Where the snow is?

Can you recommend a Nordic ski area with nice conditions for the next 3 weeks? Within a 2 day drive from LA. I'm driving from the So California area and my original plan was the Tahoe xc resorts but they aren't doing well snow-wise at the moment. Next plan is to keep driving up to Bend for Mt Bachelor but sounds like warm weather is on the way. Hmm, ok, then keep driving to Methow Valley but looks they may get some warm weather and rain and it's a long drive.

How about Idaho? Would you recommend it? 

Thank you so much and really enjoy your skipost newsletter.

Dear Snow searcher, 

Come to Ketchum/Sun Valley

We have 150 km on skiing now. It has been warm but the snow will last, and we have Nordic Ski Festival highlighted by the Boulder Mountain Tour next week. 

Andy at SkiPost

Face Protection

I have seen pictures World Cup skiers using some type of stick on face protection during cold weather races.  Various colors are available.  I have sometimes uses moleskin.  What is the product these athletes are using?

K S

They use kinesiology therapeutic sports tape like  www.spidertech.com/

Andy at SkiPost

In Volume 16, issue 34 you answered a question about ski prep and I'm curious to know more.  You mention that a pure fluor is not a glider, I agree, but am wondering, is it necessary to put an LF layer on before the HF layer and then pure fluor or is it just as effective to put the HF layer on followed by the pure fluor? Does it depend on the length of the race and/or are there other factors that need to be considered?

Thanks,

G

If you have a SG (Hydrocarbon) layer on and go straight to HF they may mix degrading your HF layer. Thus the layer of LF under the HF to make sure your Fluors layer are the most pure. It is also important you do not have the hardness mix.  So yes an LF underlayer will likely help the speed over distance of your glide, it is not necessary but it most likely will help. The wetter or dirtier and longer the more important. 

Andy at Start/SkiPost

4 Tips for V1 Skate Uphill

V1 Uphill Skate

Enjoy and...

Ski Fast!

David Lawrence

XCSkiAcademy.com 

 NH 30th annual all state 5km high school race.  

With over 830 skiers it is reputed to be the largest such race in the nation.  Held at White Mountains Regional high school in Whitefield, NH, video footage from a drone makes for some cool images of high school racing. 

NHNCA Race 1-24-15

Wax Over Time

Upon occasion, I wax a pair of skis with expensive high flouro wax for a race and then don't end up using the skis in the race. My question is, if the skis are kept clean, how long will that wax job last (i.e. does the wax quality deteriorate over time, and if so, what is the "life expectancy?").

Thanks,

Curious Waxer

This is a question with many variables. But you could generally be very safe and race fast for 1 week maybe even 2 without losing too much speed. If you could put it in an airtight bag you would be in great condition. If the skis are in great shape and the bases hold a wax job for 50km then your unskied wax job will last longer than a dried out base that only lasts 20 km skiing will dry out quickly.

Andy at SkiPost

Start's Difference?

Andy,

I am one of the coaches XYZ Nordic Team and the main wax-guy. This last weekend we had a qualifier with Temps in the mid 20s, fresh snow, it should have been a killer wax day. Instead, our attempts with the T and S lines proved adequate, but not great. It was a sprint day. There was more moisture in the air than I realized and the tracks got more glazed and we weren't able to test on the race trails. Our kids did well, but their skis could have been better. Some of the other coaches used Start wax and had better grip than our skiers. Could you tell me a little about your hard waxes, their benefits and drawbacks. When does Start wax beat the competition? 

Thanks,

Pleasure meeting you via email. Glad to hear the word on Start is growing.

Catalog at this page

Tech manual here

And our Cliff Notes are linked here.

As you will see from our cliff notes we have many types of kick waxes that each have a specific snow condition where they excel. So rather than starting with one wax type with 20 waxes and moving up to a softer wax to try to get kick and never getting what you want. With Start, you select the wax type of the day based on snow type. And then you work with that wax type that has a broad temp range.

