Today was quite a contrast to yesterdays icy storms. The clouds blew though and I (finally) got a beautiful blue bird sky with warm temps (+1C). Lafleur de la Capitale was heroic in their efforts to groom up the frozen crust from yesterdays rain and the trails were a perfect corduroy.
I did a Tour du Lac up at St Cecile end of the Park visiting Lusk, Taylor, Phillipe and Mousseau lakes along with a few other puddles in between. The skiing was gorgeous and I took plenty of time to enjoy as many sunny spots as I could. The bench pictured is always a favourite to stop at and enjoy the spring sunshine. Almost makes me glad that spring is arriving.... alas along with the warmer days go the gently melting snows. The track was mostly a nice snowy trail but it did start to soften up where the direct sun sat on it all day. That said, for the most part it was fast skiing.
Not too many people up at the north end of the Park. Those I did come across were all smiling tho'. Sunny skis are always a nice experience.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Approaching storm
Today was a tough day for a ski but I went none the less. I had originally planned for a classic tour with Mike and Bryan but - with the prediction of an approaching freezing rainstorm - they decided to bail out. It was probably the wise thing to do as the freezing rain made the classic tracks hard and icy - very difficult to ski on (even for Mr. Waxless). When they called to cancel I decided to grab my skating skis and head up anyway. Skating in freezing rain isn't too bad because you tend to ride a little more on the edges of the skis so you can break through any icy crust that form.
The predicted freezing rain started just as I drove out of my driveway but it wasn't too heavy so I headed up to P9 (passing a few cars in the ditch - slow down morons!) and strapped on the skis headed for the lookouts. The skiing wasn't too bad when I started but after an hour or so some very dark clouds rolled in and the freezing rain started falling in earnest. In short order I was soaked and the track was starting to get a little glassy. From there on it was a carefully measured effort. Being soaked meant you can't stop for a break or risk chilling down very quickly (hypothermia style) so I took a nice easy tempo that I could maintain back to the car.
Also a problem was that my glasses iced over - no deicer to clear the windshield so to speak! With Thursdays ski (when my eyes froze shut with a -27C windchill) and today's iced over glasses, I'm getting a lot of opportunity to put in to practice my saying that "I know the trails so well I could ski them blindfolded." At any rate I made it down safe and sound. By the time I got to the car, the surface of my clothes had formed a thick layer of ice so it took me a while to "melt" on the drive home and then a long hot shower brought me back to life.... but it was still fun.
The weather finally went above zero in the afternoon and the freezing rain turned to rain so tomorrow might be an interesting ski. The trails could freeze over or be warm and sloppy in the sun. Spring may be coming earlier then expected.... Hardly seems like winter was here.
The predicted freezing rain started just as I drove out of my driveway but it wasn't too heavy so I headed up to P9 (passing a few cars in the ditch - slow down morons!) and strapped on the skis headed for the lookouts. The skiing wasn't too bad when I started but after an hour or so some very dark clouds rolled in and the freezing rain started falling in earnest. In short order I was soaked and the track was starting to get a little glassy. From there on it was a carefully measured effort. Being soaked meant you can't stop for a break or risk chilling down very quickly (hypothermia style) so I took a nice easy tempo that I could maintain back to the car.
Also a problem was that my glasses iced over - no deicer to clear the windshield so to speak! With Thursdays ski (when my eyes froze shut with a -27C windchill) and today's iced over glasses, I'm getting a lot of opportunity to put in to practice my saying that "I know the trails so well I could ski them blindfolded." At any rate I made it down safe and sound. By the time I got to the car, the surface of my clothes had formed a thick layer of ice so it took me a while to "melt" on the drive home and then a long hot shower brought me back to life.... but it was still fun.
The weather finally went above zero in the afternoon and the freezing rain turned to rain so tomorrow might be an interesting ski. The trails could freeze over or be warm and sloppy in the sun. Spring may be coming earlier then expected.... Hardly seems like winter was here.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Norway day
Today was bar none the best ski day I've had this season. The snow was, well,.... actually snow!!! Grooming was immaculate and the weather was just about perfect. I skated from MacKenzie King up to the lookouts and did a few loops along Ridge before stopping in to Huron shelter.
