Author Archive | Adam Terko

I came back from the first-ever Mini Mountain Camp divided between reminiscence and anticipation. And all of it was good, let me be clear about that.

There were so many echoes of what the very first Mountain Camp achieved back in the summer of 2016…you can read into my excitement back then (and see lots of now-funny photos of this team when they were younger) if you take a look at the original Mountain Camp Blog Post. What was so full-circle to me was that, now 5 years into coaching with MNC, we’ve completed an entire cycle of young skiers transitioning from BKL to Junior. The group at Mini Mountain Camp was all skiers who were either not in the club when I first arrived, or who were barely older than the Penguins shuffling around the penalty loop at the Range…meanwhile, the skiers who were the youngest at the first Mountain Camp are visiting colleges or have already graduated high school.

I’m sure any coach who does this for long enough has gone through this same cycle, but for me it was a first. Hard not to get a little emotional, that’s for sure. But also hard not to be inspired. Just to illustrate how much the culture of training and challenge has grown in this club, what we refer to as “Mini Mountain Camp” is actually the same duration and almost a mirror of the same workouts as the original, full “Mountain Camp” when it first started. What once was the peak is now just base camp…

We started the camp off with an classic ski session. First it was all about a good warmup off the skis, with a jog and introduction to the mechanics we do with the Juniors on a regular basis. Then we put skis on, for some the first or second time on classic rollerskis every. This was all about progression though…first with some drills and then agility practice in the Kennett HS parking lot.

First start slow, then add challenge, then add speed AND competitors head-to-head

The agility and skills was all a build-up to testing our road safety and awareness. Coach Dith led everyone out on a bigger road and back for the finale of the day

On Friday we started with a staple of the Mountain Camp schedule, which avid readers have heard about for years now: the Kancamagus Rollerski. The group pushed across the long flat and gradual stretches before heading up toward the summit. It was a big day: for many the longest rollerski yet, and for everyone a unique challenge. There were some who pushed themselves more than ever before and really reached a new level of engagement with self-determination and that’s about the best thing you can ask for with a workout like this.

After the ski, we pulled over for gas and sought out a place to really CHILL with some help from the Cumby’s Chill Zone. Turns out most skiers are fans of a sugary slushie after a hot workout no matter how old or young they are…

That afternoon we headed to Attitash, the ski area down the road, for a little bounding action. When I say “a little” bounding, I mean one of the toughest mental and physical workouts! Lots of sprints and short hard efforts with poles, again and again. With coach getting fired-up and attempting to help spur some deep digging into the pain cave. Oh, it was also about 95 degrees out! A good workout, and temperature, to remember this winter when racing hard in the cold and snowy ski races.

The heat index was only climbing the next day, when we were slated to take on Mt Washington. Thankfully, getting up at 6 and reaching 6,000ft before 10am meant we were actually putting some layers on at the top. We enjoyed a nice lunch at the top with good views and even some hotdogs…because when there’s a road and a train and a snackbar at the top of a mountain, why not?

Tuckerman’s Ravine clinging to the last snow in the East!

PUGTAGONIA

The final day…tired bodies, sore legs, and heat that just wouldn’t quit. Instead of another hike or run, we decided to put all the pieces of our rollerski progression together. We held the first ever Mini Mountain Camp Sprint Race! Everyone raced a qualifier, but heats were randomized and everyone raced a quarter and semifinal in groups of three. Then for the final, we went MASS START.

The course was once again in the local high school parking lot. This was perfect…the school sits on it’s own road, and at 9am on a Sunday we saw zero interaction with cars. Woohoo! It was like the Range, but even more flat and open space for agility elements like tight turns and swoops. Super proud of how everyone gave it their all despite the big training load.

Serious sprint action!

Again, I am just super impressed with how organized, timely, polite, and hard-working this group was. This isn’t just the future of MNC skiing…this is the NOW!

