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Updated: BKL Info Jan 12-18

By on 12 January, 2026 in BKL Training Schedule

Update: Practice is canceled for today – Thursday, January 15  — We were hoping for snow in this storm, but the rain has wiped out more snow at Tomasi. We are canceling practice for today for JackRabbits and Arctic Foxes. Racers and Devos your practice is still on at Sleepy Hollow. In the meantime check out this neat old ski movie featuring Vermont Olympian Bill Koch and some Putney, VT Youth Skiers at practice – The Nordic Experience.

Tomasi took a hit with the rain on Saturday night and things are a bit icy. Coach Peter is going to groom Tuesday for skate skiing. But because of the conditions we are going cancel Penguins tomorrow and encourage those that join us to be intermediate to advanced skiers. It will be very challenging skiing for kids that are just learning and still finding their ski legs.  Please email your child’s coach if you aren’t sure of  if they should come. Ski Group List

Penguins are canceled for tomorrow Tuesday, January 13. 

We had a fun time in very tricky conditions at the Mad River Scramble over the weekend. Nice work to everyone that raced and a couple that tried racing for the first time!  We will post results here once we receive them from the crew at Mad River.

Tuesday 1/13: JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes and Racers  *Read the info above about practice on Tuesday*
Location and Time : Tomasi Meadow, Jericho from 3:45-5:15
Details: Skate skiing for Jack Rabbits, Arctic Foxes and Racers. Devos check the Juniors training doc for practice details and skiers in the Racers group can choose to go to practice at Tomasi or Sleepy Hollow. Skiers going to Sleepy Hollow will also be skate skiing.

Thursday 1/15: JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes and Racers – Practice canceled. (Racers and Devos your practice is still on at Sleepy)
Location and Time : Tomasi Meadow, Underhill Center from 3:45-5:15
Details: Classic skiing for all groups at Tomasi.  Devos and Racers have the option for practice at either Tomasi or Sleepy Hollow (4-5:30). Skiers going to Sleepy Hollow will be classic skiing.

Saturday 1/17:  Racers and Devos Practice
Location and Time : Craftsbury from 10:00-11:30
Details: technique tbd

Monday 1/19:  Vermont State Ski Meister Details and Registration
Location and Time : Cochran’s and Sleepy Hollow
Details: This is a really fun event for both kids and adults and a great way to spend Martin Luther King Jr Day. The event starts at Cochran’s with a two run alpine race and finishes up with a Nordic race at Sleepy Hollow. It’s also really fun to spectate!

Sunday 1/25: Mansfield Nordic Skiathlon at Sleepy Hollow, Huntington. This is our home race and there are racing categories for every age group including kids! Get involved! Volunteers Needed (please email Christine Massey if you are interested christine.massey@uvm.edu)  | More Info and Registration

NENSA BKL Festival Feb 28- March 1 – Registration is open. Register by January 15 for an event t-shirt.

BKL Info Jan 5-11

By on 5 January, 2026 in BKL Training Schedule

We are looking forward to ski practice this week. Keep those snow dances going for some new snow over the next few days. It’s still pretty dark in the evenings, so bring your headlamps.

Missing Hat and Jacket – We have a skier missing a black Columbia MNC logo jacket from practice before break. Please let us know you have seen it or if your child might have picked up one that wasn’t theirs at the end of practice. We also have a missing big blue Smuggs hat.

Tuesday 1/6: Penguins, JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes and Racers
Location and Time : Tomasi Meadow, Underhill Center from 3:45-5:15
Details: Classic skiing for all groups at Tomasi.  Devos check the Juniors training doc for practice details and skiers in the Racers group can choose to go to practice at Tomasi or Sleepy Hollow. Skiers going to Sleepy Hollow will be skate skiing.

Thursday 1/8: JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes, Racers and Devos
Location and Time : Tomasi Meadow, Underhill Center from 3:45-5:15
Details: Skate skiing for all groups.

