Published: Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:00 AM MDT
The Assistant Coach assists the Head Coach in the administration of all aspects of the sport program including but not limited to: training, waxing, recruiting, travel schedule, budget management, equipment, fund raising and ensuring program compliance with NCAA, Conference, and University rules and regulations.
Required qualifications: Bachelor's Degree; Proven knowledge of ski racing and training at the national level; Energetic, highly motivated and outgoing personality who is passionate about recruiting, and developing student-athletes within the academic and athletic standards set forth by the University of New Hampshire and the NCAA; Ability to work with a diverse group of individuals within the University community. Organized, well-written, well-spoken; willingness to acquire a knowledge of NCAA rules and regulations and display exemplary ethical conduct and conformance to NCAA rules and regulations. Preferred qualifications: Experience racing at the collegiate skiing level or higher and at least one year of coaching experience at or above the junior level.
Salary will range between $15,000 and $17,500 depending on experience. Grad Assistant positions are not part of the stipend but we have worked with programs in the past. Cover letter, resume, and 3 references should be e-mailed to Cory Schwartz, corys@unh.edu. For questions regarding the position please call Cory at 603-512-2317. We will begin reviewing applications immediately. The University of New Hampshire is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Applications from women and people from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds are encouraged.
Cory Schwartz
corys@unh.edu
603-512-2317
Read the rest of this entry »
Published: Wed Mar 26, 2008 2:00 AM MDT
Updated: Wed Mar 26, 2008 10:45 PM MDT
Norwegian rockets Sigrid Aas and Petter Eliassen were victorious in Tuesday evening's Tour of the Golden Heart Spring Series opener.
CXC coach Brian Fish takes a turn at racing.
Conditions were firm, fast, and not terribly cold. Interval-start 5k and 10k skate races were on the agenda, giving local juniors a chance to race with a number of top elite seniors. The courses at Birch Hill are very well-designed, featuring a lot of climbs and corners which are all very skiable. With no excessively steep, long v1 climbs on the course, the biggest challenge was maintaining high speed on some of the medium-gradual uphills, where one could either v2 strongly or fall into a tired v1 with not enough glide and lose a lot of time.
The women's 5Km free technique interval start race was a four-way battle between Aas, runner-up Anna Coulter of the UAF team, third place finisher Laura Valaas of Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center, and Team Rossignol's Martina Stursova. Small time gaps opened up between these skiers early in the race, and gradually expanded, although the race was reasonably tight all the way to the end.
Aas' time was 14:40.6, 8.4 seconds ahead of Coulter, who was, in turn, 11.4 seconds ahead of Valaas. Stursova missed a position on the podium by 13 seconds. UAF Assistant Ski Coach Ingrid Olsen rounded out the top five, 1:16 back.
Heather Edic, Marisa Rorabaugh and Kate Bennett were the three top juniors, in 7th-8th-9th.
The racing started at 6:00PM under sunny skies with comfortable temperatures. Sixteen women were entered in the race, but a number of scratches, including former Fairbanks skiers Kate (Pearson) Arduser and Becca Rorabaugh, brought the field down to 11. However it was a very strong field, and the junior skiers who competed in the race were able to measure themselves against the very best.
The men's race began at 7:00PM, and a gradually increasing breeze and slowly falling temperatures made conditions seem a little colder for the many spectators who had grown accustomed to the conditions during the women's race.
The fastest skiers went out toward the front of the field of 37. Leif Zimmerman of the USST and Bridger Ski Foundation (Bozemen, MT), who was the 10Km classic champion on the Birch Hill trails at the 2003 Junior Olympics, was the first skier out of the gate, wearing bib number 20, and was the early leader.
Starting two-and-a-half minutes behind Zimmerman was 2008 NCAA Champion Marius Korthauer of the Alaska Nanooks, now skiing for Rossignol. Korthauer gained a few seconds on Zimmerman early, Petter Eliassen, starting 30 seconds behind Korthauer, took over the lead at most of the early timing positions.
These three skiers spend most of the race in that order, but within 15-20 seconds of one another. Eliassen had about 10 seconds on Korthauer with two to three kilometers to go. Korthauer was able to narrow that gap to four seconds by the finish, but could get no closer. The final top three were Eliassen, Korthauer (+4.2 seconds) and Zimmerman (+13.2 seconds). APUNSC coach Frode Lillefjell was fourth (+1:17) and UAF skier Vahur Teppan was fifth (+1:22).
