The Timberland Wasatch Citizens Series started the season at Soldier

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1 The Utah Nordic Alliance Volume XVIII No.4 January 2008 Photo: Bruce Schroeder The Timberland Wasatch Citizens Series started the season at Soldier Hollow with a classic technique race on a five kilometer loop. University of Utah skiers dominated the 10 kilometer Open divisions with Steve Scott and Sara Schweiger finishing first. A total of 168 skiers traveled across snow packed roads from the Friday night storm. Complete results and photos inside.

2 JANUARY 2008 C ONTENTS EDITOR S NOTE Superstitious Learning When my Microsoft Word application unexpect edly shuts off in the middle of working on my newsletter article I have a ritual I go through to restart. I will spin around in my chair, push a few random keys, ask my computer to remember my last edit, and restart the application. Only the last action actually helps, but the rest are part of my superstitious learning linked to the first time I was successful in restoring a document. At the Teton Ridge Classic a few years ago I noticed that the winner of the 28k classic race had stored his skis upside down against the wall outside his room. I am not sure why he did that, but now I do the same thing figuring that it must make the skis faster. After reading the article by Tim Metos on ski preparation in this issue there are a number of important actions I can add to my list that may actually make my skis faster. Meet TUNA Members Behind the scenes of TUNA are a diverse group of volunteers who assist with everything from races, social events, grooming, kids programs and more. To get acquainted with these important members and their unique contributions we will share profiles in each issue. This month meet Al Davis, a long time skier and super Mt. Dell groomer. Comments Welcome Submissions, photos, and high resolution digital images are needed throughout the season. Direct your questions, concerns, and comments to me at bruceschroeder@yahoo.com. Nordic News by Dave Hanscom Season Opener at Soldier Hollow by Ron Sawdey Wasatch Citizens Series Race #1 Results Back of the Pack by David Susong Social News: Thanksgiving by Donna Wahoff-Stice Avoiding My Day Job by Tim Metos Wells Fargo Boulder Mountain Tour X by Kurt Dudley White Pine Relay Results Skiing the Volcan Llaima by Tom Jow Cross Country Tracks Nordic Training Group by Laurie Humbert Detailed Race information /2008 Utah Cross Country Ski Race Schedule It s Time to Renew Your Membership in TUNA! by Lisa Bruns The Utah Nordic Alliance (TUNA) is a nonprofit organization which supports Nordic skiing in all its forms in the state of Utah.The club offers its members discounts on equipment and ski passes at participating local merchants, as well as discounts on races and social events. Members also receive TUNA News which is published seven times a year. Annual membership runs June 1 thru June OFFICERS PRESIDENT Richard Hodges VICE PRESIDENT Tim Metos SECRETARY Donna Wahoff-Stice TREASURER Lori Gates BOARD OF DIRECTORS Greg Adams Lisa Bruns Stan Burns Cassie Dippo Jim Haisley Barry Makarewicz Tim Metos Pat Putt Bruce Schroeder Donna Wahoff-Stice ADVISORS Dave Hanscom Ernie Page TUNA NEWS EDITORIAL STAFF Bruce Schroeder, Editor Brian Alm, Kurt Dudley, Ron Sawdey, David Susong, TUNA NEWS / DEPARTMENTS Race Results Kurt Dudley Membership Promotion Lisa Bruns Nordic Scene Dave Hanscom Youth Program Jim Haisley Dryland Program Bill Hokanson Design & Production Elmore Design TUNA NEWS / CONTRIBUTORS Lisa Bruns, Kurt Dudley, Dave Hanscom, Laurie Humbert,Tom Jow,Tim Metos, Ron Sawdey, Bruce Schroeder, David Susong, Donna Wahoff-Stice PHOTO CREDITS Gary Fladmoe, Bruce Schroeder ADVERTISING Suzi Elmore info@qstreetfinecrafts.com DEADLINE IS THE 1 ST OF EACH MONTH Articles, race listings, photographs and artwork are welcome, but TUNA News assumes no responsibility for loss or damage. Material sent on disk or is especially welcome. Classified ads are free to TUNA members. A $5 donation is required for nonmembers classified ads for up to 20 words; 20 per word over the first 20 words. Send to bruceschroeder@yahoo.com tuna@utahnordic.com TUNA News, PO Box 9008 Salt Lake City, UT page 2 january 2008

3 NORDIC NEWS by Dave Hanscom January 2008 This year was deja vu all over again. No snow in November, then a major dump in early December to (hopefully) set things up for the winter. On December 9, I skied in the best classical snow I can remember, with huge white pillows hanging on the evergreens. My wife said it reminded her of the Christmas cards we used to get from Norway. Absolutely gorgeous! That dump came the night before our first race at Soldier Hollow. For the fourth year in a row, Howard charmed the weather gods, and we were able to open the season on natural snow. Thanks to Steve Evans and his stalwart grooming crew, the track was packed and ready to go before 9:00 am, despite warm temperatures and wet sticky snow that s almost impossible to make smooth. Waxing was definitely a key factor in that race! I d also like to thank Howard for his kind words in The Master Skier and after the race. As I said then, it s my pleasure to help out with the Wasatch Citizens Series. Our race crew is a wonderful bunch to work with, and Utah cross country skiers are a great group of folks. I grew up in Rumford, Maine, where a lot of dedicated volunteers organized events and coached juniors. The Chisholm Ski Club is much like TUNA, except a half century older. I m happy to give back a little of what I received from them as a youth. Timberland Wasatch Citizens Series First a correction. Last month I gave credit to the wrong company for donating boots to the race crew. The boots are actually made by Timberland, and they re absolutely terrific. My feet get cold easily as my circulation decreases in my old age, but not in these boots. And at our first race in sloppy wet conditions, the Gortex kept our feet nice and dry. Check them out at Sportsman s Warehouse on 7200 South just east of I-15. My apologies for the error. We ll have two Wasatch Citizens Series events in January this year. The first is our usual 15K skate at the Park City Golf Course on January 5. White Pine will provide both track and drawing prizes. Remember that parking is somewhat limited, so be sure to arrive early if you want to park close to the touring center. Late-comers may have to leave their cars along the side street or in the shopping center across the highway. Car pooling is highly recommended. The second will be a 10K classical race at Mountain Dell on January 26. As I mentioned in an earlier column, we ve outgrown Sundance, so our second classical technique event will at TUNA s very own ski area. Hopefully the weather will be more cooperative than last year at that time, and we won t have to move the race to a higher venue. It s been three years since we ve been able to race there. Registration will be in the lower level of the clubhouse, next to the tubing hill. For both January WCS events, registration is 8:30-9:30, the little kids start at 10:00, and adults ski at about 10:20. We won t be serving lunch at either, due to lack of indoor space, but Charlie says the Park City Hotel might provide some food on January 5 as they did last year. (We will have lunch at our last two races on ALL OF THESE NAMES RHYME WITH SNOW 3125 South State Salt Lake City kirkhams.com M F 9:30 9 Sat 9:30 7 Sun 11 6 TELEMARK ALPINE TOURING CROSS COUNTRY january 2008 page 3

4 February 9 and 16, however.) Other January Events Following the University of Utah races at Soldier Hollow on Saturday, January 12, the Utah Winter Games will take place on the same course. This will be a 10K skate as in past years. Registration will be in the Lodge, and entry fees will be the same as for the Wasatch Citizens Series. Call Soldier Hollow at (or check the TUNA website) for details on registration and expected start times. If you re looking for a classical alternative that weekend, the increasingly popular Teton Ridge Classic might be a good possibility to consider. The course is 28K of nice rolling terrain near Driggs, Idaho. (They also offer a 14K option.) Check out for details. The Wild Rose Fun Races start on January 16, and continue for the following four Wednesday evenings. Register in the Mountain Dell parking lot at 4:30 pm, and be ready to ski at 4:45. Call Tim Metos at Wild Rose for more information. The fourth annual Junior Olympic Super Qualifier is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, January 18 and 19, at Soldier Hollow. This has become one of the largest races of its kind in the country, boasting more than 500 skiers each day. Here s your chance to cheer on the local kids as they try out for the team that goes to the junior national championships in Anchorage, Alaska, in early March. Finally, the Boulder Mountain Tour occupies its usual calendar location on the first Saturday of February. Join the crowd on February 2 if you d like an easy 30 kilometers of gradual downhill skating. For details, check out Nordic List If you haven t done so already, I d recommend adding yourself to the nordic list. You ll get announcements about upcoming events, availability of race results, last minute changes that may occur in race venues or start times, special events, etc. Just a blank message to UTskinordic-subscribe@topica.com. To post a message to the list, send it to UTskinordic@topica.com. Volunteers page 4 january 2008

