Mansfield Nordic Club
Ski coaching, training and playing in the shadow of Mt Mansfield for all ages and abilities
The second Eastern Cup is coming right up! You can find our Virtual Team meeting page below, as well as a link to registration. Be sure to register tonight by 5pm to avoid the day-of-race price increase and not get seeded at the very back of the race!
Mini-Camp in more ways than one, you could say! This past weekend a few of our Juniors braved the cold Adirondack mountains for a training camp in Lake Placid. The goal was simple: after a stretch of holiday time that put lots of different people in different places and with different travel schedules, the thought was to get the gang back together to re-focus for the onslaught of Eastern Cup racing coming up.
Some teams traveled to US Nationals, and some to Mont Sainte Anne, but I tried to keep this relatively inexpensive (compared to those first two options) and relatively close-to-home, in order to keep everyone healthy and travel-free.
Unfortunately the HS racing schedule was not very forgiving, and the cold and some team sickness going around didn’t help either. We ended up having a small but hearty crew for this camp. I still feel the benefits were just as I had intended (low stress, good focus, and a solid race start at the Crosscut Classic despite the originally-intended Mid-A JNQ cancellation). Magda, Dakota and I made the most of a good weekend in the mountains!
On Friday night we got super bundled-up and went for a ski around Mirror Lake. They plot a skating track around the lake each winter, and new snow blew into the track making it a perfect ski lane
Headlamps helped on the East side of the lake, but by the other shore near town, twinkling lights of shops and restaurants lit the way!
Several hotels have artsy displays and even pond hockey rinks out on the lake
Oh, and with the recent snowstorm, skiing on the street wasn’t bad either 😉
Making some pizza for dinner. On Saturday night we had the now infamous “MNC Room Pasta”…even though we cooked it in a real kitchen it still brought back images of our favorite hotel room hotplate Eastern Cup meal…
On Saturday, the temps were at their lowest yet. With the outside world a brisk -16F (not counting the wind chill) we opted inside for our sessions. In the morning, we went to the local gym and did a solid warmup, some hip activation, and then some really quality pre-race intervals on the spin bikes. We got in a little upper body work, core work, and then used the recovery items to help us stretch and roll out a bit.
That afternoon, we took a trip down the road to Saranac Lake to hone our skate technique…ICE skating technique, more specifically. Magda had done some figure skating in the past and was the most graceful, even showing her skills and mastery at the Snapchatting-While-Skating technique:
I don’t usually condone the use of phones while training, but I liked Magda’s natural millennial ability to multitask with social media so I let her get away with it for a little bit
Kind of a weird phenomenon to go into the ice skating rink to warm up from the outside, but when the temps on the ice rink are about 40 degrees warmer than the parking lot you’re not doing too bad. I don’t ice skate that much, but I had a lot of fun thanks to my sweet “Turbo” skate circa 1985 that I picked up at the thrift store for $5 earlier in the day. Hey, it was cheaper than renting a pair! Dakota, meanwhile, worked on his chair-skating skills as he built up to the workout itself:
Just like skiing, you gotta start with the basics!
Hot cocoa stop on the way back from the rink
On Sunday morning we checked out of the house and drove straight over to Stowe for the Crosscut Classic race, which was a lot of fun and, at about 3 degrees (that’s 3 degrees ABOVE zero!) things were feeling like a regular heat wave. With everyone back in business this week there’s a lot to be excited about, as we head south to Ripton for the second Eastern Cup. We’re going to have BIG BIG crew for this one…I have to crunch the numbers and check some historical posts but, including athletes we are doing race waxing service for this could be the biggest roster MNC has EVER had for Juniors at an Eastern Cup. Get ready for a busy weekend!
The first big Zak and Club Cup race, right in our backyard, kicked off this past Sunday with the Crosscut Classic hosted by Stowe Nordic! MNC had a great turnout and many racers of all ages. Our BKL skiers ended up being the large majority of the kids race, and we had competitors in the U14 class all the way up to the older Masters.
Cold temps were no surprise after a brutal few weeks of thick hats and face tape…this made for simple waxing and beautiful striding conditions. The course wound uphill with some smooth sections and gradients before a couple of steep “Klaebo-style” steeps that required a run or herringbone. From there is was a rollercoaster ride down hills that were fast and flowing, but not so crazy that you had to get out of the tracks much. You could “ride the rails” around some smooth bends and dips, before hammering it home to the stadium.