It was Norway day today which means good eats served up by the Norwegian Embassy. I got there before the big crowds so I didn't have to wait too long for vaffels with jam and goats cheese along with black current tea. A tasty treat that was the perfect refueling stop before my ski back to the car. The crowds were starting to come out in force so I took my leave and headed down Ridge to the parkway. Lots more folks skiing up to Huron so I guess they had another successful event.
The ski back to Mac King was pretty quiet. It's a little bit of a lonelier track with few intersecting trails and a bit of distance to any of the parking lots. It was such a nice day though so I was glad to have it to myself. Skiing on actual snow was a little more difficult then some of the hard, icy track we've had this season. Takes a litte more out of you to maintain your speed and the climbs seem a little longer but its all worthwhile when the snow is so nice.
It was Norway day today which means good eats served up by the Norwegian Embassy. I got there before the big crowds so I didn't have to wait too long for vaffels with jam and goats cheese along with black current tea. A tasty treat that was the perfect refueling stop before my ski back to the car. The crowds were starting to come out in force so I took my leave and headed down Ridge to the parkway. Lots more folks skiing up to Huron so I guess they had another successful event.
The ski back to Mac King was pretty quiet. It's a little bit of a lonelier track with few intersecting trails and a bit of distance to any of the parking lots. It was such a nice day though so I was glad to have it to myself. Skiing on actual snow was a little more difficult then some of the hard, icy track we've had this season. Takes a litte more out of you to maintain your speed and the climbs seem a little longer but its all worthwhile when the snow is so nice.
Ski tips
Today was a mixed bag of skiing. After yesterday's big storm I headed back up to the park to do some classic skiing in the fresh (soft) tracks. It was a beautiful day, 0 to -2C with occasional passing flurries. The skiing (and the countryside) was beautiful - an ideal Christmas ski... oops, we're into March aren't we.
I skied along the Discovery trail with thoughts of a loop but the waxing for these conditions was pretty tricky. Cold(ish) dry snow(yesterday) with a fresh layer of wet, warm snow falling as I skied. This made the conditions perfect for big layers of icy snow to build up on my wax pocket allowing for ZERO glide. I reached into a my bag of waxing tricks and called on a technique the racers are now using. I layered up with carrot wax (-1 to -4C) covered with flouro blue (-4 to -9C). The carrot was perfect for grip on the warm damp snow and the cover of blue wax prevented icing up. So goes the theory anyway.... and it wasn't too bad all things considered. I should have brought a cork to work in each layer of wax but other then that it worked pretty good.
But wait a minute! I thought the rule was you couldn't cover a warmer wax with a colder wax!! That's the conventional wisdom I was taught long ago (thanks Dad) but I guess you need to know the rules before you can break 'em. The racing set are always looking for ways to improve grip vs glide. Sometimes with mixed success - just ask anyone who followed the World Championship men's 15k classic race (fiasco?) last week in Sapporo.
It was still a bit of a battle knocking the ice off the bases once in a while but I probably had fewer problems then most people. That said, everyone I came across (most of whom were scraping ice off their skis when I passed them) had big smiles on their face. Fresh snow will do that to a skier ! In the end I just did a smaller loop and took a few more pictures along the way. A great day out indeed.
I skied along the Discovery trail with thoughts of a loop but the waxing for these conditions was pretty tricky. Cold(ish) dry snow(yesterday) with a fresh layer of wet, warm snow falling as I skied. This made the conditions perfect for big layers of icy snow to build up on my wax pocket allowing for ZERO glide. I reached into a my bag of waxing tricks and called on a technique the racers are now using. I layered up with carrot wax (-1 to -4C) covered with flouro blue (-4 to -9C). The carrot was perfect for grip on the warm damp snow and the cover of blue wax prevented icing up. So goes the theory anyway.... and it wasn't too bad all things considered. I should have brought a cork to work in each layer of wax but other then that it worked pretty good.
But wait a minute! I thought the rule was you couldn't cover a warmer wax with a colder wax!! That's the conventional wisdom I was taught long ago (thanks Dad) but I guess you need to know the rules before you can break 'em. The racing set are always looking for ways to improve grip vs glide. Sometimes with mixed success - just ask anyone who followed the World Championship men's 15k classic race (fiasco?) last week in Sapporo.
