving much-appreciated advice. I was a nervous wreck at first, but my fellow skiers assured me that I would have a great time. In fact, I did! Racing was challenging but fun, and I was surprised at how prepared I was for the distance. With the trails groomed extra-wide, passing was easy. Pacing, however, was a little more difficult. I found that the trick was to pace another skier and work with them to stay steady. Both my dad and I had good races, placing in the top twenty to twenty-five percent of skiers in our races.

The races were fun and all, but the most important part of the trip was meeting Bjorn Daehlie. Though I waited in line for more than half the time that I actually spent racing, I finally met my skiing hero!

Ellen Watkins

Adrenaline Rush At The Stowe Derby

2009-02-25T10:03:00.000-08:00

by Rick Klein

Early on a snowy Sunday morning I dragged myself and Sky (photo left) out of bed and we headed for the Stowe Derby. We were joined at registration by around 550 other bleary eyed participants as we swam into the 64th annual ritual proceedings. The mood was celebratory laced with an air of anticipation especially with the uninitiated such as ourselves. Sky grabbed one of the first shuttle busses to the Mansfield base lodge as his start for freestyle began at 10 am on the top of the mountain. I followed a bit later for the noon start of the classic division.

After a ride up the chairlift I got my bearings and headed for the starting line where 5 skiers were launched every 30 seconds. I was 7 years old the last time I skied down the toll road and couldn’t quite recall the details of the pending descent but decided I would just go for it. Not long after my start I figured out how to efficiently negotiate the turns on the top of the course and coupled with frequent tucking I began weaving my way through lines of skiers. This was probably the most fun I had the whole race until I went wide on one of the lower turns and got caught up in the heavy snow which catapulted me into a forward flip bouncing off my head and onto my butt. After a few choice expletives and a mental body check I jumped up and “headed” on down the mountain.

After maybe 5 miles of adrenaline rush it was onto 3 miles of winding through the well groomed and tracked trails of the Mt. Mansfield Touring Center with a long slog uphill to the final chute out onto the flats. After gliding out into a cornfield the 4 mile mostly double-poling marathon to the finish along the bike path began. We followed the river for the most part which meant there was a slight and steady downward grade all the way to the finish with 4 or 5 pedestrian bridges along the way. By the time the church steeple came into view I was pretty wasted but managed to “hup, hup” it to the finish where Sky met me. We exchanged race stories and headed to the awards ceremony for a well deserved pint, food and viewing of videos of the race.

I’ll definitely be there for the 65th running next year and would love to be joined by a crowd of Frosty’s. New this year was a team division which added a fun dimension and ought to include an FMN entry.

Oh, Nordic Skiing, What Isn’t There to Love About It?

2009-02-24T15:54:00.000-08:00

By Lydia Allen

Oh, Nordic skiing, what isn’t there to love about it? Hairy boys, cold weather, frozen chin hairs, and, oh yes, the spandex! Britta Clark and I love the spandex. We think it is the greatest thing ever. With all of the pretty colors! Just you have to have it on the right people. It’s fine for girls. But for boys? Not so much. We would rather see them keep there warm up pants on to race in. We realize that this will never happen, but we can dream right?

The North Branch ski team is lacking in racers this year. Only Britta Clark and I are skiing in races. Britta is racing at the high school level and I am racing at the middle school level, unless there is no middle school division then I do the JV race. At the Breadloaf race two weekends ago, Britta placed 21st out of 59 and had a time of 20:53 in the high school race. I got first out of 4 with a time of 11:40 in the middle school race. We stood out due to our lack of uniforms. Britta and I did try, though: we used crazy red, and orange and blue spandex with white tops.

The rest of the North Branch Nordic is doing quite well. We have had a great turn out, and everyone is doing amazing learning the art of being a Nordic Nerd. We have been transforming some Down Hill skiers into Nordic nerds. A typical day in the life of a NBS skier who just wants to ski will involve taking 30 minutes to find your skis and poles, put on your boots, and, well figure out how to get those skis into those bindings ( it takes talent). After 30 minutes has been wasted doing tasks that should take all but a few miunutes we do a lap around the field, first without poles then with poles. And then TO THE WOODS! By this point in the day, the sun will be starting to go down, so we only have 40 minutes to get our hands to the point were you can’t feel them and our poor toes to the point where you would rather you didn’t even have toes.

But don’t get me wrong, I love skiing. And so does Britta. I think that Britta also likes her RCR Fisher skis and her new top-of-the line Excel racing poles. Don’t feel bad if you have no idea what I am talking about. I don’t even know what Britta is saying half the time. Whenever britta brings up Carbon Light Fisher RCS’s my mom, the coach of the team, tells us how she used to race on skis “the size of tree trunks” and how her dad would spray this stuff on the bottom so they wouldn’t stop moving half way down a hill. Also how she raced in her snow boots, with bindings that you slide your foot into, and then 5 min. after putting your foot in these bindings they would come off of your feet once again.

My mom has come out of this Nordic Tragedy well, though. She and Eric Warren have done a great job of teaching the new Nordic Nerds how to ski properly. But oh, please, leave the double-poling to my mom. When Eric double-poles he lifts himself out of the track, jumping until his skis are two inches in the air, his hands as far in front of him as they will go, and his hips, oh, way forward. My mom, on the other hand, gets up on her toes like you are supposed to do. She has her hips forward, and her hands square with her shoulders. A much prettier sight to watch than Eric’s leaping frog. No matter how many times Britta and I have tried to show him how to double-pole properly he just says, “ You wait until twenty years from now. This will be the new way to do it, they will call it the Warren!” At this, Britta and I ski away in shame that the leaping thing thinks that his technique will become the new double pole technique!

We do love Eric, what would we do with out him? He transfers the skis, and helps the new Nordic nerds find out how to get their feet into those bindings, and he is a main asset to the team. Without him we would have lack of laughs and help as we ski through the woods.

Lydia is an eighth grader at the North Branch School, an independent school in Ripton, VT.

Secret Trails Around Ripton

2009-02-23T08:44:00.000-08:00

Andy McIntosh put a lot of energy and thought into leading us on a tour on the Secret Trails Around Ripton. On a snowy Sunday morning, a group of ten glided through the Hundred Acres Woods, the Owl's Howl, the Fir Tunnel and other privately maintained trails for a three hour ski. Barry King pointed out ruffled grouse tracks crossing our trail. Frost Mountain was barely visible through the snow and clouds as we stopped and gave homage to our namesake and snacked on trail mix. We passed an isolated fireplace and chimney in the middle of a woods. This stone edifice had once been part of a cabin for the CCC, housing workers as they planted red pine trees, which now towered above us. What a way to spend a Sunday morning!

