April 16, 2013 - I wrote up a version of my "Ski What Ya Ride" concept for Dirt Rag a couple seasons ago. I can't tell if I posted it here yet, but in case I didn't, here it is. It'll be ready and waiting to help ya kick off next winter! Or I can post-date it so it kicks back into gear then.
They were going to use it in their print mag but the ...
April 16, 2013 - Here's yet another wrinkle in my campaign to promote singletrack skiing. "Cross Country Skier" ran this piece this past winter. It has a similar message to much of my "ungroomed" writing, but it's geared more toward skiers rather than trying to recruit mtbikers. Still, there's a mt-bike tie-in. It's all tied-in. The less specialize...
April 10, 2013 - It's late in the year for ski fun, but as a last hurrah, here's a taste from the e-letters I've been getting up through April from OYB correspondent David Spieser about the northcountry backcountry scene:
Greetings Snow Dogs,
We are in the final week(s) ( i am hoping for plural) of snow and I am elated to report that, am...
March 11, 2013 - [report by Gary Helzerman]
The Jordan Jam went down as scheduled on March 9. --It was my first!
The day started with a four-hour drive to the North-country of Michigan, requiring a departure time of 5:00AM in order to make the official start time of 9:00AM. Fortunately I had a traveling companion in John Rutherford.
Th...
March 05, 2013 - This is what crust skiing does for you.
This is what sun in March does to you.
We've had great crust skiing for a few days now. Many days, it feels like. A new leaf!
There's even been powder on the top that stays nice and nice and nice.
Every day there's a few hours of Sweet Spot before it gets too soft or too icy. Act...
February 24, 2013 - Last week was dry, nasty and icy until Friday dawned with 4" of fresh snow around here. Oh joy! --Really!
Saturday morning I skied Rose Lake for a couple hours with Layne and Deon. We had a blast. The snow was great until noon when it got sticky -- but I bet it was still great after that if you had the right skis! OK, maybe n...
February 23, 2013 - it looks like the snow is back! Or ENUF of it, anyway. So we're skiing.
[As of today, Saturday, the newly updated start time for the Loppet is 9AM tomorrow, Sunday!]
The Stinch Loppet is event two in the Michigan Backcountry Series, and the most accessible, party event.
Stinch is the best ski terrain around. So we'll sk...
January 28, 2013 - Yay, I finally got a story in the national XC ski mag of record. It's my usual sermon on how today's touring skis are the mtbike of skiing, along with all the ungroomed trails out there in the world. Fun!
You can read it if you click on the "New Issue" or "Digital Issue" link in the upper left of their website. (My Mac is too ...
January 28, 2013 - So, not enuf snow today for the Potto Raid. Maybe we can grab it another weekend soon. BUT! RadNord and I did have a MARVELOUS 2-hour ski throughout all of Stinchfield. And more!
We even explored some amazing new big-hill territory! We also had a couple MASSIVE uphill jams up some wonderfully long climbs. I was starting to bla...
January 28, 2013 - I just had the best winter thrill! Not enuf snow for trail skiing, but it's been cold so I went and skied the frozen river. It's PERFECT!
(Open areas of running water and all -- the flow is pretty to see -- the shallow water is very clear. It's solid a few feet away. If you're afraid of your local river: explore it. The more ...
January 21, 2013 - MORE "CX for XC!" ... We don't have terrain around here. But this past fall I finally got into CX biking and had a blast. Those guys really know how to make a fun course out of nothing. Give em a little contour and they'll lay in crazy twisties, offcambers and scramble-ups. Yet they can still keep good flow. It's a gas.
I just...
January 15, 2013 - ...Don't forget: this stuff applies equally to Skating as to Classic! (The essence of each is the same.)
Tourers need a grasp of it as well. Tourers use a wider variety of moves but these "max efficiency" ideas are the core, also they get put into play on challenging uphills.
I've been gleaning online info for ideas that se...
January 12, 2013 - Can someone please think up better names for the various skating techniques?
The ones I've heard are ALL DUMB! (OK, all but one -- the main names certainly are DUMB.)
