Embedded Cheering at the Finlandia in Bemidji

Buena Vista ski area north of Bemidji--the hill on the left is the one that Finlandia skiers have to ski up.

Enrico and I drove up to Bemidji, Minnesota Friday night after work to have a little getaway for the long weekend. It also happened to be the Finlandia ski race weekend, which is one of the big races that the NDSU Bison Nordic Ski Club races in. I had the idea that we could cheer on the Bison and get a little skiing in on our own.
"Would you like to do the 10 K classic with me?" I asked Enrico.
"O.K," he said.

On Saturday morning,  it was 8 below. It was then that I found out that Enrico had not brought his ski boots. Maybe when I asked him to ski 10 K, he meant 0 K, as in zero kilometers. He encouraged me to participate without him, so we headed up to Buena Vista, a ski area north of Bemidji. I got checked in and soon found myself at the start line, cheering on the Bison skiers who were doing the 25K freestyle, 25K classic, and 50K. The 10K skiers like myself started last. I had never skied here before, so the course would be new to me. There was a very small field of 10K skiers--at first it looked like we would each have our own start lane, but then a couple of the Bison skiers came up--Andrew and Klarissa, who is a downhill skier just learning to cross-country ski. Good for her!

 This was the first time I've been in a ski race in several years, and I was feeling some pain after that big uphill when I was reminded that all the skiing I do is on flat terrain. However, I felt toasty warm after it (and my poor husband was probably freezing), my kick wax was good, and whatever glide wax was on my skis from last time they were hot-waxed (maybe 2 years ago?) was okay. I would catch up a bit to the guy in front of me in the bright orange jacket whenever we got to a downhill section, so at least my wax was not the worst it could be. I just focused on using my best technique and enjoying the nicely set tracks, soft snow, and new views.

At the first checkpoint, I met up with one of the two Bison skiers who had also elected to do the Tour, a nice young man named Andrew. He did not have good glide wax AND he was doing skate technique, so it was rough going. I cheered him on.

Shortly after that, those of us on the 10K followed a sign to turn off the main trail. We skied a brief shortcut before rejoining the main route. Now there were skiers passing us--both skate and classic skiers doing the 25K freestyle, classic, or pursuit (half of each) and the 50K skiers. This was fun for me because I could glance to my left when I was being passed and if I saw a bright yellow lower leg, I knew it was a Bison skier, so I cheered them on. "This is the way to be a spectator," I thought, "Cheer from inside the race."  Let's call it embedded cheering. I was warm, getting a good workout, and getting to see the technique of lots of different skiers while encouraging them.

After awhile, I caught up to the man in the orange jacket again. He was setting a good pace, so I was content to stay behind a few lengths. But then he stepped out of the track, looked back, smiled, and said, "Have a good time," so I had to pass him. I put a bit more effort into my pace for a few hundred yards, so he wouldn't regret ceding the trail to me.

The trail curved around the back part of the downhill ski area and a few sections were quite steep to get up. One longer steep section was kind of discouraging, so I settled in for a long herringbone slog. I did not try to run or jump up that section. Then we came to one of the ski lifts. I eyed the snowboarders descending the trail above me. There was no border between the downhill slope and the cross-country trails, so I just wanted to make sure they didn't run into me. I was glad to pass that section.

The trail curved around some more--it was really lovely and there were some fun downhill sections, a couple of which were quite fast, but with a good track that slowly evened out at the bottom, so it wasn't too scary. One of the NDSU skiers--Mitch, I think--passed me and called out, "Looking good!" Those Bison skiers are so kind. I'm here to cheer THEM on, not vice versa!

Soon I came to an intersection, and the people there kindly pointed me in the right direction for the 10K, and then I was descending toward the stadium area--I could see Enrico at the bottom of the last downhill where I had to make a right turn and head up the slight uphill toward the finish line. "Don't crash," I thought. I made it around the corner with a few step turns, then focused on making my best strides to the finish.

At the finish, there was Andrew, and he kindly gave me a cup of Gatorade and said he thought my time was about 42 minutes, judging from his own time. The race organizers don't give bibs or track the time of people doing the 10K tour, so I was glad to get this information, even though it's just an estimate.