Middlebury Carnival--day one

2009-02-20T12:06:00.000-08:00

The Good: nearly a foot of new snow;

The Bad: broken piston bully;

The Ugly: shirtless rugby players?

Not the greatest outing for the Middlebury nordic team, but some fine performances nonetheless. Excellent forerunning by Will Earle, Sophie McKibben and Eliza Carver. Simon Thomas-Train was back as emcee--check out his tail. Tony Clark saved the day by driving his groomer over from Blueberry Hill after the Midd machine died on Battell. Results here. Photos here. Come back on Saturday for the relay.

Bridges Tr to Blueberry Hill, Sect 16 & 15 (& Romance Mtn. loop)

2009-02-18T08:13:00.000-08:00

by Andy and Laura McIntosh, Trail Chiefs, Section 16. This article was originally posted on the Catamount Trail Forum.

As has been the case over the past few weeks, this section has been well tracked if not groomed, is easy to intermediate, and suitable for lighter-weight touring skis.

Steam Mill Rd. (FR 59) from the Bridges Trail to Brown Gate is snowmobile groomed. However, with the larger network of VAST trails available to the snowmobilers this year, this heavily traveled corridor is seeing lighter snowmobile traffic than usual.

Rikert Ski Touring Center is occasionally grooming the top part of the Catamount Trail from Brown Gate to the Middlebranch Trail. The remainder of the route to the groomed Rikert Trails is very popular this year and being tracked very soon after snowfalls; and the Rikert grooming has been phenomenal!

The Widow's Clearing Trail from the Chatfield Parking to the junction with the connector to the Widow's Clearing Parking has been popular with snowshoers, dog sledders, and skiers alike and is being well tracked. Be sure to enjoy a sunny break at the Widow's Clearing about 3/4 mile south of the Chatfield Parking.

Blueberry Hill Touring Center has been occasionally grooming the Dave and Carol Smith section to about 0.2 miles south of the the junction with the connector to the Widow's Clearing Parking, and more frequently the Horseshoe Trail to Voter Brook Overlook. However today, Sunday, Feb. 1, the trail had not been groomed since the big snowfall, Jan. 28 all the way to the VAST trail at Sugar Hill Reservoir. In my experience, this is typical of Blueberry Hill, only grooming these outer northern trails when events or predicted attendance calls for it. These trails, however, are generally well hand-tracked. The Sucker Brook and the Stewart Trails have been well groomed with tracks set for the past fews weeks, and a beautiful cruise to Blueberry Hill Inn.

Romance Mtn. side loop (Blueberry Hill's famous Halfdan Kuhnle Trail) for advanced skiers:

The Romance Mtn. loop is for advanced nordic skiers, is only skied counterclockwise, and it's a good idea to inquire about trail conditions at Blueberry Hill Touring Ctr. Follow the Hogback Trail south to the Hogback Blueberry Management Area, one of the best views at a touring center in all of Vermont. Turn right (east) on the Halfdan Kuhnle Trail and follow the groomed trail to the base of Romance Mtn. From here the Halfdan Kuhnle Trail begins a 1/2 hour to 45 min herring-bone climb. Climbing skins can also be helpful. Blueberry Hill has been occasionally grooming this trail making this the highest groomed nordic trail in Vermont! Even when not groomed, this is a popular ski and is frequently tracked (Ask at BBHill XC if this trail has been recently skied or groomed, especially after a big snowfall). At the top (west shoulder of Romance Mtn.), there are views west through the trees of the Champlain Valley and the Adirondacks. The decent is not as steep as the climb, but has some advanced sections. Return to Blueberry Hill Touring Center via the Sucker Brook Trail (left is more difficult but shorter, right or straight then left on the Stewart Trail is easier but longer).

Enjoy all of the snow!

Frosties Fare Well On Killer Hill

2009-02-17T16:59:00.000-08:00

by Britta Clark

This past Sunday were the J2 Championship and Eastern High School Qualifiers. Athletes from all over the state competed, including several MUHS and North Branch School skiers, and one Vergennes skier.

The morning began before dawn, we packed all of our equipment into cars and headed off the Cricket Hill trails in Lamoille VT. As usual most of us arrived before the race organizers had even gotten there, and sat in the gym wishing that we had our sleeping bags and pillows.

We didn’t have too long to wait however, and before long we were out on the trails warming up for the first race of the day-classic. The tracks were fairly nonexistent, but Chas and Bill did an excellent job applying the klister (thanks!) so we had pretty good kick all around. The course was fast and icy, with features such as the infamous “killer hill.” But despite these obstacles, all the skiers had good races, everyone finishing around the 8-10 minute mark-near the top half of the pack of around 80 skiers.

The second race of the day was skate technique, and Sophie, Lydia, Dominique, Will and I knew we were all on the verge of making the J2 team, so we needed to ski hard and fast. As I raced up killer hill, I felt my legs telling me to slow down, my heart beating fast, but I imagined going to the J2 championships and was able to keep up my pace.

After the skate race, we waited for results and the announcement of the J2 and Eastern team. The outcome: everyone did a fantastic job, with Walker Allen coming in 26th overall (an alternate for the Eastern team), Will Earle as the 4th J2 boy-42nd overall, Schyler Klein racing for 52nd overall and Charlie Mulcahy coming in at 87th. On the girl’s side of things Lydia Allen, Dominique Powers, and myself came in 39th, 34th and 30th respectively, all making it onto the J2 team. Sophie McKibben had her pole come off during the skate race and finished an impressive 60th, an alternate for the J2 team, and Maddie Kincaid and Ellen Watkins had great races at 56th and 63rd.

Everyone did an amazing job, and the camaraderie between the racers made it all the better.

Britta is a 9th grader at the North Branch School.

FMN at the Vermont Elite Team Qualifers

2009-02-17T10:04:00.000-08:00

A course of nearly glare ice greeted our Frost Mountain Nordic high school skiers racing to make the Vermont Elite Teams at Lamoille High School the morning of February 15. Even so, many of our racers made the cut. For the J2s (14 and 15 year olds), Britta Clark, Dominque Powers, Lydia Allen and Will Earle will be heading off to Holderness to represent the state, with Sophie McKibben as first alternate. Frostie Chas Lyons, the MUHS coach, will be going along, too, as one of the Vermont coaches. Walker Allen, who would be skiing for Davidson College next year if it ever snowed there, was named an alternate to the elite Eastern Team. Thanks to Lynn Luginbuhl, the event was well documented. Check it out here.

