Part I:
Download the Intro to Cross Country Skiing Assignment. Using the links below and the information covered in class on Friday, complete the sheet and bring to the next class.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-country_skiing
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Cross_country-skiing
http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/crosscountry+ski+touring+gear.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3Vue10ItXg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9Nt43XSIAM&feature=related
Part II:
You are assigned to fulfill at least five (5) hours of skiing time before our next class on Friday, January 23. I recommend you spread this out over at least two or three days and focus on the basics of balance and technique as we discussed in class. After you complete your hours, create a blog post here that summarizes the following:
- where you skied
- about how many miles you think you went
- how much time it took you
- how your ski equipment performed
- what the weather was doing (temp, precip, etc.)
- what you were wearing for clothing, and
- how you managed to thermoregulate so you didn't sweat
Please be sure to address each of these in your post and use a word processor to spellcheck and proofread your work. Your post must be posted before class on Friday, January 23.
Robin Brady
ReplyDeleteWell, I have already talked to you about this so I know that you are aware but I did not do any time on the skis because I need my doctors orders to tell me what I am able to do which I am going tomorrow at two. I just know that in the emergency room I got a note from the doctor saying not to do any sport where I may fall down or fall on my stomach so I didnt dare to go skiing but if I am able to ski than I will put more time in if I am able too. Mono really sucks.
Dana Marble
ReplyDeleteThe first day I skied was Saturday at home. The temp. was -15 and the weather was clear, the time was 10:00 AM. I broke trail to the back of my boundary line which is about one mile. It was cold enough that I needed a face mask. Total time Saturday was one hour and twenty minutes. Sunday I skied the same trail before the snow started, total time was 45 minutes. The next time I skied was Wednesday at the Moosehorn from 12:30 to 1:30 PM. The distance covered was well over two miles. This was the first day that I was dressed too warm. I carried my daypack and removed my fleece jacket. Thursday again I skied the Moosehorn, the temp was around 25 degrees. I started to overheat right away, I removed my jacket. Even without my jacket I was still sweating. Total distance covered must have been four or five miles. I haven’t carried a lot of weight in my pack, next week I plan on twenty pounds and work up from there. The boots are warm but make my feet ache when I first start skiing. The ache goes away after ten minutes. I have also walked or ran two to three miles every day whether or not I skied.
Most of the miles I skied were on the snowmobile trails going back and forth between the skate park and WCCC. I have used the GPS to make a track but have not determined yet what the length of the trail is. It seems about four miles from my house. It takes about an hour to an hour and a half and it depends on which direction I am going. I have found that the Karhu skis are not gliding as smoothly as the pair of Fischer skis I had over break. Its probably the larger with and they could probably use a bit of glide wax, and some kick wax, but they work fine and having that metal edge has been helpful on off camber trails.
ReplyDeleteIt was icy and cold on the trails last weekend and it was very difficult to get any push off, but it seemed to glide faster. And then Sunday morning I skied while it snowed and there was a bit better push off. After the big snows the sled trails have been a lot softer and more powdery, it has been a lot better for traction and glide. I usually wear an outer shell and a just a layer of polypropylenes. Even with ventilation, I sweat , so I try to resist the urge to go as fast as possible and just find a steady rhythm. Only when it was around 5 to -15 was a balaclava covering my face necessary and a thin layer of fleece. When it was in the twenties I found I didn’t need a hat, and wore only thin gloves, and kept my jacket open.
Joseph Mitchell
ReplyDeleteI took a box of raisins and an ipod, then i walked out my front door. The air was crisp. I think it was around twenty two degrees. Snow fluuries were in the air. I had about a mile walk to the lake. Luckily the snowmobilers on Lewey Lake plowed a nicely groomed trail. I kept on the trails for about an hour. I noticed that i was beginning to sweat. Then I remembered what Scott Fraser told me about polypropylene clothing. I adjusted my pace. I slowed down a little and allowed my skis to glide over the snow. After two hours into the trip i felt every muscle begin to ache. I had no idea how hard it is to cross country ski.
Overall the trip was an exhausting experience. I think my total time was around four hours. The distance, well i'm not quite sure. I think i might be dreading the cross country trip into Khatadin. Oh well, my mind's set for the expierience.
The first time I skied was on the lake where I live I got in an old snowmobile trail and went probably 2 miles down and took another 2 miles back. This took me about 3 hours after all the falling and getting back up. The gear I had was pretty good although the boots I had were a few sizes too big so they slid around on my feet a lot this time I went out. It was cloudy out but there was no snow falling I had on a pair of ski pants and my fleece with my yellow jacket shell on over it. After I got going and it started to get warm I ditched the jacked out on the snow and picked it up on my way back in side. The second time I went out was also on the lake and I did the same track as I did last time this took me about an hour and 45 minutes this time. I was really surprised because I didn’t fall at all and for once I actually felt what it was like to glide. Then before I came back to school early Sunday morning we went to my old high school because there is a fairly good sledding hill and went down it with the skies once. It was weird because I figured I would cross my skies and end up face first at the bottom in the snow but I made it down fine and walked back up with them on while my buddy was on his snowboard and took him forever to release the bindings.
ReplyDeleteI’ve skied the Moosehorn twice in the last week. Time and weather worked against me. My pack weighed 25 pounds but it didn’t seem to make a difference. Forty or fifty pounds would have been a different story, the terrain is flat on the Moosehorn ,if it was a steady climb that also would make a difference. I did get too warm every time I skied,even on the cold days. The only thing I could do was to remove layers, the last time I skied I even removed my hat. My personal goal is to make the trip.. There are two things that I find challenging, the first is the cold and the second is my physical condition. I have the proper clothing, a warm sleeping bag and with the right food I should be all right. I have skied and walked every day, I hope that will be enough to get me ready physically. As for the instructors, this isn’t their first time, I think they are ready for the challenge. The only gear that I lack is a good pair of waterproof, breathable mittens. I plan to have them before the trip. As far as the trip goes, I am hoping for the best and planning for the worst.
ReplyDeleteCasey Ryder
ReplyDelete2/12/09
When I look back at the pictures I see so many that I could comment on. One that really stood out was simply the mountain. I remember coming in the second day dead tired from that damn sled and seeing the whole mountain that surrounded me. I felt such relief for making it but at the same time the mountain just awed me and I remember not being able to think of anything else. I found it real cool being in the bowl of the mountain and experiencing those extreme elements.
The experience was pretty sweet and rewarding for me. I didn’t summit but I still feel what I did was an achievement in its own. And if there’s an opportunity to do it again next year I definitely think I’ll summit. Some things that could have made the trip better for me and I maybe could change for next time would be the sled. The sled caused a lot of problem for me and wore me out the first day. This didn’t make it fun the rest of the trip. I noticed Ben got to do what he wanted and snow boarded the backcountry. I had a lot of trouble coming into chimney pond and to overcome this I believe having Jake behind me pushing me on really helped me over this barrier. I think I would do it again for sure it was a good experience but I think next time Ill be better prepared and therefore will have a better time. On the trip we showed bad EB by not waiting for you Scott and didn’t keep the group together as well as it should have. And we showed good EB bye helping one another to get from point A to point B. If bad group management is addressed then the potential outcome could be a possible injury and the team ahead having no idea. But I didn’t feel uncomfortable on the trip at any time. I don’t believe this experience is too risky and that’s because its controlled and done under close watch and especially when we have THE John Tiereny with us.