Among juniors, Michael Mattson of APU was first (6th overall). David Norris of FAST was second junior (10th overall) and Ray Sabo of UAF was third junior in 12th overall.
Coverage from the Fairbanks Daily News Miner
Sources: Nordic Ski Club of Fairbanks, Ian Case
Originaly from Source
Published: Thu Mar 06, 2008 2:00 AM MST
The NCAA National Championships got under way with the women's 5km freestyle race yesterday morning in Bozeman, Montana. The University of Colorado's Maria Grevsgaard won the event by 24 seconds over teammate Lenka Palanova.
Getting my first NCAA win feels really good, Im really excited, Grevsgaard said. Its amazing that Lenka and I were able to finish one-two. Its the first race of NCAAs and we made up a lot of points, so its just a good start.”
This was Grevsgaard 10th win in 11 eleven starts this season. Her win, combined with Palanova's career-best second place led the CU team to the top of the team standings after the first day of competition.
Everywhere on the course all of the Alpiners and the other Nordic skiers were out there cheering and pushing you and you just dont want to slow down, Palanova said. So you push and hammer. Someone called out and told me that I was in fourth and I thought that was pretty good, and then another person later told me I was in second and I knew I had to go faster and push. I was tired but I kept going. I finished sixth at NCAAs two years ago in Steamboat so this feels awesome. She was 30th in both disciplines last year in New Hampshire, the result of what coaches determined to be overtraining.
Denver University's Annelise Bailly, the one skier to defeat Grevsgaard this year, finished third 2.9 seconds behind Palanova.
CU leads the overall competition with 186 points. Northern Michigan University (NMU) is second with 153 points. Middlebury, Dartmouth and DU are tied for third with 141 points, and University of Utah and the University of Alaska Fairbanks are right behind with 140 and 135 points respectively.
We have a solid cushion right now, but there is nothing solid in concrete, CU head coach Richard Rokos said. It definitely helps that weve overcome that handicap (being down one skier) for one day, and its all because of how great a job Bruce (Cranmer, CU Nordic coordinator) does coaching those teams and how they performed. The girls really killed it today, and taking the top two spots in the womens race collected a lot of points of us. But everyone performed well and its both excited and challenged the alpine kids.
NMU was led by Morgan Smyth in 5th place and Laura DeWitt in 7th.
Rossie Brennan led defending champion Dartmouth with a 6th place finish. Susan Dunklee was 12th and Elsa Sargent 19th as the Big Green began their quest to repeat.
Middlebury College, one of only three teams (along with Utah and Dartmouth) to field a full squad of 12 skiers, had a strong day in the women's race. Alexa Turzian finished 4th and Cassidy Edwards 11th.
Points are awarded in single increments with the winner receiving 39 and last place in the 39 skier field receiving one.
The NCAA Championships continue tomorrow with the Giant Slalom
Women's 5km Freestyle Results
Team Standings
Coverage of Men's 10km Freestyle
Maria Grevsgaard (CU) - 1st place (Photo Credit: Jackson Harris)
Lenka Palanova (CU) - 2nd place (Photo Credit: Jackson Harris)
Annelise Bailly (DU) - 3rd place (Photo Credit: Jackson Harris)
Women's Podium (Photo Credit: Jackson Harris)
Published: Thu Mar 06, 2008 2:00 AM MST
Dartmouth junior Glenn Randall (Collbrun, CO) became the first Big Green skier in 41 years to claim an NCAA cross country ski title, winning the mens 10-kilometer freestyle race at the NCAA Mens and Womens Skiing Championships today.
Randall, whose previous best NCAA finish was fifth in the freestyle in 2006, won in 30:37.3, 11 seconds better than Alaska-Fairbanks Marius Korthauer. Colorados Jesper Ostensen was third, 24 seconds off of Randalls pace.
This is really special for me, said Randall, who learned to ski high in the Colorado Rockies. Its a really tough course with a lot of long, grinding uphills. I happen to like long, grinding uphills.
Randall let the race from wire to wire, leading at the first interval in 14:34.1. At around a kilometer-and-a-half, I heard I was in second place. Then, at about half way, I was told I was leading. From there I just tried to ski my race.