It was still a bit of a battle knocking the ice off the bases once in a while but I probably had fewer problems then most people. That said, everyone I came across (most of whom were scraping ice off their skis when I passed them) had big smiles on their face. Fresh snow will do that to a skier ! In the end I just did a smaller loop and took a few more pictures along the way. A great day out indeed.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Heading into the Tempest
Today was a rare treat. We got snow. Mounds of it. So thick you could hardly see kinda snow. Bryan, Mike and I headed up to Western Hut for a ski today. An excellent destination on any day but today was doubly fun with gobs of snow falling.
While the storm started early in the morning it had not amounted to much by the time we got to P12. We headed up McClosky in a light snowfall. It's a long slow climb but once we topped out we could sort of cruise (in 3 inches of fresh powder) over the trails to the Western hut. Had an excellent lunch by the fire as the storm picked up speed outside. As we peered out the windows to the raging storm our motivation to go back out into the heart of the tempest waned. It became obvious how hard it was snowing when others arrived at the hut covered in a blanket of snow.
Eventually - food and drink gone - we realized we had to head for home. The snow was coming down furiously at this point and any tracks were quickly consumed so it was fresh tracks most of the way home. The lads gave me the point so I got a few sections of "first tracks" on the descents but I suspect they let me lead to break trail on the flats more then anything. Ah well, price well worth it. An excellent day out and we should be set for a (slightly) longer ski season now.
While the storm started early in the morning it had not amounted to much by the time we got to P12. We headed up McClosky in a light snowfall. It's a long slow climb but once we topped out we could sort of cruise (in 3 inches of fresh powder) over the trails to the Western hut. Had an excellent lunch by the fire as the storm picked up speed outside. As we peered out the windows to the raging storm our motivation to go back out into the heart of the tempest waned. It became obvious how hard it was snowing when others arrived at the hut covered in a blanket of snow.
Eventually - food and drink gone - we realized we had to head for home. The snow was coming down furiously at this point and any tracks were quickly consumed so it was fresh tracks most of the way home. The lads gave me the point so I got a few sections of "first tracks" on the descents but I suspect they let me lead to break trail on the flats more then anything. Ah well, price well worth it. An excellent day out and we should be set for a (slightly) longer ski season now.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Champlain lookout
This weekend I took some time to enjoy skiing the trails. I headed in to the Park with no real plan and took trails that looked (or I knew) would be appealing. I skied a little of Ridge, all of Burma, some of the racing loops at Fortune and a few other sundry trails. All good fun. Actually I was reminded that - even though March is just around the corner - I haven't really skied too many of the smaller trails this year. There just hasn't been the snow - and in fact the side trails are still a little light in areas so you have to watch out for the odd rock, divot or water hazard here or there. I found the short steep climbs to be really taxing on the lungs but nothing slowing the tempo down can't solve. Left my watch at home and didn't worry about distance or time - a real treat after stressing about being ready for CSM for the first half of the season. The temperature climbed to -2C today with the sun starting to flex its muscle a little bit. Felt warm - nice to enjoy the sun but I expect it will mean an early end to the snow.... still a few weeks left tho'. Time for a few great outings.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Leaders at the waterfall
Here's one more shot from the Keski skate race. This is the lead pack as they went through the 43k mark. Just in the background you can see Ottawa native Karl Saidla getting "unhitched" from this lead trio. Unfortunately he says it was here that he could no longer keep up to the torid pace and had to settle in to a more sustainable tempo to conserve a 4th place finish (2 minutes back at the finish line). A noble effort indeed and well done not to completely blow up and fall further in the field during the closing kilometers.
Most of my pictures from the weekend have been posted up at XC Ottawas site (in the sidebar) along with a bunch of other great photos from the weekend - feel free to click through and check them out..
Most of my pictures from the weekend have been posted up at XC Ottawas site (in the sidebar) along with a bunch of other great photos from the weekend - feel free to click through and check them out..