But before we look at the ski-skating terms, let's see the sensible names for Classic moves...
Classic XC:
*Herringbone
*Flying Herringbone
... *Tour ...
January 12, 2013 - Someday...
Young people will XC ski. And ski shops will pop up alongside cafes. And there will be youth media for these skiers. And a cold weather outdoor fresh air hipster scene will happen. Flasks. Bota bags will make a comeback. And certain kinds of clothing will be seen on the trails, or at least somewhere there's snow, ca...
January 11, 2013 - That's my plan!
CX (cyclocross) is so much fun with its tricky handling flow that I think an XC ski course would be just as much fun if set up similarly.
(I also think that CC running courses should be set up more like CX. Apparently many nowadays are designed to be flat'n'fast. I see the place for that but also for scramb...
January 10, 2013 - There's at least 8 of them, too!
And they really all come from your body, not the equipment.
I was thinking if running or swimming had their own internal gears: not really. Or even downhill or telemark skiing.
I'm talking about techniques that you do significantly differently as gradients change, just like the gears of a...
January 10, 2013 - [Here's a story that first ran in early 2012 in "Silent Sports."]
When is the last time classic skiing got a fresh technique? Why, when skating started!
I'm excited to show you a technique that is good for beginners and experts -- touring, classic and skating!
How can one technique do all that? Let's find out!
First...
January 08, 2013 - MICHIGAN BACKCOUNTRY SERIES Schedule!
*Potto Raid: 1/20, 10am. 18 miles, 3-5 hrs. Extreme. Ski full loop or whatever portion you like; potluck & custom bonfire apres'; test-ski recommended for survival. Deluxe prizes! No fee or rules. ...MBS style.
*Crooked Lake Loppet! 1/20 -- Same day and place as the Potto Raid! If you...
December 29, 2012 - The dudes hit it at Stinch on the moonlit night a couple nights ago. For 2.3 hours!
Hey, I just got a pair of Blue EVO's myself and look forward to trying them.
My turquoise EVO Glades have been dandy for the challenges of the Jordan Jam. We'll see how the Blues compare. They're a little thinner, lighter, maybe zestier. .....
December 15, 2012 - Any day now we'll get a few inches and then a few more and it'll be GAME ON!
Ski fever will strike!
Will you be ready?
That's the trick!
What you DON'T want is to have the first good snow catch you unprepared.
It won't take much. A bit of snow to fall then set up as a base, then a bit more on top and we'll be good...
October 10, 2012 - Is there a Nordic resort out there yet which has developed an expert loop of the sort that are ubiquitous today at mtbike trails and alpine resorts?
If not, isn't Nordic off the back?
If not, I suppose the reason is that Nordic can't resolve its liability in the same way that mtbiking and alpine can?
I remember as late a...
September 06, 2012 - I know that I've ranted about this endlessly before, but it keeps popping up for me. Besides, I think this tack is SLIGHTLY different than usual.
It's getting to be the XC training time of year! I'm getting psyched and really enjoying getting outside and doing a wide variety of action. Summer seems more bike specific. Late s...
April 25, 2012 - OK, I've beat close around this subject for years now. But I don't know if I've ever come right out with it.
And, yeah, I know it's the wrong season for thinking about either leg of this sports mashup, but whatever...
Why not have a ski race in a small park-like setting where spectators can see the action and where the actio...
March 12, 2012 - Here's the Nordic Chronicler with a Big Day Report...
This year the Jordan Jam was a tale of water, sparkly sunshine and...amazingly...plenty of snow. Even more amazing, the snow was good for skiing. Because, of all the crazy things for skiing, it was a 60-degree bluebird day.
It was a good day for being in The Zone. We were...
March 07, 2012 - I found something this year to really help ski skills: make sure your bindings are TIGHT! Not all bindings are the same. I use NNN. If I go around all my skis with a boot and click it into the bindings they all have differing amounts of slop. The Autos are the WORST. Basically, I don't think Autos are suitable for technical touring...