I knew he had a shot, said Dartmouth mens cross country coach Ruff Patterson. This course was built for Glenn. Were at altitude, and its one tough course. He really shines in these conditions.
Randall becomes the Big Greens first NCAA cross country champion since 1967, when the race was won by 1968 graduate Ned Gillette.
Randall's finish helped defending champion Dartmouth to a tie for third place 45 points behind Colorado. Led by Ostensen's third place finish, and the top two finishers in the women's event, CU jumped to an early lead.
Bates Sylvan Ellefson capped a strong comeback over the course of the season to finish fourth. DU was led by Rene Reisshaur in 5th place. Reisshauer was the defending National Champion in the 10km event. His teammate, John Stene, the 2006 National Champion in this event finished 7th.
Randall also has the distinction of being the first skier from an eastern college to win a men's National Championship in at least a decade. It has also been many years since an American born skier captured a title.
Men's 10km Freestyle Results
Team Standings
Coverage of Women's 5km Freestyle
Glenn Randall (DAR) - 1st place (Photo Credit: Jackson Harris)
Marius Korthauer (UAF) - 2nd place (Photo Credit: Jackson Harris)
Jesper Ostensen (CU) - 3rd place (Photo Credit: Jackson Harris)
Men's Podium (Photo Credit: Jackson Harris)
Published: Fri Mar 07, 2008 6:52 AM MST
Updated: Fri Mar 07, 2008 8:24 AM MST
Often the full story behind a race does not come out until well after the official results have been published. Coming off a successful day of sprinting the weekend before in Finland where Andy Newell was seconds and Kikkan Randall was 5th, hopes were high for the classic sprint in downtown Drammen. At the least, the narrow twisty streets would make for an action packed day of racing.
Unfortunately, the first starter for the day, Randall, ran into immediate trouble. One of her velcro pole straps came undone, forcing her to ski most of the race with tightly gripping the pole in her fist. Randall missed out on qualifying for the heats by less than half a second.
You can read her full account of the race at http://blogs.fasterskier.com/kikkanrandall
The men's race got off to a more promising start - with both Newell and teammate Torin Koos advancing to the heats. After his podium finish last weekend, Newell expressed his goal of showing the Norweigans he could double-pole with the best of them - he was now in a position to do so.
He never really had a shot, tripping less than a third of the way into his quarterfinal. “Andy fell when his wax caught and he was down maybe 300 meters into the course,” US Sprint Coach Chris Grover said. “He was actually able to catch back up to the leaders but he faded at the end because he had spent so much energy getting back.”
Koos had the best day of the three - battling to the line in his quarterfinal he was edged by the smallest of margins for the final “lucky loser” spot in the semis. “The guy who was third in his heat was the lucky loser and there was probably only a ski boot length between the two,” said Grover. “He had a good round, but just narrowly missed advancing. It was disappointing given how our guys have skied in the past few weeks.”
The top 30 skiers make the sprint finals out of the qualifying rounds, which are six-skier heats. The top two skiers in each round move on as well as the two “lucky losers,” the fastest two sprint times across each round not in the top two in his or her heat
“It started off as a good day, but we had a bit of bad luck,” Grover said. “The Drammen sprint is always a challenge because some people do it in skate gear and other people use classic technique. It's really tough to get through in Drammen.”
World Cup action continues tomorrow with the famed Holmenkollen Ski Festival in Oslo, Norway. The men will race 50km, the women 30km in the freestyle technique. Kris Freeman and Garrott Kuzzy will start for the US.
Complete Coverage of the women's sprints in Drammen:
Kuitunen Wins Drammen Sprint
Complete Coverage of the men's sprints in Drammen:
Norway Takes 13 of 15 Spots in Drammen
Read the rest of this entry »
Published: Sat Mar 01, 2008 2:00 AM MST
Updated: Sat Mar 01, 2008 7:34 PM MST
Andy Newell (USA) took second place in the World Cup freestyle sprint in Lahti, Finland. Newell topped his previous best finish - a third place in China in 2006. Newell rebounded from a string of frustrating results, and appeared on a mission from the start, winning the qualification round by 1.85 seconds.
“Last weekend I fell during qualification in Stockholm and missed qualification,” the American sprint star said. “So today I was angry about that and went out and tried to lay down a fast time.”