Terva (Tar) is for new snow

Synthetic is for dry snow

RF is for wet snow.

Oslo is for icy snow.

Each of these have special ingredients with specific properties for their ideal snow type.

Tar gets a hard outer layer that resists fresh fine grain snow from penetrating it which prevents icing but tars under layers remain soft so it bends for great kick.

Synthetic is tacky, yet extra durable for dry granular snow. RF manages the moisture yet is extra sticky for wet glazed tracks and gets a hard outer layer after a couple of km for wet new snow. Oslo is one part klister and 2 parts hardwax for icy and man made snow.

How to Maximize Training for the Part-Time Skier

Can you reprint the tips on training for a part time skier?

BF

This past season marked my last year as a full-time cross-country ski racer. After eight very worthwhile years of racing and training all over the world I have decided to move on to a new phase in my life. Whether that next phase involves working as a roadie for the next Van Halen world tour, joining the World Horseshoe Throwing circuit or attending graduate school only time will tell.
In the meantime, I am working 40 hours per week in Park City, taking two classes at the University of Utah and working a second job one day per week at a local hospital. All of this leaves me very little time for any sort of structured ski training. In fact, I am lucky if I can squeeze in three to five workouts each week.
I do not plan on completely abandoning the sport that I have spent so many years immersed in. After you spend so much time working towards something you love, it becomes hard to simply quit cold-turkey. I do hope to at least remain competitive on the American Ski Marathon Series next season. But how do I get to a competitive level on such a limited training schedule? What I have decided is that I need to figure out how to maximize my training as a part-time ski racer.
I recently read a short article on the internet about how Thomas Alsgaard is currently training three times per week in his preparation for next year's World Cup circuit. It would be nice if we all had the time (and insane physical capacity) to do this, but for those of us that are part-time racers and weekend warriors that work full-time and/or have families, we simply do not have enough hours in the day to do this. So the question is: What can we do to maximize the training we do have time for? What aspects of a training plan are most important? What can be left out or skipped?

1. Intensity
No matter how little time you are able to devote to training, you should always fit in one intensity workout every week to ten days starting in the summer. Maintaining that ability and feel of going hard throughout the year is important since it can be very difficult to regain once you have lost it. This is especially true the older you get.

Remember that an intensity workout can come in almost any shape or form. It doesn't have to be something done on rollerskis or involve skiwalking or bounding for a specific amount of time with a specific amount of rest. It can be as simple as going hard for twenty minutes in the middle of an hour long run or bike ride or even trying to mow your lawn in world-record time. I personally like doing track workouts because I feel that I am able to get a lot of out of them. I am able to fit a bunch of short intervals into a relatively small amount of time and by the end of the workout I feel pretty tired. It is also a matter of convenience since there is a track right down the street from my house. 

The point here is to periodically get your heart and lungs into hammer-mode......how you go about doing this really doesn't matter all that much, especially during the summer. It's not like your cardiovascular system knows what type of training method you are doing, all it knows is that it is working hard.

2. Over-Distance
One good over-distance day is second on my list. It is amazing how well an occasional OD can maintain your endurance. If you average 45 minutes per workout, try to fit in an easy 2 hour over-distance day. If you average 1 to 1.5 hours, try to fit in a nice 3-hour outing. Again, don't forget about the variety of training methods out there. A long kayak can be just as effective as a long mountain run. Also, try combination workouts, where you bike and run or rollerski and run, etc.

3. Skip the Weights
Unless you feel that your upperbody is your weakest link or you need to bulk up those beach muscles for that week on the houseboat in Lake Havasu, skip the trips to weight room during the summer. Some of you may disagree about this, but remember, I am talking about maximizing training on a limited schedule. Of course, if you have a lot of time to devote to ski training, consistent weight workouts can be a valuable supplement to your plan. If you like to rollerski during the off-season, throw in some double-pole only workouts and make those your strength workouts.

Weight training is really only beneficial if you are able to keep up with it on a weekly basis. So, I feel that it is best to start doing some in the fall and try to be consistent with it until you get on snow. I personally hate hanging out in the weight room. I would much rather go for a run than do sets on the bench press any day. 

