| January 10 ,
2008 Vol. 8/ No. 15 |
|
| If
your e-mail is not set up to view html images, please use the link: http://www.skipost.com/skipostnewsletter0708/Jan10.htm
to visit this page on the web. |
|
Dear SkiPost ,
Hello from Milwaukee, WI. Thanks for your newsletter - I look forward
to receiving it.
Please help a bunch of skiers and shed some light on low budget groomers. Closest groomed skiing to Milwaukee is way west and way north. there are county golf courses in the metro area and the course at Brown Deer has begun to groom a little. there is a group who has a green light to look into a groomer that could be towed behind a snowmobile. any suggestions? Help us cut time off our Birkie and lower drive emissions at the same time
thanks
We would like to pose this question to the readers out there who might have something for this ski club at a reasonable cost. If you have any suggestions on equipment or trail grants that are available, please pass them along and we will be sure to get them in the hands of the Milwaukee Ski Club.
I just recently replaced my Salomon Equipe Classic Profil bindings with the
new Pilot Classic bindings. And the S-Lab Classic boots are the most
comfortable I've ever owned. It's a GREAT combination!
My question is this: What are the recommended settings for the tension
mechanism on the binding? There were no guidelines in the instructions that came with the binding. I'm familiar with the bumper stiffness for the Profil
bindings (85 for classic, etc.), but don't know what the equivalents would be for
the Pilot binding settings. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations?
Does it have anything to do with weight, boot size, type of skiing, etc?
I'm a size 44 boot, weight 145 lbs, am a serious sport / recreational skier
with decent (I think!) technique, and do at least one marathon per season.
Thanks! I really enjoy the SkiPost newsletter
Thanks for the question. The Salomon Pilot Classic system is designed so you can decide what feels best for you. The system is different than the bumper system in that it is working like the skate Pilot system and working only to pull your ski back to your foot. The bumper works differently because it is pushing your foot back in place, and it gets harder to push as the bumper gets further compressed.
One of the major reasons for the different settings came from feedback Salomon got from their World Cup athletes. Some athlets liked a stiff bumper, while others were more into the soft bumper. It was based on those differences that they engineered the Pilot system to give you a range. Most of the Factory Team skis with the Pilot system set around 2.5 to 3. We reccomend tightening them a little before you get going, but play with the tension and find what feels best for you.
Bottom line, there is no spot that is designed for one skier. It is just another mechanism to customize the Salomon boot and binding systems to work best for YOU - the most important athlete.
|
| Three Basic Drills For Skate Technique |
By Justin Freeman
Since my performance at Nationals has people joking that I must be a skate specialist I thought I would write a follow-up to my article of classic drills. Skating and classic technique have a lot in common. In both, it is important to keep the hips forward and weight near the balls of the feet. It is important to have excellent balance, so that you can control your weight transfer. And it is important to generate power from a “compact” stance: you are most efficient when your power flows from your core, so you don’t want your arms and legs flailing in different directions. These drills will help you master these basics as they apply to skating.
Drill one you can add to any distance workout quite easily. Simply glide on one ski as long as you can every time you come to a downhill. It is best to try to stay in a realistic skate stance rather than aligning your hips and shoulders totally with your ski, but, no matter what you do, this will build balance. For an added challenge, try this on an alpine slope, where you can glide on one ski for a full minute; the drill becomes a strength workout as well. Or—only if you have an empty slope and a training partner you trust to tell you well before you crash into anything—try closing your eyes for a while as you glide balanced on one ski.
Drill two is called the Unicorn Drill. Remove your poles from your wrists. Now turn them upside down and place the grips at your navel. You are going to ski keeping the poles completely vertical and touching your nose. The point of the drill is to learn to generate power from your hips. You want to avoid any rotation or leaning: all power comes from a lateral weight transfer. You may have seen articles (I’ve contributed) debating how much of a role rotation plays in skating. I don’t want to reopen that debate, but I feel that mastery of this drill is necessary before you take a side: this drill shows both the potential and the limits of skiing with zero rotation.