5 Duelling Duos Hokansen & Guinney Thomson & Wagner English & Hulquist Guinney & Susong Page & Whetstone Phillips, Leary, & Pardyjak january 2008 page 5

6 2007 Season Opener at Soldier Hollow by Ron Sawdey I almost bailed out on this race. With the great news of a major winter storm due to hit the Wasatch Front on Friday, I had resolved that there was no way I was going to fight through an hour plus of snow packed roads to get to Soldier Hollow. Thank goodness for ski buddies. In the flurry leading up to Saturday, both of my buddies seemed determined to go, even though one had fallen hard on his driveway the week before and hurt his back, and the other was still mending from a broken wrist. I know those kinds of injuries would have given me a pass on the first race of the season, but not my ski buddies. Saturday morning found us easily navigating up Parley s Canyon. However towards the Summit snow began to stick to the road and as we rolled down to Jeremy Ranch it became increasingly snow-packed. It was then that I began entertaining thoughts that only a few hardy souls would be crazy enough to show up for the race. Surely, many racers would decide not to brave these hazardous roads for a mere citizen s race. If it happened that there were only three racers in my age group, then a podium finish was assured. I should have known better about my fellow racers. When we finally rolled into the parking lot a Soldier Hollow we were lucky to get one of the last spots in the main lot, and a string of vehicles followed us in. There was even a line at the registration table. Damn if cross-country racers aren t a hardy lot. Either that, or the lure of a free lunch and cool raffle prizes is just to good to pass up. No sooner did we start to unpack our gear than I started to hear those dreaded whispers of klister. Evidently it had rained a good share of the night and had only started snowing early that morning. Understand that I ski classic technique exclusively, so one would think I would have long ago got over the dread of smearing klister on my skis, but I m afraid I haven t evolved to that point quite yet. I do own a fine pair of Fischer Crown racing skis, but pride keeps me from breaking down and using them in a race, even a mere citizen s race. One of these days But not that day. After doing my best to put just the right amount of klister on my skis, then ironing it in just so, and letting it cool down, I finally gave my skis a test run. My kick wasn t bad, but really not that good either. As usual the Soldier Hollow crew had the tracks well set, but the snow out of the tracks was soft and heavy. Leaving the track to pass (or get out of the way) would be a sketchy proposition. Based on this quick assessment of the course and my usual lack of a solid training foundation, I decided to take it easy and chalk this up as a hard training day. Those visions of a podium finish were quickly fading. My faint dreams quickly disappeared completely in the first kilometer as I crossed my tips while trying to change tracks. I had resorted to this desperate maneuver in an effort to overtake another skier and keep up with my new age group page 6 nemesis. By the time I struggled back on my feet, my nemesis was out of sight (but certainly not out of mind). To add insult to injury, my skis iced up very nicely on the lower loop, though I think I was in good company. I actually saw someone step off to the right and scrape the accumulated snow from their skis. The good part about icing up on the lower loop is that those iced up skis allow you to clomp right up the rollers. The bad part about icing up is that you can t slide easily down the other side of each of those rollers. You work hard going up and you work hard going down. Somewhere during my usual second lap fade I managed to fall again. A few cheery fellows offered their condolences as they passed me by, but I was too tired and embarrassed to offer any witty retort. Now it was time to just slog my way to my non-podium finish. Podium or no podium there always is a wonderful afterglow following a race. That is, of course, after the usual wave of nausea. In that afterglow I had the chance to look around me at all of the kids and parents of kids at the finish. The Wasatch Citizens Series has truly become a family event. That is truly a great thing. Another truly great thing about the Citizen Series is our sponsors. Thanks once again to Kelly Milligan of Mid-Valley Veterinary for the lunch she provided for 150 or so of her closest cross-country skiing friends. And thanks for the umpteenth time to Tim Metos of Wild Rose for providing Wild Rose gift certificates and many drawing prizes for the race. Thanks again to coaches Eli Brown and Wendy Wagner and their U of U skiers for teaching clinics after the race. I m amazed every year that such young people know so much about classic technique. I always manage at least one ah ha moment in those clinics. Finally, thanks to our race crew. This group has become so proficient at their job that Dave was handing out awards before I finished my Kelly Milligan supplied lunch. Now, all I need to do is figure out a new scheme to find my way to the podium. january 2008

7 Timberland/Wasatch Citizen s Series Soldier Hollow Wasatch Citizens Race #1 Classical Soldier Hollow, Utah December 8, 2007 Place Bib Name Time Place Bib Name Time Place Bib Name Time Class: MO - Men Open 10 km 1 17 SCOTT, Steve : SIMONS, Casey : MAKAREWICZ, Barry : JOHNSON, Gus : WILSON, Isaac : GUINEY, Daniel : BROWN, Eli : TRAVIS, Jason : GONTRUM, David : PARDYJAK, Eric : DRESSEN, Richard :18.8 Class: MS2 - Men km 1 75 TIETZE, Eric : SOLBERG, Erik : THIEL, Konrad : LANGELIER, Chaz :55.3 Class: MM1 - Men km 1 28 PHILLIPS, Aaron : BAUER, Jeff : CROUCH, Andre :07.2 Class: MM2 - Men km 1 56 DAVIDSON, Chris : DELEO, Willam : DETERS, Heinrich : JOHNSON, Scott : CARSON, Chris : PUSHKA, Steve :03.6 Class: MM3 - Men km 1 54 ANDERSON, Randy : MAGERL, Chris : SWANSON, Eric : RICE, Robert : BELING, Stuart :43.4 Class: MM4 - Men km 1 32 LEARY, Ken : DEBLIEUX, Don : BONACCI, Tom : LANG, Rob : WEGLARZ, Michael : STONE, Ken : BULLOUGH, Richard : MATTHEWS, Charlie : SUSONG, David : EGAN, Michael : BRUNS, David : PUTT, Patrick : BRAY, Daniel : HULTQUIST, Arne : MYSHRALL, Art : LOWELL, Dan : ANDERSON, Roger :00.5 Class: MM5 - Men km 1 6 HOKANSON, Bill : GUINEY, R.J : ALLEN, Bruce : PEDERSON, Bill : HUBER, Dean : DUDLEY, Kurt :44.5 Class: MM6 - Men km 1 14 NOAKER, Tom : MCEWEN, Patrick : STAVN, Blaine : SAWDEY, Ron : ENGLISH, Patrick : TIETZE, Chris : DOLL, Drew : PAGE, Ernie : GATES, Steve :36.6 Class: MM7 - Men km 1 11 PEIRCE, Gary : GROTH, Ray : THOMPSON, Bill : WAGNER, David : SOUTHWICK, Jim : GROTH, Richard :55.9 Class: MM8 - Men km 1 53 PARCELL, Brent : NICHOLS, Kirk : GULDNER, John : PALOMAKI, Ted : ALM, Brian : YIH, Benny : ALM, Brent :14.9 Class: MN - Men Novice 5 km 1 24 CROUCH, Andre : DUNN, Michael : HUNTER, James : PARCELL, Brent : GRASMEYER, Joel : GULDNER, John : ALM, Brian : GEORGE, Stuart : SEMERAD, Tony : MILLER, Tom : ALM, Brent : JONES, David :36.0 Class: MJ1 - Men km ANDERSON, Ian : PUTT, Andrew DNF Class: MJ2 - Men km 1 34 PUTT, Tanner : BURNS, Henrik : BRUNS, Johathan : PUTT, Christopher : ANDERSON, Todd : ANDERSON, Zachary : BRUNS, Kurt : GATES, Erik : MATTHEWS, Conor : NICHOLS, Nels : TAYLER, Evan :50.8 Class: MJ3 - Men km BULLOUGH, Garrett : BURKEMO, Aren : JACKSON, Marc : BURNS, Finn : BELING, Kyle : ROGERS, Isaac : JACKSON, Zach : MOUNTEER, Bryce : LAYTON, Brent : TYLER, Wharton :01.8 Class: MJ4 - Men km HOKANSON, Karsten : NICHOLS, William : JACKSON, Alex : MACFARLANE, Caden : CARPENTER, Matthew :00.1 Class: MJ5 - Men km PUTT, Noah : PALMER-LEGER, Drew : CARPENTER, Bryan : ANDERSON, Grady : BELING, Karsten : BONACCI, Vincent :16.4 Class: MJ6 - Men km 335 BONACCI, Joseph NO TIME 374 CARPENTER, Mason NO TIME Class: WO - Women Open 10 km SCHWEIGER, Sara : BOE, Kjersti : ROY, Zoe : WAGNER, Wendy : TALKINGTON, Madeleine : COOK, Annelies : MILLIGAN, Kelly : TOLY, Roxanne : GUINEY, Elizabeth : MERBACH, Anita :37.8 Class: WS1 - Women km STRAY-GUNDERSEN, Kirsten :56.6 Class: WS2 - Women km DENNETT, Sarah :28.8 Class: WM1 - Women km GIBSON, Kathryn :01:20.3 Class: WM3 - Women km LANGE, Lori : COX-CONKLIN, Sara : ROGERS, Dawn : BRUNS, Lisa : TOWLSEY, Gail :02:41.7 Class: WM4 - Women km HOWAT, Laura : LYNCH, Bev : BURNS, Giggi : DAY, Stefani : MYSHRALL, Janet DNF Class: WM5 - Women km WHETSTONE, Kirsten : PAGE, Ann : JOHNSON, Barbara : WAHOFF-STICE, Donna DNF Class: WM6 - Women km WAGNER, Deborah : SCHWANDT, Cyndi :14:48.1 Class: WM7 - Women km SOUTHWICK, Angela :02.2 Class: WN - Women Novice 5 km EGAN, Kristine : VANDEKAMP, Wendy : SLAWSON, Kira :35.8 Class: WJ2 - Women km ANDERSON, Laurel : WEIGHT, Maurissa : EGAN, Annaka :03.8 Class: WJ3 - Women km LOWE, Tristin : ANDERSON, Mia : SUSONG, Katie DNF Class: WJ4 - Women km WEBB, Michaela : EGAN, Brenna : BRUNS, Hannah :01.2 Class: WJ5 - Women km LANGE, Leah : BONACCI, Katie : ROGERS, Jessica :46.9 Class: WJ6 - Women km 301 SWANSON, Abby NO TIME 302 SWANSON, Grace NO TIME 372 WILSON, Sabine NO TIME 389 HOKANSON, Annika NO TIME january 2008 page 7