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Keski start line
Today was the big Keskinada race. The "Casino Lac Leamy freestyle" 53 k race is part of the World Loppet series and brings in racers from all over the world. I took a similar route to Saturdays events, skiing and driving (and skiing some more) to take some photos of the racers as they stormed through the park. The weather was not too bad as Keski goes. The day hovered around -11C but there was a bone chilling wind that brought the temp down to -25 (that's MINUS 25 for my readers in Ozz ;-). Some fresh cold, dry snow made the skiing something less then speedy but the top racer covered the course in 2 hrs 30mins which is pretty darn fast.The local team had a strong showing (their link is on my sidebar) and scored a victory in the 29k race and 4th and 3rd place finishs in the mens and womens 53 k races.... Well done.
That marks the end of formal skiing activities for this area....and some of the racers I know will now turn their thoughts to preparing for summer racing - marathons, triathalons, cycling and the like. For me this is the best time to ski. The snow is good, the sun stays up a little longer and the weather usually warms up. Time to take advantage of the trails and some decent fitness and get skiing. Summer will arrive soon enough.
That marks the end of formal skiing activities for this area....and some of the racers I know will now turn their thoughts to preparing for summer racing - marathons, triathalons, cycling and the like. For me this is the best time to ski. The snow is good, the sun stays up a little longer and the weather usually warms up. Time to take advantage of the trails and some decent fitness and get skiing. Summer will arrive soon enough.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Keski classic lead pack
Today was the first big day of races on Keskinada weekend. 53 and 29 k classic races with a 16k race later in the afternoon. I went out and chased the leaders around (mostly in my car) taking pictures as the race unfolded. The course had been changed due to it being a low snow year (sound familiar?) to be mostly on the Parkway which is a shame. We got a big dump of snow in the middle of this past week... but I guess it was too late for the organizers to change their mind again. In terms of a competition it was a bit of a non-starter. Phil Shaw - distance specialist and past winner of the event - pulled away at about the 15k mark and never looked back winning by 10 minutes. He is at the back of the pack in the photo taken at roughly 5k - sizing up the competition.
From a weather standpoint it was just about a perfect day, -10C and the wind died down just after the race started. The snow was perfectly groomed. Tomorrow is the skate race. Should be a bit more competitive field. Phil came second in the skate race last year after winning the classic race. He'll be out there again tomorrow looking to take the double.
From a weather standpoint it was just about a perfect day, -10C and the wind died down just after the race started. The snow was perfectly groomed. Tomorrow is the skate race. Should be a bit more competitive field. Phil came second in the skate race last year after winning the classic race. He'll be out there again tomorrow looking to take the double.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Johanssen pin
So that was the ski marathon this year. I had a long hard day on Saturday. Don't think I've ever skied that far in one day before( ~70k). As we rolled through Montebello and into the Chateau grounds (finish line) thoughts of food and dry clothes drifted through my head and carried me across the line such that the last k or so is a bit of a blur. Sunday was much more laid back as I only skied two sections (~30k). It was another perfect day and I took more time to enjoy the trail and the countryside. I was across the line by 12:30 and on my way home (with my medal pictured) by 2pm. An afternoon of lying on the couch and occasionaly eating was a good way to recover from the effort.
Will I go back next year? I'll have to think about it. It consumes a lot of time getting fit and up to speed. Covering the whole distance is a tough excercise. That said - if they have enough snow for the traditional route then I'd be interested to try it again. Perhaps I'll just do a few sections each day instead of forcing myself to cover big distance. Time enough through the summer to let the aches and pains fade from my memory.
Will I go back next year? I'll have to think about it. It consumes a lot of time getting fit and up to speed. Covering the whole distance is a tough excercise. That said - if they have enough snow for the traditional route then I'd be interested to try it again. Perhaps I'll just do a few sections each day instead of forcing myself to cover big distance. Time enough through the summer to let the aches and pains fade from my memory.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
CSM trail
This was the type of trail I really liked - a stretch through the countryside between woodlots and farmers fields. Unfortunately there weren't too many of these stretches this year. Most of the trail ran through the forest preserve. While it was a beautiful area to ski and an excellent trail (on section 1 and 2), it just seemed to be too much like the Gatineau Park that I ski all the time. When the trail opened up like this you got a sense of passing through the countryside and overland - a unique experience that you can't do everyday. Had the wind been howling in my face it might have been a different story but for the most part it was good weather - like this - so it was a great track to ski.