For those of you that really need to improve your upperbody strength I suggest that you make a small investment in turning your garage into a Rocky Balboa old-school training gym. A padded mat, a couple of 25 lbs barbells and wooden box for dips and step-ups is all you need for a basic strength workout that is right there at home. You could even add a punching bag since it just looks cool hanging there and it makes you feel tough.

4. "Everyday" Workouts
For some of you, doing intervals may be unappealing and you really don't have time for OD workouts either, so training only consists of "everyday" workouts. These are simple workouts where you just head out and run or bike or whatever at a comfortable pace for the time available to you. If you are only able to train for 30 minutes three times per week, make sure that you are getting something out of them. Going at a level 1 pace for 30 minutes really doesn't do a whole lot for you, unless you are out of shape and just getting back into training or using it as a recovery workout. If you make some of these short workouts more like semi-pace workouts where you are training in your level 2 to 3 zone then you will get much more out of these days.

The main point I want to get across here is the importance of maintaining a good fitness level throughout the year and it that doesn't necessarily matter how you get it done. If you are able to throw occasional intensity and over-distance workouts into your training throughout the summer and fall, then you are going to be much better off come ski season. Have a great year see you at the race.

How to make sure your classical skis are not too soft or too stiff, with a testboard?

1. Place the skis on the testboard.
2. Stand evenly with a flat foot on each ski with the front of your toes at the skis balance point or your ski boots in their bindings.
3. Place the testboard slider under the ball of your feet. Test to make sure the slider can move back and forth under your feet. If it cannot move the slider then the skis are to soft for you and you need stiffer skis and this test is over.
4. If the slider does move freely your skis are not too soft and you need to make sure they not too stiff. Put all your weight on one foot and pretend to kick. For an elite racer this will mean rising to the ball of one foot. For a beginner this will mean a slight weight shift to the front of one foot. 
5. Try to pull the slider out from underneath the ski, if you can, the pair of skis is too stiff and you need softer skis. If you can't move the slider than the skis are soft enough to get kick on. 

Andy at SkiPost

SUPER SUIT DESIGNED BY CRAFT TO BRING NEW VICTORIES FOR SWEDISH NATIONAL TEAM

Cross-country skiing and the world championships is a classic combination that has resulted in great victories for Sweden. Now it's time again. Supported by The Kurbits Race Suit − a new super garment developed exclusively for the upcoming world championships in Falun − Kalla, Olsson and the other Swedish skiers aim to repeat Torgny Mogren's feat from 1993.

Torgny Mogren's victory in the 50 K event at the world championships in Falun 1993 is one of the most celebrated moments in Swedish ski history. Twenty-two years later, the championships are finally back at home. And again Sweden boasts a world-class national team, unleashing intense passion and enormous expectations.

In close collaboration with the Swedish skiers, CRAFT has developed yet another revolutionary racing outfit − The Kurbits Race Suit. This innovative garment is based on the suit that reaped great success at the Olympics in Sochi, where Charlotte Kalla won one gold and two silver medals.

Compared to its predecessor, The Kurbits Race Suit is made from a new material, a very thin and lightweight Italian polyester that offers superior function and body-temperature management. Compression fabrics in the legs keep the muscles focused while ultrasonic taped seams create a smooth surface for optimal aerodynamics.

The suit comes packed with innovative features such as Moving Wing Technology ™, which is a wing-like construction piece at the upper back that ensures total freedom of movement and allows the skiers to transmit all their power into each pole stroke. In addition, three-dimensional ergonomic design provides perfect fit and optimal comfort.