8 Age Group Winners Tristin Lowe Women s Tanner Putt Men s 8-9 Eric Tietze Men s Gary Pierce Men s Aaron Phillips Men s Chris Davidson Men s Deborah Wagner Women s Kristine Egan Women s Novice Garrett Bullogh Men s Laura Howat Women s Ian Anderson Men s Kathryn Gibson Women s page 8 january 2008

9 Ken Leary Men s Randy Anderson Men s race finish Laurel Anderson Women s Leah Lange Women s 8-9 NORDIC STONE GRIND FULL REFINISH $49.99 Bases better than new! Complete restoration of your skis with Precision Custom Structure Base Repair* Precision base flattening on stone Blank Finish applied to flat base Precision custom structure applied to base Base hair removal Hand polish and brushing of base material One coat soft penetrating wax PREMIUM REFINISH $64.99 Precision Custom Structure plus Hot Box Treatment Hot Box base saturation process replaces hours of tedious hand waxing Everything in our Standard Tune plus the following: Extensive hand polishing and brushing of base Hot Box base saturation with soft penetrating wax One coat blue wax for base hardening Hand hot wax with wax of the day Sara Schweiger Women s Open Sarah Dennett Women s january 2008 page 9

10 Bev Lynch Eli Brown Utes Pat Putt Noah Putt Jessica Rogers Janet Myshrall Mason Carpenter page 10 january 2008

11 Mountain Dell Keep it Pure What you see in the watershed today, you may drink tomorrow. As we enjoy skiing at Mountain Dell this is a reminder to act responsibly and care for our watershed. Did you know... Your activity in the canyons can have an immediate impact on the quality of your drinking water. It can take less than 24 hours for the water you see in the stream to reach the drinking water faucets in the valley. Approximately 60 percent of our drinking water supply comes from our protected watershed canyons: City Creek, Parleys, Big Cottonwood, and Little Cottonwood. Prior to 1910, Salt Lake City had 100 to 350 cases and 10 to 20 fatalities from typhoid each year. Source watershed protection and drinking water treatment has nearly eliminated illness caused by drinking water contamination. Water from Emigration and Mill Creek is currently used for irrigation and not drinking water. That is why you can take your dogs in these canyons while restrictions apply to the others canyons. For additional information go to Located just 2 miles from Soldier Hollow, 2002 Winter Olympic Biathlon/Cross Country Venue Offering Inclusive Ski Packages, 12 km XC Ski Area, 2 Restaurants, Lodging, Resort Spa, Hot Springs, Scuba Diving & Much More! 700 North Homestead Drive, Midway, Utah Automatic information On any homes for sale in Park City, Deer Valley, Midway/Heber Valley, Summit & Wasatch Counties RE/MAX Mountain Properties january 2008 page 11

12 BACK OF THE PACK Tradition by David Susong Usually when I envision West Yellowstone at Thanksgiving, it is draped in snow and full of enthusastic skiers. This year as I sit in our hotel room in West and gaze out the window. Dark grey clouds have enveloped the Lionshead Range and the wind is roaring and I can almost feel it buffeting the side of the hotel. The normally graceful ravens are huddled on the ground. It is 42 F and as I look out the window through rain there is lawn that still has some green in it. The only snow visible was on the distant high peaks before they were enveloped in clouds. Yet our family is here for the week of Thanksgiving to ski. What is wrong with this picture? The week before Thanksgiving our family was debating about coming to West Yellowstone this year. There was no snow, no skiing, and the weather forecast was marginal. We discussed that maybe we should wait and delay coming up or perhaps not make the trip this year. At the mere mention of not going, our daughter was horrified. She exclaimed, We have to go, its tradition. She, the youngest in the family, has spent all but one of the Thanksgivings of her life in West Yellowstone and was not about to give that up. My wife has been coming to West for Thanksgiving for almost 30 years and I about 20. It has become part of the annual fabric of our family life. It has become a tradition. Our family always looks forward to the start of the ski year in West and I usually enjoy the drive up from Utah. Anticipation builds as we leave Utah, cross the Snake River Plain and start to climb up into Island Park. There is usually snow on the ground and if we are lucky ice on the roads. Our spirits rise as we climb and the snow gets deeper. This year was different. As we passed through Idaho Falls, it was raining. In Island Park, it was raining harder. As we crossed the pass in the West Yellowstone basin there was no snow on the ground for the first time in all the years that we have made this trip. As we pulled into town rain was pouring down and streams were rushing down the gutters. There were a couple sorry looking souls out on roller skis. There were people in nordic ski gear with logos wandering the streets with forlorn and lost looks on their faces. Later after we had checked in and unpacked the truck, we went for a run on the ski trails. This is not part of the tradition. Rumors swept through the hotel the next morning that it had snowed on the plateau south of town during the night. There was a frenzy of activity as people grabbed their skis and departed. It was almost like a scene from an old western movie when someone shouted, Gold, Gold, or perhaps Fire. Later, my wife and I headed up. The road up to the plateau gains about a thousand feet through the forest and in some areas is steep and shaded where it can be treacherous and icy. This year it was mud, deep stretches of slimy goo, and pools of water and streams of water running where in the past there had been frozen ruts and ice. As we climbed the final mile snow started to appear on the ground and the slush and puddles got deeper. The clouds had settled down to ground amongst the trees giving a foggy surreal feel. At the end of road were 40 cars; 40 car loads of desperate skiers. People with skis on their feet were emerging from the fog as my wife and I got our skis on. The snow was almost slush and in some areas so thin dirt and sticks were showing through. Further along there were about 5 inches of dense wet snow, perfect for classic skiing on no wax skis. After skiing back and forth on an out and back track for 2 hours my wife and I headed back to the truck. We were tired, happy and most importantly the tradition continued. We had gotten a day of skiing in and would not be skunked even if this was the only day of skiing we got on the trip. In the afternoon my wife and daughter went shopping, the other sporting activity in West Yellowstone. The next day we again returned to the plateau for marginal skiing for the snow had turned to ice. As we drove down and looked across the basin, the horizon was black with dark clouds. Rumors had it that the locals had thrown a snow dance that morning including torching a few pair of old skis. It must have worked because that evening it started to snow. It always helps to do snow dances when there is a winter storm warning and heavy snow in the forecast. Almost a foot of snow fell overnight and the ski trails from town are groomed for skiing the next day. There is a collective sigh of relief in town from residents and visitors alike. For our family, our spirits are high and we will be heading out skiing soon on the finely groomed tracks at West Yellowstone at Thanksgiving. It is interesting how certain activities mark our annual calendar and become family traditions. For our family, West Yellowstone has become part or our holiday tradition, one that I hope we can continue. page 12 january 2008