Sunday 1/11: Mad River Scramble and Fun! hosted by Mad River BKL
Location and Time : Blueberry Lake XC Center, Warren, VT at 1pm
Details: This is a great event for kids that want to try racing. We’ll be there with a team tent and coaches. Official Event Details and Registration – MNC Team Race Info – Let Coaches Know you are Coming

New for 2026 at the Mad River Scramble: the Adult Fun Tour Race (~5 km) at 3:15 following the finish of Grade 7/8. Mad River BKL is encouraging parents and leaders to cap off the day with fellow leaders and all comers for a relaxed, spirited race. Registration page is updated to be able to select the “adult fun tour race”. There is nothing better than having the kids cheer for the adults after we’ve been cheering for them!

And if you want to see our full weekend schedule click here.

Several Sunny Days

By on 29 December, 2025 in Junior Blog, Uncategorized

What a winter thus far! We’ve got it good, and we are making the most of it. This past weekend was about as much skiing and winter action as you could possibly fit into two days, and I think it captured the spirit of our Junior team pretty emphatically.

Saturday: Craftsbury Outdoor Center

Stella in the timetrial

Saturday morning got off to an early start as we all converged on Craftsbury for a timetrial. The snow was cold but not squeaky slow. The air was crisp. Snow hung onto the pine trees shimmering in the bright sunshine.

It wasn’t just a straight start-to-finish TT though: after an individual start skate effort on the 3.75k FIS course, everyone grabbed a quick drink and some gummies, maybe changed into a fresh base layer, and then hit the same course again. This time it was 2 minutes race effort, followed by 1 minute rest…then start another 2 minute interval where the last one left off.

This is a workout we tried last year, and it received good feedback. With a training block underway and a bit of time until the next “big” race, this was the perfect day to return to the effort. The goals are both psychological and physiological.

Mentally, it can be tough to rally for another 3.75km with hard efforts, having just completed the journey in a race…but in reality, we’re all able to handle a lot more than we think! That’s important to remember in a race, especially when many of our competitions have multiple laps.

Physiologically and technically, this format helps ingrain and work on strong technique and tempo even while tired. Having a rest period every 2 minutes lets you attack the course with good energy, and hit the transitions, climbs, and descents as strong as possible.

Isaiah and crew on the intervals AFTER the timetrial!

With the workout complete, it was hard not to ski for longer still with the temps warming up and the sun adding to the vibes. During our cooldown we chatted with many other familiar MNC folks and friends out skiing…a bunch of the MNC University athletes had coordinated on a sprint timetrial, and Perry was out with his stopwatch while Annie and Sydney did a 10km classic race to prepare for the upcoming US National Championships.

We went down to the “Screaming Mimi” uphill during the Pro athlete’s timetrial to cheer them on and watch their awesome skiing. They were moving. Check out this pace for 4 kilometers into a 10km effort!

But we weren’t done, either. It was time for lunch, and the touring center was feeling like Terminal C at O’Hare on Christmas Eve…skiers of all ages were hustling and bustling, and after we replenished our tanks it was time to head across the porch to the main gym, which the Craftsbury coaches had very kindly reserved for us that afternoon!

With music blasting and weights clanking, it was easy to dive into a big strength session! One of our biggest strengths as a Junior team, in my opinion, is our dedication to/consistency with high quality, broad-based strength training.

We really like to hit the gym, and it benefits us in many ways. Not only are we stronger with our ski movements, but we have the physical strength needed to make technique changes and adaptations. We’re also less prone to injury: knock on wood, but running and overuse injuries (even for those running XC or playing fall on-foot sports) are not very prevalent among our squad. While the MNCC is a pretty awesome gym, the high ceilings at Craftsbury do have a certain aura to them…

Sunday: Camel’s Hump Nordic

Everyone was a bit more sore than usual on a frigid Sunday morning as we pulled into the parking lot at Camel’s Hump Nordic. Despite its setting, the vibe at Craftsbury is fully modern (floor-to-ceiling windows, spa-esque gym facilities, snowmaking fan guns, and heated porta-potties). By contrast, the vibe at CHN is vintage in the best way possible.

We embraced all the traditionalism we could with blue hardwax, a long classic ski along the shoulder of the mountain, ripping downhills through recently-cut logging areas with vistas stretching across the lake to Whiteface, and some trailside pancakes cooked over an open fire..!