Another story about the army presence. They did a great job providing support and were very gracious bunch (tax dollars at work? hey, they have to train somewhere!) but I do have one beef with the private who started dinner (lunch?) at his camp just as I was starting the (long) last section of the trail. Seems the menu consisted of Brats and the smell wafting through the pine forest almost knocked us off our skis. It would be a couple of long, hard hours before there was any solid food for me ;-)
Another story about the army presence. They did a great job providing support and were very gracious bunch (tax dollars at work? hey, they have to train somewhere!) but I do have one beef with the private who started dinner (lunch?) at his camp just as I was starting the (long) last section of the trail. Seems the menu consisted of Brats and the smell wafting through the pine forest almost knocked us off our skis. It would be a couple of long, hard hours before there was any solid food for me ;-)
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
A couple of the steeper sections of the trail - particularly as we approached Montebello and the Ottawa river - had really low snow. This required you to take off the skis and walk for a few hundred meters here or there. It was a chance to use different muscle groups so it wasn't too bad. I'm told the CSM trail crews actually "tore up" what little snow there was in these sections in order to force people to walk these stretches. Better to be safe then have a lot of injuries.
I skied all the sections on Saturday (70km) and then decided to avoid these low snow sections the next day so I only did the last 2 stretches for 30k on Sunday. Not sure if I could have done the whole thing anyway on Sunday. I was pretty sore when I woke up in the morning but once I got moving things were okay. Still it was a long second day so I was glad with my decision.
This photo is borrowed from the "musician on skis" (check out her site in the sidebar). I took a number of photos but my small camera managed to "mangle" about half of them. Probably the last time I use it for special events. Had I known what it had done I probably would have tossed it in the river as I took the Rockland ferry back home Sunday night. Ah well, camera shopping soon.
I skied all the sections on Saturday (70km) and then decided to avoid these low snow sections the next day so I only did the last 2 stretches for 30k on Sunday. Not sure if I could have done the whole thing anyway on Sunday. I was pretty sore when I woke up in the morning but once I got moving things were okay. Still it was a long second day so I was glad with my decision.
This photo is borrowed from the "musician on skis" (check out her site in the sidebar). I took a number of photos but my small camera managed to "mangle" about half of them. Probably the last time I use it for special events. Had I known what it had done I probably would have tossed it in the river as I took the Rockland ferry back home Sunday night. Ah well, camera shopping soon.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
CSM Oasis
This past weekend was the Ski Marathon. I took part as a tourer and had a great weekend overall. The weather was just about perfect. -15 to start but warming to -6 on both days. We had sun and clouds and sometimes snow.... a little of everything. The new course(set up because of the low snow year) was not really what I had signed up for. The organizers had to scramble to make a 70km loop which had sufficient snow to welcome 2000+ skiers. The usual route goes overland from Lachute to Montebello on day 1 and then on to Buckingham on day 2... but it was not to be this year. Instead they developed a loop north of Montebello in the Kenauk wilderness preserve. We skied clockwise (sort of) on Saturday and counterclockwise on Sunday. There were a few out and back bits and some two way traffic lanes put in to make it a decent distance and allow for the logistics set up of checkpoints. Along with a host of volunteers, the army treats the event as a winter training excercise, providing support, communications, setting their own camps and montioring progress of skiers. In the photo one of the army camps along the trail set up a water station... much welcomed. For the most part it was good snow and well laid out. but it wasn't really the overland through the countryside experience I was hoping for.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Junior racer
Today was day 1 of the Eastern Canadian XC Championships in Gatineau Park. I went up to see if I could watch the elite racers doing a time trial classic race. Unfortunately the organizers didn't post a schedule on the website for the races so I didn't know what time the elites were racing. In the end I was there for the midget and pee-wee racers which wasn't really what I was looking to see. I skied around a bit and took a few pictures (none were too successful). It was kind of a bleak day while I was there, -7 but quite windy so I decided not to hang out too long.
Instead I went down to Montebello to check out the snow conditions for the CSM next week. The northen parts of the course look to have good snow but as you drop down to the river things get a little thin. I can see why they chose to adjust the course. Many of the spots on the old route have almost no snow at all and where it twins a gravel road (the CSM plows down the snowbank along a few roads to form a ski trail in a few spots) there are no snowbanks at all. We'll see how this new course goes. I could only get to a few spots as the main part of the trail goes into the Kenauk Wilderness reserve.