13 Social News: Thanksgiving The late arrival of a foot of fluffy white snow made figuring out how many would attend the annual Thanksgiving Potluck a challenge. In spite of this, the dinner was well attended. I guess in Utah we are close enough for last minute decisions. Aren t we lucky? Thank you so much to all of the volunteers who baked turkeys, helped to set up and clean up. Without all of your help, the dinner would not happen, would not be as fabulous and I wouldn t get to ski at all on Thanksgiving Day! by Donna Wahoof-Stice Next year I am planning to shop locally and order the turkeys from the West Yellowstone grocery store. They will be defrosted and ready to go. I will ask that if you have an oven in your hotel or condo and are willing to bake a turkey to let me know. I will have a turkey ready for you to pick up on Wednesday evening or Thursday morning. Happy Trails, Donna january 2008 page 13

14 Avoiding My Day Job: Zen and Making Polyethylene Sludge by Tim Metos I am often stunned by the volume of base material that accumulates when I grind a batch of skis. The filter bag gets full of sludge a couple of hours into each batch of skis. This is usually a signal to take a break, as I have now milled enough base, a fraction of a millimeter at at time, from a bunch of fancy race skis to fill a 4" by 15" long bag with the resulting soup composed of high density graphite base material, a smattering of wax residue and grinding coolant. It is probably time to check if there is any real work waiting in my office that I need to deal with. Stone grinding a base improves its function an number of ways: Degraded and oxidized material at the surface is removed, small scratches are erased, the ski is flattened and a new texture is imprinted on the base. This process restores the ski and can adapt it to different snow conditions. A fresh grind also helps the base material absorb and hold wax better. In a word, it makes them faster. Pushing skis through the machine is strangely meditative. The motions are repetitive and robotic, but it requires a great deal of focus and concentration, plus a degree of subtly forceful interaction when feeding the ski through the machine. A mistake or lapse of concentration can be punished ruthlessly when a 40 millimeter wide ski is interacting with a 70 pound abrasive stone powered by a 5 horsepower, three phase 240 volt motor. Kind of like driving 70 MPH on black ice. Speed and efficiency while pushing skis comes from finding ways to repeatedly save a second or two. Mentally this is not unlike cross country skiing. I find it calming and use it as a sort of escape from my day (read desk) job, often joking to friends that I m standing in the back shop by the grinder because it is a spot where I don t receive . Generally after a batch I am fatigued, but have gained a distinct calmness and mental clarity Making a ski perform in different snow conditions involves creating different texture patterns on the base. The basic idea is that a spectrum of snow crystals will generate different types of friction that can be minimized by altering the pattern that one cuts in the base. The process of programming the machine to make these patterns is an exercise of three dimensional thinking, where the width, length, angle and depth of the imprinted pattern can all be varied. Developing new structures is my ongoing quest, where the perpetual tug of war is between dry and wet glide. We have a number of tried and true race winning structures, but, like a modern ski tuning version of a Spanish explorer wading through Florida swamps looking for the Fountain of Youth, the inexorable call is to invent a pattern that is extremely fast in both cold and warm snow. Each batch of skis has its own personality: Some are mild mannered and friendly, others more cantankerous. A race team fleet batch will be very uniform in composition, five pair of 177 s for Sue, 6 pair of 192 s for Joe and so forth. The skis will be better quality, issues will likely be small and variables few. I utter very few swear words, but Joe and Sue might be big shots and there is the motivation to give them the best possible preparation. A batch of consumer skis page 14 january 2008

15 almost always presents more issues and sometimes (quite a few) more swear words. Skis abused and devoid of wax in this decade, rock damage, bases melted from clueless ironing and bindings about to fall off the ski. There frequently is one pair of skis that takes as much time as 5 or 6 pairs of normal skis, or, a couple times a year, the machine has issues: Definitely (quite a lot) more swear words on that day. As the day draw to a close, the individual piles of sludge begin to accumulate in the trash. Each emptying of the filter bag takes a slightly different hue as it dries. By this point, many of the skis are in finish stage, where the raw grinds are polished and waxing begins. The real fun is about to begin as the skis leave the shop and head for the trail. Wells Fargo Boulder Mountain Tour X 20 by Kurt Dudley This February 2, 2008 marks the 33rd Wells Fargo Boulder Mountain Tour, 32K freestyle, American Ski Marathon Series cross country ski race. For those of you who have never skied this race, I can only say try it, you might like it. The course is the easiest long distance race in the Marathon Series. It is a point to point race which drops about 1000 from Senate Meadow s start near Galena Lodge to the Sawtooth National Recreation Area finish, eight miles north of Ketchum. If you are a real citizen racer I have a few suggestions for you. First carry some water so you don t dehydrate on the course between feed stations. Second survive the first 10K. If you are lucky enough to ski toward the head of your wave you might set a personal best for the day by avoiding the hill congestion of the first 5K or so. Third, I find it really helps to work on your glide technique and polling every third leg push as in V-2 alternate. I think this helps conserve energy with minimal loss of speed. Fourth, try to get on a train of people for the second half of the race. It really helps to have someone pulling you along and in some cases blocking the wind. Sign up early for this race because the past few years they stop taking entries at one thousand. Sun Valley is also a great place to spend a few extra days just to ski the Wood River Valley Trails, Galena Lodge or Sun Valley Nordic Center. It s a race I hate to miss and this marks my twentieth consecutive BMT. Ray Groth has around 23 or 24 in a row, so I guess I have to keep going until I catch up to Ray. See you up there, I ll leave the wax iron on for you FIND OUT WHY IT IS CALLED SOLITUDE NORDIC SEASON PASSES & TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE Now is the time to purchase your piece of Solitude for the upcoming winter. Easily accessible from Solitude Village, the Nordic Center offers nearly 20 kilometers of brilliantly prepared trails set for both classic and skating styles of Nordic skiing. Buy online, in person at REI through Nov. 1st, or by phone. skisolitude.com/preseason Ticket Office: Nordic (winter only): Noridic Center 2007/08 Pass Options If you only knew... january 2008 page 15

