Nordic Skiing and Cold Weather Tips

The ski season is in full swing, and there is a lot of snow, for this time of year.
The temperature is now dropping below minus -25C, and the glide speed is slowing down. Just add another layer of clothing, and if need be, cover the face. Neoprene face masks have worked best for me. Booties will also slow your speed down as well, but will keep your feet warm.
Do not look at the kilometers you ski, but look at time at a certain exertion or heart rate level. Treat this cold weather skiing, as a time for specific ski strength training.
If you need to have faster snow, ski smaller loops with several other skiers, and the snow speed will pick up, as you ski.
Look at skiing in a area that offers protection, from the wind. You may need to ski the opposite way then what is normal, so any wind will be behind you. However ski safe if you are skiing in the  direction that is not recommended. At such cold temperatures there are normally a lot fewer skiers on the trails.
Temperatures below -20C means you really need to be careful. If you are skiing with others, check each other over for any sign of frostbite.

When it comes to waxing for glide, fresh snow, and cold, it is time to wax again. Green glider and a structured base with something like 400 grit sandpaper, before waxing will help. Another way to get faster skis, is to use a longer skis, then what you would normally use. After waxing, you may also wrap fiberlene around a cork and smooth the glide areas, after having waxed, scraped and horsehair brushed the skis. Of course the final scraping, brushing and corking would occur outside, once the base has contracted and squeezed the last of the glider that is close to the surface of the ski base.
By the way, if you still have some old WOODEN racing skis, now is the time to pull them out. Cold temperatures with fresh falling snow is the time when they are the closest in speed, to the new sintered racing skis. Be sure to wax with polar from tip to tail, with loose snow in the tracks. You will be amazed at how fast you can ski, especially uphill on those single cambered racing wood skis!
In fresh falling cold snow, pull out your old carbon waxes that are more then 25 years old. Those waxes have more tar in them which is helpful in cold fresh snow.

What is in My Day Pack this Nordic Ski Season?

Flatland skiing precautions for winter.

As the decades go past, I find myself carrying a day pack with more and more stuff in it. Some of my skiing maybe by myself, with no one around. I just went for a 4 hour ski in a big loop and saw absolutely no one on the trail.
So let us look as to what is inside it.
I use a Deuter Futura 28, for both summer and winter. Of course the pack is lighter in the summer, but there are somethings I carry all the time.
In the bottom is always a first aid kit with Advil, and a half roll of toilet paper. There are some nylon pants, and a bright colored shell with a warm toque and mitts. I throw my ski booties in if it is colder then -20C along with another pair of socks. A orange whistle is tied to a front strap that can be reached at any time.
In the outside side pockets is a small rolled up pad that I can sit or kneel on, any time. On the other side is a container of liquid, either hot chocolate or some form of water.
Inside the upper pack is food. Today it was a peanut butter and jam sandwich, some sliced oranges and another bottle of sugared water. There are always a couple of energy bars, but they are used just for emergencies. I always try to leave enough room, so that as I get too warm, there is room for the clothes to fit inside the upper pack.
I also carry wax for the day, with one warmer and one colder wax then what is called for, a scraper and a cork. When needed, I will also carry klister.
In the winter if you need fire, you will probably want it quick, so I carry a baggy of lint with waterproof matches.
In the inside of the upper pocket is a zipper pocket that carries a Swiss Army knife, large bandanna, space blanket, neoprene face mask, Buffy, 50 feet of thin strong red nylon rope and 2 23N carabiners, and some Dermatone skin protector.
Just 2 years ago, I did get caught out in a snow storm with white out conditions, and had to use some of what I carry all the time, to make it back safe and sound. Use emergency clothing that is bright.
The outside center pocket usually has wallet in baggy, and keys clipped in.
The cell phone is carried against my body but reception is, limited in some places, less then 35 minutes from the city.
Normally I carry a DSLR camera on the front of me, with a special strap, so the camera does not sway at any time. I can be taking a picture in less then 3 seconds. The time it takes to shoot some shots is fine with me, as I need to rest more, and I like taking pictures of nature.
I certainly will carry a map, if I do not know the area, but almost all areas I ski in are track set with maps at each intersection.

Have FUN , Go SKI!

#Nordic #Sking and Canadian Birkie Trail Considerations 2012

 Cross Country trail skiing considerations, for the Canadian Birkie

  *** Always be looking ahead to see what is coming next.

Is your wax just right, or is it a little slippery or a little sticky?

Which direction is the sun? With 2 sets of tracks going west, the south tracks (passing tracks) will be cooler snow, in the shade, so if you are slipping use those tracks, if you do not hinder anyone. 

Experiment where is the fastest snow? Is the fastest snow in the tracks, pole tracks, middle of the track, the passing pole tracks, or the passing tracks?

Are your skis faster in the sun or behind cloud cover? Pay attention to this little tidbit of information. Be aware that the ski grip and glide will be changing as the race progresses.

Is the snow slow and wet at the bottom of a hill, or is it icy? Be prepared for your skis to either slow up, or shoot out from underneath you.

Is the snow going to loosen up or stay rock solid? Base binder or an ice Klister as a base, for your kick wax should be added before race day.

Is there a fair amount of debris in the tracks? You should ski in the pole tracks or the middle of the tracks. Your skis will not collect as much dirt, and slow down. Using graphite in the glider, and silver in your wax or Klister, will repel the dirt better.

