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March 24, 2011: Volume 11, Number 47

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Lower Back Pain-Classical Skiing

SkiPost,

I have been cross country ski racing for 30 years and skiing classic for the last 6 years. I typically do 3 marathons a year and finish the Birki toward the back of the first wave. Since switching to classic skiing I have found that I develop lower back pain within 5 minutes after the start of a race and it usually stays with me the entire race. However, I never seem to have back pain when training. The cause of the back pain isn't clear, but I have different theories from bad technique, starting out too hard, or incorrect pole length. Do you have any recommendations?

 

Several people experience back pain when classical skiing.  There could be several reasons for the problems, some more severe than others, hence one should always check with a doctor before doing anything to address the back problems.  If in fact the doctor has given you a clean bill of health I would suggest the following "solutions":

 

Core strength or lack thereof is normally a huge culprit when it comes to back pain.  Try to do core strength (stomach and back) exercises for at least 2x30 minutes per week all year round.  There are several exercises that are good.  I would recommended to try exercises using a medicine ball and a swiss ball.  (there are several good resources on the internet, do a search and take your pick!: Medicine Ball Exercises Medicine Ball Video

 

Stretching/Yoga/massage:  Increased flexibility in hamstrings, hip flexure, IT band, hip area, back etc will help tremendously.  Start stretching get a massage once per week and go to a local Yoga center to improve your flexibility.

 

Technique: Try skiing a little more upright when skiing diagonal. Poles should roughly fit underneath your arm pit.  If the poles are shorter than this, then that could be a source for your problem (although you should then also notice it in training).

 

Warm up + stretch before a race.  Incorporate some exercises that warm up the lower back area before a race.

 

Hope this helps..

 

Trond Nystad, retired-Swiss National Team Sprint Coach-US Ski Team Head coach ...

 

 

 

 

Summer Ski Storage 

 Fresh Base Stonegrinding

 

While many of you will be skiing for 1-2 more months some of you are putting your skis away for the season now. 

  

We encourage you to have your race skis stoneground to expose fresh base material before prepping them with summer storage wax.  Exposing fresh base material allows the bases to absorb the summer storage wax and to be fresh and ready to go next fall at first snow. 

Summer Ski Prep by Swix

 

 

Cleaning your ski bases and proper base wax saturation are perhaps two of the best ways to protect your ski bases during the summer. Store skis properly and you'll be ready to go come early winter.


CLEANING

The first step is to clean your ski bases, both the kick and the glide zones. For your kick zones, clean with Swix wax remover / base cleaner (I0064). Scrub clean with Fibertex (T0266), wipe clean and let air dry. You are finished with the Kick Zones.

 

   

BASE CLEANING FOR FLUOR USERS!

If you are an avid user of our Cera Nova Category 1 waxes: HF, HFBW, FC Cera F powders, turbo solids and liquids, you may be a perfect candidate for Swix's I0084 Cleaner for Fluor Glide Wax & Base Conditioner. Swix has found that fluor bonding has left an impenetrable wax layer that prevents the "hot scrape cleaning method" to be 100% effective. The I0084 liquid separates the fluor molecules thus allowing you to wipe clean the base surface. This is done without damaging the base in a chemical or mechanical manner. The I0084 should be applied to the glide zone, lightly scrubbed with Fibertex (T0264), and then wiped free with Fiberlene (T0151). Let dry. The base is now ready to be cleaned as above using the Hot Scrape Method. Swix is experiencing much use of the I0084 with the advent of our new generation Cera F waxes with increased durability, namely the HF Black Wolf line, the FC78 SuperCera and the new FC8x.

 

BASE SATURATION

Now that bases are clean, it is time to saturate the pores of the glide zones with glide wax. Our goal here is to fill the pores with a wax that will prevent the base material from drying out and oxidizing. This wax will also protect the base from dust and other contaminates as well as disruptive contact. Swix has 4 ideal waxes you can use for base saturation. Choose the wax / waxes that best suit your requirements (base hardness, structure, ski use, etc.)

 

BasePrep99 - a very soft warm wax excellent for easy saturation & protection. Used all-around & for warm, wet condition skis / boards.

BasePrep88- a base wax for normal winter snow temps 0C to -10C. (32F to14F)

BasePrep77- a hard base wax for snow conditions colder than -10C (14F).