16 TUNA White Pine Relays Saturday, December 15, 2007 BASE TIME: 15:23 1 lap classical and 2 laps free FASTEST CITIZEN: Barry Makarewicz PLACE FINISH LAP NET PERCENT BIB NAME HNDCP TIME TIME TIME BACK 1 Team Anderson 96 Todd Anderson :44.22:44. 11: Laurel Anderson :33.21:49. 8: Zach Anderson :06.18:33. 10: TOTAL NET TIME...31:23 2 Team Soldier Hollow 2 28 Aren Burkemo :18.22:18. 14: Evan Tayler :11.19:53. 12: Tristin Lowe :05.21:54. 11: TOTAL NET TIME...38:13 3 Heber Storm 131 Hazel Harvey (2k) :18.12:18. 17: Sophie McDonald (2k) :57. 5:39. 11: Sophie McDonald (2k) :45. 5:48. 11: TOTAL NET TIME...40:48 4 Deters Family 152 Heinrich Deters :02.21:02. 17: Julie Minahan :14.20:12. 12: Heinrich Deters :36.17:22. 13: TOTAL NET TIME...42:45 5 BLB 175 Kyle Beling (2k) :39. 9:39. 13: Zach Laufer (2k) :25. 9:46. 15: Stuart Beling :06.17:41. 13: TOTAL NET TIME...43:23 6 Numb Nuts 172 Connor Matthews :33.21:33. 14: Chris Putt :25.18:52. 13: Keegan Swenson :08.18:43. 15: TOTAL NET TIME...43:25 7 Team Soldier Hollow 1 19 Brent Layton :38.33:38. 25: Marc Jackson :33.20:55. 6: Aren Burkemo :45.19:12. 11: TOTAL NET TIME...43:35 8 Team White Pine 1 Charlie Sturgis :59.22:59. 14: Kevin Fosberg :14.18:15. 16: Charlie Sturgis :07.20:53. 12: TOTAL NET TIME...43:38 9 Thrown Together 163 Richard Groth :58.30:58. 21: Lynn Peek :24.21:26. 15: Sten Stray-Gundersen :37.19:13. 7: TOTAL NET TIME...44:22 10 Beauties And The Beast 43 Ted Palomaki :56.27:56. 17: Christina Fichter :33.23:37. 12: Susan Hallenberg :14.18:41. 14: TOTAL NET TIME...44:31 11 Silly Geese 113 Markus Boyer :23.29:23. 19: Kyle Strayer :41.22:18. 12: Henrik Burns :38.17:57. 13: TOTAL NET TIME...44:32 12 King Wilkie 71 Griffin Rowland :57.21:57. 13: Owain Rice (2k) :02.10:05. 15: Robert Rice :19.19:17. 16: TOTAL NET TIME...44:50 13 Sunny Susongs 3 Kelly Milligan :04.19:04. 16: David Susong :20.19:16. 14: Katie Susong (2k) :43. 6:23. 13: TOTAL NET TIME...45:00 14 Crazy Kajsa 59 Kajsa Vlasic :11.24:11. 16: Kajsa Vlasic :32.22:21. 14: Kajsa Vlasic :05.21:33. 14: TOTAL NET TIME...45:26 15 TUNA News 148 Kurt Dudley :11.27:11. 18: Cyndi Schwandt :04.22:53. 12: Kurt Dudley :58.21:54. 14: TOTAL NET TIME...45:29 16 Delta Old Timers 119 Bob Gross :05.25:05. 16: Nancy Fichter :35.23:30. 13: Gary Fichter :47.22:12. 14: TOTAL NET TIME...45:31 BASE TIME Lap time for fastest citizen skier LAP TIME Actual skiing time NET TIME LAP TIME - (HANDICAP * BASE TIME) PLACE FINISH LAP NET PERCENT BIB NAME HNDCP TIME TIME TIME BACK 17 Lonely Guy 89 Barry Makarewicz :51.16:51. 16: Barry Makarewicz :26.15:35. 14: Barry Makarewicz :49.15:23. 14: TOTAL NET TIME...45:58 18 Fantastik 50's 139 Bill Pederson :25.23:25. 16: Debbie Wagner :53.21:28. 15: Andrew McNeil :27.20:34. 14: TOTAL NET TIME...46:40 19 Slawson/Swanson 126 Steve Swanson :37.27:37. 17: Matt Slawson :22.25:45. 13: Eric Swanson :07.19:45. 15: TOTAL NET TIME...46:47 20 TNER B 76 Zach Beresford :32.19:32. 17: Zach Beresford :31.16:59. 14: Zach Beresford :24.16:53. 14: TOTAL NET TIME...46:54 21 Skiers With A Cycling Problem 149 Rich Dressen :32.17:32. 16: Chris Humbert :40.16:08. 15: Todd Hageman :51.16:11. 15: TOTAL NET TIME...47:03 22 SLM Sara Cox-Conklin :06.24:06. 18: Lee Shea :56.17:50. 14: Mark Conklin :21.21:25. 14: TOTAL NET TIME...47:10 23 Palmer-Legers 77 Ron Palmer-Leger :19.23:19. 17: Drew Palmer-Leger (2k) :32.12:13. 12: Lisa Palmer-Leger :32.22:00. 17: TOTAL NET TIME...47:13 24 Gates Family 110 Lori Gates :52.23:52. 17: Erik Gates :21.19:29. 16: Steve Gates :39.25:18. 13: TOTAL NET TIME...47:14 25 MakHodge 99 Riley Makarewicz (2k) :19.12:19. 13: Daniel Hodges (2k) :09. 8:50. 14: Nathan Makarewicz (2k) :58. 9:49. 18: TOTAL NET TIME...47:15 26 Jans 63 Susie Henneman :11.23:11. 18: Tanya Swenson :18.18:07. 14: Todd Henneman :43.16:25. 14: TOTAL NET TIME...47:23 27 Slowpokes 86 Kevin Moore :49.27:49. 17: Andrew Moore :24.25:35. 14: Margaret Moore :27.23:03. 15: TOTAL NET TIME...48:07 28 Cabin Fever 33 Kirk Nichols :30.27:30. 24: Nels Nichols :20.20:50. 8: William Nichols (2k) :25. 9:05. 14: TOTAL NET TIME...48:10 29 The Summit Team 46 Dave Hanscom :05.24:05. 18: Greg Hanscom :27.18:22. 14: Greg Hanscom :54.18:27. 14: TOTAL NET TIME...48:24 30 Hammer Down 107 Tucker Mirams (2k) :30.10:30. 17: Liam Egan (2k) :35.10:05. 16: Noah Putt (2k) :48. 8:13. 14: TOTAL NET TIME...48:56 31 S.S. Solitude 15 Konrad Thiel :11.21:11. 21: Chuck Turner :07.16:56. 14: William DeLeo :59.17:52. 14: TOTAL NET TIME...49:20 32 Neanderthals 116 Victor Boyer (2k) :11.14:11. 15: Sean Strayer (2k) :59.11:48. 15: Finn Burns :49.21:50. 18: TOTAL NET TIME...49:29 PERCENT BACK Amount by which LAP TIME exceeds BASE TIME PLACE FINISH LAP NET PERCENT BIB NAME HNDCP TIME TIME TIME BACK 33 KFK 129 Dave Knoop :36.19:36. 18: Greg Flores :06.19:30. 15: Dave Knoop :22.16:16. 15: TOTAL NET TIME...49:39 34 Awesome Girls 180 Mia Anderson (2k) :01.10:01. 18: Hannah Bruns (2k) :58. 8:57. 14: Mia Anderson (2k) :12. 9:14. 17: TOTAL NET TIME...49:43 35 Bruns Mix 100 Lisa Bruns :32.30:32. 18: Kurt Bruns :59.22:27. 16: David Bruns :58.18:59. 14: TOTAL NET TIME...49:48 36 The Greater Jan 179 Isaac Wilson :16.18:16. 17: Chris Peters :38.18:22. 14: Kevin Halliday :47.18:09. 17: TOTAL NET TIME...49:50 37 The Jacksons 8 Zach Jackson :38.27:38. 19: Alex Jackson (2k) :58. 8:20. 14: Doug Jackson :47.22:49. 16: TOTAL NET TIME...49:51 38 Late Comers 68 Paula Hudson :42.24:42. 21: Roxanne Toly :10.17:28. 14: Paula Hudson :03.18:53. 15: TOTAL NET TIME...50:43 39 Nada 83 Don Pollari :29.19:29. 18: Mike Weglarz :14.17:45. 16: Eric Pardyjak :15.17:01. 16: TOTAL NET TIME...50:50 40 CDKGCD 37 Chris Davidson :16.20:16. 16: Kathryn Gibson :01.26:45. 20: Chris Davidson :06.18:05. 14: TOTAL NET TIME...51:42 41 Three Skittles 122 Annaka Egan :44.30:44. 20: Quinn Graves (2k) :28. 9:44. 16: Brenna Egan (2k) :48. 9:20. 14: TOTAL NET TIME...52:05 42 Rolling Bullstones 164 Garrett Bullough :02.26:02. 22: Kirsten Whetstone :34.21:32. 14: Richard Bullough :18.19:44. 14: TOTAL NET TIME...52:11 43 Studs And Newbe 67 Tom Noaker :48.18:48. 16: Patrick Piper :46.21:58. 20: Gardie Jackson :49.16:03. 15: TOTAL NET TIME...52:20 44 MDG 40 Jerry Richardson :57.20:57. 17: Jim Kearns :55.21:58. 13: Roger Anderson :18.23:23. 21: TOTAL NET TIME...52:35 45 Mountaineers 154 Barbara Gardner :46.37:46. 27: Sky Grahn :50.21:04. 5: Ellie Johnson :20.25:30. 19: TOTAL NET TIME...52:47 46 NoName 26 Jackson Burton (2k) :12.12:12. 14: Dick Etter :24.30:12. 24: Mary Burton :12.24:48. 14: TOTAL NET TIME...53:10 47 Hesglossifique 49 Karsten Hokansen (2k) :30.14:30. 22: Michaela Webb (2k) :15. 8:45. 14: Karsten Hokansen (2k) :21. 8:06. 16: TOTAL NET TIME...53:20 48 F.C.T. 137 Gary Franz :47.38:47. 22: Strika Chord :41.20:54. 19: Scott Toly :13.17:32. 13: TOTAL NET TIME...55:21 HANDICAP Average percent back from the last 2 Relays (or an empirical value based on age and gender for new racers). page 16 january 2008