The final drill is similar to the classic drill where you double pole up a steep hill. Only now, you V-2 up the steepest hill you can find. Your poling motion needs to be short, generating power from a quick crunching of your abdominal muscles. Your skate motion is similarly short, tight, and consists of a small lateral weight transfer—no rotation.
A good test to see if you have mastered this drill is to V-1 up the same hill. If you can switch easily between V-1 and V-2, your hips are in a good position for efficient power production. If it is a struggle, you are almost certainly allowing your hips to fall behind you.
Remember, all of these are drills, and good skating has a lot of subtleties that take practice to master. But if you have good balance, good body positioning, and the ability to generate poling power from your core and weight transfer from your hips, then you have the basic tools to develop the skating technique that is best for |
| Iron Levels and the Female Athlete |
By Kate Underwood
Women athletes need to keep their ferritin levels high to stay at a high energy level. Ferritin levels are the one of the first things my coach has checked when any of the women on our team are feeling drained, lethargic, or stale. An average test has run about $30 to test only ferritin levels. Doctors test ferritin because it is the iron-storing protein. Athletes need iron so that they can carry oxygen throughout the body via blood.
Deficiency of iron is the number one nutritional deficiency for women. Not only can iron deficiency hinder aerobic activity, but it can also affect recovery after races and workouts, and also the resting time during sleep. Reasons for low iron stores are very diverse, but prolonged sweating, heavy bleeding, and living at high altitudes can certainly affect iron stores. Keeping ferritin levels high is very difficult for many elite female athletes.
There are three categories of lacking iron stated from bad to worst: iron depletion, iron deficiency, and iron deficient anemia. In endurance athletes, iron depletion and deficiency are present in 20 to 57% of women. However, iron depletion in cross-country skiers is present in levels 42% up to 50%. Although these numbers were extracted from a study done in the late 1980s, when iron supplementation wasn’t used as often as now days, these numbers clearly state an abnormally high percentage of deficiency.
Iron in food is perceived to have two categories. Heme iron derives most commonly from animal meat and bi-products. Non-heme iron comes from vegetables and fruits and then other animal products and fortified foods as well. The human body can absorb heme iron easier than non-heme iron. Something particularly special to non-heme foods, is that the degree of iron absorption can be manipulated by what is ingested at the same time as that non-heme food. Things that help aid in iron absorption in non-heme food are vitamin C and white wine. Absorption rates have increased as much as four times stronger when combined with these helpers. If the helper substances are not taken with these foods, iron absorption is extremely low from non-heme food. One should not combine foods which have a lot of zinc, manganese, or calcium. Other things that will inhibit iron absorption when taken in conjunction with iron-rich foods are tea, coffee, and red wine. (In other words, anything with tannins in it.) Consuming tea after a meal with a lot of iron in it can reduce absorption by up to 60% and up to 40% from coffee consumption. Cooking in a cast-iron skillet will help aid in an iron-rich meal.
Change in iron stores take on average 6 weeks, but each athlete is different and varies with training capacities, diet, and what altitude he or she lives at. When dealing with iron depletion or deficiency, an athlete should plan on re-testing ferritin levels on an average of every 6 to 8 weeks until the desired level is obtained. Suggested supplemental amounts should be consumed in 45 to 60 mg in the ferrous sulfate form because it is more readily absorbed. Since many foods can inhibit iron absorption, take an iron supplement 30 minutes before or after a meal. Iron and Vitamin C should not be taken in hugely strong quantities and too frequently because it can be toxic.
|
RUDY PROJECT
Sportmask performance - Retail $160
This is the perfect glass for XC skiing, with a proprietary wind vent on the
top, you are sure to stay fog free all day long, enbelieveably light weight
you won't even notice you have them on. 3 different lens option make the
sportmask performance a perfect glass for all conditions.
