SNOW!: The trails should be in good shape by this weekend. The best way to find trail conditions is to go to www.skinnyski.com If you're at all serious about skiing you should check out this web site AT LEAST once on day. Consider becoming a member of Skinnyski. Let me know if you do and we'll get your membership linked in with R&G so you get better features. You'll quickly recognize the value of this website if you spend much time there He provides year round "Silent Sports" information. There's also a "Link Bar" on our website with links to all the important ski areas we frequent.

Birke Tour: Come Jan 23 there will be a great opportunity to ski on the famous Birke Trail. They are holding a Birke Tour.

"The BirkieTour is an untimed, non-competitive, “open-track” style event open to skiers age 13 and older. Spend part or all of a day skiing with family and friends with a morning start time window, several distance options, aid stations (lite) along the trail, food and beverage at the end of both courses, and a bus ride back to the start. You'll receive a great long-sleeve Tour shirt and a great pin, all at a very low fee.

Best of all, you'll be skiing, either classic or skate, on one of the best cross-country ski trail systems in the World. You can even get credit for skiing a Worldloppet event."

I'm going to do it (possibly classic). Treating it as a "Supported Workout" Let's get a bunch of people to do it. Racers or Casual. This will be a perfect chance to experience Birke Fever without the hype and pressure of the actual race. Classic or skate, 20, 40 or 50K. Who knows you may catch Birke Fever. I've got room at my cabin if you need a place to stay. Sign up by Jan 1 for the best price. Let's hear from you. I'll keep a contact list so we can carpool and organize.

Ski Benches: Now that we have snow it's time to start waxing your skis. Hope the homemade benches are working for those who got them. I will have plans and the "Magic Attachment" mechanism for those who want to make one themselves. If your new to waxing or just need a refresher be sure to read the articles on the web site. Feel free to ask questions if you don't understand something.

Total turnout was only about 15 people, including 6 coaches. The snow coverage was better than I had hoped. In the practice area the coverage varied from good enough to a bit thin caused by the heavy winds. We headed over to the bowl area by the Zoo and Glacier and found better coverage. By the end of the evening we were flying up and down the fairways with little concern for stumbling due to ski drag on the grass. A great evening top be outside. It was amazing how bright it was.

Now that we're on snow we'll do a proper evaluation of what group you should be in. Start out in the group you signed up for and we'll take a look at you the first few nights and suggest a change if necessary.

Three beginner skate skiers and I enjoyed the breezy practice area by the chalet. Steve Skarvan joined us about halfway through -- a welcome addition to the group. We didn't try to do anything too formal, but practiced a lot of things a beginner would want to know. How to get up if you fall down. How to fall down if you succeed in getting up. Starting with a relaxed posture (ankles bent, slight slump of the shoulders, relaxed neck and head). Next, we did some double-poling to get used to the snow and realize that we can indeed handle the occasional slow spots.

Another good thing we checked was our use of the equipment -- how to put on the pole glove/strap, tightening the laces inside the boot, ski binding entry and exit. Next we tried free skate (no poles) and experimented with swinging the arms, getting a bit more glide, and thinking about how a flatter ski would glide more. After a while, we tried the V1 skate technique. To stay warm, we didn't break it down too much beforehand -- we took what I call the Nike approach: "Just Do It." The three students seemed to have fun and gain confidence -- by the end of the evening they were practicing a bit on one of the uphills. Except for some pretty cold fingers and toes, a good time was had by all!