Actually, those pancakes were originally supposed to be waffles, but it turns out the waffle iron was a little bit too much wattage for the portable battery pack to handle. But it just so happens that the groomer-on-duty for the Nordic center over the holidays was Willem Smith, an MNC alum who lives trailside. Willem skied right over to his place and returned a moment later with a big cast iron pan and grill, which we popped onto the fire to turn our waffle batter into bubbling pancakes!

I’ve never been to Norway, but you can’t help but notice all the wholesome images of families and groups out enjoying long skis with waffles in the mix. It was time to bring that energy here! Definitely a memorable ski, and one to repeat in the future for sure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

BKL Info Dec 22-28

By on 22 December, 2025 in BKL Training Schedule

Practice canceled for Tuesday Dec 23.

Tuesday 12/23: Practice Canceled for Penguins, Jack Rabbits, Arctic Foxes and Racers
Location and Time :
Details: There is not enough snow to ski at Tomasi.  (Devos still have the option to go to their regular Tuesday practice with the MNC Juniors –  check the Juniors schedule for specifics on technique and time.)

Looking ahead:

More snow this week! The forecast is showing more snow later this week! This is a good sign for vacation week skiing on local Nordic Centers, at Tomasi Meadow, Mills Riverside Park or in your backyard. See if your kids will take you skiing and show you what they have learned! Tomasi conditions and grooming can be found here.

XC Ski Bingo – There is also a neat XC Ski Bingo program through the New England Nordic Ski Association (NENSA). MNC is a member club with NENSA and it’s free to participate. You can print the bingo card from the NENSA website. (It doesn’t look like all the details are updated for this year, but the ski bingo card is up and printable.)

Next Practice – Our first practice after the Holiday Break is on Tuesday, January 6th.

BKL Info Dec 15-21

By on 15 December, 2025 in BKL Training Schedule

We continue to have amazing snow conditions. All our groups are working hard learning and practicing skate and classic skiing. We’re almost to the shortest day of the year – bring your headlamps!

The Town of Underhill has plowed and opened the field lot in the lower part of Tomasi Meadow – it’s a great overflow lot or you can park there and ski on the trails up to practice.

Update: Our snazzy new team hats are still available for purchase and pickup in Jericho. Purchase here for next day pick-up.   This Tuesday we’re doing a MNC Team Hat- Popup Sale at BKL Tomasi practice. Catherine will have table in the parking lot with hats. We have kids and adult sizes. There are two hat options – unlined or fleece lined. We also have adult sized grid fleece headband. You can check them out and purchase on the spot (checks or online payment if you have service at Tomasi) or buy online by 3pm Tues for pickup at practice (we’ll package it up with your name). All proceeds from hat sales go towards the MNC scholarship fund.

Group & coach info here:  BKL Sub-Groups

Check out the  Season Long Schedule to get all the details on the schedule for the season.

Tuesday 12/16: Penguins, JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes and Racers
Location and Time : Tomasi Meadow, Underhill Center from 3:45-5:15
Details: Classic skiing for all groups. (Devos check the Juniors schedule for specifics on technique and time.)

We’ll have some wax and a bench setup at the trailhead. If you have waxable classic skis come a few minutes early for waxing. The forecast is for temps in the mid 20s and we have new snow. If you can wax at home try a few layers of extra blue or something similar.

Thursday 12/18: JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes, Racers and Devos
Location and Time : Tomasi Meadow, Underhill Center from 3:45-5:15
Details: Skate skiing for all groups.

Saturday 12/20: Racers and Devos
Location and Time : Location TBD and time 10am
Details: More info coming mid week.

Tuesday 12/23: Penguins, JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes and Racers
Location and Time : Tomasi Meadow, Underhill Center from 3:45-5:15
Details: Last practice before the Holiday Break. More specific details coming on Monday 12/22, but our plan is to have hot chocolate and cookies at the end of practice. Please let us know if your child has a food allergy. We’ll need a few parent volunteers to make and serve hot chocolate.

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