Unfortunately, the many long training days - trying to get into shape with a limited number of snow days- seem to have left me with a bit of tendonitis in one of my feet. I may not be able to ski long days next weekend. It hurt a lot for three days after my long ski last weekend and is still annoying right now. Strangely it doesn't bother me to skate - I guess the foot flexes differently when skating rather then the classic stride. I'll see how it goes on Saturday next week. Hopefully I can manage a few sections without too much discomfort and still go back for more on Sunday. Doesn't really matter too much. Its a tour so I'm looking forward to skiing some of it and then I'll call it a day when/if the pain gets too great.
Instead I went down to Montebello to check out the snow conditions for the CSM next week. The northen parts of the course look to have good snow but as you drop down to the river things get a little thin. I can see why they chose to adjust the course. Many of the spots on the old route have almost no snow at all and where it twins a gravel road (the CSM plows down the snowbank along a few roads to form a ski trail in a few spots) there are no snowbanks at all. We'll see how this new course goes. I could only get to a few spots as the main part of the trail goes into the Kenauk Wilderness reserve.
Unfortunately, the many long training days - trying to get into shape with a limited number of snow days- seem to have left me with a bit of tendonitis in one of my feet. I may not be able to ski long days next weekend. It hurt a lot for three days after my long ski last weekend and is still annoying right now. Strangely it doesn't bother me to skate - I guess the foot flexes differently when skating rather then the classic stride. I'll see how it goes on Saturday next week. Hopefully I can manage a few sections without too much discomfort and still go back for more on Sunday. Doesn't really matter too much. Its a tour so I'm looking forward to skiing some of it and then I'll call it a day when/if the pain gets too great.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Taylor Lake
Another great weekend of skiing. It was again a little cold with windchills dipping into the -20C to -25C range but for the most part in the woods it was a beautiful couple of days. I got a late start both days as I wanted to watch some of the Rolex 24hrs race in Daytona but once on the trails I enjoyed pretty good snow and it was none too busy. It's surprising how little snow we actually have and every now and then you are reminded of this with a protruding rock or some gravel. I toured the Lac Phillipe sector today and did an enjoyable loop out behind Taylor lake and then down along the main Lake itself. Took this shot near the yurt on Taylor lake. With a perfectly good trail along the shore line, somebody's always got to be an individualist.
Time to start tapering for CSM. Not sure what's going to become of that. I had already planned a shortened tour as I don't feel I've gotten the miles in... but I notice tonight that they've revamped the entire course to deal with the shortage of snow... so I'll have to rethink my strategy. Looks to me like they designed a bit of a small loop which you do a few laps of (for 70k each day).... maybe not the fun I was looking for when I signed up. We'll see.
Time to start tapering for CSM. Not sure what's going to become of that. I had already planned a shortened tour as I don't feel I've gotten the miles in... but I notice tonight that they've revamped the entire course to deal with the shortage of snow... so I'll have to rethink my strategy. Looks to me like they designed a bit of a small loop which you do a few laps of (for 70k each day).... maybe not the fun I was looking for when I signed up. We'll see.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Brule
Went for a ski last night - almost perfect conditions. Fresh snow falling, -2C. The P10 lot was crammed full but once on the trails it wasn't too bad. Most folks were in the shelters having dinner. One minor moment of drama near the lookout (the photo is from an earlier ski). As I approached the parking lot, the road sign indicating "Huron Lookout" started to move! Only moments before I collided with the moving sign did I realize it was a deer. She didn't use her signals and flaunted the rules of the road so I think I would have got off with her being "at fault" but fortunately no impact. In the darkness tho' - two (pairs) of legs seperating a large rectangular body - she did somewhat resemble the road sign. In the end I think it was indicative of the ski conditions. I was able to move pretty fast while not making much noise and she clearly didn't hear me coming. No harm, no foul so we both apologized and went on our way.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Clouds
Another long ski. Did a loop of the parkway and Ridge road. The trails were pretty busy today but that's a good thing. The NCC was hosting skifest which brought out the crowds. Lots of people out enjoying the Park. The trails were well groomed and for the most part I didn't see any rocks poking through so my ski bases were appreciative.