We had 4 intermediate skaters so we gave two semi-private lessons. This happens a lot when conditions are perceived to be marginal. We started with skating without poles. Always a good way to begin your workout. Beginner or advanced. Concentrate on full weight transfer to each ski and a relaxed long glide. Try some hills as well. It helps you develop the feel of what a strong skate-off is like and then try to accomplish a similar feeling when using your poles. Then we moved into the V1. Your "Bread and Butter" technique especially for beginners. V1 is a hill climbing technique but to tell the truth many people use it just about everywhere, especially when they're tired or the conditions are icy. It's just the most stable way to move and has many different speeds that can be used on any terrain. We'll show you how to make modifications to the V1 technique for different conditions later in the year. The V1 teaching followed the progression described on the V1 Technique Article on our website V1 Skating Technique: Body Positions and Timing. The demonstration is for strong side right but you can apply it to either side, but you need to get proficient at both sides. I believe this approach is the Fast Track to getting you moving on your skis. It can be used as a review for more accomplished skiers and as a starting point for the beginner. Once we get you moving with a reasonable V1 then we'll work on adjusting your motions for better performance. Some of the subtle movements don't mean much to people who can barely move down the trail. So this will get you up to speed as quickly as possible. If you still don't get it after a few sessions it's time to switch coaches. Sometime just a different way of presenting the information clicks for some people. So switch groups if you think it will help but be sure to give your starting group a chance. It takes some time. The Skate Learning Curve is quite steep, but once you get it, it becomes quite easy. Study the article and come prepared for a V1 test next week.

Ben's Comment's:

We (Jen, Todd, Eric, Peter and i) skied the back bowls and the stretch along Lexington. The snow there was very consistent. WE mostly just skied around and remembered what it is like to ski again with long boards on our feet and snow snakes everywhere trying to throw us off balance. Way to early and not consistent enough to work on technique….get out have fun and see everyone next Tuesday.

Todd's Comment's:

We were blessed with enough snow to ski around Como this week. Ben and I took our group of 3 skiers and basically skied around Como in search of the best snow coverage. We really did not work on technique much. We just attempted to find our snow legs and enjoy the glide.

Ken's Comments:

So I was a coach without a class at Elm Creek last night. There may have been a couple of R and G folks there, but I didn't see them in the wind and blowing snow.

The tracks were washed out and drifting, and it wasn't prime conditions, but who cares?! It's snow! I spent my first hour of snow time reviewing my own technique and reminding myself to start the year with good habits. In particular, I paid attention to upright posture and the forward lean from the ankles and knees. I noted that as soon as I started to tire, my posture started to slouch too much and my kick vanished. I got myself more upright again, and the kick magically returned.

For double poling, I paid particular attention to getting on top of my poles so that my full boddy mass was pushing the poles through, not my arms. I also paid attention to the "crunch" part of the motion, the dynamic part that accelerates you past your poles.

Looking forward to getting everyone onto skis and working with good tracks next week.

Eric Snider's Comments:

Tuesday 12/8/2009 was for those skiers that you could imagine standing at a street corner holding a sign "Will stride and glide for food." Arvid had two students. After a 10 minute warm-up ski, he worked on step turns without and with poles. Then they worked on a semi-skate technique on classical skis to improve balance and speed out of track or breaking trail. With just two students, Arvid was able to teach focally on balance and positioning. While it might have been only 15 degrees, snowing, with 2" or less of snow, much was taught and accomplished. The evening ended with the skiers dreaming about a trip to Norway and staying in Arvid's hut for a few weeks to ski with him.

A Cross Country Ski Cross-Training to Consider (By Andrea Potyondy-Smith)

I have been cross country skiing since shortly after I could walk. Though biking has always been my “main” sport, I look forward to that time of year when the bikes get hung up and the skis come down. Unfortunately, the amount of snow received over the last 15 years has been less than spectacular. Until Elm Creek and Theo Wirth started snow making, we all were left high and dry (land training).

Though I bike until the snow (or cold/wind) is prohibitive (in my opinion), I also would do swimming, running, and the machines at the gym (ugh) to fill in that void between summer biking and winter skiing, with some rollerskiing thrown in. *Yawn.* It gets old, fast. What’s an avid skier to do, especially when it is too wet or icy to rollerski? Well, if you have the money and can find the time, might I suggest speed skating?

It may sound weird. But think about it: we live near one of the only Olympic-sized long track speed skating rinks in the country, the John Rose Oval. Their cooling system allows this outdoor rink to be open the first week in November—long before most places even think of making snow. You can get some great cross training that is not dry-land training weeks before you can touch the skis. And, the ice is always in fabulous shape.