MB77 - a mid range temperature & hardness wax that contains moly & fluor. Offers complete base restoration, saturation, protection and is commonly used as base layer for Cera Nova Category waxes.

 

APPLICATION: Apply wax & iron in. The temperature of the waxing iron should be regulated to be hot enough to give immediate melting of the wax. Follow wax temp instructions.  Start at the ski tip and move the iron in one continuous motion toward the tail. This technique prevents overheating the base. Do 2-3 passes. Let ski cool down approx. 10 minutes. Apply more wax, iron in, and wait 10 minutes. Repeat until base is completely covered & saturated. No scraping in between. I usually take 3 steps here.

 
STORAGE: Store skis in a cool dry environment where there is little fluctuation in temperature. Avoid direct sunlight. Keep skis in ski ties (or tape) on tips & tails. DO NOT BIND SKIS CLOSED w/ CAMBER COMPRESSED.

    

 

For more info go to SwixRacing.US

 

 

  

 

What is  Buff?

 

it is a type of headwear  originalbuffheadwear.com

Buffs are great, but for really cold days, I like a balaclava.  Both are highly adjustable - stepping outside in extreme cold, pull the bottom of the balaclava up over the nose; after a few steps, drop to under the nose/over the mouth;  as you warm, pull down under the mouth/over the chin; lastly pull under the chin.  The main thing is to keep one's neck and back of one's head & ears covered, as lots of blood is passing by those areas, relatively exposed to the cold air.  Keeping that area warm keeps one's core warm, which keeps ones extremities (hands/fingers) warm.  Conversely, no glove or mitten will keep one's fingers warm if one's core is getting cold.

Cold Air? 

 

It's not the cold air in your lungs that is causing the fatigue, but the cold air on your body.  Your body has to use more energy to warm up your muscles.  And cold muscles do not perform efficiently.Ironically, cold air is actually more dense and contains more oxygen.  Therefore, your aerobic capacity is actually greater when you breath cold, dense air.

Mini-Tours 

 

Hi I keep reading about the new Mini-Tour weekends but don't completely understanding the format. Looks like sprint races on day one, and a pursuit on day two. Is the pursuit start based on first day results? Does the day 3 race use the Gundar staggered start (like NC)?   

 

The Tour-de-ski in January and the WorldCup finals are mini tours. Each Mini tour may uses different formats. But basically they are modeled after cyclings "tours" where each individual event is a race but times are combined or bonus seconds are awarded along the way. Some races in the Tours are mass start, others are individual start and most often the last day is a staggared start based on the skiers "overall time" based on previous races results and bonus seconds. On the final day most often the leader starts first and the 2nd place skiers starts with their handicap in seconds behind. First one to the finish line is the Tour winner.

Here is a link to the rules of the World Cup Finals Mini Tour.

 

Toko Race Wax Tips

 

Check out the other 20 Race Toko Wax Recs click here.

 

Swix's Daily Wax Recs from the World Championships

Click here to read them all. 

Swix Weekend Racing Wax Recs

 

New England Race Wax Recs

email Swix Tech Teamer Mike Innes

  Mid-Atlantic Race Wax Rec

email Swix Tech Teamer Bill Brooker 

   Great Lakes Race Wax Rec

email LP Swix Tech Teamer Pete Edwards  email UP SWIX tech teamer

   Midwest Wax Recs

03/26/2011 24 Hours at Lappe Thunder Bay, ON

Intermountain Race Wax Recs

 Pacific Northwest Race Wax Recs 

Swix's complete wax matrix takes the guesswork out of waxing by creating a specific wax for each snow condition.  If you know the air temp, relative humidity you can select Swix's perfect wax no mixing, magic recipes, stressing or slow skis required.  Get Your Winning Margin Wax Rec at SwixRacing.us and SwixNordic on Facebook

 

 Apply for the Salomon US Nordic Athlete Force Here!

 

 

 

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Factory Team Skis for Sale

We have a few pair of classical skis

201 and 206 cm for skiers 150-210 lbs

left over from the Saab Salomon Factory Team 

Drop an email to [email protected]

 

About SkiPost

Cross-Country skiing's community lodge. Where knowledge and stories are shared. The goal of SkiPost is to make the sport of Cross-Country skiing easier and more enjoyable for all who choose to participate. If you have questions on Cross-Country Skiing see www.SkiPost.com or email us at [email protected]

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Andrew Gerlach
Director/Editor- SkiPost

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