Author Archive | Liz Hollenbach

2/17 Update 1: Penguins are canceled this week – older groups are on.

Update 2: Tuesday practice is moved to Catamount.  Sign Up Here if you plan to come to practice at Catamount.

The snow just keeps coming!! We are feeling very luck to have such great skiing this winter and great grooming by Coach Peter Davis.

Tuesday looks cold, skiers should dress in their warmest layers and thick socks. Have a big snack before practice and don’t forget mittens with hand warmers.

Event Update – The Mad River BKL Ski Miester is canceled for this Friday (2/21). But we’ll be at Sleepy Hollow on Sunday (2/23) for our Games Day with the UVM Ski Team. Everyone is invited to Sleepy, more info below.

Tuesday 2/18: Penguins, JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes & Racers
Location: * Practice moved to Catamount*  Please Sign Up Here if you plan to come to practice at Catamount.
Details: Skate for JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes and Racers *Penguins are canceled*
Devos at Sleepy Hollow, check the Juniors training plan for details.

Thursday 2/20: JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes, Racers & Devos
Location: Tomasi
Details: Classic for all – Mini Marathon
Waxing: We’ll have a small bench and some wax set up in the parking lot at the trailhead, but if you can wax at home ahead of time that would be great. Temps should be in the 20s– try Swix Extra Blue or something similar.

It’s time for our annual Mini-Marathon! How many laps (or KM’s) can you ski in one hour? We will do a little warm-up and all start together at 4 pm.  Kids will ski at their own pace and as much as they can on the designated loops with friends and coaches. The snack table opens at 4:30 and they can stop to grab water, fuel up and record their number of laps. We try to keep this event FUN and somewhat informal despite how the name sounds.

Parents:  Volunteer + Snacks Sign-Up
1. Every kid should bring a filled water bottle labeled with their name and leave it in the bin located at the trail head in the parking lot. Kids will get thirsty. (We will also bring a big water jug for refilling bottles.)
2. We need parents to bring some healthy snacks for the snack table. Valentine’s treats are OK too. See the sign-up link above. If you bring snacks, please deliver them to the snack bin located at the trail head in the parking lot.
3. We need 2-3 parents to help with the snack table and to help kids record their laps. We’d also love it if someone can take some pictures. See the sign-up link above.

Looking ahead:  More Info and Let Coaches Know You are Coming
Games with the UVM Ski Team– Sunday, Feb 23 from 11:30am-1:00pm at Sleepy Hollow.  Everyone is invited to play games on skis and have fun with the UVM Ski Team. We’ll end with a hot drink and snacks. ($5 Sleepy tickets for this event – families should go into the lodge when they arrive to purchase tickets)
Craftsbury Ski Day– Wednesday, Feb 26 at 10am. Join us at Craftsbury for our traditional MNC BKL ski adventure.
BKL Festival – March 1 + 2 at Quarry Road Trails, Waterville, Maine. Nordic Adventure and Racing options available. Check out our Fest FAQs post for more info

2/13 Update – Practice is canceled today due to school closures and weather. We will reschedule the Mini Marathon for next week .

2/11 Update – the Frost Mtn BKL race at Rikert this weekend is CANCELED. See below for more info.

It looks like we have another snowy week ahead. This Thursday is our Valentine’s Mini Marathon – it’s a fun way for everyone to ski with friends and see how many laps they can ski! Parent volunteers and snack donations needed. Volunteer + Snacks Sign-Up

Tuesday 2/11: Penguins, JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes & Racers
Location: Tomasi
Details: Skate for JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes and Racers (Classic for Penguins)
Devos at Sleepy Hollow, check the Juniors training plan for details.

Thursday 2/13: JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes, Racers & Devos
Location: Tomasi  -PRACTICE CANCELED- We will reschedule the mini marathon for next week.
Details: Classic for all – Mini Marathon – To celebrate Valentine’s Day we’re doing our Mini Marathon.
Waxing: We’ll have a small bench and some wax set up in the parking lot at the trailhead or you can wax at home ahead of time. Temps should be in the high 20s/low 30s – try Toko yellow or similar.

