Keeping the Turkey Fresh

By Pete Vordenberg

reprinted annually

My name is Pete Vordenberg, and I was a Thanksgiving Turkey.  One particular season I ripped through two weeks of intervals in mid November and pronounced myself fast, faster than I had ever been.  Two weeks later I pulled off exactly one and a half OK races.  Two weeks after that I couldn't ski my way out of a soggy paper sack.  My best races that season were spent in a few interval sessions in November - I was an extreme Thanksgiving Turkey.

Top racers are able to ski fast from November to April.  The key to consistent results is consistent training in the preseason, and making a wise transition onto snow.Here's how to avoid racing with the stars in November and hanging with the hard-luck crowd for the rest of the season.

By building steadily and progressively toward ski-specific modes and intensities of training throughout the summer and following a ski specific routine of dry-land ski imitation, such as ski walking, bounding and rollerskiing you can be sure that your summer and fall training base will support your winter-long racing efforts.  Snow skiing, however, still has a much higher energy cost than any mode of dry-land training.  Therefore, the transition onto snow demands a decrease in overall training intensity because of the increased load of skiing.  Training volume generally peaks during the first month of snow skiing.  Couple the increased demand of snow skiing with the increase in training volume and you have a potentially drastic rise in overall training load.  Skiers who do not monitor their training intensity properly during this phase often unwittingly raise the overall training load too dramatically.  The result is often fatigue and sickness or a short-lived spike in fitness followed by a longer lasting decrease in race performance - this is the essence of being a Thanksgiving Turkey.

To insure that the training load continues to rise progressively, skiers must make sure the intensity of their aerobic endurance training stays low (level 1!).  Training in level 1 when you are excited about skiing fast takes discipline.  At the same time, high-intensity training should take a back seat to aerobic work.  During this transition, many skiers continue to do their higher intensity training on foot where the intensity is easier to control and the overall energy cost is not as high.  For skiers with a long and ski specific training history and/or who train on snow periodically throughout the summer, this transition period can be shorter (a week or so), while for most it should be at least two weeks and up to four.

Enjoy your Turkey but do not become one!

Body Position

Hi

I noticed using my V2 x150's (with the speed reducers on 2 clicks) in the rain that it forced me to really get my weight up and over my ski or I would skid out. I observe in doing this my weight seems much more over the ball and toes of my feet than my 'normal' rolling. On the other hand, 'normal' rolling - more on the heels, I think - seems to have more glide. Is this a function of roller skis only, perhaps the 'heels' position allows more free rolling and less bearing down on the speed reducers? Or does it apply on snow, are 'ball-toe' positions better for some things, like climbing, and heel positions for gliding? Or is there an ideal where you glide on heels then push off with toes on each weight change? 

Thanks, D

D,

I have not used the V2 nor with with speed reducers so I can not answer with specifics about this. But since you goal is snow skiing let me talk about a skis reaction with body position.And the same principle applies to both skate and classic.

On a real ski you are spot on that the farther you have your weight forward the better kick in classic and edge hold in skate you will have. The farther you have your weight rear ward the better free glide you will have. So when you are in a tuck try to rest your weight on your heels and you will see that your skis get much better glide. And if you are having difficulty getting kick try to roll up onto your toes more. It is a similar effect as if you ski on skis that are much too stiff for you the skis will seem very fast on the downhill but you will have great difficulty skiing them fast let alone easy on the uphill.  Subtle changes can make vast improvements in both kick and glide in classic and in skate. If you are climbing on skate skis and your weight is rearward you will have more difficulty getting purchase and the ski will slip out from under you.  It is like a dance with subtle changes can make all the difference.

Andy at SkiPost

Start Green Every Day?

This is a question I got at the West Yellowstone Expo last night.

Can I just keep one pair of skis waxed for cold snow with Start Green all year?

While we encourage you to wax your skis with Start Green (SG8 ) glider for the cold days.(14F to -22F)

we encourage you to not only wax your skis with Start Green. Start Green is a very hard wax that melts at a very high temperature (140 C) and hardens very quickly. If you only apply this wax to your base the wax will never penetrate the base and just lay on top. After a few applications the base with no soft wax in it with dry out and then overheat when the hot wax droplets (or iron) touch it, causing the base to melt slightly and "seal" up. What we do recommend is that you wax with a softer wax like Start Blue SG6 (10-19F) at 130F for most of your cold days and then apply Green for your extra cold and cold race days. Start Blue is like a universal glider. Its ideal temp is 10-19F but if it colder it still runs great and if it get warmer it runs fine as well so you can use it most every day.

