Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Ski to the Clouds release
For Immediate Release: February 16, 2010
Contact: Ryan Triffitt
Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center
Office: 603.466.2333 x 177 / Cell: 207.837.5045
ryan@mt-washington.com
Ski to the Clouds: $1400 Up for Grabs for Skiing Up Mt. Washington
Pinkham Notch, NH—On Sunday, March 7, 2010, Great Glen Trails will host Ski to the Clouds presented by Maxiglide with $1400 in cash prizes up for grabs. Ski to the Clouds features a 6-kilometer climb up Mt. Washington making it North America’s Toughest 10k.
On both the men’s and women’s sides in 2009, Ski to the Clouds was won by Olympic athletes, and Great Glen Trails expects more top notch racing in 2010. Two-time defending champion and member of the 2006 Olympic team, Justin Freeman of New Hampton, NH is scheduled to defend his title. No word yet on the women’s defending champion, Nina Badamshina, a 9-time Olympic and World Championship gold medalist.
The Ski to the Clouds course includes 4k of racing on the trail system at Great Glen Trails before the climb up the Mt. Washington Auto Road. The 6 kilometer climb up the mountain covers 2200 vertical feet making the race North America’s Toughest 10k. The race will finish just below the site of the historic Halfway House on the Mt. Washington Auto Road, at approximately 3800 feet above sea level. Ski to the Clouds is a true freestyle event: skiers can use either skating or classic technique in this mass start race. There will not be separate categories for each discipline.
Thanks to the support of Maxiglide, Ski to the Clouds features $1400 in prize money. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three men and women: $250 for first place, $150 for second and $100 for third. The top male and female age 40 or older will also each receive a $200 prize.
Maxiglide will also double any prize money won if that racer uses Maxiglide’s Sensor Speed Powder during the race. (Racer must also provide a testimonial for Maxiglide’s website.) Free samples are also available to all race entrants for testing prior to the race by visiting www.SkiToTheClouds.com.
Race begins at 10:00 am at Great Glen Trails at the base of Mt. Washington. Field is limited to 150 competitors. Competitors are allowed to preview the course. Please purchase a trail pass at Great Glen Trails during regular operating hours. For more information and to register, go to www.SkiToTheClouds.com.
About Maxiglide
Beginning in 1975, Maxiglide was the first American company to address the issue of snow and ice on the bases of the first waxless cross country skis. Maxiglide created a Teflon-based coating that not only sealed the bases from accumulating snow and ice but also enhanced the glide. Maxiglide now offers user-friendly fluorocarbon rub-in waxes effective in a wide range of conditions for all types of skis and snowboards. Maxiglide was the first to develop liquid coatings for skis, then paste waxes, and eventually similar technology for canoes and kayaks. More information is available at www.Maxiglide.com.
Great Glen Trails is open daily for cross country skiing, snowshoeing and snow tubing. A complete events calendar and detailed snow conditions are available at 603.466.2333 or www.GreatGlenTrails.com.
###
Contact: Ryan Triffitt
Great Glen Trails Outdoor Center
Office: 603.466.2333 x 177 / Cell: 207.837.5045
ryan@mt-washington.com
Ski to the Clouds: $1400 Up for Grabs for Skiing Up Mt. Washington
Pinkham Notch, NH—On Sunday, March 7, 2010, Great Glen Trails will host Ski to the Clouds presented by Maxiglide with $1400 in cash prizes up for grabs. Ski to the Clouds features a 6-kilometer climb up Mt. Washington making it North America’s Toughest 10k.
On both the men’s and women’s sides in 2009, Ski to the Clouds was won by Olympic athletes, and Great Glen Trails expects more top notch racing in 2010. Two-time defending champion and member of the 2006 Olympic team, Justin Freeman of New Hampton, NH is scheduled to defend his title. No word yet on the women’s defending champion, Nina Badamshina, a 9-time Olympic and World Championship gold medalist.