It’s time for our annual Mini-Marathon! How many laps (or KM’s) can you ski in one hour? We will do a little warm-up and all start together at 4 pm.  Kids will ski at their own pace and as much as they can on the designated loops with friends and coaches. The snack table opens at 4:30 and they can stop to grab water, fuel up and record their number of laps. We try to keep this event FUN and somewhat informal despite how the name sounds.

Parents:  Volunteer + Snacks Sign-Up
1. Every kid should bring a filled water bottle labeled with their name and leave it in the bin located at the trail head in the parking lot. Kids will get thirsty. (We will also bring a big water jug for refilling bottles.)
2. We need parents to bring some healthy snacks for the snack table. Valentine’s treats are OK too. See the sign-up link above. If you bring snacks, please deliver them to the snack bin located at the trail head in the parking lot.
3. We need 2-3 parents to help with the snack table and to help kids record their laps. We’d also love it if someone can take some pictures. See the sign-up link above.

Saturday 2/15: Racers and Devos
Location: Camel’s Hump Nordic Center, Huntington
Details: We’ll classic ski and meet at 10am. Practice will finish at about noon.  Bring a water bottle and snack. Use your reciprocal pass for a ticket.

Saturday 2/15: Devos
Location: Rikert, Ripton, VT
Details:  Frost Mtn Eastern Cup –  Devos can try a U16 race. It’s a 5K Classic interval start race. See Coach Kristen’s email and Link to registration is here. Registration closes on Wednesday at 7:30pm.

Sunday 2/16: BKL Race for All BKL  – Just Added to the Schedule –
Location: Hard’ack, St. Albans
Details: Hard’ack Challenge BKL Race,  Skate Race  Registration and More Info
Please note that Online Registration Deadline: Friday, Feb 14, 2025 at 11:59 PM ET and there will be day of race registration cash or check only.  Let coaches know you are coming

Sunday 2/16: BKL Race for All BKL – CANCELED – We are looking at some other options for the weekend – stay tuned.
Location: Rikert, Ripton, VT
Details: Frost Mtn BKL Race, Skate Race  Registration/Info
Please note that online registration closes Online Registration Deadline: Wednesday, Feb 12, 2025 at 7:30 PM ET and there will be day of race registration from 11:30-1:30pm Let coaches know you are coming

Looking ahead:
Ski with the UVM Ski Team– Sunday, Feb 23 from 11:30am-1:00pm at Sleepy Hollow.  Everyone is invited to play games and on skis and have fun with the UVM Ski Team. We’ll end with a hot drink and snacks. ($5 Sleepy tickets for this event – families should go into the lodge when they arrive to purchase tickets)
Craftsbury Ski Day– Wednesday, Feb 26 at 10am. Join us at Craftsbury for our traditional MNC BKL ski adventure.
BKL Festival – March 1 + 2 at Quarry Road Trails, Waterville, Maine. Nordic Adventure and Racing options available. Check out our Fest FAQs post for more info

Update: Thursday (2/6) practice is canceled. It looks most schools are canceled today including MMUUSD. You could do some yard skiing or get out close to home during the day.

Thanks to everyone that brought snacks and helped out at the Tour de Underhill last week. We had a wonderful ski adventure and the kids and coaches all had a great time.

It’s perfect winter conditions at Tomasi right now and it looks like lots of snow in the forecast this week both tonight and Thursday. We’ll be grooming, but it will be lots of powder!

Tuesday 2/4: Penguins, JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes & Racers
Location: Tomasi
Details: Skate for JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes and Racers (Classic for Penguins)
Devos at Sleepy Hollow, check the Juniors training plan for details.