Below are a few select photos from Dave Priganc, with a link to the full album at the bottom (along with results). Enjoy!
Magda winning the U16 girl’s race
Men and women all raced together in the 10k! Coach Adam and Ava sending some fun downhills near the finish
Karen does a lot of legwork to get folks psyched to race, and this one was no exception. We had a great turnout!
Kids on the start line for the BKL race. Lots of MNC suits! Congrats to Esther on the win 🙂
A group of the masters staying warm!
The next Masters race opportunity, the Geschmossel, is taking place next Monday! MNC is just a bit shy of the podium in the NENSA Club Cup and we definitely want to make that jump up! At these events EVERYONE who races helps score points so don’t be shy about signing up and hitting the start line in some really fun and exciting races.
Update: with the cold weather hitting NY especially hard, BOTH of the Mid-A JNQ races have been cancelled this weekend. On Sunday, non-HS racers with MNC are encouraged to register for, and compete in, the Stowe Crosscut 10k classic race instead.
Thanks to a 12pm start time for the Crosscut Classic, participants in the LP Team Camp will head over to Stowe on their way back from NY to compete.
Please find registration details on SkiReg. Sign up with the Zak/Club cup option to help MNC score points for NENSA!
We’re in the midst of a bitter cold stretch of weather, with below-zero temps the new norm and frozen mornings the usual start to the day.
At the Fort Kent races, the Juniors ran into some of the same conditions. We had a couple of rough situations with the cold, and since then I’ve been (for the most part) super impressed with how everyone has taken the lessons learned and been able to ski consistently and train well over the Holiday break.
Gotta get that double poling, no matter the temps
Given the weather forecast this week, which remains cold, it seemed like an appropriate time to share some strategies for handling cold weather!
1) Dress warm
This one should probably go without saying, but you’ve gotta start at the beginning! These are the kind of days when it pays to start a little too over-dressed and shed layers if needed. Socks need to be wool, no exceptions! Full baselayers are ideal, and a vest is really clutch for keeping mobility while retaining core temps.
2) Buffs and Hats and Gloves
Hats for your head (not headbands!) and buffs are both great. A buff can cover your ears, keep your neck warm, and in a pinch cover your mouth/nose…all at once! Donning TWO buffs at once is not unheard of.
With gloves, go big or go home! I’ve skied in nothing but my Toko Arctic Gloves for the past two weeks. The mitten version would be even better but I admit I can’t stand not having independently-moving fingers.
3) Face Tape
I’ll admit, I didn’t give this concept a chance until the past few weeks, and I am now a convert. You can buy specially-made “face tape”, but all it is is KT tape in a different package. This stuff can be found at any drugstore, or the pharmacy isle of grocery stores. Three strips are perfect: two for each cheek, one for the nose. It’s amazing how much a little wind buffer can do for your face and head temperature. There will be a roll at the Range on Tuesday available.
4) Vaseline/Dermatone
Much like “Face Tape” is just a fancier, more packaged version of KT Tape, “Dermatone” is really just a fancier, more packaged version of Vaseline or even the store-brand chemical mixture known as Petroleum Jelly. A little bit of this has the same effect as face tape although the residue is a bit more to handle.
5) Boot warmers/hand warmers
Something else that can seem silly but really be worth it’s weight in fluoros when the time is right. The best trick I ever heard of with these (from an article by Brian Gregg) is to put them on TOP of your toes when skiing. This lets you still feel the natural flex of your skis a boot (no bumps or lumps) but still keep your feet from freezing. It’s best to warm them up before using…holding them under a hand-dryer or next to a fireplace for 30 seconds will jump-start their chemical-warming contents!
6) Overboots
Again, something I never considered until I was given a pair by Rossi one year. These things are GREAT. It’s amazing how much warmer your feet with be with just a simple neoprene shell. You can find pairs made by your favorite boot brand, or other options not tailored to certain brands. Rossi Overboots at Skirack
Juniors ready for a below-zero ski at the Range
Click through to check snow conditions at Tomasi Meadow in Underhill. Submitted by on-the-ground reports, as current as possible. Read More about “Snow Conditions”…
Our spring 2026 registration is open for Junior athletes! Click through to visit the info page, learn more, and register. Read More about “Spring”…
A piece sharing memories and photos of MNC’s dynamic and inspiring founder, Murray Banks, who passed in February 2026 Read More about “Tighten Your Boots: A Murray Banks Remembrance”…