Anders Gloersen of Norway won the event with teammate Ola Vigen Hattestad taking third. Canadian Devon Kershaw also had an excellent day, finishing 5th overall. I raced extremely well today and have to be happy with fifth because that was a pretty messy final, said Kershaw, who got tangled up several times searching for holes and a clear lane.
Through the first half of the A-final Newell did an excellent job of maintaining position and staying out of trouble on a Lahti course that featured several extremely tight corners. But on the first long downhill, he appeared to catch skis with another competitor several times and slipped to the last spot. He held that position until Kershaw attempted to slip between Swede Bjorn Lind and Norweigan Hattestad, getting briefly tangled and thrown off balance. Newell took advantage and moved through the resulting space into third - behind Gloersen and Lind. Gloersen's skis appeared to be running extremely well - a fact he confirmed in the post-race press conference, and the Norweigan opened a gap on the downhill into the stadium. Newell made a nice move, passing Lind on the inside of the final corner, and closed up on Gloersen - almost pulling even. But the young Norweigan was able to accelerate away on the finish straight. Hattestad skied into third on the inside, moving up from 5th in the last 100 meters.
After the race, Newell told the press that he was motivated by three things heading into today's race - not qualifying for the heats in Stockholm due to a fall in the qualification round, the inspiring results of the American women at the U23 World Championships - especially Liz Stephen's bronze medal, and finally the recent death of noted ski journalist Paul Robbins.
And while Newell expressed great excitement at being back on the podium, he made it clear his goal had been to win. “I really wanted to win today and dedicate that to him (Robbins), but I'll settle for second place. I know if he was here he would be happy for us to take second.”
“Today, to be first by nearly two seconds in qualification and then to go on and have his best World Cup finish was really gratifying,” said Sprint Head Coach Chris Grover. “It's Andy's best sprint ever.”
One World Cup sprint remain on the schedule - a classic next weekend in Drammen - an event that Newell describes as one of the toughest on the circuit due to the proficiency of the Norweigans in classic sprinting. His goal is another top result, and hopes to show the Norweigans he can double pole with the best of them.
Host Finland was unable to qualify any skier for the A-final, but took places eight, nine and ten with three skier sin the B-final. While not as dominating as in a classic sprint, Norway still managed two on the podium and four in the top eleven.
Men's Sprint Results
Coverage of the Qualification Round - including additional American and Canadian results. Read the rest of this entry »
Published: Wed Feb 27, 2008 6:42 PM MST
Updated: Wed Feb 27, 2008 7:03 PM MST
Virpi Kuitunen (FIN) add valuable points to her overall World Cup lead with her victory in the classic sprint in Stockholm, Sweden. Kuitunen has led the World Cup since Canmore, but Norweigan Astrid Jacobsen has closed the gap over the past few weeks.
Kuitunen showed her usual strong form in classic sprinting. She won the qualification and each of her heats on the way to the top of the podium. Petra Majdic, always near the top in classic sprints, was a close second. Majdic, who won this event in Canmore, lost the overall sprint ranking lead to Kuitunen and now trails the Finnish star by a mere two points.
The surprise of the day was Madoka Natsumi of Japan, who finished third. Natsumi, who skied her first World Cup race in 1997 as a 19 year old, stood on the World Cup podium for the first time in her career. She has been a successful sprinter, with her previous best a 5th place finish earlier this season.
The Swedish women were unable to accomplish much on their home turf. They were led by Lina Anderssen in 26th place, and haven't showed the form that allowed them to dominate women's sprinting several years ago.
Canadian Chandra Crawford had a solid day with a 12th place finish. The defending Olympic sprint gold medalist is a stronger skater, but has showed significant improvement in classic sprinting this year. She just made the heats with her 28th in qualification, but advanced out of her quarterfinal before finishing last in her semifinal and the B-final. Her times back in those heats were significant and it is unclear if she fell or was simply out of gas.
I had another exciting day and summoned all of the energy in my body to try and break through to the final, but finished 12th for the third straight time, said the 24-year-old Crawford. There is all kinds of work I need to do to get to the next level but the key is really holding my technique and everything together when I am really tired. I have come a long way from placing 40th in this race to now consistently in the top-12. With two years to go until Vancouver I think Im on track.
No other Canadians or Americans qualified for the heats.
