No Quitting

I met Dan Bulkley when he was 53 years old. I was dating his daughter and we were both teaching skiing at Mt Ashland in southern Oregon. Dan was the track and cross country running coach at Southern Oregon College and he was director of the PE ski program at the college. One day in May he said he was going for a run and did I want to go along. I was 23. In a short 5 mile run he pounded me into the pavement and I came limping home long after he did.

I married his daughter, Dani and then really got to know Dan. Now, at age 92 he is my assistant when I go to West Yellowstone Ski Festival to represent SOLDA ski wax. He skis for a while then mans my table so that I can get in some skiing.

Check out this article in the Ashland Daily Tidings from this year. There isn't much snow around the Ashland area so Dan is out rollerskiing to stay ready for the next race.

http://www.dailytidings.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100120/SPORTS/1200312

Make the most of living if you're not prepared to die.

Bert

Winners

I have been following the qualification for the US Team for the Winter Olympic Games. I also have the good fortune to know some of these athletes. Some I don't know, but hope to meet at some future date. Having known a few for many years and watching them along with my general interest in sports, I believe we have a team of winners.

They may perform well enough to come away with medals. But that is not why I am referring to them as winners. I saw a note to Johnny Spillane on a facebook page this morning. Johnny is skiing in his 4th Olympic Games. He was World Champion in the sprint event in the 2003 Nordic Combined Worlds. He is at his home in Steamboat Springs, CO to finish his final preparation for the Vancouver games. In the lodge at Howelson Hill he was hanging out with the little kids. He helped tie the laces of jumping boots. One little girl said that he was the best lace tier and she decided to go out and try the 25 meter jump. She said she nailed her tele landings and that Johnny had given her the good luck.

Kikkan Randall and Holly Brooks are spending time supporting a "Fast and Female" program to encourage girls to get involved in skiing. They both are serving as excellent role models for all of us as we look for descent role models in sports. Kikkan has overcome significant health issues, recovered and gone on to become faster than ever. She could have used the health issues to stop skiing. Holly came late to nordic skiing from Seattle. She knew what she loved and focused and is now on the Olympic Team. She also spends time coaching in three different programs run by APU in Alaska.

Kris Freeman continues to seek excellence despite the fact that he is diabetic. Kris has had to deal with that and compartment syndrome and has twice undergone surgery. His getting smarter and faster even with the obstacles that have been thrown at him. Kris works at summer camps for kids with diabetes. Who knows which of these kids is touched by his story and goes on to fight the good fight.

Bill Demong recently attended a local race in Park City as he preps for the Olympics. Bill is a World Champion in Nordic Combined and recently on the podium in world cups in Europe. Bill takes the time to hang out with the little kids. He has been this way for years.

Torin Koos helps to coach a summer track program in his home town of Leavenworth, WA.

My guess is that other nordic skiers on the US Olympic Team exhibit similar personality characteristics. They may or may not be on the podium in Vancouver, but in my book, they are winners.

What we know and learn

Last weekend I had a lesson. Luciano at Solda had sent me some super new wax to try. It's not on the market yet. Weather forecast was for new snow, 28F . So I waxed up my favorite pair of old soft Fischer RCS skis with the new wax. Dani's skis needed wax so I grabbed a small cube of Solda F31 Pink and put that on her RCRs. We went to Mt Bachelor and set out to recreate. My skis were good, but not great. Dani, on the other hand, shot past me on every downhill. "What's up with that" I thought. Turns out the new wax is not for new snow. The F31 Pink is the best in new snow. I knew it was for new snow, but this was a clear reminder to read the directions on the box.

The other thing I know and need reminding now and then, if you are the ski waxer in your household, it is always a good idea to take good care of your partner's skis. It makes them very happy and a lot more likely to go out to play in the snow.

White Mt Classic

This is a 30 km classic race in Jackson NH. The NOAA forecast is :

This Afternoon: Sunny, with a high near 31. North wind around 10 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around -6. Northwest wind between 3 and 9 mph.

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 28. Wind chill values as low as -12. Light northwest wind.

Looks like transformed snow. I would prep a pair of cold base skis with medium to soft flex. If the track is glazed you might want to consider klister skis.

SOLDA Glide wax: On the glide zone crayon on a layer of FC28 and start with a layer of Performance Green scraped and brushed. If is stays cold, then go with a layer or two of F15 Blue. Finish with the HP05 S/30 mix. If it looks like it will be warmer at the start (22F) go with F15 or F31 Violet instead of F15 Blue and cover with HP05 S30 mix.