I then had to ski a bit to "cool" down. After that, Enrico gave me a coat, and we cheered on more Bison skiers who were finishing their various events. Enrico and I didn't stay for the 50K finishers, though, because we wanted to get to the ski shop before it closed to see if we could get some boots for him.

This was a fun event, and I highly recommend embedded cheering--so much warmer than standing on the sidelines!

Sunset Ski

Photo by Enrico Sassi

Enrico and I didn't get out to ski until 4:37pm, and sunset is now at 5:44pm, so we set out at a good pace. There were several people out enjoying the +6 temperatures and new snow that accumulated over the course of the day. I saw my colleague Ben Melby out skate skiing. That was a bit more difficult with the new snow.

It was really beautiful as the sun got close to setting. When I turned around at the I-94 bridge to ski back, I saw another skier coming toward me, but then he disappeared. Later, I saw him behind a tree. It was Enrico, who was making a video of me skiing toward him. I like this photo he took with the light reflecting off the tracks. 

Coming out of the Deep Freeze

I was supposed to be in Atlanta today for a work meeting, but the blizzard caused my flight to be cancelled and my earliest rebooking would have brought me there for just the last 30 minutes of today's meeting, so I reluctantly cancelled the whole trip. So . . . I was just hibernating at home, and by hibernating, I mean catching up on all the little tasks that have accumulated while I tried to get some bigger projects going. It wasn't until 3pm that I stirred from the couch to venture outside for today's ski. Good timing too, because the temperature had just hit the high for the day--4 degrees ABOVE zero.

Nevertheless, I was feeling a bit reluctant to venture out in the cold, so I did some things that are a bit self indulgent. First, I put little foot warmers in my boots. Next, I wore three layers on top. Then, I started listening to Led Zeppelin on my iphone to get a little pumped up. Finally, I boiled some water and put it in an insulated bottle to take with me. I headed out to the trails. We have had so much snow! But the ever-attentive Fargo Parks had groomed the trails. I skied down to the classic track and planted my water bottle in the snowbank for later.

Ah! Groomed trails courtesy of Fargo Parks.

I then skied up to the dog park. Strangely, my kick wax was no good--I was slipping quite a bit, so I came back, waxed up my other classic skis with special blue and headed out again. I got it right this time. Good kick. I skied to the I-94 bridge. Along the way, I passed a man and a woman, two women, one man, another man, and on the way back I saw another man. When I passed the two women again, they had stopped,  so I stopped to chat with them. We remarked on the good grooming we have enjoyed this year, the warmer temperatures today, the pleasure of sunshine, and the ample snow we've had this year.

As I continued, I ran into one of the single men I had passed before, but he had his facemask down this time, and I realized it was John Pfund. John was president of Prairie' Edge Nordic Ski Club when I first moved to Fargo, and I remember meeting him at Edgewood Golf Course. He was so welcoming, so I really wanted to get involved with the club. He introduced me to some of the wonderful local skiers here. It was good to see him out on the trail again.

I also passed my husband, Enrico. I got a trailside kiss from him before continuing on. I stopped at the place where I had my waterbottle and enjoyed rehydrating with some warm water--ah! Sometimes simple pleasures are just the best. This was a little trick I employed when I was training for the Iditasport. On a four-hour training ride, having something warm to drink was a great pleasure.

Today, I was out for about an hour and a half. One of the things I find interesting about skiing on consecutive days is noticing what is different each day. For example, I saw these tracks that were intriguing. What do you think happened here?

Post Blizzard Ski

NDSU had a late start (10am) this morning, but I couldn't go skiing because we had to shovel out our driveway. It was quite an effort because1) the windblown snow was tightly packed and 2) our snowbanks are getting quite high, so we have to lift our shovels way up to empty them. Uff da!

After work, I headed out to the trails. The temperature had warmed up to six below and the sun was shining. Fargo Parks had not set the tracks, so I had to break trail. It was interesting to see how the wind had blown debris over the newly fallen snow. There were also all kinds of beautiful patterns from all the wind yesterday.