Koos, Crawford Advance to Heats in Stockholm Sprint
Men's Coverage
Read a brief account of the day from Andy Newell and see photos (that snow was dirty!!) on his blog:
blogs.fasterskier.com/andynewell
Complete Results
Originaly from Source
Published: Wed Feb 27, 2008 6:41 PM MST
In what has become the norm, the Norweigan men's team dominated the World Cup classic sprint in Stockholm, Sweden. Taking places 1,2,4,6,8,9 Norway combined with host Sweden to take 9 of the top 10 spots.
Jens Arne Svartedal won the event after qualifying in 29th. Boerre Naess, the top qualifier, was second and Emil Joensson gave the hometown fans something to cheer about with his third place finish.
Cyril Miranda of France was the only non-Scandinavian to crack the top 10, finishing 5th.
Torin Koos was the only American or Canadian to crack the top 30. Koos qualified in 20th, but was knocked out in his quarterfinal, finishing 29th on the day.
“Unfortunately, it was a really bad day,” said U.S. Ski Team Sprint Coach Chris Grover. “Kikkan did not have any energy. Andy fell in qualification, and still almost made it in. Torin made it in, but was in the fastest quarterfinal of the day, and couldn't hang on during the final uphill climb to the finish.”
The Royal Palace Sprint is an annual event where snow is placed around the Royal Palace in downtown Stockholm with thousands of spectators lining the streets for the classic technique sprint. It had been persistently raining in Stockholm. Without enough cold to stiffen the snow overnight, athletes were left to ski in less than desirable conditions.
Read coverage of the qualification round, including additional North American results:
Koos, Crawford Advance to Heats in Stockholm Sprint
Women's Coverage
Read a brief account from Andy Newell and see photos (that snow was dirty!!) on his blog:
blogs.fasterskier.com/andynewell
Complete Results
Originaly from Source
By Kevin Sweeney
Published: Tue Feb 19, 2008 9:58 AM MST
Kevin Sweeney is the Swix Racing Service Director.
Proper base preparation is perhaps one of the best ways to insure you have good kick and good glide for the 55km American Birkebeiner. Conditions appear to be fantastic for the 35th annual race. Follow these simple steps and your skis will be ready for race wax application. Swix makes it easy for you to have great skis!
First step is to clean the base from old wax, oils and dirt. If using classic skis, clean off old kick wax with a putty knife and then wipe / scrub clean with Swix wax remover (I0062). Using a piece of Swix Fibertex (T0266) with the wax remover works great to scrub the kick zone free of old wax. Let skis dry.
On the glide zones it is best to clean by using the traditional “hot scrape method”. Take Swix BP99, which requires a very low iron temperature of 110C, and melt this onto the base. Iron in with 2-3 passes down the length of the ski with each pass taking approximately 7-10 seconds. While wax is still molten, use a stiff (3mm) plastic Swix wax scraper (T0823D) and scrape wax off the base. You can usually see the dirt and particles in this scraped up wax. Continue to do this 2 or 3 times until you can not see any more dirt coming up. Let skis cool for 10 minutes, and then brush out the base using the Swix Fine Steel Brush (T1088B pro oval) or (T0192NB rectangular). Brush 7-10 strokes. You can feel when the brush becomes free and no more wax is left in the base structure. Keep brushes clean by using your vacuum on the bristles. The extra fine filaments of the Fine Steel Brush are incomparable in performance. They are extremely durable and do not break down like an old nylon brush or too soft of a brush such as copper or soft bronze. You are able to not only clean the wax out of the structure, you are also able to open up the pores of the base that may have been inadvertently burned or sealed by using too hot of an iron or lingering in one spot too long. As I recently mentioned in my article on Cold Weather Waxing Tips, coaches or those doing several pairs of skis may really enjoy the new Steel Brush (T01790 pro oval or T0179R rectangular size) for this first step brushing method.