Kick wax: I am not there. Sounds like it could be cold on a glazed track. That could be an ice klister. Could also be a klister binder covered with a hard wax. In any case the snow is abrasive and will need a binder. The Swix VG 35 could work for aggressive snow. Testing today and tomorrow is a must.

DIFFICULT WEATHER

Skiing has always and will always have weather as a variable in racing.
Last weekend at the Methow Super Tour it was magnified. To begin with, the
Methow Valley in north central Washington state has received very little
snow this year. Talking with the locals, seems it hasn’t been this bad
since the mid 1970s. Secondly, along with little snow and warm temps, it
has rained a lot. Last weekend a group of 11 Webskis adventurers traveled
up the road to Winthrop for the Super Tour. It was mild and cloudy and
sprinkling on the way up on Thursday. On Friday we went out to ski the
sprint course and found dozens of volunteers feverishly shoveling every
last transformed snow crystal they could find onto the 1.3km course. They
did a great job.

So, I had skied the course, found snow temps to be about -.5C and the
forecast was for 34F and chance of rain. I waxed for that condition only
to awake Saturday morning to find it 19F and sunny. As always, I had
hedged my bets and waxed three pairs of skis, one soft pair with F40
yellow and Flour 100, one medium pair with F40 Red and F40 Yellow mixed
50/50 topped with Fluor 100, and one stiffer pair with F40 Red and Fluor
100. At race time the stiff F40 Red skis were the best; they were good.
Another SOLDA athlete was on F31 orange with HP04 and it was running well.


On Saturday morning we sprinted ( and I have never been a sprinter) in the
sun on frozen snow. It was fun to see the really fast skiers going really
fast.

Fast Skiers at Methow Super Tour

Bert at start of qualifier.

Cynthia Engel at start.

Aaron Tarnow in qualifier.

After the race I went up to the trails at Loup Loup Ski Bowl
(because there was not enough snow in Winthrop for the 15km classic) to
ski the long classic course. By the end of the day it was 28F and snowing.
Good, back to winter I thought. I went home, checked the weather once
more. It was forecast for overnight low of 26, 100% chance of snow and
high near 30 the next day. Great.
When we arrived at Loup Loup it was already 34 and raining. Raining on 3
inches of new snow. It was one of those nightmares for kick waxing and
nothing I tried seemed to work. Even Rex Powergrip was failing me. Zero
skis were the choice if you had a pair. Some Crown skis were working. I
tried making “hairies” on my soft cold skis and they worked for a while,
but after a few kms I was herringboning every hill.

Glad the finish is in sight.

What did I learn? Not much. We all know how weather can change and how
unpredictable it can be in the mountains. If you have the time and place
to work, it is always best to glide wax when you are pretty sure of the
snow conditions. I know one guy who gets up about 4:00 to check the
weather and snow and rewax if necessary. On the World Cup the wax tech
guys get up at 5 or so on race day to do the last prep over a good base.
They also go with more than one combination and test to see what runs
best.
Hope you have good racing and are up for the intellectual and
organizational challenge of waxing skis.

Bert

2010 Methow Super Tour

I am headed up to the Methow tomorrow. I checked on the snow up there today. It has good coverage and is wet. The forecast is fairly warm and wet. I am prepping skis tonight with SOLDA UF7. My guess is that the glide will be similar to last week at the Patagoina Pursuit. I had A+ glide on my classic skis with SOLDA F40 Red and F40 Yellow mixed 50/50 and topped with SLODA Fluor 100. This is my guess at this point on Wednesday. I am prepping both skate and classic skis in that fashion.

Kick wax? Wait and see. If it rains and then gets cold, probably a klister. If there is new snow I will probabley sticky up the kick zone under foot with a soft wax and cover with a colder wax. I will have to wait and see.

Patagonia Pursuit 2010 #2

Here is my gut.

Best Glide: Base of SOLDA UF7 scraped and brushed. Mix SOLDA F40 Red and F40 Yellow 50/50. Scrape and brush. Finish with SOLDA Fluor 100 powder or spray.

Good glide: Solda UF7 base with F15 Orange and F15 Yellow mixed 50/50.

Budget glide wax: Solda UF7

Kick Wax: Still going with one pair with Rode Rossa klister and one pair with Rode Silver Klister. If it is snowing I will be ready to cover with hard wax.

Michigan Cup at Hanson Hills, Grayling, MI

The race is a 15km skate race at Hanson Hills trail system near Grayling, MI.
The NOAA forecast for that region is:

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 18. Wind chill values as low as -3. Northwest wind around 5 mph.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 6. West wind around 5 mph.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 26. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.