Mini Mtn Camp Flickr Photo Album 

This trip wouldn’t have happened without the NEW MNC VAN

If you couldn’t tell, we are fans of BLIZ sunglasses…to get 30% off Bliz glasses visit www.enjoywinter.com and use the promo code “MNC1920“!

With a camp that’s gotten so big it had to be multiplied (Mountain Camp just ended last week…Mini Mountain Camp begins in 3 days!) there’s going to always be more to recap than a single blog post can fit. But thankfully there are lots of sources for photos, videos, and other recaps to make getting all the tales that much easier.

There have always been staples of Mountain Camp, from staple workouts (Kanc double poling, Mt Washington) to staple headaches (fitting everything in the vehicles), but each camp has some special attributes that make it memorable. This year, there are a few standout moments, days, and efforts that will be the focus of this post….

A big one is just the fitness and drive.

This crew was the most experienced and fit group that’s ever tackled Mountain Camp. It was also the group with the most energy and drive to push things just a bit beyond the past years…some would not be satisfied without starting at the bottom, the VERY bottom, of the Kancamagus for the classic workout. Some planned secret attempts to complete the Presidential Traverse and seek revenge over last year’s 8-hour extravaganza. After the Loon race, our bibs gave us a free ride down in the gondola and yet some were admitting guilt about not running back down after racing up the 6-mile hill.

That’s a big change from a team in which past Kanc rollerskis have been full of requests to start higher up, requests to opt-in to a shorter hike, or take every gas station stop as a mandatory ice cream re-fueling station. The work ethic has become something to embrace, not get roasted about.

If you didn’t already check out the recap of the Loon Mountain Race, you can find there HERE. Spoiler alert: the MNC girls won the women’s division!

I’m super proud of everyone in this group and the efforts put forth!

Top of the Kanc!

We also had epic weather, with sun and heat every day and cool nights for sleeping. Sunscreen was a hot commodity (especially after we left one of the spray bottles on a table at Loon) but nobody went home with any burns too severe. Instead we got awesome conditions for training and that extra boost that comes from plenty of vitamin D out there in the mountains.

…also, we found some SNOW still lingering in Tuckerman’s Ravine

This was the week where I think many of us asked more of our legs than ever before. To be sure, we planned certain sessions to allow for a bit of balance…doing the Kanc double pole/classic workout the day after Loon to hopefully ease up on the quads and hammies a bit. Every afternoon session was incredibly easy, from a pine-needle-laden mountain bike cruise around Echo Lake to one run that just ended up being from the guys house to the girls house and back. Oh, except that one ride where some of us tackled the infamous Red Tail Trail…this one requires a massive climb up a paved Lincoln Gap-esque road followed by a mile of technical trail. THEN you are rewarded with options to do either the Red Tail Trail or the brand-new Parking Lot Smoothie trail. A little Hershey’s chocolate partway through helped keep the spirits up for the grueling ascent and…yeah, it was worth the work:

Red Tail and Parking Lot Smoothie…two of the best trails in New England?

One new workout we tried was some L3 skating up the “other” side of the Kanc, from the town of Lincoln. This proved interesting, and not necessarily something we’d do again. The shoulder was nice and wide, but for some reason despite being the same road as a few days prior the traffic was much more prevalent and fast. Guess this side is more prone to tourism, with a few wide stretches allowing drivers to ramp up the speed. The two sides of Mountain Camp are endless trails and woodland training options, but sparse rollerski availability. In fact last year Sara and I drove around for about an hour and a half just exploring roads and attempting to find somewhere else to ski…without much work. I thought this might be a viable option but this might have been our one and only attempt. At the very least it made for some nice photos and a great session to challenge skate technique when tired.

If this doesn’t make you think US Ski Team I don’t know what would!

Not everything was perfect about camp, but nothing ever is. What we did have was a perfect chance to work on our strengths, our weaknesses, our team climate, our interactions, our hype, our preparation for the season, and our vibe. It’s all about putting the best of each of those pieces together during every part of every year. This team continues to shift, grow, and change BUT the components of what makes us a strong club will always have similar roots. Go Pugs!