It was cold, though! I could see where the deer had bedded down next to the trees along the trail in Ponte Park. I turned back at the rocks, because my feet were getting cold. I could see Enrico coming toward me. I swung my legs to warm up my feet and then we skied back together. While I headed back to the house, he continued skiing on to the dogpark. I got the dog. Noko was very excited to be outside after being trapped at home during the winter storm. However, the sun was setting, so we all headed back home after our short outing.

I'm missing the beautifully groomed trails and warm temperatures in Vermont. 

Ski-trudging through a Gentle Blizzard between Plane Trips

My flight into Fargo last night arrived late--it was almost 11pm by the time we deplaned, thanks to a lengthy de-icing in Minneapolis. While waiting for my baggage to be unloaded, I got a message that the university would be closed tomorrow due to weather. When I got home, I had to unpack and do laundry because I was planning to fly out to Atlanta the next day, so I didn't get to sleep until 1am. Unfortunately, I woke up at 6am and couldn't get back to sleep, so I got up and did a bit of work and then decided I would go out for a short ski, since I won't get another opportunity to do so until I get back from Atlanta.

Since it was -5F with falling snow and wind, I decided to wear my kuspuk over my ski clothes. I made this one with a shorter-than-usual skirt around the bottom, so my legs would be free for skiing, but still long enough to cover my rear. I feel so much warmer when my rear is covered.

My first glimpse out the side door was bleak. Snow had drifted between our house and the neighbor's, covering our car and my bike. The wind was not TOO bad, so I put on my skis right there and skied down the sidewalk (no one had been out yet to snowblow or shovel) to the dike. It was a bit of a slog to get over the dike, which had deep snow drifted up against it, but skiing down the other side was a lovely sensory experience. As I slowly glided down, the snow grazed my knees--it is such a great feeling to move through soft snow while your feet and legs feel warm inside your boots and clothing.

I skied toward the trail, the only sound was the wind blowing fiercely. The large white blanket of snow covering the trails had been carved by the wind into undulating curves and those larger curves had a smaller recurring pattern carved upon them. It was really interesting, but because of the light, I don't think I could capture it.

You can barely see the waves I'm writing about--it's much better in person. 

Once I got down to where the trail by the river usually is, I began breaking trail in the direction of the dogpark. The wind blew tiny bits of snow into my face, dealing tiny stings. "Hmmm," I thought,  this isn't really skiing, more likely walking--no trudging--on skis." I'll call this ski-trudging. I might as well be on snow shoes. At least it is exercise, and since I just have this short reprieve between two plane trips, it is good to get some fresh air and get my blood moving around. At the dogpark, I turned back, took a couple of photos, and enjoyed skiing back in my own tracks (easier going) with the wind at my back (no more stings to the face). A woodpecker flew down to a branch by the trail to say hello. "How are you doing in the storm?" I asked. He was taking a break from pecking at the tree and just flew branch to branch, keeping me company for a little while. I was reminded of a woven basket I saw at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston on Tuesday--it had little red feathers sticking up out of the reeds, and when I read the placard, I was surprised to see that they were woodpecker feathers. How ingenious to include them in a work of art! Here is an example of this kind of work.

When I got back from my little ski, my neighbor had fired up the snowblower and my husband had woken up. I will finish packing and head back to the airport, fingers crossed that my plane will be able to take off in the storm.

First Ski in Vermont Around Robert Frost Cabins

Alessandro, Kelly, Liam, and Massimo out skate skiing at Rikert Nordic Center on Sunday, February 3, 2019

I traveled to Vermont to see my son, Massimo, compete in the Middlebury Invite Swim Meet. [Proud parent warning: Not only did he swim personal bests in the 50-meter Freestyle and the 100-meter Freestyle, but he WON both races!] Hotels in Middlebury were booked up, so I rented a cabin at the Robert Frost Cabins up in the Green Mountains, about 25 minutes from town.

I woke up early on Saturday morning and went for a ski around our cabin on the Trillium Trail.

It is a tiny trail through the woods that connects with a snowmachine trail for a bit and then veers back to the cabins. It is just a mile, but it got me out in the woods before breakfast.

