February 23 and 24th, 2013
Laura Stern
Yosemite Nordic Holiday 18 km Classic Race, 2/23/2013
The Yosemite Nordic Holiday
is not only one of the oldest nordic ski races in California (this was
the 42nd edition or so?) but is also one of the most fun events of the
season. This year brought a smaller turnout than normal --
29 for Saturday's race -- but perhaps to be expected after last year's
races being cancelled due to lack of snow, plus other conflicting ski
events pulling away some of the usual suspects this year. The
classic race is an out-and-back along Glacier Pt. Road with a
turnaround at Mono Meadows, including some fairly long "rollers"
but nothing particularly steep or technical. Lots of
double-poling on this course! Several inches of light
powder fell overnight to cover a base of fairly crusty and transformed
snow, creating potentially tricky waxing conditions for kick.
The course was groomed immediately before race-start however,
resulting not only in beautiful tracks but also in fairly
uniformly-mixed snow. Many racers opted for straight klister,
but after experiencing some icing issues even after trying covered
klister during warm-up, I decided to go with my Rossi C2
Rubbers. Not quite optimal snow conditions for those skis,
but the warming temperatures resulted in better kick as the race
progressed, and they glided quite well with the recommended Toko HF
Red on tips and tails. Overall I was very happy with the ski
choice! Plus there was no grabbing or icing problems when
stepping out of the tracks and into softer sections to get around the
recreational or back-country skiers who were out there too.
(It's a little different racing in a National Park compared to most XC
ski centers.) This was my first time using the Rubber C2's in a
race and I was really impressed by their versatility! Bruce
Pauly won the men's race in 1:06:59, with Julie Young taking 2nd
overall and winning the women's division in 1:12:56. I finished
4th overall and 2nd in the women's field, about 3 minutes behind
Julie.
Glacier Point Skate Race, 38
km Freestyle, 2/24/2013
Sunday brought clear skies
and brilliant sunshine, with sub-freezing temperatures near start time
but warming significantly during the race. 27 racers lined up at
the start... with the usual nervous chatter about what condition we'd
find the course in and how long we'd be out thereŠ only to be blown
away by the amazingly well-groomed corduroy all the way out to Glacier
Point. I've done this race many many times, and this was one of
the best-prepared courses there ever! My Rossi's felt fast with
the recommended Toko HF red glide wax plus roto-corked Jetstream red
on top, and I was really looking forward to this race! The
course is unparalleled for scenery, and one benefit of smaller or
low-key races like this one is that there's actually time to check out
the spectacular views of the Clark Range while working your way up
"4 Mile Hill," not to mention the jaw-dropping panoramic view
featuring Half Dome as you whoosh past Washburn Point before the
turnaround at Glacier Point. WOW! You could hear most the
racers hooting and hollering their way down that final drop to Glacier
Point as they soaked in the views. Truckee XC's Scott Fairman
was fast off the start line and duked it out with Julie Young for most
of the race, with Julie eventually putting the hammer down near the
finish to win OUTRIGHT in 2:01:39. Scott finished close behind
in 2:02:16. Way to go you two! I placed 5th overall
and 2nd in the women's field, nearly 12 minutes back, losing a bit
more time (and focus) than I should have due to one pole grip coming
loose from the shaft at the start of the race. (Why didn't I
check my race gear ahead of time??! Lesson learned.)
Nonetheless, it was one awesome day on the snow!
For those who still wanted
even more, there was an optional tele race on Saturday afternoon after
the classic race, with points counting towards a final "Trifecta"
score based on lowest combined time for all three events. Former
alpine racer Betsy Radigoz smoked the tele course and won the Trifecta
outright (she was 3rd in the womens division for both the classic and
skate races), with Allan Erbes taking the men's Trifecta.
Many thanks to Dave Bengston
and his awesome team at the Yosemite Cross Country Ski Center for
organizing this terrific 2-day event and preparing such great tracks
for us. It's no easy feat to do this in a National Park!
For those of you who've never done this weekend of races, please mark
your calendars for next year and come check it out. The
Nordic Holiday attracted several hundred skiers (I'm told
sometimes over 400) back in the mid-70's, but in recent years the
numbers have dropped dramatically. This event really needs
our participation and support to keep it alive! The Nordic
Holiday features a Saturday afternoon awards party and dinner that's a
lot of fun too. Thanks also to Bill and Jody Sterling for
donating this-year's raffle prizes.
Scott Fairman
Glacier Point Skate Race, 38 km Freestyle, 2/24/2013
I’d hoped to challenge on Saturday in the Yosemite Nordic Holiday Classic Race, but other commitments interfered. I drove into Yosemite Valley Saturday night,
greeted by a full moon and amazing nighttime views of The Valley under
moonlight.
If you’ve never skied this race, it’s one to add to your bucket list,
if for no other reason than the amazing views that litter the drive and
even more amazing views along the course. I recommend planning an extra
day somewhere to ski the course so you have
the time to stop and snap some photos or just relax with the views.
After a brief stop for food in Yosemite Valley I settled into my camping
for the night. Overnight temps were in the teens, despite the cold and
rustic accommodations I slept quite well,
though getting going and motivated was a little tough in the morning.
Once I was fed and made my way to the Nordic Center at Badger Pass I
registered and made my way to the tracks. One of the aspects I enjoy
about this race is the draw of long time Nords,
this race is one of the longest running in California and, while small,
seems to attract many of the same folks each year. I was greeted by
many of these familiar and friendly faces as I warmed up and then made
my way to the start. I went with the recommended
Toko HF Red with a pass of the Red Structurite tool, and pre skiing
part of the course it seemed it was the right choice. Temps were a
little colder than I anticipated, but were warming quickly as the 9 am
start approached. I had thought of layering under
my Podiumwear kit, but was glad I hadn’t as it kept my at about the
right temp as the day warmed into the 20s and felt great throughout the
race.
This
race is an out and back, 38k. Once on course the my X-iums were
running great. I easily skied away from the lead group on the
descents, though my fitness waned a bit on the climbs and a few racers
made their way back to me on the
long climb to the point. One steep, fast twisty descent to the
turnaround at Glacier Point Visitor Center gave me a good gap on
everyone. I took a quick glance at the unique perspective of Half Dome
through sweat drenched eyes and started my climb back out.
One last racer managed her way back up to me and put a little gap
before the summit. I easily caught back on once we hit the flats and
again created a gap on the long descent. One last climb before the
finish and I hoped I had opened a big enough gap to
stay away on the descent, but found her on my tail again. With several
hundred yards before the top she made a hard effort and passed and
gapped me, I closed it down a bit on the final descent into the finish
area, but not quite enough, though good enough
for a strong 2nd on the day. Laura Stern was also there and skated across the line to a drum roll with a respectable 5th overall and second woman.
The
Yosemite Nordic staff and race volunteers provided fantastic support,
great food and drink and even drum roll and bells as each racer skated
across the finish. Looking forward to this race again next year
(hopefully both days)!!