When you go down a hill, stay in a high tuck, take a couple of double poles, and a single kick double pole up the hill, before you go into your diagonal and perhaps herringbone. Try to get a third of the way up the hill, before you go into a diagonal stride. Always go through your ski gears and do not skip one. I.e. Double pole, single kick double pole, diagonal, running diagonal side step, herringbone.

On a curve, go from the outside tracks, to the inside, and drift back out to the outside of the curve where the passing tracks are, trying not edge any more then absolutely necessary.

If there are any indication of step turns, be sure to use what is already there. Be careful that those grooves are not too deep, otherwise they might pull you down. Anytime you see these step turns, think of those grooves as a place to accelerate your speed.

When the snow is a bit wet, be careful of snow that is under the trees, as that snow has a possibility of being slower snow.

If you are skiing across a wooden bridge, the snow will be slower so anticipate that, and be ready for the skis to grab. You might need to be in a slight telemark position, with one ski slightly ahead of the other.

Any snow that is being kicked up by others skiing in front of you will be colder snow. That is one of the reasons the pole tracks will give you more grip because of newer snow that is not so rounded.

***Glide and do not let your speed slow down anymore then necessary. Only diagonal ski when it is absolutely necessary. Master the single kick double pole and use it lots along with double poling.

Have Fun, Go SKI!

Double Poling Exercises, and Lesson Fragments

Last night we did some exercises to try and bring your hips forward past your ankles, as you initiated push unto the poles.
One of the first exercises was to have you face one another on dry-land with hands held up at shoulder level, and you fell forward about two inches with the angle changing at the ankles. Your partner caught you, and pushed you back, and you repeated several times, until you had the feeling of the hips falling forward and your butt did not stay back, with a very slightly bent knee.
The next exercise was to put the poles real close to your body and the hands were held right beside the shoulders. You fell unto your poles, first gravity, body weight, then crunch of the stomach, then slight collapse of the knees, all while the hips were ahead of the ankles. I call this chicken pecking, as your hands do not move more then 6 inches. Feel the crunch in the stomach, feel the stretch in the stomach muscles before the crunch. If you are doing it right, your stomach muscles might get sore after 10 minutes or so of going back and forth on the grid.
The next exercise was to put your hands forward with the elbows bent at around a 90' angle. Elbows are forward from the body. Now do the same pecking as the last exercise, but the hands will move around a foot. Always concentrate on the feeling of the hips forward of the ankles when the crunch and poles hit the snow, and the butt not staying back. At this point, this is where you need to decide if you are going to use elbows out in the pecking or elbows behind the hands, as in the old days. Once again I remind you that elbows out, may hurt the rotator cuff muscles.
Now it is time to put everything together, with hopefully the hips coming forward of the ankles, when pole planting. If your triceps start hurting, you are not doing it right. Nowadays the elbows drive back using the lats, just past the trunk and the hands go only as far back as the the thighs, and then whip forward again. We no longer throw the imaginary apple back behind us. Think elbow drive both forward and backwards, and the hands are just there.
If your back starts hurting it is likely that you are straightening up and arching your back when planting, rather then falling forward from the ankle.
Some of the other exercises were leaping forward unto your poles with the correct timing and the pole, pole, high tuck repeating. If you can save one double pole out of every 3 or 4, compared to the person in front of you, great. You also practiced trying to ski as close to the person in front as you safely could. Synchronized double poling was new to some of you, but drafting is a very important part of skiing, the 55km Canadian Birkie.
The other question raised, was where do you use the double pole? To answer this question is not so simple as the speed of the snow, your strength and technique comes into play. Your waxing of the skis has a lot in determining how much double poling you will be doing. Will the course you will be skiing on be hilly or fairly flat? In general terms you will be double poling on the flats, just over the top of hills before you go into the tuck, and when you come out of your tuck as you go up a hill.
There is the possibility that ladies will benefit more, from the new elbow wide technique.?
So everyone, get out there and try it out, just be sure to have those hips ahead of the ankles when pole planting.

Have FUN, Go SKI!

New Snow Falling

The question being asked now, is what do I do with my wax? Several more centimeters of snow have fallen.
I would suggest stripping off your old wax and re-waxing. Before doing any waxing, perhaps take some fibertex to a clean base of the ski, in the tip and tail area. Do not be shy, put some elbow grease into it. It will smooth out the base, align the hairs of the ski, and if there are any slight scratches they will disappear. In colder new fallen snow you want a smooth base. In fact if it gets below -18C, I have always taken a cork and fiberlene to the base, in the glide area after using the fibertex.
You know that normally the snow temperature will be in the purple glide range area, so use that. However if you have more then one pair of skis, use one pair for colder weather. Personally I use a pair of old red Balsa-Lett racing wood skis, in cold weather (below -18C)and new falling snow. Those old wood skis should not just be for decoration, ha-ha, and taking some space.
Around #yeg, Edmonton, the trails get worn in real quick, so you are no longer skiing on new fallen snow, but the snow in the tracks become broken down very quickly.
In the kick area of the ski, take some 100 grit sand paper and roughen up that area, and then clean with wax remover.
Blue extra kick wax and purple glider seems to be a safe bet a lot of times in this area.

Have fun, GO ski!