Why I Keep Doing the Canadian Ski Marathon?

2009-02-17T06:41:00.000-08:00

by Barbara Otsuka

Yes, packing all your gear is a ton of work. The drive is long and hard, especially through Montreal at rush hour. The ski conditions are never perfect everywhere. In fact, in some places the ski conditions were really, but really, challenging this year.

Let me present a quick snippet that describes a bit of the atmosphere at the Canadian Ski Marathon. I made a rest stop in the woods off the trail on Sunday afternoon, having put over 40 miles behind me since Saturday morning. While there, I could see and hear waves and waves of skiers along the trail going by in the distance, just happily burbling along. I knew they were all as tired and wobbly as I was. (While skiing, I had been telling myself, “You’re almost there. Just don’t fall on the ice at this point and get injured.”) There were families with kids, the team of upper elementary aged racers with whom I had started some 6 hours earlier with their parents and coaches, the Coureurs de Bois gold skiers with enormous packs (actually, by this time they were the boomer types and women coming through), lots of individuals like me just skiing along, with other skiers around us encouraging us along. When I got to the finish and banquet, the stories were being told, and then around 7:30 PM several women Coureurs de Bois gold came in with headlamps on. They had made it and everyone cheered! The banner by the awards stage read something like, “Canadian Ski Marathon – Everyone’s a Winner.”

I always come home from the event inspired. I started with that team of elementary-aged kids and their parents. Within the first half hour I skied up on two of the older boys who were skiing along and chatting. As I came up to them, I said, “I’ll bet you guys are faster than me, or do you want me to pass?” They sped right up and kept going for about 20 minutes. Then they slowed down and again, chatting away, so I caught up to them again. We skied along at about the same pace for awhile, but all of a sudden they sped up and took off. I looked behind me and saw 4 girls from their team. I don’t know how long they stayed ahead of the girls, but I mentioned this to their coach later and he noted that the boys were a chatty pair and that those girls were much more competitive. The parents with that group of kids were great, encouraging them and making it a fun experience. The whole group seemed to stay together all day, with lots of snacks, gear changes, and chatting.

I think this event is unique in the sense that most participants start out knowing that, whatever our skill and strength level, it will be really tough. However, there is very little place for a competitive spirit among 99% of the participants. Conversely, we each can feel supported in our self-challenge by the presence and encouragement of the other participants. And, so, I can’t imagine my life without the CSM on the first weekend in February.

Annual Skiing of the Bulls--the 2009 Breadloaf Citizens' Race

2009-02-15T12:41:00.000-08:00

Anyone who had any doubt that nordic skiing appeals to people of all ages has not been to the annual Citizens' Race at Breadloaf. Cheers of "Come on Grandma, pick it up!" were not uncommon. This year featured two sets of tandem skiers (one set of skis, two racers), kids in Hawaiian attire, and a speedy Barney Hodges sporting a terrifying, witchy, wig. Check out the photos and relive the moment. (Best to view on slideshow to get the full effect.)

Two Big Days for Midd at the Dartmouth Carnival

2009-02-15T12:13:00.000-08:00

Fans of the Middlebury College nordic ski team who have been waiting for Simi Hamilton's return from Europe were not disappointed this weekend at the Dartmouth carnival. On Friday, the MC senior won the classic race by more than twenty seconds. On Saturday, he took the skate race. Frost Mountain coach, Tim Reynolds, was right behind Simi, posting a dominating third place finish in the skate. The very consistently great Patrick Johnson and the up-and-coming Chase Marston were also right at the front of the pack, joined by a soon-to-be-pink-haired Mike Mommsen in the classic race. On the girls' side, freshman phenom Elise Moody-Roberts continued to crush the competition and Kate Barton (aka Katie Barton of the LAX team) had incredibly fast feet. By the end, the MC men had garnered a first place win, and the women a second, with the combined nordic and alpine taking second overall. Come out to cheer on the whole squad this coming weekend at the Middlebury carnival. Results here.

MUHS Nordic goes to the (rainy) Mt. Top

2009-02-11T15:49:00.001-08:00

On a soggy afternoon in Pittsford, a smaller than usual MUHS squad squared off against a bunch of southern Vermont skiers at Mt. Top. The course was slushy to start and waxing was a challenge. Almost as soon as all the boys had made it to the finish, it started to rain, just in time for the girls's start. The most dramatic moment of race was when Schuyler Klein's binding broke as he made the turn toward the last big uphill. Undeterred, he scootered all the way to the top, then tried to one-ski=it down, which turned out to be even harder. Everyone put in a tremendous effort under less-than-ideal conditions. Results to follow as soon as they're out, and here's a link to photos.

Snowjourn '09 Debuts in Ripton

2009-02-11T15:24:00.000-08:00

This summer, when MUHS nordic skier and FMN member Sophie McKibben conceived of Snowjourn, an organization to bring military families to Ripton for a carefree weekend of winter fun, she wasn't thinking much about what the weather would be the weekend of February 6-9. All it had to do was snow--and stay there. On February 3, things were not looking good. Rain and sleet and ice were in the forecast. On the 5th, same thing. On the 6th, the families all arrived at the Ripton School to clear skies and a festive meal prepared by more than 100 community members, with music by Atlantic Crossing (thanks to FMN member Rick Klein). The 21 guests then went to stay with their local host family, who pointed them in the direction of Rikert the next morning. Thanks to John Rubright and crew, they were quickly outfitted and sent out on snow, guided by a number of volunteer instructors. Thanks also to our Bill Kochers, Snowjourn had the run of the MC team room, which was a good thing since so many members of the community brought hot lunch and snacks for all the Snowjourners. By day's end, at least two of families were talking about buying skis, one was signed up for further lessons, and one had made plans to return to Rikert on their own. In the evening there was skating and a cookout (thanks to FMN member Eric Warren and his FMN family) and the next day downhill skiing at the Snowbowl. Everyone skied, even little Lily, at 2 1/2 and 4 year-old Nick, which was kind of amazing because, yet again, volunteers provided lots and lots of very tasty food and it would have been possible to stay in all day and eat! A great event and everyone left tired and happy. Hats off to Sophie for making it all happen!

What I Did On My February Vacation

2009-02-08T16:32:00.000-08:00

by Andrew Gardner

Middlebury College Nordic Team Runs Gates?
Feb break is nearing its end and we've enjoyed the extra time to recover, work on technique and generally hang out. Sunday we spent some time at the Camel's Hump Nordic Area, home to team skier, Noah Brautigam. Tuesday we found ourselves on the snowbowl with a brush-gate slalom course for honing down hill skillz (with a 'z'). Today were eating waffles at my casa. (Nom. Nom. Nom.) UVM this weekend.

