Some is Better than None at Twenty Below

Once I mentioned to Hans Bjellum that I was half Norwegian, "Well," he said in a consoling tone, "Some is better than none." That is how I felt about today's ski. It was 18 below with 18mph winds before my ski and 21 below with 29mph winds after. School was cancelled today due to the the wind chill advisory: "Dangerously cold wind chills as low as 65 below zero expected. Wind gusts to 45 mph causing blowing and drifting snow and sporadic whiteout conditions in open country." I thought I'd just try to get out and do some skiing. 

I have to admit, it gave me a bit of a thrill to finally use some kick wax besides blue and purple. I went with a Ski Go green--I couldn't bring myself to use polar because it just didn't seem that cold. It was pretty nice when I first went out--not too windy, and the sun was weakly shining in the sky. I wasn't looking forward to seeing our messy tracks from last night--I'm pretty sure we did not break trail in a straight line. At all. Then I got a wonderful surprise: groomed tracks! I love you, Fargo Parks, for getting out here and grooming on a day that schools are closed!

I skied up to the Dog Park, then paused to swing my right arm--my hand got a bit cold when I took my mitt off to take some photos. I continued on toward Lindenwood Park. When I got to Ponte Park, the wind started gusting--as it often does at that part. I pulled my neck gaiter up over my nose and picked up the pace a bit. I thought that if I got too cold, I could always jog through the neighborhood by the water treatment plant on the way back. 

The sun peeked out a bit more strongly, and a bird flew right over my head--a pileated woodpecker! He landed on a tree right in front of me and the sun lit up the red crest on its head. I just stopped and watched him as he picked his way around the tree. As I skied closer he disappeared around the other side. But, wow, that was the best view of woodpecker I've ever seen along this trail! I continued on with a bit more spring in my stride. 

At the Gooseberry Bridge, however, I looked to the west and saw that a big cloud mass seemed to be coming up, probably snow stirred by increasing winds. My feet were a bit cold, so I thought I'd go ahead and turn back in case it got colder and windier. On the way back, the track had been filled in, at times, by wind-driven snow. I kept rotating my neck gaiter around to find a less icy part, and pulling it down when the wind was at my back. 

It seemed to take longer to get back. The snow is definitely slow today because of the low temperature. Also, I am slow. But some skiing is better than no skiing, and I am still getting some fresh air and a tiny bit of sunlight. Near the end, I could feel the fat on my inner thighs getting cold, which is something that doesn't usually happen! Nevertheless, I felt warm at my core and not uncomfortable. Here is what I wore for the conditions today:

From top to bottom: a fleece hat (thicker than the hats I usually wear), earmuffs, and a neck gaiter; Three layers on top: a thin skintight Odlo baselayer, a fleece sweater, and an REI shell. Two layers on my legs: Odlo baselayer and Novara bike tights with a wind panel in the front. Smartwool socks, Alpina boots with thinsulate. I wore lobster mitts. If I were to stay out longer than the hour I was out, I would add overbooties and a liner to my mitts. Possibly a thicker layer under my bike pants would be helpful too.

But, hey, I got an hour of exercise, averaging a heart rate of 150bpm. Time for a hot cup of tea!