The cost of speed skates may seem prohibitive; a good pair of boots and blades is about $500, to start. However, Nordic skates are also an option. You can simply snap your XC ski boots into the blades, and off you go. And, you can take the Nordic skates onto open, natural ice—something a person can’t do with speed skates. Their cost is $150-300 (not including boots, but including bindings), which is half the cost (or less) of speed skates, and less than the cost of good entry-level skis—a worthwhile investment for a die-hard athlete.

I went for the speed skates simply because we do live near the Oval, and, if I ever get really good at it, I think I would like to try a few metric time trials. But the skating motion of either type of skate really preps a skier’s legs for snow time, using many of the same muscles.

There are a few differences. For one, the rocking motion of the skates is much more profound; the whole idea is to get to the outside edge of the skate, something that seems very awkward to do at first. However, learning to do this has helped me feel much more comfortable pushing the outside edge of the ski. Before, I used to feel that if I leaned too far I was going to topple over. Now, I can hold the glide on my ski for much longer.

Tied into this difference is the use of both legs. In skating, it is almost impossible to favor one leg; leg favoritism is common, though, in cross country skiing. While speed skating, you are forced to learn to use both legs evenly; if you don’t, it is really tough to skate, and easy to fall over. Many recreational freestyle cross country skiers favor the V2 alternate technique. Humans always have a dominant side, and, typically, that is the leg skiers will tend to push off of. This leads not only to imbalanced muscles, but imperfect ski technique. Now, thanks to my time at the Oval, my legs feel much more balanced—yet another reason I can hold my glide longer.

This balance also comes from crossovers. I am not sure if these are easily achieved on Nordic skates; the one person I have seen at the Oval on these has never done them. But, with my speed skates, I learned to do them. Crossovers are used to round the corners on the oval track. The skater must lean deeply to the left, putting all weight on that leg. Then, they literally cross the right leg over the left, rounding the curve. It is a trick to learn, but well worth it. This balances leg musculature, and, if you are right-leg dominant, teaches a skier to feel solid on the left leg. On the snow, this translates into an easier time using V2 technique.

Another reason for the “evened-out” legs is the push. In skating, once you get the feel of the ice, you want to start to learn to bend over and go fast. Of course, going fast means a couple things. Already mentioned, you have to learn to balance on both legs, putting your weight fully onto each leg individually (something we also strive to do in XC skiing). The second part of the equation is push. This means, in conjunction with all weight on one leg, pushing down into the ice. Though this may not seem directly translatable to XC skiing, it is: this push works the leg muscles in such a way that power is built in the quadriceps & hip muscles; when you get on those skis for the first time, it seems like you can just fly. The rollerskiing I have done in the past really can’t compare.

Through skating, balance, glide, and lean all come together harmoniously when cross country skiing. Granted, speed skating doesn’t do much for the upper body; that is something to work on through other athletic endeavors. And, I am certainly not trying to teach speed skating technique here—I have a long way to go before I would call myself a proficient speed skater. However, since I started on the ice just over a year ago, I feel pretty confident in promoting skating as a great way to cross train for XC skiing, having felt its benefits firsthand. It sure beats a day at the gym.

Images from waxing party (By Shad Holland)

Images from Drills during dryland training (By Shad Holland)

Words from the editor - Shad Holland

Heh! As you can see, I have been taking pictures...;-). So the plan is, stop the editor from taking pictures!!!! Well, how do you do that you may ask?

First of all, you can start taking some yourself and then send them too me. Hey, it's the only way you can control whether I post them here or not.....you know...I might just publish one of you making a horrible face.....or worse yet...on a bad hair day! Secondly, send me some articles and best yet, artices with pictures. I don't know most of your names, so if you send me an article, it's likely you will have some names to provide.

But seriously, send in your pics and articles. They don't have to be from class, any XC Ski related images and topics are welcome. If you go ski somewhere, bring your camera. Take some awesome pictures and write something up. I hear there will be a reward at the end of the year for the best article.....so give it a shot.

My contact info is at the bottom of this newsletter.

ROCK ON! -- Shad