The Ski to the Clouds course includes 4k of racing on the trail system at Great Glen Trails before the climb up the Mt. Washington Auto Road. The 6 kilometer climb up the mountain covers 2200 vertical feet making the race North America’s Toughest 10k. The race will finish just below the site of the historic Halfway House on the Mt. Washington Auto Road, at approximately 3800 feet above sea level. Ski to the Clouds is a true freestyle event: skiers can use either skating or classic technique in this mass start race. There will not be separate categories for each discipline.
Thanks to the support of Maxiglide, Ski to the Clouds features $1400 in prize money. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three men and women: $250 for first place, $150 for second and $100 for third. The top male and female age 40 or older will also each receive a $200 prize.
Maxiglide will also double any prize money won if that racer uses Maxiglide’s Sensor Speed Powder during the race. (Racer must also provide a testimonial for Maxiglide’s website.) Free samples are also available to all race entrants for testing prior to the race by visiting www.SkiToTheClouds.com.
Race begins at 10:00 am at Great Glen Trails at the base of Mt. Washington. Field is limited to 150 competitors. Competitors are allowed to preview the course. Please purchase a trail pass at Great Glen Trails during regular operating hours. For more information and to register, go to www.SkiToTheClouds.com.
About Maxiglide
Beginning in 1975, Maxiglide was the first American company to address the issue of snow and ice on the bases of the first waxless cross country skis. Maxiglide created a Teflon-based coating that not only sealed the bases from accumulating snow and ice but also enhanced the glide. Maxiglide now offers user-friendly fluorocarbon rub-in waxes effective in a wide range of conditions for all types of skis and snowboards. Maxiglide was the first to develop liquid coatings for skis, then paste waxes, and eventually similar technology for canoes and kayaks. More information is available at www.Maxiglide.com.
Great Glen Trails is open daily for cross country skiing, snowshoeing and snow tubing. A complete events calendar and detailed snow conditions are available at 603.466.2333 or www.GreatGlenTrails.com.
###
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Snow Storm
I had a great early morning climb followed by a nice sun rise run at my local hill. As I was skinning up I was thinking about this storm that the Mid Atlantic was getting nailed with, and how weather that we dream of can be so crippling to another part of the country. I found myself just shaking my head at times as I picked my way up part of a trail that was in desperate need of some snow.
Despite the lack of snow it was still very nice to get out in the morning and enjoy the fresh air. In fact I had a chance to get a little bit of a later start, meaning I got to enjoy my first sun rise where I got to see the sun actually break the horizon. Up to this point it has been more of enjoying a really orange and pink horizon line.
Having a bit more light meant I could play with the video feature on my point and shoot camera. Of course I didn't check the battery before I headed out, so the video didn't last very long! However I did get enough battery to shoot the sun rise and a skin removal. The good news for me- the camera quit just as I went to do the other ski and promptly fell down.
The ski down was excellent. Having first tracks is something I'll never get sick of. Once in the car I tuned into NPR and heard Dulles International Airport got 32 inches out of the storm. Wow! That is a big storm no matter where you are.
Maybe the next storm will track north to an area that will actually appreciate it!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Fashion Curmudgeon
Am I becoming a skiing curmudgeon when I shake my head in apparent disgust at certain ski fashions? The one that has been irritating me like an ill fitting ski boot is the fully unzipped ski parka look that seems popular with many of the younger crowd hanging out in the terrain park.
I’m not sure why it is bugging me so much, but it is. I mean the pants that look like they should fit Fat Albert but are being worn by Pee-Wee Herman don’t bug me, although I do find myself wondering what they’d look like if they ever tried to do a spread eagle or a daffy.
The studio sized headphones that some wear over their acrylic pom-pom hats don’t bug me, although I am curious if it is that they like the sound performance, or they wanted to have headphones big enough that they could put stickers on them.