17 Relay Handoffs PLACE FINISH LAP NET PERCENT BIB NAME HNDCP TIME TIME TIME BACK 49 Tres Hombres 157 Jered Robinson (2k) :22.14:22. 20: Evan DeGray (2k) :59. 9:37. 15: Jonathan DeGray :58.21:59. 19: TOTAL NET TIME...55:38 50 Team Lobo 145 Terry Loboschefsky :05.30:05. 24: Paula Loboschefsky :11.26:06. 13: Terry Loboschefsky :39.23:28. 18: TOTAL NET TIME...56:32 51 Rogers Rabbits 167 Bruce Allen :10.23:10. 20: Isaac Rogers (2k) :37.20:27. 23: Dawn Rogers :26.19:49. 13: TOTAL NET TIME...56:48 52 Blanke V Blanke 60 Shawn Blanke :26.26:26. 25: Barbara Blanke :55.17:29. 12: Shawn Blanke :30.20:35. 19: TOTAL NET TIME...56:55 53 Kasmasian Rockets 54 Jaimie Lambert :08.31:08. 27: Steve Young :41.18:33. 15: Steve Young :44.19:03. 16: TOTAL NET TIME...58:52 PLACE FINISH LAP NET PERCENT BIB NAME HNDCP TIME TIME TIME BACK 54 Team Laura 90 Laura Howat :03.23:03. 18: Laura Howat :02.24:59. 20: Laura Howat :20.25:18. 20: TOTAL NET TIME...59:29 55 Old And In The Way 142 Elisabeth Lentz :34.33:34. 24: Robb Lenz :19.21:45. 19: Paul Smith :12.18:53. 16: TOTAL NET TIME...60:11 56 Happy Skiers 24 Gail Towsley :28.31:28. 21: Alison Frye :42.24:14. 22: Gail Towsley :36.25:54. 16: TOTAL NET TIME...60:48 57 C6 Express 133 Becky Anderson :23.37:23. 31: Grady Anderson (2k) :47. 7:24. 11: Caden MacFarlane (2k) :32.11:45. 18: TOTAL NET TIME...61:54 58 Yeh Team 62 Kenny Yeh :30.26:30. 23: Kenny Yeh :29.22:59. 20: Kenny Yeh :55.22:26. 19: TOTAL NET TIME...63:07 PLACE FINISH LAP NET PERCENT BIB NAME HNDCP TIME TIME TIME BACK 59 Turtle And Hare Hare 74 Stephani Day :42.28:42. 18: Sonja Van Hala :19.26:37. 22: Sonja Van Hala :52.26:33. 22: TOTAL NET TIME...63:33 60 Team Bauer 66 Jeff Bauer :30.25:30. 25: Jeff Bauer :18.18:48. 18: Jeff Bauer :41.20:23. 20: TOTAL NET TIME...64:11 61 Team Spinti 160 Mark Spinti :08.37:08. 35: Rachel Spinti (2k) :27.16:19. 21: Jennifer Spinti :41.23:14. 18: TOTAL NET TIME...74:40 62 Barracutta 11 Teresa Wharton :57.41:57. 37: Tyler Wharton :26.27:29. 24: Bryce Mounteer :36.25:10. 21: TOTAL NET TIME...83:11 63 Probably Last 52 Paul Williams :23.38:23. 36: Raj Nayar :29.44:06. 42: Paul Williams :19.32:50. 31: TOTAL NET TIME...110:58 january 2008 page 17

18 Skiing the Volcan Llaima Chile, South America by Tom Jow It all began with a call from the dinner table, Tom Jow, come look at this. I want to ski here, my wife Christine said. Now where? I thought as I walked over to discover the fate of my next ski vacation. She shows me the article she has been reading, about a hut in South America where the guides take you in on horses until the snow is too deep, then ski tour the rest of the way. And there is a hot spring right outside the hut, she said. Unfortunately, we never made it to the Cajon Grande hut in Argentina. However we did manage to ski at several resorts and tour the backcountry in Argentina and Chile. One of our best experiences would be climbing and skiing the Volcan Llaima in central Chile. With our friend Jamie, Christine and I landed in Santiago, Chile in the third week of September. Our first week was a roller coaster of ups and downs in South America. The skiing at Portillo was awesome; it was eighty dollars each for two days skiing, a bed in a tiny dorm room and four meals in the mystery meat cafeteria. We waited in line for seven hours to get across the border into Argentina. In Mendoza, Argentina our car was broken into. Jamie met a man at the insurance office who took us to his mechanic and had our car window fixed, cheap. We missed our rendezvous for Cajon Grande. At Las Lenas ski resort, it was freezing cold, the snow never softened, and the best ski lift was closed due to wind. Once back in Chile, our Nissan Pathfinder successfully plowed through a car swallowing mud hole to get us to Volcan Lonquimay, only to be shut down by whiteout conditions a couple hours from the summit. The beginning of the second week, we arrived at the city of Cherquenco climb and ski the Volcan Llaima. The next day we awoke at 5:30am to the sound of pouring rain, groaned and went back to sleep. After sleeping in, we were treated to a delicious French country breakfast of coffee, warm bread, farm fresh eggs, cereal and yogurt. This tastes way better than oatmeal, our luck must be about to change, Jamie said. Shortly after breakfast the clouds began parting. Similar to the road to Lonquimay, the route to Llaima was unpaved. Miles of dirt road turned to mud, which then became snow covered. As the snow piled high above the road, we came upon a traffic jam. A yellow truck was unable to get up an icy pitch in the road. Being on a one-lane road with ten feet of snow on each side of the road, no one would be getting around it. From behind us a bunch of kids ran up to see what was going on. Let s go help, I said and soon it was like a party trying to get this truck up and out of the way. For what seemed like hours we tried. Pushing. Running. Start over again. Just when it seemed impossible, a truck came down from the ski resort and pulled the yellow truck up the hill. Arriving late at the ski resort Las Aracuarias, we decided to purchase lift tickets and headed for the hill. By now we were used to old chairlifts, but there was something different about this one. The stand here stripe was ten feet below the level of the snow, the lift taking you up and out a tunnel of snow. In full view of the volcano, we skied run after run in creamy powder. With smiles on our faces, we rented a room at the resort so we could get an early start in the morning. It was a tiny room with two twin beds, a roll-away, barely room to step over our gear and no hot water in the bathroom. But the manager and staff were very friendly and since we were the only overnight guests, they agreed to let us use the kitchen. We cooked up a dinner of lentils, rice, and jamon and sat with the small staff, talking late into the night about climbing, skiing and living around the volcano. As we started out early the next morning, the air was clear and cold. Thankfully hiking up the mountain warmed our bones. The warmth did not last however. At the top of the resort a fierce wind began to blow. Crossing a seemingly endless rolling approach to the volcano cone, the rough texture of the snow surface and the snow moving across the terrain looked like a scene from a polar bear documentary. I really wished I had packed that extra layer. When we reached the last five hundred feet to the summit the wind was replaced with stinky sulfur steam from several vents above us called fumaroles. From there climbing with skins gradually became steeper and more difficult, until finally we had to put on our crampons. Nearing the top, page 18 january 2008