Andrew Gardner is the head coach of the Middlebury College Nordic Team.

Braving The Cold At U-32

2009-02-08T15:14:00.000-08:00

by Will Earle

Yesterday morning about 10 MUHS and Vergennes Nordic members, braving temperatures far below forcast, met at MUHS to depart for the race at U-32, near Montpelier. The normal team numbers took a dip with the temperatures, as numerous skiers dealt with conflicting obligations. The bus ride there was a flash back to the days of tiny high school nordic teams. The beautiful U-32 course, which meanders throughout the woods and grounds of the school, was a bit soft, which, when coupled with wax meant for much warmer snow, made for a slow day. However everyone present performed well. Will Earle got 10th overall, followed by Zander Carver and Nate Peterson in 26-27 places respectively. On the girls side Eliza Carver placed 21 followed right behind by Vergennes skier, Ellen Watkins, in 22 place. Dominque Powers followed them, finishing 27th. A special highlight should also be noted, that Will Conlon, a freshmen on the MUHS team, had his first varsity race and placed 41. An Outstanding job for a first time varsity racer. Overall coach Chas Lyons was thrilled at how well everyone performed, especially in light of the many absences.

Will Earle is sophomore at Middlebury Union High School.

Under The Stadium Lights

2009-02-08T14:56:00.000-08:00

by Eliza Carver

Colchester H.S. Night Relays - The lights were up in the football stadium, which illuminated the rest of the course that looped outside it and back around into the tagging zone. I was quite excited about this race the music was playing and everyone was cheering. The second leg of our girls team jumped on their skis waiting for the race to start. The weather was still cold on my face even though it was going to take a putty knife to get all the Vaseline off. One by one girls were tagged off and once Mattie had rounded the bend I got into the tagging zone and began to double pole. I wasn’t really nervous this time like other races, that’s kind of how I think it should always be, I do better that way. Mattie tagged my back and yelled, “go,” in an exasperated tone so off I went in to catch the girl in front of me. I was determined to keep the place that Mattie had put us in. The snow was a little chopped up from all the races before ours but that was ok. The night was beautiful and crisp so with the all excited cheers, it didn’t matter my toes were and my nose was cold. I think we all did well in our races or if we didn’t we tried out best. Even Will and Addison who had finished their races were sprightly and excited to cheer us on while they fetched our coats when we had finished a lap. Nice job team.

Eliza Carver is a junior at Middlebury Union High School.

Shake It Up A Little

2009-02-03T18:56:00.000-08:00

The time trials took a different turn this afternoon. Chas Lyons laid out a 1 kilometer course and broke down some fifty skiers into pairs. Off went half the group around the roller coaster course and back again into the field to tag their team mate. Each skier had a chance to skate around the course three times with rests in between. Oh, my gosh Andrew Gardner was a speed demon. And it was good to see Bill Hegman, Justin May and Missy Foote out on the course. Lisa Bernardin was the fastest and the slowest on the 5K time trial, which ran concurrently with the sprint relay circus. Bill McKibben, we missed you and you would have loved this day!

Here are the results:

1 Justin May Ted Hicks Open M 35112:13:00
2 Walker Allen Will Earle Var M 35113:43:00
3 Schuyler Klein Nate Peterson Var M 35114:00:00
4 Missy Foote Andrew Gardner Open Mixed 35115:03:00
5 Zander Carver Kelsey McGlashan Var M 35116:34:00
6 Charlie Mulcahay Austin Kincaid Var M 35116:45:00
7 Craig Burt Adam Peterson Var M 35117:40:00
8 Maddie Kincaid Eliza Carver Var F 35117:49:00
9 Ellen Watkins Britta Clark Var F 35118:33:00
10 Dia Jenks Bill Hegman Open Mixed 35119:23:00
11 Alia Johnson Esthena Barlow Var F 35120:42:00
12 Dominique Powers Sophie McKibben Var F 35121:05:00
13 Will Conlon Addison Tate JV M 35121:32:00
14 Devin Vila John Snyder-White JV M 35124:35:00
15 Jon Wright Miles Zwicky JV M 35125:05:00
16 Mira Atherton Emily Anderson JV F 35128:06:00
* Josie Schneider Isaac Supernovich JV Mixed 14:45*
*one lap ea.

Bill Koch Race at Rikert

2009-02-02T15:41:00.000-08:00

The Frost Mountain Bill Koch League at Breadloaf hosted a race on Sunday, February 1st at the Rikert Ski Touring Center with over 60 kids from Vermont and New Hampshire participating. The event included a Lollipop race for the younger kids, and varying distances for each age group. Local skiers from the Frost Mountain Bill Koch club were:

Lollipop Racers: Camill Malhotra, Ailey Bosworth, Phoebe Hussey, Arianna Slavin, Rosemary Munkres, Eben Jackson, Silas Jackson, Trey Bosworth, Ben Munkres and Max Carson

J5 Girls 2k-Amelia Ingersoll, Malia Hodges, Lacey Greenamyre, Ailey Bosworth, Sophie Lefkoe
J5 Boys 2k- Sam Hodges, Thomas Hussey, Nick Wilkerson, Jakub Kraus, Max Carson

J4 Girls 3k-Sophie Hodges, Dorothy Punderson, Morgan Pratt, Gretta Groves
J4 Boys 3k- Oliver Clark, Rowan Warren

J3 Girls 4k- Nathalie Ingersoll, Olivia Cacciatore, McKinley James
J3 Boys 4k- Mac Groves

The Bill Koch Leage provides a supportive environment for parents and children to enjoy the outdoors, community, each other, and introduce them to the world of Cross Country Ski Racing. BKL Events include both competitive and non-competitive events, with the emphasis on having fun and social events. The Frost Mtn. Bill Koch League skis Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings at the Rikert Ski Center at Breadloaf. Many thanks to the crew at Rikert and all the parents who help volunteer with the program.