March 01, 2012 - [BUMP FROM JANUARY]
It's common when skiing hiking trails to encounter eroded uphills with obstacles where the stride and herringbone aren't the only tools you need. You need a special new trick that's not mentioned or taught anywhere but here. (Dang! Where do we keep coming up with these finds? Why, the Real World, and nowhere ...
February 29, 2012 - I did the Vasa/Natl Masters events the other weekend. After the last race my brother, a friend and I went for a cruise ski. I was classicking. My bro and friend were skating and my bro was wearing a GoPro in a fanny pack. Yeah...filmmaker recipe for total nausea.
Like everyone, I'm used to doing a herringbone where the ski do...
February 29, 2012 - I think we need a "Say Yes to Michigan Winter!" campaign. And XC skiing should be our official winter sport. Is there something that would fit better? I can't think of it. And there are other countries in the world in our geographic situation that also have XC as their national sport, so it'd probably work fine for us, too.
I...
February 29, 2012 - This morning it was raining and I was going to skip the skiing. But then I saw the thermometer and it read 32F. Kind of a magic number. I put my skis on and gave it a try. It was perfect! Good glide and dandy grip. So I skied a perfect hour in the rain. The driveway was even fun. A little wetter, though...
http://www.youtube....
February 27, 2012 - Well, it was warm and sunny with dry ground up until a couple days before the event, but we got our snow. ...1.5" out on the trail. But that was enough!
In a low snow year in Michigan you don't whine or complain. You just seize the day when the snow does come. No foolin' around. We've had a fair number of snowfalls -- it's ju...
February 23, 2012 - Yay! Big winter storm on the way!
Wow, we go from dry warm biking to what looks like GOOD SNOW.
...So it looks like the Stinchfield Loppet is on! 10 a.m. start, this Sunday, at the Professional Building Parking Lot just west of N. Territorial & Dexter-Pinckney a couple miles S of Pinckney.
Last year 30 folks showed up...
February 22, 2012 - PUMP UP THE VOLUME?
I did the Vasa race weekend not long ago, and, ya know, it seems like it would be neat if people were encouraged to get out onto the Vasa course a bit more to spectate and hang out during the races. I think it's what they do at other big races. There were bonfires at the various feedzones and road-c...
February 22, 2012 - THE LONELINESS OF LONG DISTANCE
I recently went up to the weekend of Vasa ski racing events. I noticed in media interviews with the male and female winners of the Marathon that they both mentioned being a bit lonely out there, being on their own for a long time.
Now, some racers might see a lot of humanity during th...
February 16, 2012 - So I dropped in on the XC ski racing world this past weekend. It was for the Vasa and the National Masters.
What with our dry winter, it was amazing they were going to hold the races at all. But they'd done a great job of conserving their snowpack, and had a volunteers-day of shoveling snow onto the course beforehand. But th...
February 08, 2012 - This weekend, Feb 11/12, is the North American Vasa and the National Masters Championships -- held on the Vasa trails up in Traverse City, MI.
They were expecting 1200 skiers but what with the low snow conditions who knows what'll go down. They only decided yesterday that the races were still a *GO*.
They've been taking g...
February 07, 2012 - The Elfstedentocht hasn't happened in Holland in 15 years. It's time for another! The recent cold snap has the country excited. Everyone is out trying to take care of the ice, hoping it gets thicker. It's an instant national holiday once they give the word. Thousands do the event which winds its way through eleven cities via can...
February 02, 2012 - It almost seems like the structured-event approach to skiing should change (to a degree). The answer seems to be for folks to just drive to where there's snow as need be. Any trail with snow on it, groomed or not, can handle hundreds of fun-hogs. Like, we have no snow in SE MI, but I heard Marquette was just pounded. So let's ju...
February 02, 2012 - I just got the new issue of Dirt Rag and read the cover story on the new US rage for Eurostyle enduro racing. It's been booming in Europe, now it's here.
Enduro mtbiking is a combination of XC and DH. Typical riders have been finding XC to be too uber-fitness oriented and DH too extreme with big air and ultra-specialized robo...