Now that bases are clean, it is time to saturate the pores of the glide zones with wax. Our goal here is to fill the pores with wax that will provide excellent bonding to our race layers that we will apply last. What wax we put on at this point is very important. We want the wax to be as close in hardness as possible that will not allow snow crystals or wax to dig into the wax and pull or tear the wax molecules out of the base. In most cases, we want a “hard” wax for this. In very cold temperatures it is common to use Swix CH4. In warmer conditions, Swix has developed the next generation base preparation wax, Swix MB77. This wax is to be used as a base preparation wax in the most common temperatures people frequently ski. MB77 is a fantastic base preparation wax because it contains a moly additive whose main function is to repel dirt and act as a dry lubricant reducing friction in dirty and drier conditions. This is the same moly additive found in our extremely versatile 100% Cera FC1 and FC2 Turbo waxes. The MB77 also contains a significant amount of flouro which does three things. One, it is extremely hydrophobic (repels water), two, the flouro molecules provide a great bonding base for the high or 100% race layer flouros to be added as semi final or final topcoats. (When heat is applied, these flouro molecules bond to each other proving a very durable topcoat or overlayer.) Three, the flouro makes the base wax very durable.
The numbers “77″ in MB77 represent its hardness scale in the Swix glide wax line up with 4's and 6's being cold and 8, 10's being warm waxes. Due to the moly's ability to provide lubrication in drier snow, we are able to run the MB77 when temps call for 6's and also to have success at higher elevations we find typical of the Rockies etc. Give the glide base a good saturation of Swix MB77. Let cool, scrape and brush out with the Fine Steel Brush. If you have neglected your skis since the last Birkie, doing this step twice is not a bad idea!
Structure of the ski base is now our next consideration. In nearly all cases except extremely cold conditions, you should have structure in the ski base. Refer to the following points and chart and apply structure with the legendary simple Swix T401 Hand “Riller” structure tool, or, if you have questions ask your local ski shop to apply structure to your base. (TheT405 is a structure tool used more by World Cup Service, large teams and shops and is quite expensive). It looks like we will be using a .25mm or .50mm rill based on temperature, humidity and snow type at this year's Birkebeiner.
Practical guidelines when setting structure with hand held tools
Use of the different imprint blades will vary with the underlying stone grind. If the base has a fine structure it can be taken to “medium” by using the coarse imprint blade. In this way you will be able to make a fine stone grind fit “medium” conditions. However, it is not possible to make a coarse stone grind 'fine' with a 'fine' blade.
In skating, a medium/coarse or coarse structure is rarely used due to varying conditions in a skating slope and the negative effect this will give on “feeling” (which has to do with the resistance in pushing the ski forward). In skating, a fine or medium structure is preferred as the standard; these structures will then be modified with the use of the structure/imprint tools “on top of” the underlying stone grind. Be aware of the amount of pressure when applying the hand made structure. In skating it is most important to apply light pressure on the front half of the ski. A harder pressure will be applied from the binding and backwards. This has shown to give an optimal mix of “good glide” and “free feel.”
For classic skis, use even pressure, but preferably lighter pressure on the front part.
Manually produced structure should be set after waxing, and after application of Cera F and brushing. After setting the structure, brush once more with the Blue Nylon brush.
Always apply manual structures on race day since the intended effect can be reduced over time.
If two or more imprint blades are used in combination, always start by using the coarser blade.
In more humid / wet conditions, it is normal to use more pressure and to make 2-3 passes with the imprint device to facilitate better drainage of moisture.
The T405 has a broader range in temperature and snow conditions versus the T401. The T405 is also perhaps more “gentle” with the ski base which allows change / removal of structure pattern more easily.
Never clean your structuring blades (or steels) with a metal brush. Use a soft toothbrush.
Use the following chart to make decisions on which imprint structure to use:
Guidelines for the use of T405 and T401:
Based on the forecast, everyone can go through this base preparation process several days before heading to the Birkie. Keep the MB77 on the base until you are ready to apply final race layers and structure.
If using classic skis, final base preparation of the kick zone is required. The main reason for this is so the kick wax will adhere well enough to the base for the duration of the event. Swix suggests using the T0011 synthetic cork w/ #100 grit sandpaper attached to rough up the kick zone. For hardwax, the kick zone is approximately 65cm beginning at the heel and moving forward up the ski. For Klister wax, the zone is shorter typically about 45-65cm. These measurements vary according to ski flex and skier weight. A good shop or good experience can help you dial these measurements in. To sand the kick zone we only pass the sanding cork in parallel fashion to the ski base, not across the base. If you will be applying Swix HF or Swix Cera F glide waxes, it is now best to wait before applying the base kick wax. Continue with your final race waxing of the glide zones.