Touring Section 14--Catamount Trail

2009-02-02T07:03:00.000-08:00

by Deborah Lewis

We had a blast on Section 14. I went with my neighbor from Bridport/Addison and we were able to spot cars, leaving one at Mountain Top Inn and then driving together to Route 73. We skied the section north to south which is recommended unless you want to do two very long, steep downhills. We were glad that there had been a snowmobile there before us as the new, deep snow would have made it extremely difficult otherwise in the uphills. (As it was,
it was a workout). It's a beautiful section of the trail. While much of it is shared with snowmobiles, we only saw two while we were out on Friday. There is one section on ForestRoad 59 after the clearing where the signage is confusing. The trail markers say to go left/west at one point, but the better/main trail is further south at the Bloodroot Mountain snowmobile junction where you turn left. Note: the Catamount Trail web site map is inaccurate: it's best to use the old 8th edition of the trail book, whose map is accurate. I had skins along and I was glad to have them for the long uphill after the Bloodroot Mountain junction. The view from the top after this steep ascent are beautiful, and the ski down through the woods to connect into the Mountain Top trail system is fun. We were happy to be on the Mountain Top trail system for the last stretch after skiing in lots of (for eastern standards) fairly deep powder. This stretch of the trail has lots of fun ups and down -- I don't think I'd want to do it when the conditions are icy. It took us about 4 1/4 hours and it's 10.5 miles.

Good Times

2009-02-01T16:28:00.000-08:00

Racing Action:

1) The first time trials with John Rubright's great new timing system went off without a hitch on Tuesday. Well, it could have been a hitch when Mike Gaskin (skate) and Chris Rodgers (classic) added an extra 5k or so to their race by going all the way up Craig's Hill, but instead Frost Mountain commissioner Dia Jenks (who won the weekly woman's crown) simply declared them both extended-length victors.

2) Craftsbury marathon. The Raging Red of Frost Mountain was seen all over the course at Craftsbury on Saturday for New England's premier ski race, the 28th annual marathon. Competing on the looping, wonderful classic tracks, Dia Jenks finished second in her age group, Jeff Monroe broke two hours for 25k, and lots of other folks got extremely tired (but happy)

Blueberry Crisp! MUHS Nordic hosts at BBH

2009-01-31T13:34:00.000-08:00

It was a bit chilly this morning when the MUHS Nordic Varsity Girls stood out in the field at Blueberry Hill with skiers from CVU, Otter Valley and South Burlington. Tony Clark had groomed immaculately, and continued to do so all through the day. The CVU girls were dominant (and numerous!) but Dominique powered the girls, followed closely by Britta, skiing for North Branch. The MUHS Varsity boys missed being one-two by the length of a ski pole, with Walker and Will coming in two-three to loud cheers. Cheers, too, for Jake Whitcomb, the wax master extraordinaire, and his two able assistants, Mia Allen and Rick Klein. As usual, coach Chas Lyons ran a smooth operation, with lots of help from parents and MUHS nordic groupies. (You know who you are.) Check out the FMN website to see pictures, or look at our Blueberry Hill album on Picassaweb. (Where they are out of order, but able to be viewed in a larger format and as a slideshow.)

Women's Group Glides Over Perfect Tracks

2009-01-29T20:13:00.000-08:00

A perfect morning on perfect snow. What more is there to say? We started on Battell and looped over to Holland and Frost, and indeed it was quite Robert Frostish in the woods. Kudos to Allison Dickinson, not only for skiing minus a basket, but for using poles of different lengths.

Paintballers Have A Blast

2009-01-27T18:27:00.000-08:00

by Dominique Powers

It was a chilly Saturday evening when many Frost Mountaineers met at Mountain Top for the Fourth Annual Paintball Biathlon. Thankfully it was a skate race otherwise we might have been using Polar...or at least it felt like it. The high schoolers went off at around 5 o'clock, girls and then boys; all people older than high school set off at 6:30, fully under the lights. Though the paintball guns often froze, and even when you swore you were pointing it right at the target, the paintballs kept on getting lost in the bushes, it was well worth it. When looking back on the race I think that many people will remember it as very cold; as well as a great time.

Dominique is a ninth grader and competes on the MUHS Nordic Team, as well as forFrost Mountain Nordic.

Frost Mountain Nordic Women's Weekly Tour

2009-01-24T16:59:00.000-08:00

It was a gorgeous blue wax day as the group climbed up Gilmore to Rte. 59 and onto a newly groomed Brown Gate Trail. Barry King pointed out along the way porcupine tracks, moose barking and bear claw marks up a good sized beach tree. We topped off our Thursday morning ski with a final descent down the Holland to the touring center. Good company, good snow and the beauty of the northern woods in January makes for the start of a very good day. This is the first year for the women's group. Come join us at Breadloaf waxed up and ready to go on Thursday mornings at 9:00 am. All ages and abilities welcomed. Pictured from left to right: Holly Ferguson, Linda Punderson, Alison Dickinson and Barry King.

First Time Trial of the Obama Era

2009-01-21T07:59:00.000-08:00

Apparently many of the regular TT crew failed to heed our new president's call to work harder because they missed yesterday's time trial on perfect Breadloaf tracks. Ted Hicks carried the day in the skate race, beating first-timer Fred Kniffin in a speedy time of under 16 minutes. Bill McKibben finished first in th classic race, and also last, and indeed in every other position, all in a time of 17:58.

Last Time Trial of the Bush Era

2009-01-14T16:35:00.000-08:00

In bracingly cold conditions, on hard and fast tracks (thanks John, Jim and Tim), we contested the second time trial of the year on Wednesday afternoon. Barney Hodges, returning to the course where he covered himself in college glory, covered himself in bloody gore when his nose sprang a leak at the crest of Battell. Though he pulled up to staunch the flow, he stayed in sight of Ted Hicks at the front of the skate race in roughly 16 minutes. Bill McKibben won a three-way classic contest with a 19:05 time. Congrats to Morris Earle on his first time trial outing.

Next week the time trials move back to Tuesday--which means we'll be able to celebrate Barack Obama's inauguration. Yes We Can!

--Bill McKibben

Moonlight Ski, Sauna and International Potluck

2009-01-11T07:50:00.000-08:00

Even though the full moon was obscured by passing clouds, the night was bright as a jolly group skied around Hogback last night. One skier was surprised when the stump in front of her moved, But, it wasn’t a stump, it was a fellow skier who had taken a fall. We ended on a long downhill, which generated a lot of laughs and exhilaration. A warm fire, hot food and sauna at Blueberry Hill topped off the evening. A special thanks to Tony Clark for freshly groomed trails and for planning the event.

An Adventure Ski with Bill McKibben

2009-01-11T06:37:00.000-08:00

A group of seven lead by Bill McKibben enjoyed a beautiful tour through the woods yesterday. A special highlight was skiing pass an old homestead that had known better times. There were sweeping views of the Green Mountains toward the north, as the group winded down to a forgotten field with gnarly old apple trees. The tour concluded through a long avenue of stately red pines planted in the 1930s by the CCC, passed Robert Frost’s Cabin and ended at Breadloaf. A good ski day for all.