Cumby’s Chill Zone…a different kind of “Parking Lot Smoothie” you could say

View a full album of Mountain Camp photos HERE.

I was apprehensive about putting a 6.7 mile uphill running race on the schedule for the first full day of Mountain Camp…but then again, it is MOUNTAIN Camp, right? And as skiers we are often always looking for the biggest hills. Plus, having done this race last year and seeing many familiar Nordie faces in the crowd I had a feeling this would be up our alley.

Sure enough, the Loon Mountain Race was a heck of a time. For some it was a pretty intimidating challenge…6+ miles with 3,000+ vertical gain. But with bright skies, low humidity, and huge fields of something like 500-600 in women’s and men’s race each, the vibe was more like a festival complete with dirty humans, camper vans, and motley dogs strolling through the parking lot.

The women took off first, and the only real bummer of the day was that the men started over an hour later. That meant there wasn’t going to be a lot of chance for either group to see the other. It sounds like the girls didn’t need much for outside support though. They CRUSHED it! Ava, Meredith, and Jenny were the top 3 Pugs and we had some support from more veteran athletes like alums Emily Stitt and Annavitte Rand, and Coach Sara.

GIRL. GANG. Julia, Sammie, Hanna, Snow

The girls raced extremely well against seasoned ultrarunner-types and uphill machines and running club members from all over. Ava and Meredith were 2nd and 3rd for the Junior Women. And who was first? None other than Dartmouth’s Rena Schwartz…yup, that’s an All-Nordic women’s podium at this running race 🙂

Women’s Jr podium! Missing Rena who had presumably already taken off to get a rollerski session in 🙂

For the men, St. Mikes XC runner and skier John Cunningham was steadily tracking down his brother Tim, another friend-of-the-pugs. Eli absolutely crushed the “Upper Walking Boss” last kilometer and had Coach Adam in his sights, while Coach Liam was already breathing easy at the top by the time that group reached the summit. Sprinting toward the line with much grace was Brook, who you would not predict to be an uphill runner given his height BUT has totally turned into an aerobic machine.

The biggest surprise, and the most exciting news of the day (along with the Women’s World Cup win) was during the announcement of team scores. We had no idea they even did this, but as they announced the average times of the various teams (top-5 runners counting to the average) the girls began doing the math…sure enough, they WON the whole thing as the top women’s team! Not bad for the first day of ski training camp.

Paul, the race director, was so psyched to see so many MNC athletes competing that he personally emailed his thanks and then found us to introduce himself. It was a great event and you can be sure we’ll be there next year!

Loon Mountain Race Website

Gang’s all here. Looking tired but not too tired for a second session that afternoon..

Monday morning arrived with bright sun, blue skies, and a large white van travelling steadily up I89 toward the Richmond Park and Ride. At 10:30, Ken and I greeted the transport team as we were handed the keys to the MNC VAN!

That’s right…the next step in training options, team culture, and accessible transportation. It’s an exciting time for our club!

Day 1…you could tell Coach Adam was excited

It didn’t take long for the van to prove its usefulness. On Friday we went on a classic rollerski that was a favorite of the MNC Academy crew for morning sessions last fall: rollerski from the Round Church down to Dugway road, and then take Dugway road (yes, the dirt road!) up into Huntington. This dirt road is great for rollerskiing because it gradually climbs the whole way and involves no downhills, and it takes a generally dull and well-worn rollerski route (Cochran Rd) and extends it to a much cooler direction.

This ski requires a shuttle back down to Richmond, as there’s no safe way to make it happen otherwise. That meant that my Subaru would have to suffice…max group size of 4 or this workout wasn’t happening. This time, the whole gang got to experience the trip!

We also went to Bolton on Saturday, to take on the uphill run test for the 2nd time this year. A lot of PR efforts, and new course records from alums Liam and Emily. Congrats guys!

Interested in contributing to the van? Check out our page right here: New MNC Van