Mansfield Nordic Club

10 MNC skiers, 1 large mountain, and a mass start race to the top! The Pug Squad drove over to Lake Placid on Saturday a got in a nice easy ski, a study hall session, and a home-cooked meal. We stayed at the High Peaks Cyclery “Base Camp” complete with bunk beds and rustic styling.

On Sunday morning everyone fought hard to the summit through wind, fog, and deep competition!

Saturday ski on beautiful River Road. You can see Whiteface looming in the clouds in the back

A focused study hall. NYSEF coach Marge walked in to say hello and was flustered: “why are they all so quiet??”

Hearty pre-race meal. Thanks to the folks who donated food items and food budget contributions!

Race action featuring Magda on the final big turn!

Phil reaching the top, cheered by Tim and Ali. As you can see, the views were nonexistent

Selfie squad (thanks to High Peaks Cyclery for the free hat!)

It’s safe to say Timmy knows how to push himself!

Eliza on the podium for Jr women!

Adam Glueck, the Jr men’s champ!

Reunited with SLU skier Dana from Mountain Camp!

Above, a little time-lapse action of the ride down!

Awkwardly-staged photo back down at the bottom!

The Junior Fall training group has really grown this year, especially in light of a new collaboration between MNC and the St. Mikes ski team! Many Purple Knights have joined in with the Pugs to ski at the Range on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the bigger group has really made for an awesome atmosphere.

Quality selfie atop the rickety Bolton fire tower with MNC and SMC!

Last Tuesday we had 19 rollerskiers, which was certainly a record number of MNC athletes rolling on a weekday in recent years. We’ve had a number of productive sessions with this large group…skate speeds are way more exciting with a crowded pack, and even just warmup drills and fun relays take on a new, more race-like feel when there’s a chaotic start and elbows flying.

Here is some media of the fall group in action:

You may have noticed Coach Adam’s droning monotone on some of our Youtube clips…apologies for that! I’ve been putting together some more instructional videos to compliment our growing suite of hiphop and classic rock-infused training “edits”. On the MNC homepage you’ll find a new dropdown menu titled “Resources”. Here you’ll find these videos grouped into playlists that are easy to navigate: Technique Drills and Equipment and Waxing

The Technique Drills library includes narrated videos of some of our favorite drills for rollerskis, snow skis, and on-foot.

The Equipment and Waxing library is probably a little more varied…this playlist can include anything from waxing how-to clips all the way to crazy training inventions and tools that Coach Adam has dreamed up.

Both libraries are set to grow as the seasons progress, so be sure to check back often!