MUHS hosts High School Race at Rikert

2009-01-10T13:42:00.000-08:00

A fantastic day at the races! The Rikert crew, led by John, Tim and Jim, could not have groomed better, head coach Chas Lyons ran a smooth operation, the participation of parents and Frost Mountain members was key, the waxing was top-notch and the concession stand was a great addition. More than 200 racers were out on the course. Here's a link to the album of pictures that's on the website. Click on any photo to enlarge it, or play it as a slide show. Results available here. Congratulations to all!

First Time Trial of the Year

2009-01-07T13:31:00.000-08:00

from Bill McKibben:

The winners were Bruce Ingersoll, who skated the 5k course in an astonishing 15:40, Ted Hicks, the first classic skier across in 18 minutes and change, and Dia Jenks, the first female skier to reach the finish. It was an incredibly icy course--doubtless these are the fastest times we'll see all year. But great fun--the college team was finishing intervals as we began, and the high school has a time trial as we finished. All together there must have been 50 skiers up at Breadloaf trying to go as fast as they could! Special kudos to Sara Wesson, first-time TTer, who finished strong, double-poling across the line.

Place Your Bets

2009-01-03T19:38:00.000-08:00

Update from the US Nordic Ski Championships in Anchorage, Alaska

by Andrew Gardner, January 3, 2009

click to enlarge

Typically when it is cold and a race is threatened to be canceled, one has to go into the race as though it's going to happen. That's a challenge this week since racing seems brutal and increasingly unlikely. Still, the Sauce & I worked through a big pile of skis and the schedule is set for tomorrow. Here are some resources that will get you through tomorrow:

Anchorage Nationals Website.

Photos from Nensa

Temperature at Kincaid - Look at "West Turnagain"

Fasterskier.com

More soon...

Why do you cross-country ski?

2009-01-02T17:20:00.000-08:00

by Bruce Ingersoll

Nordic skiing has taken me to places in the outdoors I would never have gone before. From skiing off the very peak of Mt Shasta (14,000 + above sea level) to the base on skate skis, to Calgary and France to watch my sister compete in the Olympics, to skiing in the hardwood forest above Breadloaf in the red dusk of sunset on a cooling March afternoon – Amazing sport! I also love Nordic skiing because now that my daughters are older - 9 and 12, they are loving it and it is a great way to spend quality time with my kids, who will just as often request to go Nordic skiing, rather than the Snow Bowl on a Saturday or a Sunday.

Bruce Ingersoll is one of the co-coaches of Frost Mountain Nordic Bill Koch League.

Elite Skiers Sign On To Support 350.org

2009-01-02T13:24:00.000-08:00

by Andrew Gardner

First posted on www.FasterSkier.com on December 24, 2008

When Sara Renner planned her comeback to World Cup racing, she left out a trip to New Zealand last summer, a typically annual pilgrimage for the Canadian silver medalist. Renner cited sustainability concerns as motivation in her decision to reduce travel, “We thought about the overall costs of going there. It played into the decision.” Elite athletes don’t usually consider their carbon footprint when planning training. Most of athletics is governed by a more is better mindset. Bling tends to trump social outreach. But green motivations spurned Renner and her husband, Alpine World Cup racer, Thomas Grandi to lessen their impact. It also spurned them to join a collection of athletes endorsing 350.org.

Defined by one of its founders, Bill McKibben, a fanatical cross-country skier, “350 is the red line for human beings, the most important number on the planet. The most recent science tells us that unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, we will cause huge and irreversible damage to the earth.” read more...

Why do you ski cross-country?

2008-12-29T07:17:00.000-08:00

by Mia Allen

I don't ever remember not skiing. I guess it's in my blood. My father grew up in a small village in the Laurentians north of Montreal. A man in his town made skis so everyone skiied. He skied to school, raced as a boy in the Laurentians and in college (Nordic, jumping, downhill, slalom, GS.); we have a picture of his father and sisters all skiing in long skirts- probably around 1915.
I feel very connected to my father when I ski especially in the woods on ungroomed trails. He used to tell me when I was racing that when it got really tough to look around and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. My family skied together every weekend. My dad cut the trails on our land. On a Friday night my mom and dad would load us all up in the car and we'd drive about an hour to our log cabin in the town where he grew up - alpine ski on Saturday and Nordic ski on Sunday. My father would enter us in Nordic races at the local ski club of which he was president. I love to tell my kids about the equipment we had: old wooden skis that were cut down to fit us, leather work boots, metal bindings with a leather strap and of course bamboo poles. Yes, I 'm that old! I did go on to race in college in the Pacific Northwest and met my husband when I came to Ripton to live while working as a ski instructor at Blueberry Hill in Goshen. I am still in Ripton and we ski out our front door. Our kids ski and race. It's in their blood too. Skiing has been very good to me.

This winter Mia Allen is helping coach the Middlebury Union High School JV team and the North Branch School Nordic Team. She also enjoys skiing with her family and competing in Masters races.

How have you seen the sport of cross country skiing change over the past two decades? Is it growing in popularity? Organization?

2008-12-29T06:49:00.000-08:00

Bill McKibben, a local masters racer, writes:
Nordic skiing appears to be booming in Vermont. Look at MUHS, with more than 40 kids on the ski team--it's a considerably bigger deal than alpine at the high school at the moment. There's a strong Bill Koch League, and we have lots of masters skiers all around New England. In fact, it's strong all across the country--our racers are doing better on the international circuit than anytime since the days of Bill Koch. The only thing holding it back is the sporadic weather. Unlike alpine, Nordic skiing depends pretty strongly on nature (though that's starting to change with more Nordic areas installing snowmaking). But when we get a good snow year like this one, the scene up at Breadloaf or Blueberry Hill is incredible--the parking lot just fills up. (And at Breadloaf the skiers just pile out of the ACTR bus).

Bruce Ingersoll, co-coach of the Frost Mountain Nordic Bill Koch League, writes:
I do think Nordic skiing has changed, or at least benefited from trends in the fitness world. I ski, and always have because it is an outstanding workout. Nothing beats an hour of classic skiing for an all body workout that is easy on my aging joints. Those are two of the big reasons it beats Alpine skiing - plus it is less expensive. The fitness piece is also why I think it has grown and will continue to grow if we have solid winters and folks who can work with very little snow as they are grooming. Obviously the other big change I have witnessed in my career is the growth of skate skiing which is immensely appealing to folks because of the speed and the dynamic movements - it really is fun.