If you have a choice, pick a pair of medium flex cold base skis with a fine grind. Start by applying a base layer of SOLDA Perfromance Green, scraped and brushed. Then go with a layer of SOLDA F31 or F40 Violet and if you have it, finish with Solda HP05.

For the budget wax I would go with base of SOLDA Perfromance Green and finish with SOLDA UF7.

Have a great race.

SOLDA WAX FOR JANUARY 9-10 2010

MICHIGAN CUP RELAYS
Saturday January 9
NOAA weather forecast:

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 1. Wind chill values as low as -6. North wind around 5 mph.
Saturday: Scattered flurries. Partly cloudy, with a high near 17. Wind chill values as low as -6. Calm wind becoming northwest around 5 mph.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 6. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 25.

Solda Glide wax for Saturday: Pick a pair of skis with medium flex, cold bases and a fine grind. Start with rubbing on a layer of SOLDA HC28. Cover this by dripping and ironing a layer of SOLDA F15 Blue. Scrape and brush. It wouldn’t hurt to apply a second layer to harden the bases more. Finish with SOLDA HP05/S30 mix 50/50. This is ironed in once with a hot (130C) iron taking about 8 seconds to pass the whole ski. Follow by corking by hand or with a roto cork and polish with a felt pad. Set the skis aside to cool. Finish by brushing the cool skis with a horse hair or soft nylon polishing brush.

Another choice for finishing could be to cover the F15 Blue with Powerjet 4 corked, polished and brushed.

Kick wax for Michigan Cup Relay
For this short race you may not need a binder. You could apply a binder of Swix VG30 or Toko Green Base. Iron it in, let it cool and then cork smooth. Let it cool and apply 4-6 thin layers of your favorite cold kick wax. Could be Swix V20 or VR30. Maybe Rode Green Special or Green. Carry a wax that is one temp range warmer. If your skis are a bit stiff or have a high wax pocket, try the warmer wax under foot to just in front of the binding.


NENSA BOG BURN, POMFRET, VT


This is and old style classic race at the farm. 13km of narrow up and down in the Vermont woods. Weather forecast is as follows:

Friday: Snow likely, mainly after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 20. North wind around 6 mph becoming calm. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.

Friday Night: A slight chance of snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around 9. North wind around 6 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday: Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 15. North wind between 5 and 7 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

SOLDA GLIDE WAX
Pick a soft to medium flex classic ski with a cold base. Cover the kick zone with wide masking tape. On the glide zone apply a base layer of SOLDA Performance Green or Techno Green. Scrape and brush. Next apply a layer of F31 or F40 Violet. Finish with SOLDA HP05.


Economy wax could be Performance Green and F15 Violet.

Kick wax: Swix, start with a thin binder layer of VG30 ironed in. Let it cool and cork smooth. Then apply 7-10 layers of VR40. Make each two layers shorter than the previous layers to achieve a “pyramid” of kick wax. Keep Some VR45 to apply under foot if you need more kick.

Rode: Try Rode Green -4 to -10 applied the same as above. Then have some Rode Fast Blue Special or Blue Super if more kick needed.

2010 Patagonia Pursuit at Mt Bachelor

I am holding off for right now on a complete wax recommendation because the weather forecast is changing every hour on the hour. I am pretty sure it will be warm and wet. The question is rain or snow and when. Currently the forecast is:

Friday Night: Snow and freezing rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 28. South southwest wind between 8 and 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Little or no ice accumulation expected. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Saturday: A 50 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. Southwest wind around 11 mph.

Just an hour ago there was no frozen precip in the forecast.

This is a pursuit or relay with the first leg 6km of classic and then 6km of skate.

Glide wax should not be too hard. I am planning on klister skis with probably a red or silver klister covered with a 0 to -2C hard wax if we get some new snow. For skate I would chose some fairly soft plus base skis. Then prep with a layer of SOLDA UF7 on clean bases. If new snow then go with SOLDA F31 Pink and cover with Fluor 100 either powder or spray. Could use SOLDA Powerjet 1. If it doesn't snow could use SOLDA F31 Orange or F40 Red and cover with Fluor 100. Economy wax would be just UF7. Finish the skis with the coarse structure using the Toko Structurerite Tool, interupted for the skate skis and linear for the classic skis. Brush well after pressing in the rill. This rill is best applied after waxing and prior to Fluoros. Also remember to let the skis cool after ironing and corking the fluoro before you brush

Kick wax is the current mystery. I am going to wait until tomorrow and hope the weather picture becomes more clear.

Have fun,

Bert