19 I became nervousness was creeping in. My brain was tiring from the energy required to focus. Don t look down and remember to breathe, I told myself. Jamie and Christine reached the summit first. They called down to me, Just wait until you see this! Ten more steps and I had made it. We were at the top looking down into an active volcano. There was a sheer drop into a huge smoking hole a quarter mile across. We all imagined Mordor in the Lord of the Rings. The panorama of the landscape was awesome, with the green valleys of Chile on one side and the snowy Andes on the other. We could also see the volcanoes Villarica in Chile and Lanin in Argentina. After looking around for a while it was time to ski. Looking down, it was pretty steep. The first turns felt like there were crunchy ice balls underfoot. They kept me nervous. Skiing near one of the fumaroles, Christine broke though the snow going heels over head. Let s get away from these things, she suggested. Moving left we found firmer and steeper snow. It felt more like ice to me. My first turn I lost my balance, nearly taking a slide for life while Christine and Jamie skied it flawlessly. Finally the slope angle eased up and the snow softened into perfect corn. For what seemed like thousands more feet we carved turns until, quads burning, we could ski no longer. After a leisurely lunch in the warm sun we skied back to the resort and another dinner of lentils and rice. Before we returned to Santiago, Jamie, Christine and I would continue on to ski two more volcanoes, Villarica and Chillan. There is much to remember and be grateful for from this trip to Chile and Argentina. The landscape was beautiful. The people we met were so friendly, willing to put up with our poor Spanish skills to help us find what we needed. Traveling with such great friends is unforgettable. In addition, the climb and ski descent of Llaima was memorable because it was a series of firsts. Llaima was the first active volcano we have reached the summit of, on our first South American ski trip. We had never seen the type of ice formations or snow conditions that we encountered near the summit. Finally, the sense of awe instilled by the size and depth of the smoking crater and the uneasy feeling of knowing the belly of the earth lies beneath was a new experience never to be forgotten. $60 SEASON PASS $50 FOR CURRENT TUNA MEMBERS Complete the form below and mail it with your payment to: TUNA / Mtn Dell Season Pass, PO Box 9008, SLC, UT Make checks payable to The UTAH Nordic Alliance (TUNA) Name TUNA Member # Address City State Zip Phone $60 Mountain Dell Season Pass $50 Current TUNA Member Mountain Dell Season Pass january 2008 page 19

20 Cross Country Tracks Alta Nordic Center Trails: 5 kilometers, classic/skate Fees: $10 (At the Wildcat Ticket Office) Rentals and Lessons are available. Location: At the base of Alta Ski Resort, Little Cottonwood Canyon Homestead Resort / Trails: 12 kilometers, classic/skate Fees: $6, Guests ski free Rentals and Lessons are available. Location: 700 North Homestead Drive, Midway UT From downtown Salt Lake City, take I-80 East to US Highway 40 (Heber Exit). Travel south 14 miles to the Midway and Wasatch Mountain State Park turnoff. Turn right at the stop light onto River Road and follow the green directional signs approximately 5 miles. Mountain Dell Trails: 12 kilometers, classic/skate Fees: $5 per day, $60 Season Pass, $50 for TUNA members. Maintained by TUNA volunteers Location: Lower Parley s Canyon, I-80 Exit 134 Ruby s Inn / Bryce Canyon or Ski from right outside your guest room door. Trails interconnect with ski-set trails inside Bryce Canyon National Park. Trails: 30 km, classic/skate Location: Hwy 63, Bryce, Utah Soldier Hollow Trails: 30 kilometers, classic/skate Fees: $18, $15 after 2 PM Rentals and Lessons are available. Also available, biathlon range and tubing hill. Location:.2002 Olympic Drive, Midway Directions: From Salt Lake City, take I-80 East to Silver Creek Junction (exit 146). Go east on U.S. 40 past Jordanelle Reservoir toward Heber City. Take right turn on State Road 113 (100 South) to Midway. Take a left on 113 in Midway, and travel two miles. Turn right just before the railroad tracks and follow signs to Soldier Hollow. Solitude Nordic Center Trails: 20 kilometers, classic/skate Fees: $15, $10, starts at 12:30 Rentals and Lessons are available. Location: Solitude Village Big Cottonwood Canyon Sundance Trails: 26 kilometers, classic, skate. 10 kilometers, snowshoe only Fees: All-day $15, after 2:00 $10 Seniors & Kids 12 & under ski Free$11, Directions: from Salt Lake Take I-15 South towards Provo and continue to Orem. Exit Freeway At Exit 272 8th North. Travel East on 8th North until the mouth of the canyon. Using the left lane, take Hwy 189, north towards Heber City. Turn off at the Sundance exit. The cross country area is one more mile past the Village. White Pine Trails: 18 kilometers, classic/skate Fees: $18, $10 after 3 PM, 10 Punch Pass $140 Rentals and Lessons are available. Also available, ski archery range. Location: Park City Golf Course Millcreek Canyon Trails: The road is groomed by the Parks and Recreation for skiers and snowshoers. Location: 3900 South Exit off I South turns into Millcreek Canyon. Mirror Lake Highway Trails: The road is groomed by the Forest Service for skiers and snowmobilers. Location: Hwy. 150, the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway The highway is closed from the Soapstone Campground, 15 miles past Kamas, to the East Fork Campground, 33 miles from Evanston, Wyoming. Meet Al Al Davis is a professor of computer science at the University of Utah and more importantly a minor member of the Mtn. Dell grooming crew. He s ancient and knew dinosaurs personally, even though he s younger than Dave Hanscom and Jock Glidden, both of whom can beat him on their worst day in the Citizen s Series. He is a native Utahn and can t remember learning to ski since he always did started as an alpine skier, racer, and then saw the light (mostly due to the need to try something else) and took up the Nordic life. He s gone through the usual phases: alpine only, nordic track only, touring only, and now doesn t care as long as it is skiing. Favorite mantra, which he learned from Bob Redozo (Sun Valley) is: hey man, anybody can ski good snow. He also was one of the founding members of White Pine Touring with Steve Erickson (OTHAFFA in New Zealand), Jim Miller (lost somewhere in Canada), and Bob Kassow (sadly deceased). The first White PIne shop was located in the bus shack near the golf course with floor space measured in square inches and the tracks were skied in every morning before they invented snowmobiles. Those were the good old days he s glad they re gone. Childhood ambition Fire watcher Fondest memory Giving Steve Erickson marbles for his birthday since he d lost his. Soundtrack Dire Straights Brothers in Arms Retreat Heliskiing in Canada Wildest dream Winning an Olympic downhill Proudest moment Winning the 6th grade Yo-Yo tournament Biggest challenge Climbing Mt. Robson Alarm clock...sometime before noon except on a ski day Perfect ski day 24" of Wasatch fluff and still snowing First pair of skis Wood before they invented metal edges Indulgence motorcycles Last purchase Tormek T7 (it s a tool for sharpening knives) Favorite movie Happy Gilmore Inspiration Dave Hanscom My life is work and fun My sport: skiing (all types) page 20 january 2008

21 Nordic Training Group Goal: To form a training group for skiers that either want to improve their racing results and/or for established skiers that just want to improve their skiing in general! I was inspired to start this training group given that the World Masters Nordic Championships will be held in Idaho this season, right in our back yard!!! Having a training group will not only motivate everyone to train effectively, but more importantly, it will help to create a social network of skiers that are working to achieve a common goal for the season: To be prepared for the World Masters in March, How: The training sessions will focus on the following: Preparing for all aspects of racing: Race fitness, technique, transition work, waxing, race strategy, etc. Each session will include a warm-up, a technique goal, interval session or Wild Rose Fun race, followed by a specific technique drill, warm-down. The Wild Rose Fun race series will be run for 5 sessions out of the 10. The races will be perfect simulations for learning how to prepare and race effectively. When: Wednesday evenings from 4:15-5:30pm from Dec 18th Feb 20th Where: Mountain Dell Cost: $60 Instructor: Laurie Humbert, TUNA coach, Rossignol skier My contact info: laurie_humbert@yahoo.com Pre-requisites: TUNA Membership AND a Mountain Dell Pass or daily donation.i would like to encourage everyone to purchase a Mountain Dell season pass: Show your support for all those that help to maintain such a great, convenient training course! january 2008 page 21