The Kurbits Race Suit combines the classic Swedish cross-country colors blue, yellow and white with a modern kurbits' pattern uniquely designed for the great event on home soil.  "By letting the suit be inspired by traditional Swedish handicraft we connect the graphic expression and the beautiful decorations to the event in Falun," says CRAFT's designer Lena Karlsson. "We have based the design on the old traditions of kurbits and given it a modern twist." The national team's head coach Rikard Grip is very pleased with the new suit. "It's extremely important that the skiers can perform optimally − both during training and races," he says. "And I'm sure it will be a great experience for the skiers to put on this exclusive suit and race in front of the home crowd." The Kurbits Race Suit is developed exclusively for the world championships in Falun.

Watch the Video

Team Gregg uses Vector 450

Vector 450

Science and Real World Results

Studies or Real World Testimonials, or both?

Every year we are faced with studies that overturn previous findings "Fat is good for you!....avoid carbs, but carbo load before a race, and everyone should be gluten free! What is correct? Really the question is "Who is paying for and doing the study?" Big Ag, Big Pharma? Is there truly an independent study out there anymore? Someone has to pay for it. Universities and chief researchers are vying for the corporate dollar to keep their doors open; publish or perish! Believe me, they too can mislead, skew or cause companies to do the wrong study, or under power it, so that the company will come back and spend more on additional studies!

At IGY Life Sciences, we have two formal studies to date with the University of North Texas.  The first was an open bottle, designed to look at what was going on. The 2^nd Study was a double blind, placebo. In both cases, we got data to support our claims, but were also underpowered. The 2nd study was a lead in to do even more studies, and keep the wheels of the investigative programs greased. 

As the US Director, I can tell you this. We would have given up long ago but for our customer's consistent claims of improved health and the effectiveness of this product. It is the REAL WORLD effects that help promote this natural product that drive us to do yet another bigger, more complete clinical study with McMaster University in Canada. We will continue to prove to everyone this product works. This study will be a double blind using cyclist's in time trials. We will prove what our customers already know. Vector450 helps the body's immune system in a significant fashion. It governs your recovery, endurance and can help you achieve "adaptive" power gains from less down time.

For the past 2 years, Vector450 has been seen stellar results from our pro triathletes on the long distance triathlon circuit (Ironman TM, and Challenge Family) We sponsor some of the top pro's in the world (Ben Hoffman, Meredith Kessler, Matt Hanson) and in 2014...our REAL world results were quite amazing. With nine pro's, from all levels, completed 130 races, hit top ten , 77 times, top three podium finishes 21 times and won 8 races! Also many run and course records were set.

Ben Hoffman came in 2nd at the in over five years. These were ONLY pro sanctioned races there were many local races in which people utilizing Vector450 had outstanding results (look up Adam Bohach who won the Elkhart Lake, Rockford and was 2nd at Winona Triathlons) Trident Sports in Fort Worth Texas, now has 95% of all age groupers from first timers to seasoned veterans, using the product so they can work, train, be with family, and achieve their own personal bests. Notable clients include the Mayor of Fort Worth and president of Baylor All Saints hospitals.

This same set of results are being shown with our Olympic skiers, such as Brian and Caitlin Gregg, as well as Brendan Green and Rosanna Crawford. They are hitting the podium and staying in at the World Championship in Kona, the fastest American the game. Matt Hanson (MS, BA, EeD), pro triathlete and college professor of exercise sciences completed 5 Ironman races in 2014, winning in his first records in three races. Matt, who is also a cross country skier knows first-hand what training and endurance racing do to the immune system. "I have not missed one day of training in 2014. For cross country skiers, adding in the bitter cold is one more level of stress on the body."  

Matt Hanson, Winner Ironman Chattanooga, 2014. Course record 

IGY Life Sciences is committed to providing great science to back up what our customers claim about Vector450 and it' sister product IGYIMMUNE. We will get it done but you should pay close attention to what these pros and coaches are saying. They are all very careful about product effectiveness and safety, and they all feel the same way, Vector450 does what it says...bottom line.

Trevor Dyck

US Director IGY Home Brands

GO TO AMAZON.COM/IGYVECTOR450 USE CODE AW8NKGZZ for $10 off.  

Check out the all new Start Waxing Guide.

Start Race Day Wax Recs here