Complete ironing, scraping and brushing. If applying Cera F powders, it is a common practice to tape over the kick zones to prevent the Cera F from getting into the kick zone pores as the kick wax will poorly adhere to this area. Iron and brush out Cera, then remove the tape and make sure kick zone is clean of wax and tape residue. The kick zone is now ready for application of the kick base wax sometimes referred to as “binder”.
If kick wax is going to be hardwax, apply a generous amount of Swix VG35 and then iron this in. Let cool 5 minutes and cork smooth. Do not over cork. If possible set outside to cool before applying the several layers of race waxes for the event. If the race wax is klister, apply a layer of Swix KR20. Iron this in. Again, let cool, and lightly cork smooth. This takes a firm yet subtle grip of the cork. Let base cool before applying the race klister layers. The more the KR20 has a chance to cool, typically the easier it is to apply the layers on top without mixing occurring. This requires patience and practice. A very nice video demonstration w/ voice queue can be found at www.swixsport.com
A few simple steps and your bases have been refurbished and are now prepped to receive the final race wax layers. While you are at it, inspect your ski sidewalls and surface for cracks or holes. Inspect bindings, check for loose screws, cracked plates. Also check your poles for cracks, loose or broken pole tips, handles and for worn straps. Be ready for a great day!
Base Preparation products required for glide zone:
BP99 base cleaning wax BP099
MB77 base wax MB077
Swix waxing Iron T72, T73 or T74
Swix 3mm wax scraper T0823D
Swix groove scraper T0087 or T0088
Swix Fine Steel Brush (T1088B pro oval) or (T0192NB rectangular)
Swix T401 Hand “Riller” structure tool
Base Preparation products required for kick zone:
Swix wax remover I0062 Fibertex T0266N and Fiberlene T0151
Putty Knife
Cork & sanding block T0011
VG35 hardwax base wax
KR20 klister base wax
Swix Sport's partner Team, The Factory Team, has had outstanding results this year using Swix waxes and poles. Below is a summary of results and wax combinations provided to Swix courtesy of Factory Team wax technicians Kevin Johnson and Fabien Blondeau. www.endurance-enterprises.com
Place, Race Type, Air Temp (C), Snow Snow Temp (C), Glide Wax, Kick Wax, Grade, Best.
Factory Team Results
WY Supertour, Sprint Sk, -14, New Cold and dry -16, LF4+LF3 for qualify then + FC7 Corked for heat, X A, M Sinnot : 2nd - K Unerwood : 6th.
WY Supertour, Ind Cl, -15, New Cold and dry -16, LF4+LF3, VG35 + combo V40/V20, A, K Strandberg : 1st, VG35 (Iron) + V40, A, M Sinnot : 5th.
Bozeman Supertour, Sprint Cl, -10, New Cold and Pretty Dry -12, HF4BD + FC7, VG35 corked + Combo VR40/VR30, A-, K Strandberg : 5th.
Bozeman Supertour, Ind Sk, -16, New Cold and dry -17, HF4BD, X B+, K Strandberg : 4th, E Dong : 7th.
SH Supertour, Sprint Cl, -10, Cold Artificial -11, LF6 then LF6 + FC1S Corked, Special green corked + VR40 then VR45, A+, K Strandberg : 2nd, I Babikov : 8th,
SH Supertour, Mass S Sk, -8, Cold Artificial -9, LF6 + FC7, X A-, E Dong : 6th, K Stranberg : 7th I Babikov : 1st, LF6 + FC7 + FC1S corked.
Houghton US Nationals, Ind Sk, -8, Falling and Cold -8, HF6 + FC7/8 mixed then HF6 + FC040, X A, I Babikov : 1st, L Flora : 6th, A Golovko : 9th, J Freeman : 10th.
Houghton US Nationals, Ind Cl, -8, Cold New then getting warm -10, HF4BD + FC7 then HF6 + FC7, Special Green corked + Combo VR40/VR45, A+, I Babikov : 1st, L Flora : 2nd, A Golovko : 3rd, M Sinnott : 9th, -5, -6, Special Green corked + VR45 B-, K Strandberg : 2nd.
Houghton US Nationals, Sprint Sk, 1, New getting warm : pretty wet -1, HF6BD + FC7 Corked then FC8L Corked, X A, M Sinnott : 4th, Flora : 6th, K Strandberg : 9th.