Thursday 2/6: Practice canceled  JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes, Racers & Devos
Location: Tomasi
Details: Classic for all
Waxing: We’ll have a small bench and some wax set up in the parking lot at the trailhead or you can wax at home ahead of time. If you raced this weekend leave that wax on and add a couple layers on top. Temps should be in the mid 20s – try Swix extra blue or Toko Red

Saturday 2/8: Racers and Devos
If you are headed to Rikert this weekend do you pre race on Saturday either at Rikert or Sleepy Hollow (practice). If you are not, then there are two options for Saturday. See below for details.

Practice Option
Location: Sleepy Hollow
Details: We’ll skate ski and meet at 10am up in Molly’s Meadow. Practice will finish at about noon. Bring a water bottle and snack.

Race Option
Location: Craftsbury
Details: Bill’s Blastoff BKL Race, Skate Registration/Info
Coaches are not planning to go to Craftsbury for this one, but it should be a pretty straight forward race for parents and kids to go to together.
 
Sunday 2/9: Devos
Location: Rikert
Details: VT EHS/U16 Qualifier
Adam, Kristen and Sara are all planning to be at Rikert waxing. Check the juniors training doc for registration link and details.

We are into the heart of winter and the skiing has been great. This week we have a few fun events for practice at Tomasi – see below for all the details. We will also need a few parent helpers.

This weekend there are several racing and non racing events. If you have been thinking about trying a weekend ski event, now is the time! The Sleepy Hollow Races and Fun on Skis! is Sunday and it’s a good local event with competitive and non competitive fun. Sunday is also the Tour de Stowe with a  5k BKL event – it’s an amazing opportunity to ski at Trapps and would be fun for Arctic Foxes and families.

Sub-Groups and Coach Info

Parent Meeting Notes

Season Long Schedule
Weekend Race and Event Schedule

Tuesday 1/28: Penguins, JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes & Racers
Location: Tomasi
Details:  Skate for JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes and Racers

Penguins (classic) are doing a Mini Marathon this week. We will setup a little course around Tomasi Meadow. Penguins and parents can ski at their own pace and with other Penguin friends around the mini-marathon course. There will be one snack stop at the lower Tomasi parking lot and hot cocoa near the parking lot at the end.

Thursday 1/30: Jack Rabbits, Arctic Foxes, Racers & Devos
Location: Tomasi for Tour de Underhill
Details: Classic for all. We’re doing a ski tour from Tomasi and skiing some trails across Pleasant Valley Rd, around Underhill Central and back to Tomasi. If your child has one please bring a water bottle and holder, drink belt or Camelbak on the ski. We’ll also have a drink/snack stop at the Underhill Central Playground.

We will need some snacks for our snack table, a few extra parent helpers to ski along with us and setup a snack station at UCS.  If you can bring snack or volunteer sign up here.

Saturday 2/1: Silver Fox Trot
Location: Oak Hill, Hanover, NH Registration |Info | Let coaches know you are coming
Details: Skate ski race hosted by our friends at Ford Sayre Ski Club

Sunday 2/3: Sleepy Hollow Ski Club BKL Race and Fun on Skis!
Location: Sleepy Hollow, Huntington, VT  Registration and Info | Let coaches know you are coming
Details: Classic ski race, Fun Park Ski Runs and a Ski Tour Scavenger Hunt – This is a really fun event and a great one for all MNC BKL skiers.

Sunday 2/3: Tour de Stowe
Location: Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, VT Registration and Info | Let other families know you are going
Details: Tour de Stowe is the perfect event for BKL skiers and families that want a non competitive event. We suggest this event for Jack Rabbits and Arctic Foxes.  It’s a fun ski adventure on the famous Trapp Family Lodge Trails with great food stops along the way, like Blueberry Soup! Parents are welcome to ski with kids at their discretion. We do not plan to have coaches at Tour de Stowe.  but if you are planning to go and want to help organize the group please reach out to bkl@mansfieldnordic.org and we can help coordinate.