I’m even ok with the skiing around with your hands down by your boot tops, I mean I used to have a poster on my wall of Rob Boyd catching air with his hands down by his boot tops. Of course that was a poster of Boyd shot during a downhill where he was going about 80 miles per hour and he was trying to keep his chest from catching air and causing him to wreck.
Heck I’m even ok with the kids who complain the park isn’t groomed out on a powder day, well that’s just me being selfish as it means that they are all over in the park trying to pack down the in-runs while I get a better shot at my favorite powder line in the woods.
But the fully unzipped parka just irks me. Maybe it’s because it brings out the Dad in me and I want to yell at them to zip up their coat so they don’t get cold. Maybe it’s because I’m not a NJ Nets or LA Clippers fan and the unzipped jacked shows off their NBA team of choice, and it seems to rarely be the Celtics. Maybe it’s because if they aren’t wearing an NBA jersey it’s because then I have to look at a cotton t-shirt that has more X’s in the size then the Roman numeral for thirty. Maybe it’s because I often see those who sport this fashion skiing straight down the mountain to the park and I would rather see them make turns to control their speed than use their unzipped coats as some sort of primitive parachute. Or maybe it’s because I hear them complain about being cold while they are in line for the lift, and I’m sitting their thinking- “you’re wearing a $600 down parka- zip it up and you won’t be cold.”
The reality is that it irks me because I don’t get it. I’ve gotten to the point where I no longer “get” the fashion of the day. It irks me because now I understand why my Dad thought it was so stupid that I’d buy flannel shirts a size too big so that I could pile on enough clothing so that I could ski in a flannel shirt and fleece vest, even though it was -10 degrees outside.
At the end of the day, however, they are out their skiing and having fun. So despite being a curmudgeon I can look at them and shake my head in exasperation, but I do it with a smile.
I’m not sure why it is bugging me so much, but it is. I mean the pants that look like they should fit Fat Albert but are being worn by Pee-Wee Herman don’t bug me, although I do find myself wondering what they’d look like if they ever tried to do a spread eagle or a daffy.
The studio sized headphones that some wear over their acrylic pom-pom hats don’t bug me, although I am curious if it is that they like the sound performance, or they wanted to have headphones big enough that they could put stickers on them.
I’m even ok with the skiing around with your hands down by your boot tops, I mean I used to have a poster on my wall of Rob Boyd catching air with his hands down by his boot tops. Of course that was a poster of Boyd shot during a downhill where he was going about 80 miles per hour and he was trying to keep his chest from catching air and causing him to wreck.
Heck I’m even ok with the kids who complain the park isn’t groomed out on a powder day, well that’s just me being selfish as it means that they are all over in the park trying to pack down the in-runs while I get a better shot at my favorite powder line in the woods.
But the fully unzipped parka just irks me. Maybe it’s because it brings out the Dad in me and I want to yell at them to zip up their coat so they don’t get cold. Maybe it’s because I’m not a NJ Nets or LA Clippers fan and the unzipped jacked shows off their NBA team of choice, and it seems to rarely be the Celtics. Maybe it’s because if they aren’t wearing an NBA jersey it’s because then I have to look at a cotton t-shirt that has more X’s in the size then the Roman numeral for thirty. Maybe it’s because I often see those who sport this fashion skiing straight down the mountain to the park and I would rather see them make turns to control their speed than use their unzipped coats as some sort of primitive parachute. Or maybe it’s because I hear them complain about being cold while they are in line for the lift, and I’m sitting their thinking- “you’re wearing a $600 down parka- zip it up and you won’t be cold.”
The reality is that it irks me because I don’t get it. I’ve gotten to the point where I no longer “get” the fashion of the day. It irks me because now I understand why my Dad thought it was so stupid that I’d buy flannel shirts a size too big so that I could pile on enough clothing so that I could ski in a flannel shirt and fleece vest, even though it was -10 degrees outside.
At the end of the day, however, they are out their skiing and having fun. So despite being a curmudgeon I can look at them and shake my head in exasperation, but I do it with a smile.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