Andrew Gardner, head coach of the Middlebury College Nordic Team, writes:
On the racing scene it's faster. More spectator driven. It has suffered the same ills as other high profile sports: doping, odd formats to increase interest, etc. But the largest scene change is the variety of folks that are winning and the incredibly tight level of competition. Racing is ratcheted up to a super high level. The most tragic change is likely the decrease in snow reliability. It is changing the look and feel of racing. Skiers are more resilient than ever. Is it growing in popularity? You see a huge bump in racing. There are more folks racing now than ever. US Nationals, which is open, draws well over four hundred skiers and all but a few of those are really good skiers. On the slower side, you see a decrease in skiing: There aren't as many folks just recreating as in the past- this has to change. Hopefully, Frost Mountain will draw folks in.

Tim Reynolds, captain of the Middlebury College Nordic Team, writes:
To be honest the biggest change I've noticed has been more in the past five years, and that has been the reliability of winter. Snow is becoming less and less reliable. This has resounding implications for winter lovers. Is it Growing in Popularity? Seems high school skiing is booming. Locally, there are more kids skiing in Addison County than there ever have been. From junior high and high school racing down to the fleets of school buses that seem to roll daily up to Breadloaf, cross country skiing certainly has some culture here. Nationally as well, I think skiing enjoys almost hysteric popularity in its little niches across the snow belt. Some communities are nuts about it, some haven't heard about it.

Chas Lyons, head coach of the MUHS Nordic Team, writes:
The sport of Nordic skiing has grown over my lifetime. On the National racing level America is progressing very well putting athletes on international podiums. The interest by the general public is growing also. People like to follow healthy shining examples. The Baby Boomer generation is getting to the point of more recreation than work. They were part of the first real XC boom revolving around the Bill Koch era. They in turn have raised their children with a love of XC skiing and those children are passing love and enthusiasm onto the next generations. The passion of the skiers, especially those skiers who are parents, are joining together to ensure every possible opportunity is available to children and people alike to pursue Nordic skiing. These clubs, teams, and mentorships are blossoming all over the country and especially in our backyard. They will continue to foster new passions for those who join in.

Understanding and Using Training Levels

2008-12-28T07:42:00.000-08:00

by Justin Freeman

Justin Freeman is a US Olympian in cross-country skiing and he races for the Saab Salomon Factory Team. Below is an excerpt from an article in www.fasterskier.com.

Skiers talk a lot about training levels, usually numbering them one through five, but, if my experience over the past decade and a half is any indication, truly understanding when and how to use the various levels is rare. This is the first in a three-part article about proper use of the various training levels. It is based on my background both as a skier and as a runner, and includes some of my thoughts based on the writings of the running coach Jack Daniels, whose books make interesting reading, particularly for skiers looking for a fresh point of view about training. more ...

New Cross Country Ski Website

2008-12-28T07:12:00.000-08:00

Folks:

I came across your ski club and, as a lifelong cross-country skier myself – and someone who’s been promoting the sport for decades – it’s great to see you getting people to participate in cross-country skiing! I’m the author of a book called Cross-Country Ski Getaways, which gives information about nearly 100 ski areas, resorts, ranches, inns, B&Bs, lodges, and regional trails throughout the U.S. and Canada. I’ve had the good fortune of visiting more than 300 areas; this is a selective list of my favorites in North America. And I’ve created a new, cross-country ski web site: www.crosscountryskifun.com. There’s a question-and-answer feature, podcasts about cross-country skiing and ski destinations, ski area photos, and a blog. As you’ll see in my blog, I know cross-country ski clubs are great -- I'm a member of the Boulder Nordic Ski Club in Colorado.

I’m passionate about spreading the word about Nordic skiing and making it easier for people to enjoy it.

Please let me know if you have any questions… and happy skiing!

Best wishes,
Jonathan Wiesel
contact@crosscountryskifun.com

Slowing Down and Focusing On Technique

2008-03-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

This advice about technique is not from a nordic skier, but from one of the best American male swimmers. Swimming like skiing is a very technical sport and better technique equates with greater efficiency and faster times.

As a contender for a medal in the upcoming Olympics in Beijing, Ryan Lochte said “I spend more time on stroke mechanics now than I ever have,” and he does this by mindfully slowing way down a part of his practice every day.

“The only way to really work on technique is to swim very slowly and really think about every little thing that you’re doing,” he said. “How your body is positioned, what your hips are doing, the positioning of your shoulders and hands and feet.”

The next time you head out skiing, whether you are a recreational skier or racer, take a little time to slow down and think about how you are gliding, are you relaxed through the knees, hips and shoulders, how are you using your arms and what is your body position. What will you discover if you do this a little bit every day? The quotes above of Ryan Lochte's are from an article entitled, "A Swimmer’s Different Strokes for Success", which appeared in the March 20th edition of the New York Times. To read more...

Gretchen at the Eastern H.S. Championships

2008-03-18T06:11:00.001-07:00

March 14-16

Two hundred and forty kids and five teams from Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont descended upon Trapps in Stowe, Vermont to race three days for the Eastern H.S. Championships. Gretchen Powers, a junior at Middlebury Union High School, writes of her experiences as a member of the Vermont Team. The squad consisted of twenty four racers and Gretchen was the only representative from this area.

"The weekend went reasonably well for the state of Vermont despite not winning the championship. Friday afternoon showed warm and wet snow, and a difficult course for the 5k freestyle race. Thanks to great connections through our head coach Noah Noyes, we ate at a very respectable restaurant for dinner (whose name i now forget) For much of the team, sleep was hard to come by and many of us lay awake staring at the ceiling, or tossing and turning on the small, hard beds we slept on.

Saturday morning was the classic sprint, a very short 1k. The afternoon led way to a very exciting classic/freestyle mixed relay with a guy and girl to each disipline on each team (4x2.5k). The banquet Saturday night was at Stowe high school and Vermont skiers gobbled up some great raffle prizes (I am not included in this as I have the worst raffle luck on the planet). Everyone fell into bed and slept soundly Saturday night from sheer exhaustion. Sunday morning, early rising for tough wax conditions for the 7.5k mass start classic race.

Maine pulled through in first place, with Vermont in second and New Hampshire in third. It was a rough weekend for Vermont, and for myself, with many racers lost to JO's, Canadian Nationals, and sickness, I was bumped from 20th seed to 13th, and had a rather rough weekend of racing."