22 Detailed Race Information for January and Early February Saturday, January 5 Timberland Wasatch Citizens Series place: White Pine Touring Center time: juniors 10:00, others 10:20 distance: juniors 1-5 km, novices 5 km, others 15 km technique: free registration: 8:30 to 9:30 fee: juniors $6, TUNA members $12, others $15 contact: White Pine ( ) sponsors: Timberland, White Pine Saturday, January 12 Utah Winter Games Open place: Soldier Hollow time: TBD distance: juniors 1-5 km, novices 5 km, others 10 km technique: free registration: TBD fee: juniors $6, TUNA members $12, others $15 contact: Soldier Hollow ( ) sponsors: Utah Winter Games, Soldier Hollow Wednesday, January 16 Wild Rose Fun Race place: Mountain Dell time: 4:45 distance: 5 km technique: any registration: 4:30 in the parking lot fee: cheap contact: Tim Metos, Wild Rose Mountain Sports, 702 E. Third Ave., sponsors: Wild Rose Wednesday, January 23 Wild Rose Fun Race See January 16 for details Saturday, January 26 Timberland Wasatch Citizens Series place: Mountain Dell time: juniors 10:00, others 10:20 distance: juniors 1-5 km, novices 5 km, others 10 km technique: classical registration: 8:30 to 9:30 fee: juniors $6, TUNA members $12, others $15 (lunch included) contact: White Pine, ( ) sponsors: Timberland, Kirkham's Wednesday, January 30 Wild Rose Fun Race See January 16 for details Wednesday, February 6 Wild Rose Fun Race See January 16 for details Saturday, February 9 Timberland Wasatch Citizens Series place: Soldier Hollow time: juniors 10:00, others 10:20 distance: juniors 1-5 km, novices 5 km, others 10 km technique: free registration: 8:30 to 9:30 fee: juniors $6, TUNA members $12, others $15 (lunch included) contact: Soldier Hollow ( ) sponsors: Timberland, REI REI CALENDAR Winter Trails Day at Alta Sunday, January 13th, 9am-4pm Want some instruction on how to kick and glide on Nordic skis? Fascinated by winter ecology? Winter Trails Day at the Alta Nordic Center is your chance to get out there with some help from the experts! If you are a beginner or first timer on snow, come join the staff of REI, the cross country and skate ski enthusiasts from the Utah Nordic Alliance and the knowledgeable guides from Cottonwood Canyons Foundation. This day of guided snowshoeing, cross country & skate ski instruction and outdoor interpretation is not to be missed. Best of all, its FREE! Activities include snowshoe interpretive tours, an introduction to cross country skiing, and beginning skate ski lessons. More information and a full activity schedule is available at To register, please contact the Customer Service Department at REI starting January 1st at (801) Limited space available is each class. Activities include: SNOWSHOE INTERPRETIVE TOURS: Join us for a peek into the winter wonderland of the Wasatch Mountains! The Cottonwood Canyons Foundation will provide basic snowshoeing instruction and insight into winter ecology. A beginner and family friendly event! INTRODUCTION TO CLASSIC CROSS COUNTRY SKIING: This is a great way to experience cross country skiing for the first time and to get instruction while exploring Alta s beautiful trail 5km groomed track. Taught by the experts from REI and the Utah Nordic Alliance. BEGINNING SKATE SKI LESSON: You ve always admired those skiers who wiz by on skinny skis now is your chance to enjoy the fun. Take an introductory skate ski lesson with the instructors from REI and the Utah Nordic Alliance. KNOW BEFORE YOU GO; AVALANCHE EDUCATION FOR YOUNG ADULTS IN UTAH Tuesday, January 8th, 7pm A critical need exists for basic avalanche education for junior high through college age students in Utah. Just as students in Hawaii learn about the dangers of rip tides and shore breaks at an early age, students in Utah need to learn about avalanches. The rising numbers of young avalanche victims have demonstrated an obvious need for basic avalanche education. This free program is designed as a 50-minute program in three parts. It begins with a 15-minute, narrated video showing avalanches, people triggering avalanches and the destructive power of avalanches. This will be followed by a local avalanche professional tells their story about close calls or accidents they have had as they learned about avalanches. Finally a 15 -minute PowerPoint presentation about the basics of how to recognize avalanche terrain, recognize obvious signs of instability, safe travel practices, the basics of avalanche rescue equipment and selfrescue procedures, and where to obtain information about current avalanche conditions. A question and answer session will wrap up the evening. THE SCIENCE OF AVALANCHES Tuesday, January 29th, 7pm Bruce Tremper, Director of the Utah Avalanche Center, will give a talk titled Science of Avalanches and will do a signing of his book, Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain. This is the next step beyond an avalanche awareness talk where Bruce will discuss precisely how avalanches work and the science behind them explained in simple terms. He will use a number of his famous models involving cardboard boxes, Dixie cups, silly putty, rubber bands, and foam rubber. He will also show exciting films of avalanches in motion in addition to slides & graphs. It s always a popular talk, so come early for a good seat. page 22 january 2008

23 This race schedule is published and distributed compliments of Timberland and TUNA 2007/2008 Utah Cross Country Ski Race Schedule DATE RACE TECHNIQUE(k) LOCATION START January Sat Wasatch Citizens Series free(15) White Pine 10:00 11 Fri Univ. of Utah Invit. Soldier Hollow 12 Sat Univ. of Utah Invit. Soldier Hollow 12 Sat Utah Winter Games Open free(10) Soldier Hollow 12 Sat Teton Ridge Classic class(6/14/28) Driggs, ID 10:00 16 Wed Wild Rose Fun Race any(5) Mountain Dell 4:30 18 Fri JO Super Qualifier free sprint Soldier Hollow 19 Sat JO Super Qualifier classical Soldier Hollow 23 Wed Wild Rose Fun Race any(5) Mountain Dell 4:30 26 Sat Wasatch Citizens Series class(10) Mountain Dell 10:00 30 Wed Wild Rose Fun Race any(5) Mountain Dell 4:30 February Sat Boulder Mountain Tour free (30) Sun Valley 10:00 6 Wed Wild Rose Fun Race any(5) Mountain Dell 4:30 9 Sat Wasatch Citizens Series free(10) Soldier Hollow 10:00 9 Sat Moose Chase free(25) Jackson Hole 10:00 13 Wed Wild Rose Fun Race any(5) Mountain Dell 4:30 16 Sat Wasatch Citizens Series & free(20) White Pine Farm 10:00 TUNA Club Championship 17 Sun Bryce Archery Biatholon free(6) Ruby s Inn, Bryce 11:00 18 Mon Bryce Canyon Ski Festival free(10) Ruby s Inn, Bryce 9:30 23 Sat Yellowstone Rendezvous class(25) West Yellowstone 8:45 Yellowstone Rendezvous free(25/50) West Yellowstone 9:00 March Masters World Cup all McCall, ID 8 Sat Ullr Chase free Logan 15 Sat Wooden Ski Classic ` class(5) Alta 10:30 22 Sat Equinox Ski Challenge any (24-hour) West Yellowstone 10:00 29 Sat LaSaLoppet any(18) Moab 9:00 April Sat Ski Up 2008 free Snowbird * 1 lap classical and 2 laps free For more up-to-date information check the TUNA web page at T U N A C L A S S I F I E D SKIS SKATE SKIS, FISCHER RCS Cold (yellow, blue and black), includes Salomon SNS Pilot bindings (yellow and black). 190 cm. Weight range Recent $100 Premium stonegrind. $625 retail. Sell $250. bk2107@yahoo.com. Have you checked your garage lately? Sell your stuff here for CASH and then buy this year s gear. Ads are FREE for TUNA Members. Send to bruceschroeder@yahoo.com. january 2008 page 23

24 It s Time to Renew Your Membership in TUNA! by Lisa Bruns, Membership Chair Membership in TUNA is on a yearly basis and is for people who want to enjoy, support, and promote crosscountry skiing in Utah. Every year your membership in TUNA supports a multitude of programs and activities that you and your family can participate in: groomed skiing at Mountain Dell, youth programs for young skiers, a newsletter, social events, fall and summer conditioning classes, and volunteer opportunities for local and international races. All of this would not be possible without the good graces of our volunteers and the support we get from our membership. TUNA membership costs $30 for individuals and $40 for families. To join TUNA or renew your membership, please visit and click on the membership link. Follow the instructions to have a password ed to you (for member renewals) or create a new login account. TUNA is again using the PayPal online payment system for membership and ski passes. We are ready to sign you up 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Registering online greatly reduces the effort of volunteers who maintain the membership TUNA database. As a special incentive, the first 100 members who register online will be selected for a prize drawing! Please join or renew your membership in TUNA now! join Register Online! Join or renew your TUNA membership on our website. Memberships begin June 1 and last one year. Sign up today to become a member of TUNA and a part of the cross-country ski community in Utah.Your membership supports youth programs, groomed trails and ski races. M E M B E R S H I P F O R M If you don t have access to the Internet, please complete this form and mail it along with a check payable to The Utah Nordic Alliance TUNA Membership Director P0 Box 9008, Salt Lake City, Utah Name Date of birth (optional) Address City State Zip Phone home work Please check if we can include your phone number in the TUNA directory. Membership Fee: Individual: $30 Family: $40 Family membership (it applicable). Spouse Date of birth (optional) Children s names & dates of birth (optional) Where did you hear about TUNA? I m interested in volunteering for: Race Day Help Yurt Operations/Maintenance Newsletter Special Events Board of Directors Track Grooming I have the following special talents which might help TUNA The Utah Nordic Alliance PO Box 9008 Salt Lake City, UT Non-Profit Org. U S Postage PAID Salt Lake City, UT Permit No, 6348