The key to getting a great Start Green wax job is having softer wax in your base first. If you really want to spoil your skis, start with SG4 start purple, cool scrape and brush, then apply Start Blue, cool scrape and brush, and then apply Start Green, cool scrape and brush. This layering insures your base has soft wax at its deepest layer covered by slightly harder waxes that bond together. Then finish with Start Green that bonds to the Blue and allows you to apply enough heat to get great durability and easier scraping. If you are racing for every second, go with LF08 Green on medium humidity or HF80  Green on high humidity cold conditions. 

 Like Start  

    More info on waxing through these links.

Start Poles from Robots?

Dear Start.

I read in the Birkie newsletter that Start is the new pole choice for CXC and the Green Team and some Russian World Champions.... Is there anything different about the Start pole or it just another easy to break Chinese pole?

The Start SD3 is the world's only 3D Robotically Wound Nordic pole. Computer driven robotic fingers precisely wind Black Ops Carbon filaments to Start's 3 dimensional algorithms to create the Start Dimension Three - SD3 in Finland. Each SD3 pole can be made identical or even custom made by simply selecting a different custom computer winding program for say Extra Stiff specifications. Robotic winding guarantees that each pole is perfectly round inside and out and that each skiers gets a pole as designed for minimum weight and maximum durability. 

Check how a Start SD3 is precisely made in this video.

Creation of a Start SD3 Nordic Race Pole

 Like Start  

 Recreational & fitness waxing guide     Race Waxing Guide   Start Wax Cheat sheet 

Hoff selects Bliz 

to Keep Focused

World Cup skier Noah Hoffman has selected Bliz as his eyewear choice. Noah joins a growing roster of US stars, including Brian and Caitlin Gregg, and Dakota Blackhorse-von Jess  that are selecting Bliz to Keep Focused. Here Noah is sporting the Velocity XT in Carbon Red. Noah, and Dakota, start their season this weekend in Beitostolen. Team Gregg start their journey in West Yellowstone. Follow Noah's journeys at his great web page blog at noahhoffman.com. 

Dear SkiPost,

How do you keep glasses from fogging?

The key to keeping your lenses fog free is to keep them slightly farther off your face than you may ordinarily wear them and to keep them in this "perfect" location without touching them. The extra space provides the room for the glasses and you to breath.  But just as vital is to keep them in one place throughout your entire ski because if they slip down your nose when you push them back up you are likely to to either push them to close to your face and or breath with your hand blocking and cause fog. Once you get some fog more is likely to follow.

Bliz offers numerous solutions for the Nordic skier and for that reason is selected by 40% of World Cup stars including Noah, Dakota, Caitlin and Brian. ( images from Erik Packer and Charlie Renfro)

More questions go to Bliz America

 by Salomon Nordic 

Holly Brooks at 2012 World Cup opener

 By season's end the U.S. team had amassed more World Cup points than any U.S. team before and ended up ranked 6th in the world. All season Kikkan Randall led the team on her way to her 2nd consecutive World Cup Sprint title along with 4 World Cup victories. For icing on the cake Kikkan also teamed up with Jessie Diggings for a World Championship crown in the Team Sprint. Andy Newell led the men's squad in his most consistent season ever. Newell was a force in a majority of Sprint finals and finished the World Cup sprint season ranked 5th in the world. 

Can the USST improve on last season's breakthrough season? Well with a victory by Randall and numerous top 10's by the rest of the team in last weekend's FIS opener in the Beitostolen they appear ready to do just that. The World Cup season gets underway Nov 29, in Kuusamo, Finland so we shall soon find out. 

The USST is bringing a full squad heavily entrusting its results to Salomon Nordic Equipment. US Athletes racing the World Cup opener in Kuusamo.

Kikkan Randall (A Team / APU) Salomon Boots/Bindings
Liz Stephen (A Team / BMA)
Jessie Diggins (A Team / SMST2) Salomon Skis/Boots/Bindings
Ida Sargent (A Team / CGRP)
Holly Brooks (A Team / APU) Salomon Skis/Boots/Bindings
Sophie Caldwell (B Team / SMST2) Salomon Boots/Bindings
Sadie Bjornsen (B Team / APU) Salomon Boots/Bindings

Andy Newell (A Team / SMST2) Salomon Boots/Bindings
Noah Hoffman (B Team / Homegrown)
Simi Hamilton (B Team / SMST2)
Mike Sinnott (COC Leader / Sun Valley Gold Team) Salomon Skis/Boots/Bindings