Houghton US Nationals, Team S Cl, 5, Very Wet 0, HF6BD + FC8L then + FC10L corked Combo KR60/K22n Under Foot, B, Flora/Golovko : 2nd, Strandberg : 4th.
Seeley Classic Hills, 42k Cl, -6, Old and New mixed -6, LF4 + HF6BD + FC8BD Binder Old Grn/KR30 mixed (iron) + VR45 and KR50 Cover UF, A+, A Golovko : 1st, A Larson : 1st.
Marquette College Race, Ind Cl, -20, New -20, HF4BD + LF3, Special Green corked + VR 30 cover by V20, B+ A Golovko : 3rd.
Duluth Supertour, Sprint Sk, -17, Old and new mixed -18, HF4BD for qualify then + FC7/LF3, X B+, K Strandberg : 3rd A Golovko : 10th.
Marquette Noque, 51k Cl, -9, New and falling -15, HF4BD + FC7, VG35 (Iron) + combo VR30/VR40, A+, K Strandberg : 1st, A Golovko : 1st.
Telemark Supertour, Mass S Cl, -1, Old and New mixed -10, HF6BD + FC7, VG35 (Iron) + combo VR40/VR45 (40%/60%), A, K Strandberg : 1st.
Madison Supertour, Team S Sk, -1, Artificial Dirty and new snow mixed -2, HF8BD + FC8BD + FC8L corked, X A, Flora/Golovko : 2nd.
Madison Supertour, Sprint Cl, -1, Artifical Dirty snow 0, HF8BD + FC8BD + FC10L Black corked, Double Pole Only but K21n/K22N mixed was Ok, A+, K Strandberg : 1st, L Flora : 5th.
Boulder Mountain Tour, 30k Sk, -14, New Cold and dry -15, CH4+LF4, X A+, M Sinnott : 1st, E Dong : 2nd.
City of Lakes, 35k Sk, -5, Old dry and cold -5, HF6BD + FC7 + FC1 corked, X A+, A Golovko : 1st.
Crafstbury, 50k Cl, -6, Ice and New Mixed, Falling -4, HF8 + FC8, KR 20 (iron) + KR40 + VR45, B, J Freeman : 2nd.
Aspen SuperTour, Ind Cl -10, Cold and Dry -15, CH4 + LF4, Binder V20 corked + VR30, A, K Strandberg : 1st A Golovko : 1st.
Aspen SuperTour, Mass S 25k Sk, -8, Cold and Dry -10, CH4 + HF4BD, X A-, E Dong : 1st, K Stranberg : 2nd, A Larson : 3rd.
Lake Placid Loppet, 50k Sk, -8, Cold -10, HF6 + FC7, X A, K Underwood : 1st, J Freeman : 2nd.
Mora Vasaloppet, 35k Sk, -24, New and cold (wind) -20, LF4+CH4+LF3/CH4, X B, C Giese : 9th.
Published: Mon Jan 14, 2008 2:00 AM MST
Updated: Mon Jan 14, 2008 8:21 AM MST
The Great Nordeen in Bend Oregon is a celebration of Central Oregon ski history. Just once a year a trail is groomed through 36km of lava flows, hemlock, fir, and pine forest stands in remembrance of Emil Nordeen, the decorated Central Oregon ski pioneer. The course is point-to-point and drops roughly 300 meters from start to finish. Over 300 competitors lined up for the 6th annual running of the event, with Olympian Lars Flora capturing the men's crown, and XC-Oregon athlete Evelyn Dong taking the women's title. Dong skied away from fellow Factory Team member Kristina Strandberg to win by over four minutes. Sarah Max took the final podium spot another 4 minutes in back of Strandberg. Dong's impressive time of 1:38:12 placed her 6th overall.
Flora (Factory Team) topped a star-studded men's field by an impressive margin as well, putting over three and a half minutes on XC-Oregon's Marshall Greene (Madshus/Alpina). Third place went to another former Olympian and Factory Team member, Carl Swenson, who crossed the line 12 seconds behind Greene. Colin Mahood (XC-Oregon/Rossignol) took the fourth spot.
Full Results
Full Coverage in the Bend Bulletin - Includes photos and quotes
Originaly from Source