Results

Trina at the Masters World Championships

2008-03-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

Many of us from Frost Mountain Nordic participated in a clinic with Trina Hosmer in February at Breadloaf. Recently, Trina competed in the World's Masters Cross Country Ski Championships in McCall, Idaho. Below are some excerpts from an email she wrote:

"I just returned from World Master's, exhausted but a good week. I once again was very fortunate to have my body perform when necessary (I never take this for granted) and won all 3 of my individual races (15K skate, 10K classic and 30K skate) plus our US relay team won gold. So it was a very successful and rewarding week for me.... My overall impression from watching the younger women ski (this year there were several ex-Olympians in younger age classes) versus the older women is the use of the arms. I know I already harp about this all the time ... and now I can assure you, you will hear even more."

Congratulations, Trina! Also, some of our Frost Mountain Nordic members were spectators at the event. They reported that the races were inspirational and the racers--from all over the world-- to be very fit and interesting people. There was even a 91 year old man racing. This, also, was the largest group of US master racers ever competing in the same races.

Lots of Snow and Fun For FMN Skiers Competing at the Bill Koch Festival

2008-03-12T08:31:00.000-07:00

The 30th Annual Bill Koch League Ski Festival took place during the weekend of March 1-2 in Gunstock, NH. BKL skiers from all over New England gathered to participate in the races. Snow was plentiful to say the least with 6' snowbanks and steady snowfall during the races on Saturday. The Gunstock trails are hilly and curvy and had so much snow that it was impossible to keep up with the grooming. On Saturday, racers aged 8 - 13 competed in the freestyle races. Most age divisions had well over 60 racers competing. Frost Mountain Nordic skiers: Britta Clark, Oliver Clark, Lydia Allen, Sophie Hodges, Sam Hodges, Malia Hodges and Thomas Hussey all competed and did very well. Results and photos can be found by going to the NENSA website. Sophie McKibben came along to cheer everyone on. Sophie competed in High school varsity races this year so we couldn't pass her off as a BKLer!

Saturday afternoon, racers and families participated in a 4 km. or 7 km. mini marathon with food stops along the way. Saturday night all racers gathered at the Margate Hotel for a banquet, awards, bonfire, s'mores and fireworks. Sunday morning got off to a chilly start with clear skies and wind. The first event was the Lollipop race in which Malia Hodges competed. Our other F.M racers met their assigned teammates (other racers from our N.W Vt. division) and competed in the 2-person sprint relays. The course was perfectly set for spectators - a .6 km loop that started in the stadium area and snaked through the woods back to the stadium where racers tagged their teammate. It was a very exciting event. The weekend was lots of fun with great skiing and friendly competition.

Congratulations to all of our Frost Mountain Nordic skiers!

To view results and photos go to the NENSA (New England Nordic Ski Association) website by clicking here and then scrolling down to the Bill Koch Festival, March 1-2.

John Caldwell's Thoughts on the US Cross Country Team and the Importance of Strong Regional Programs

2008-03-08T11:19:00.000-08:00

In the March 2008 issue of Skiing Heritage magazine, John Caldwell wrote an article entitled "U.S. Cross-Country Should Return to its Roots: America's nordic program saw its greatest success when racers trained regionally. It's time to return to history--and a system that worked." This article reminds us of the importance of local clubs, such as Frost Mountain Nordic. Below is an excerpt:

"There are many hurdles for aspiring cross-country skiers. It takes at least 10 years of training to have any chance of reaching the top levels in international competition. The U.S. is a big country and skiers go at it from Alaska to the tip of northern Maine. For all these competitors, travel to important qualifying meets or making the U.S. Team is not only exhausting, but expensive. And skiers from cross-country families are not among the wealthiest in the U.S. So the deck is already stacked.

Pressure to live and train in Park City has been exerted on the better skiers, but there is the controversial aspect of altitude. No countries house and train their athletes at altitude year-round. Our milieu is wrong. And how can an aspiring athlete lead a normal life while living and training for years in Park City? Home contacts and family are missing in Park City, as well as most future job possibilities. Absent all these, most skiers living for long periods in Park City lose inspiration.

This country needs a program that works better for U.S. skiers, not necessarily one that apes another country, like Russia. The U.S. Ski Team should set up regional locations around the country and support them financially with coaching, thus allowing skiers to stay in their own communities and pursue a more normal life. This would also help to promote the localities' own skiers since their contact with U.S. Team members would act as inspiration for them. It would get regions more involved, and--in the best of all worlds--the system would have regions competing with each other for funding based on their results. All these aspects would promote more motivation for the athletes. It would also mean several programs standing by to take responsibility-and any heat--for the Team's record instead of only one program in Park City.

John Caldwell was a member of the '52 U.S. Olympic Nordic Combined Team and former U.S. Olympic and FIS cross-country coach (1966-1989)."

2008-03-08T11:17:00.000-08:00

Another Successful Middlebury Carnival

2008-02-23T16:27:00.001-08:00

Middlebury College placed second overall in this weekend's winter carnival, capping a consistently strong season. Congratulations to coach Andrew Gardner and his merry band of nordies, and to John, Tim, Jim, Peggy and everyone else at Rikert who made Friday and Saturday so successful. Some of the great highlights of Carnival: Patrick Johnson breaking 3 (!) poles and still cracking the top 20; Yeoman efforts from Anders Meyer, Dane Johnson, and Graham Eagan; best race this year from Matt Johnson (big brother of Patrick); power skating from Tim Reynolds; amazing skate race for Robin Anderson (#3); top ten in the classic for Cassidy Edwards; Kate Barton and Claire Luby's speedy feet; Joy Erdman's outstanding drive; and Sophie McClelland's raw strength and beautiful technique. (She also wins the prize for the greatest number of relatives in a single race.)

Kudos, too, to local skiers Mary Stewart, racing for UVM and Sophie Allen, in her first year at SLU. The hometown crowd went crazy when these two zipped by.

To see lots of pictures, check out the photo page at Frost Mountain Nordic.

Local skiers compete at the Middlebury Carnival

2008-02-21T09:08:00.000-08:00

Sophie Allen of Ripton (and St. Lawrence), Mary Stewart of Ripton (and UVM), and Tim Reynolds of Bristol (and Middlebury), will be among the scores of college racers competing in the Middlebury Carnival at the Rikert Ski Touring Center on Friday (2/22) and Saturday (2/23). Come and cheer on them and the entire Middlebury College Carnival Team. Good luck to our favorite Frost Mountain Nordic college coach, Andrew Gardner! Up, up, up.