Follow the World Cup with Salomon Nordic the #1 choice of the USST   

Events and Destinations 

SkiTrax Fantasy FIS World Cup 13/14 

The only one its kind worldwide. Here's how it works: register your 10-member Fantasy World Cup team and be eligible to win great prizes. Please review the contest rules below and make sure you register by the Nov. 28 deadline. The contest is open to all players around the world - good luck to all contestants. http://skitrax.com 

U.S. Cross Country Ski Poster Championships

January 1-8, 2014

Instructions:

•  Get your team or club together for a photo shoot and email your high resolution photo to kperhai@ussa.org  and mwhitcomb@ussa.org by midnight MST on Dec 31, 2013.
• A club may submit one full club poster in addition to a poster for each of its many teams - Youth, Post Graduate, Elite Team, Masters, etc.
• The poster must clearly display the name of the club or team and a slogan.
• USSA will print out one 11" x 18" copy of each poster to hang on display at U.S. Cross Country Championships in January at Soldier Hollow.

The Competition:  The voting platform will be held on Facebook and will be based on the number of Facebook "Likes" per poster image. The voting period will be held on USSA Nordic Facebook from January 1-8^th at midnight Mountain Standard Time,

Cost: There is no charge to participate in the contest. All you have to do is email your edited poster shot (High quality JPEG or PDF) and we will print out one poster to put on display at U.S. Championships at Soldier Hollow, and on Facebook during the competition window. The hope is that clubs and teams print out a bunch of copies to distribute in your own community.

 2014 Junior National Cross Country Ski Championships

Stowe, Vermont s Trapp Family Lodge has been selected as host of the 2014 Junior National Cross Country Ski Championships.  The community celebrations and races, sanctioned by the United States Ski Association (USSA) will be held March 1   March 8, 2014 on the Trapp Family Lodge s 100 kilometer network of cross country ski trails.

2014 Equinox Ski Challenge

24 hour Equinox Ski Challenge March 22nd and 23rd at the Rendezvous Ski Trails in West Yellowstone, MT!  Check out the website at www.equinoxsnowchallenge.com for full details

Annual Birkie Warrior + Inga Contest Open for Applications

Re-enact historic ski of the original "Birkebeiners" at this year's Birkie!

Deadline for entries is November 30.

Details here birkie.com

 Steamboat Nordic Camp  - Registration Open

 Women's Ski Weekend

Women's Ski Weekend

December 7 & 8, 2013 (Saturday & Sunday) or January 11 & 12 2014 (Saturday & Sunday)

2 skate ski lessons; 1 guided night classical ski tour; 2 yoga sessions; 1-30 minute massage; 1 night stay at the Izaak Walton Inn in Montana

New This Season *Women's Classic Getaway*

February 7 & 8, 2014 (Friday & Saturday)

2 classical ski lessons; 1 guided night classical ski tour; 2 yoga sessions; 1-30 minute massage; 1 night stay at the Izaak Walton Inn

All the information, including a flyer, instructor bios and detailed itinerary can be found at

http://brendawinkler.com

Webskis Job Opening

Alaska Jumping/Nordic Combined Coach Opening

Looking for Jumping/Nordic Combined ski coach in Anchorage at the Karl Eid Jumps. Come coach our rapidly growing program in Anchorage. This is a paid part-time position with some great benefits! email:  nsaa@alaska.net  call: ( 907) 242-2633

The Summit Nordic Ski Club (Summit County, CO is fielding letters of interest and resumes for a part time J2-OJ coach for the 2013-14 competition season. Reply to: Dan McCrerey, SNSC President: danom@comcast.net

Alaska High School Coaching openings

Cross-Country Ski Coaches Needed for Palmer and Wasilla High Schools in the Mat-Su Valley, Alaska. Head and Assistant Coaches are needed for the high schools this year. These are paid positions. contact: Palmer High: reese.everett@matsuk12.us, 907-746-8400 WasillaHigh: amy.spargo@matsuk12.us, 907-352-8213 

Vail Nordic Center

The Vail Nordic Center, located in beautiful, Vail, CO. is looking for full and part-time help for this winter. The ideal candidate will have retail experience and a  good knowledge of Nordic skiing.  Teaching experience in classic and skate skiing is a huge plus.  Please contact Mia at info@vailnordiccenter.com for all inquiries.  

Nordic Skiing Head Coach, Amherst Regional High School, MA

 Amherst Regional High School is looking for a new head coach for their Nordic Ski Program. Contact Nat Woodruff, Current Nordic Head Coach, at 617-939-4317 woodruffn@arps.org To apply for the position please contact Rich Ferro, ARHS Athletic Director, at 413-362-1747 ferror@arps.org