Speaking of bases, I used some of the (mildly) expensive glide wax on the skis today (low flouro Vauhti green on top of a CH green base for glide - Teho green binder with a Swix green top wax for grip) . Does it ever work a treat - money well spent. The skis were extra slippery today (with grip when I needed it). I could see how the expensive (high flouro) waxes might become addictive if they improve glide a further step over this low flouro stuff.
Towards the end of the day I had a a good view of the incoming front. Hopefully it will bring some more snow with it. Got home in time to see the Bears UNLEASH THE FURY on the Saints... Hopefully they'll do it again playing the Colts in two(?) weeks.
Speaking of bases, I used some of the (mildly) expensive glide wax on the skis today (low flouro Vauhti green on top of a CH green base for glide - Teho green binder with a Swix green top wax for grip) . Does it ever work a treat - money well spent. The skis were extra slippery today (with grip when I needed it). I could see how the expensive (high flouro) waxes might become addictive if they improve glide a further step over this low flouro stuff.
Towards the end of the day I had a a good view of the incoming front. Hopefully it will bring some more snow with it. Got home in time to see the Bears UNLEASH THE FURY on the Saints... Hopefully they'll do it again playing the Colts in two(?) weeks.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
P16 - Headin' home
Twas cold out today but the snow was good for the most part. I skied from P16 out to the Lac Phillipe gate and back. A long way but there are only 3 weeks to CSM so I've got to start stretching out the distance. For the most part the track was in great shape. There were a few spots where gravel edged its way through the snow but the rest was pretty free skiing. Lots of people out today despite the -25C wind chill. I guess folks have been eager to ski for a while now.
Friday night I went for a skate on the parkway. What a difference it makes to be skiing on actual snow... instead of the frozen, textured ice we've had up till now. It was hard work!! I guess the icy tracks we've had up till now gave me a false sense of my potential speed. I also dusted off my good skating skiis, which I hoped would help increase my speed. No dice. I may be a little heavy for the camber on these babies yet... just a pound or two hopefully ;-). I'm not sure but perhaps the summers beer and fries might have had a negative impact on my skiis?? Noooo, couldn't be. Maybe I'll give that some thought over a beer tonight.
Friday night I went for a skate on the parkway. What a difference it makes to be skiing on actual snow... instead of the frozen, textured ice we've had up till now. It was hard work!! I guess the icy tracks we've had up till now gave me a false sense of my potential speed. I also dusted off my good skating skiis, which I hoped would help increase my speed. No dice. I may be a little heavy for the camber on these babies yet... just a pound or two hopefully ;-). I'm not sure but perhaps the summers beer and fries might have had a negative impact on my skiis?? Noooo, couldn't be. Maybe I'll give that some thought over a beer tonight.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Wattsford lookout
Finally, winter has arrived… and I don’t see it leaving in two days with another warm front and rain. We got the first big dump of snow of the season. Looks pretty good for Decem… oops, January 15th. I headed up pretty late (~ 9pm) to check it out. I wasn’t going to go up at all as I had two long ski days on the weekend and needed some rest but the call of fresh snow was too strong to resist. That and it’s supposed to be –25C Tuesday night so I might not venture out then. The snow was groomed up, soft but fun. I did a short ski. Climbed up penguin to Wattsford lookout and took in the city. Grabbed this shot from the lookout. The orange glow from the city, accentuated by the fresh falling snow is a special view – glad I took the time to come up. After that a quick race down Penguin and home to bed. There’ll be skiing this year…. finally.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Brule lookout
Not much skiing since the last entry. The rains washed the snow back to a sheet of ice. Last weekend I debated going for a hike on the parkway with my crampons but decided against it. We finally got some cold temps and a little snow so I'm back in business with some sub-par skiing. There is enough snow to cover the parkway although the pesky ice peeks through in a few spots. I did a long classic ski today (gotta get the miles in) and for the most part it was okay. Wanted to continue out towards McKinstry and the firetower but Lafleur hasn't groomed that section so I had to stick to the Parkway. Not complaining tho' - You can see in this photo that there's no snow at all down in the valley so I'll take what I can get. At the midpoint of my ski I enjoyed the sun setting and still made it back to P6 before complete darkness. The days are starting to noticeably get longer now. While the days get longer it looks like winter is just around the corner (no really! this time for sure!!) with colder air and more calls for snow next week. Better late then never I suppose.
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