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Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage
Where Winter is Wonderful |
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Dear Skiers,
It's been a rough week. Here's what we've been up to this week and and how to find out where to head this weekend. Pay no attention to your driveway, if you haven't been on the trails in the last 2 days, you're missing out!
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What's the Problem?
| Boy, was it UGLY out there.
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After weeks of cold, the temps started to rise and the amazing base we'd worked on building all year turned in to mush. A few brave souls attempted to ski, but generally quickly retreated back inside to sulk.
Bummer.
For nearly a week, Anchorage suffered with temperatures that were warmer than Phoenix. The NSAA groomers pouted and were found repeatedly walking the trails with rakes, testing the conditions, and mumbling to themselves.
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The In-Between
| Finally, the weather broke
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And the groomers got to work. Patiently, they walked the trails, raking debris and evaluating temperatures and snow conditions.
Bringing out the machines risked messing up the trails if it was too early to groom. While the big cats remained in the barn, preliminary runs were made on foot, with snowmachines, or with the older (and lighter) cats.
In most places, the trails were deceptively icy. Under that thin ice layer lurked the potential for a good fast trail. Grooming too hard would mean flipping the ice, bringing up the the dirt below, or leaving a chewed up mess of icy plates that couldn't easily be fixed. Even more complex was the huge temperature variation. Portions of trail might be ready to groom while other sections of the same trail were still puddles.
The melt-freeze was nearly as tough as the melt itself. Our Director of Operations woke up every two hours throughout the night to check the temperatures and determine when we could finally get out there and make a positive difference.
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Finally, the Time Was Right!
| And None of the Groomers Slept
| When the temperatures stayed consistently below freezing, it was time to jump into action. All the sleep lost over the past few days worrying about the melt sure wasn't going to be made up now. At Hillside, Tom put in 18 hour days (nights, really,) in an attempt to turn the ice back to snow.
Did you say turn the ice back to snow? They can do that?? Yes, they can. In fact, they can grow snow. (Keep an eye out for future emails explaining this phenomenon.)
Don't be fooled by their refusal to wear capes, what seems like magic is often present in the middle of the night on Anchorage's ski trails. As Edison said, opportunity is often missed by people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work. Indeed, Edison, it does. But don't be discouraged skiers, with some time and hard work and a whole lot of experience, we can grow the snow enough to get you all back out there.
Of course, the support of our community helps. Overtime work in icy conditions means a lot of wear and tear upon our equipment-- worn tracks, dull tiller teeth, and breakage.
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So, How Exactly Do They Turn Ice in to Snow?
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Before anything else, our groomers must understand the physics of snow: how it bonds, responds to temperature and humidity, weight, and the effect our wide spectrum of our grooming equipment has on it.
 | | Image Courtesy of Lake Ice & Snow Observatory Network |
Every trail must be weighed and measured. And often weighed and measured again. Trails can have dramatic variation in snow conditions, even within the same area of town (sometimes within 20 feet!). Even slight variation can lead to dramatically different results when the snow is worked. Once the groomers have determined the snow is ready, they still have decisions to make. Depending on the thickness of the top layer and the entire base, ambient temperature, humidity, and snow temperature, the groomers will choose between a snowmachine or several types of pisten bullys. Each machine has both factory and custom equipment invented by NSAA
 | | Modified Tiller Teeth |
staff, from a rake that fits behind a snowmachine (used when trails haven't quite refrozen to prevent the debris from freezing in to the base) to special sharp blades that fit on a bar in front of the largest cat, to modified sharp blades on the tiller specifically invented to annihilate ice (see photo). Sadly, all of this equipment only goes so far-- different conditions require different machines with different equipment-- sometimes it's a waiting game. After this kind of melt, many passes must be made on each trail. Each pass has a different specific purpose, equipment setting, and technique, all to reach a better final outcome. Did you know that just restoring the Stadium at Kincaid took 18 hours in a snowcat? |
Now What?
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This is the Good Part
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Help NSAA Keep You Skiing
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Sharp Teeth Cost Money
Would you be skiing if there was no grooming?
Support Nordic skiing in Anchorage! or
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Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage
203 W. 15th Ave, #204 Anchorage, AK 99501
907-276-7609 |    |
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