In between the morning and evening swim meets, Alessandro, Denali and I went up the mountain a bit further to Rikert Nordic Center on the Middlebury Breadloaf campus. We rented skis for Denali and did some classic skiing on their fine set tracks. The Lodge has bathrooms (with shower), some snacks, places to change boots and sit and rest or warm-up and a kind and helpful staff.

The temperature was warmer than Fargo (about 15 above), so that was enjoyable. The many loops through the woods were lots of fun. I especially liked Batelle and the fun downhill one gets after a good climb. Denali, a seasoned downhill skier, had never tried cross-country skiing, so we gave her some pointers and she took to it quite easily. Like a lot of downhill skiers, it took some adjusting to get used to doing the same kinds of downhill moves on much skinnier skis and with a free heel. She did great!

Denali and Alessandro in front of the ski rental shop and lodge at Rikert Nordic Center

On Saturday night, all the Geres joined us at the cabin. We cooked dinner together and then had an epic Monopoly game (Denali won). After that, the young folks went to the hot tub, which is located on the porch of "The Loft," a social center for the group of 7 cabins. I was tired from all the swim cheering (it's a tough job, but someone has to do it), so I went to sleep early.

We stayed at Cabin 4: Serene Outlook, where they deliver a basket of warm cinnamon twists to your doorstep in the morning

On Sunday, the Geres departed, and the boys and I made another trip into Middlebury to pick up Massimo's teammate, Liam, who is from Arizona. He, too, wanted to try cross-country skiing. Since it was so warm that day--about 28 degrees above zero--we decided to skate ski. Fortunately, Liam knows how to ice skate, so he got the hand of shifting his weight from ski to ski quite easily, and because of his swim conditioning, he was able to get up the hills even though he's new to the techniques. By the end, he was looking quite comfortable on skis.

Liam and Massimo at Rikert Nordic Center. 

We got a good workout and the snow felt so fast! My first time skiing in Vermont was just wonderful, and I hope to be back one day soon. It was so great to ski on hills again.

Coldest Ski of the Winter . -32F

I know winter is not over, but I'm going to call it and say that today's ski was the coldest of the winter (for me, anyway). It was -32F according to weather underground. And no wind! The sky was clear, and a crescent moon hung in the sky. The sun was coming up, so I quickly dressed--maybe I would be able to take some good photos today, I thought, grabbing my sister-in-law's canon with the long lens in addition to my iphone. Of course, they would probably not last long in this temperature, so I made it a priority to start taking photos soon after heading out. I skied north--downstream--and then made my own trail after the nice Fargo Parks-groomed trail ended at the dog park. I wanted to see if the Red River was still running toward Canada. Indeed, there was still some open water at the dike.

The nice thing about the Canon is that I can take photos without taking off my gloves, which is great. I took several photos around the river before heading back south along the trail. Some parts were drifted over since yesterday, but not too badly. The wind in Fargo was not as bad as I thought it might be, though it still made some interesting patterns in the snow, especially at this one part, where black bits of grit mixed with the snow, giving a salt and pepper appearance to the pattern.

I wonder if the footprints belong to the red fox I saw around here earlier this season? After about 45 minutes, both cameras quit working and my feet were cold, so I put my energy into skiing without stopping. After I passed the water treatment plant, I was facing the sun directly and it was higher in the sky, and I could feel the warmth on what little parts of my face were still exposed to the frigid air.

I saw where a deer had crossed the river and come up to the ski trail to walk and nibble on the willows along the riverbank. I think the deer and the fox are the only creatures who have been out here since yesterday.

I stopped at the second bike path crossing to take off my ski and swing my leg to warm up my feet. I also skied hard enough to get my hear rate up to 170. That did the trick--the blood started flowing to my feet and I decided to go further. The curve around Ponte Park was pretty drifted, and the snow was hard, so it's not like I could break a trail through it, so I just skied on top of the drifts. As I got into Lindenwood Park, my feet were getting cold again so I turned back. I was out for an hour and 15 minutes total--a pleasant way to start my day. When I got home, my husband was headed out the door for his ski.
"Coffee is all ready to go for Denise," he said, as he headed out the door.  Our friend, Denise, is staying with us. She just got back from Florida, so this weather is a shock to her!