Let the Race Season Begin

This weekend the domestic race scene kicks off with the West Yellowstone Super Tour.  After 6 months of preparation and training it is exciting to have the opportunity to show off the hard work.  I actually ski more on roller skis, but the feeling of gliding on snow is hard to beat.  Snow skiing requires more maintenance than roller skiing.  I travel with 15 pairs of skis that all have unique characteristics.  The bases of the skis are ground with a special structure to match different snow types.  Ski speed makes a big difference over the course of a race so I make sure to take good care of them.  I wax them every time I ski on them.  

To say thank you to out sponsors Toko and Nordic Ultratune, the MOD Squad gave a free Toko clinic for locals to learn the latest on waxing techniques. 

Toko Waxes keep me gliding and kicking all season long.  Thanks Toko.

November and December mean darkness settles in before the completion of the second workout of the day.  Now I can train day or night with this new headlamp.  With 350 lumens the light is nearly as bright as a car headlight.

The day before we left for Montana we woke up to fresh snow at the Yurt.

Excited to meet up with my CXC Teammates for some early season skiing 

at Bohart Ranch in Bozeman, MT.

We are now in West Yellowstone and watching the forecast intently for more snow.  There is skiing up high, but it is pretty thin.  I unfortunately caught a cold so am sitting tight and resting.  Hopefully I will feel good enough to ski tomorrow.

Weekend Coaching in Chicago

As a student of the sport of cross country skiing it is fun to switch roles sometimes and share my knowledge with others.  This year marked the 5th year I have made the trip to Chicago for a weekend clinic with some of the most dedicated and passionate skiers in the country.  Chicago doesn't get a lot of snow in the winter and so the local season is short.  The community is awesome and the lack of snow doesn't scare them.  We had over 35 passionate athletes come out to learn and improve over the weekend.

The Illinois Nordic community had a great showing for the King Keyser/CXC Clinic this weekend

Splitting in to small groups to give more one on one time to everyone

Working on the basics without skis

Creating more challenging terrain by pulling other skiers and dragging a tire.
Training can be creative.

Chicago does food right and we enjoyed a Saturday evening together swapping stories from last year as we get excited for the 2012/2013 winter to begin.