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Bogburn Wax Tip Update! and Course Maps

By on 5 January, 2024 in BKL Race Blog, BKL Training Schedule, Junior Blog, Masters Blog

We just got some new intel from people who raced at Rikert today that hardwax is working well. But, you definitely need a binder.  See the previous post for a gide recommendation.

For BKL: Regular hardwax binder like TOKO Base green or other cold binder. Rough up the kickzone with 150 grit sandpaper. Rub on the binder and iron in. Wax of the day can be applied on site.

For Masters & Juniors: Rough up the kickzone with 150 grit sandpaper. Then iron in either  1) a thin layer of klister binder (Toko base green, swix green, chola) or 2) a good layer of Toko base green or other cold hardwax binder. Cork smooth after ironing, let cool.  Then rub on 1 or 2 more layers of base binder, corking smooth after each one. If your skis are very soft, you may want to go with the thin klister binder and less layers. If your skis are stiffer, go with they layered hardwax binder.

If all this sounds like Greek to you, don’t worry! We will have some spray binders, an iron, lots of hardwax, wax benches and coaches to help you get skis that work! See you at Rikert!

Also, course map:

Bogburn Wax Tip

By on 5 January, 2024 in BKL Race Blog, Junior Blog, Masters Blog

The Bogburn is ON! Rikert has worked hard to create a manmade loop of 1.5k for racing, and some cold nights will keep things in good shape.

Prep glide zones by brushing with a metal brush and (if you have some) using a dedicated glide cleaner. Lots of these manmade loops, especially Sleepy Hollow due to the walk up from the parking lot, can be a bit dirty.

For a paraffin layer, I would suggest a neutral blue or mid-range option such as Swix 7 or Toko Red. BKL skiers racing earlier might choose Toko Blue or Swix 6.

For kickwax, expect abrasive snow. When the morning temps are cooler, it might be possible to race on a klister/hardwax mix such as Oslo Blue, or a spray klister binder with a hardwax application.

For later races, klister might provide the durability and kick needed to hold up over race distance in transformed snow…corners may get icy and bermed-up, and climbs might get sugary. Starting with a purple ice klister and adding in warmer universal options (like Rode Multigrade, Swix Universal, Guru 39) could be worth a try as the races go on throughout the day.

One option that seems “safe” would be to start with Swix KN33 Nero in the morning, and add/bump up to Swix KN44 Nero as the temps rise and the course begins to change.

Happy racing!

Master’s Distance Weekend Ski

By on 18 December, 2023 in Masters Blog
A good sized group of masters showed up Sunday morning at Craftsbury on a beautiful blue sky day for our Master’s long distance ski. A freeze up after the most recent grooming made for challenging icy conditions for the first hour or more. Lots of laughs (screams?) were heard as skiers navigated some hard to control downhills.  Surprisingly, ungroomed trails such as Dante’s and some of the open fields ended up being more skiable.
During the second half of the ski, things started to soften up a bit as the sun hit, and the conditions became friendly and fun. All agreed it was quite the adventure ski! Many clocked-in the longest distance skied yet this year 15K , 20K, 25K and more!” Good work to all the Masters!

Masters’ Strength Session Workout

By on 11 December, 2023 in Masters Blog

We did a strength session on Thursday to help us build strength for skiing. A strength session is great to include in your weekly exercise or training plan and will help your skiing immensely.  Strength usually peaks somewhere between your late 20’s and early 30’s and after that, it’s a gradual decline unless you do something to keep your muscles strong.  “Use it or loose it!” definitely applies here!  You can get stronger at almost any age by doing a strength program regularly, however, it just takes longer to build strength the older you get (but it’s totally doable!).

The Core Set: start at 30 seconds, build up to 1 min.  2- 3 sets:

  1.  Front plank-
  2.  Side Planks L- (keep chest open and everything aligned)
  3. Side Plank R -(keep chest open and everything aligned)
  4. Bridge (push up legs w/shoulders on ground)
  5. Bird dogs- (opposite arm & leg lift off floor)
  6. Bent knee leg lifts with back flattened to floor- (Right leg lift, left leg lift, both legs lift together, repeat)

Hip Bands: Do 10-15 reps 2x:

  1. Band on ankles, step to side down & back
  2. Band just above knees, step sideways down & back

*Use a resistance exercise band like Thera Bands

Circuit Set: set a timer for 30 -60 sec. and do the set 1-2 or 3 times (build up). Add and change it up to suit you and what you need.

  1. Step ups on picnic tables (you can do this on a box or use two stairs)
  2. Ankle/Arm weights in hands: hold in hands and lift out to side, down, then up in front, then down, repeat. Use 2-8 lb arm weights.
  3. push-ups
  4. burpee push-ups
  5. medicine ball lunges- can use any kind of weights
  6. dips- can do them between two chairs
  7. balance on one foot- can try to touch floor each time
  8. Russian twist or wood choppers w/medicine ball (or heavy log)
  9. calf lifts on steps right
  10. calf lifts on steps left

Masters First Week: Dryland, Strength, Skating & Racing

By on 11 December, 2023 in Juniors Training Schedule, Masters Blog

Masters Classic Warm-up

Masters’ Practices kicked off this past Tuesday with a fun classic warm-up and a hill bounding session. On Thursday, we time-shared the limited snow loop with BKL & Juniors and warmed up our no-pole skating, balance & V1 and then spent half the practice doing strength indoors. Some of our Masters kicked off their racing season too by skiing in the Kendall Memorial Skate Race on Sunday at Craftsbury. Congratulations to Steve Crafts, Daniel Schmidt and Sara Katz for getting out there and skiing hard on that very hilly North Course!

Sara Katz looking smooth as she heads towards the finish hill.

 

Steve Crafts hammering V-1 up Screamin’ Mimi.

 

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