February 01, 2012 - It was a global underground society. Called "Planetary Defense." Mark told me about it then gave me the proper apparel and told me about the salute: "To the head!" The group was dedicated to parades, telemark skiing, safety, and...and...I forget.
Here's a link to a Summit County, CO, news story about the group, and its founde...
February 01, 2012 - I was just wondering about what might've happened to an old ski bum acquaintance from Breckenridge days in the mid-80's so I looked him up. Google is like that.
Biff America (aka Jeff Bergeron) was a wild character who had a public access TV show. He was from Boston and still had the accent to prove it. For some reason I reca...
January 31, 2012 - OK, they call it the "Grande Boucle" up there.
It's an idea that has only been accomplished a few times.
Here's a link to a report about a posse' of young'uns who ski-skated all around the whole Gatineau trail system a few springs ago. It was a sunny warm spring crust skiing sort of day.
But I'll let them tell the rest...
January 27, 2012 - I can't believe I haven't had any mention of this wonderful, potentially life-changing movie until now. Actually, I did post about it -- in a Comment to a Sled story years ago. Ha! Hardly the prominence it deserves! I should rep this flick. I'm its biggest fan. Well, until YOU watch it, that is! The fans of this flick stack up pr...
January 25, 2012 - My skis have been throwing me more and more. I was wondering what was the matter. I have an idea -- they're kinda soft in the tails and that's a bit of a problem. But it turns out there's something else that was also a really big snag.
I've been using Automatic NNN bindings more often lately. Why not, right?
Well, I suddenl...
January 24, 2012 - The 7th Annual Potto Raid resulted in a broken ski and some bumps'n'bruises, but it's still the funnest, most challenging and most scenic XC ski race that nobody knows about.
It also has the best prizes to fees ratio. Well, it's unbeatable there since the fee is zero, but the prizes are just plain dandy: Quality microbrew six...
January 23, 2012 - My pals and I ski mostly ungroomed trails and look for challenges there. So our needs are different from groomer-skiers. Our needs overlap a fair bit with tele skiers.
The topic of protection/armor comes up now and then. Skill makes it mostly unneeded, but everyone crashes, so we're thinking about it more. --For ourselves as w...
January 22, 2012 - [NOW WITH PICS! 1/23/12] Here's a story of mine that "Silent Sports" ran last winter. It's a doozy! With lots of pics. Here's a link to the story on their website (http://www.silentsports.net/crosscountryskiing/117241278.html), but there aren't any pics. I'll run the pics after the text.
Singletrack Fever: Skills to Return...
January 17, 2012 - I just saw a video about the America's Cup. I hadn't heard tell of it in decades. Didja know it's all about catamarans these days? They don't have sails, they have carbon wings. They go 40mph and are staffed with about a dozen body-builders who are all wired into the craft. There's not much boat there. All the cats look about the...
January 17, 2012 - I just saw an old post on the "Fun til Death" blog (http://funtildeath.blogspot.com -- great bumpersticker) that caught my fancy. --Among all the posts that also caught my fancy. (Fun blog!)
He's a Kalamazoo guy who loves outdoor fun.
He wrote to the editor of "Backcountry" magazine asking that they include the Midwest in t...
January 16, 2012 - Three of us went to Yankee Springs yesterday, Sunday, for *5 hours* of nonstop ski challenge, fun and scenery. Perfect packed powder conditions. ...It was *so nice* to feel real winter underfoot. It was cold (25F) and sunny all day. Blue skies and face tans.
That's the great thing about low-overhead events like the Potto Raid,...
January 11, 2012 - OK, this is getting silly. But it's all going to change tomorrow. Right? Right!!! It's time to pull out all the stops!
What we need to make it a sure thing is for everybody to do the Heikki Lunta dance and to sing the song.
The Heikki Lunta story is a great one that everybody should know.
...How the poor Yooper Heikki Lu...
January 08, 2012 - Here's a little local thin-snow ski inspiration. I saw it on the "Fun 'til Death" Michigan outdoor blog at http://funtildeath.blogspot.com, who in turn found it at TelemarkTips.com.
It's a short video of skiing down the dunes at Benzie County, Lake Michigan...