All the benefits of the SportMask with additional performance turbo boost!
This new evolution of the SportMask incorporates a proprietary brow
interface in soft Megol allowing perfect air circulation and superior fit
factors for intense sport activities and to prevent sweat on the lens.
Temple Megol flaps and ergonomic lens configuration will ensure full wrap
protection, unsurpassed comfort and breakthrough vision.
See www.e-rudy.com to pick up a pair today!
|
| Events/Clinics/Announcements |
Women Teaching Women
Friday, January 11, 2008
Women’s Skate Ski Clinic – Sponsored by The Nordic Group
Exclusively for Intermediate & Advanced Women Skiers
This special Clinic will be limited in size and is focused on women who already ski at an intermediate + or better level. Please join us for a fun day of learning and camaraderie.
Clinic Details
9:30 am Arrive & Check In - Coffee, Tea, Juice & Power Snack
10:00 Introductions & Stretching
10:30 – 12:30 Instruction in 3 Groups
12:30 Catered Lunch
1:15 Video Analysis
2:30 Break
2:45 More Skiing with Instructors
4:00 End of Day
Clinic Size will be limited. Please Register Right Away
contact: Kay Hummel kayhum@velocitus.net
Send your Check by January 8, 2008
$90 payable to
The Nordic Group
c/o Kay Hummel
420 E. Crestline Drive
Boise, ID 83702
______________________________________________
The fifteenth Seeley Hills Classic
January 12, 2008.
Start time for the 42k and 22k classic races is 10:00 AM. Registration and bib pick up are Friday, January 11, 2008 at the Sawmill Saloon from 5 to 9 PM and Saturday morning, January 12th, from 7 to 9 AM. For further information call 715 708-3571.
_______________________________________________
Saturday January 12
Saturday January 19
Waterville Valley in New Hampshire
1:00pm - 2:30pm
Justin Freeman will be holding two on snow clinics this month. The first
focuses on classic technique and the second on skating, but participants (age 16+)
of all abilities are welcome to come and ask questions about technique, training,
competition, equipment, the Olympics, or computational atomic physics.
_______________________________________________
Boulder Lake Ski Race
Sunday January 13, 2008
Duluth, MN
Renowned for it fast and fun rolling course through the north woods, this 5th annual celebration is also known for having snow and being the premier early season race. 2008 will mark the first year this race is part of the Minnesota Skinny Ski Series, and is excited to be kicking it off for this winter!
Register at www.active.com
_______________________________________________
January 13, 2008 (Sunday)
Keep Winter White Nordic Tour Series
Tour the Summit
A recreational ski or snowshoe tour from Gold Run Nordic Center to the Frisco Nordic Center along the Summit Country Recreation Path. A fun event with a great cause. Raise awareness about the affect of climate change on winter recreation and learn what you can do to make a difference! Sample cookies, hot drinks and chocolate along the route. Finish with hot soup, bread and beer at the finish! The event is hosted by the Gold Run and Frisco Nordic Centers, the Towns of Breckenridge and Frisco and Benefits High Country Conservation Center and the Summit Nordic Ski Club. Register at active.com
more information at www.coloradocrosscountry.com
_______________________________________________
Tumalo Langlauf XC Ski Club Announces Free Learn to Ski Day
Featuring Kristina Strandberg
February 13, 2008,
from 2-4 pm
Virginia Meissner Snow Park - Bend, OR
Tumalo Langlauf XC Ski Club (TLC) spokeswoman Karen Benson announces that, once again, with the coming of a new year, it’s time to lace up those free rental xc ski boots, click into those free xc bindings, and learn to ski with free lessons. Tumalo Langlauf XC Ski Club’s annual Free Learn to Ski Day will take place at Virginia Meissner Snow Park, located 14 miles west of Bend on Century Drive . Lessons will be for both classic xc and skate xc skiing, for all ages and abilities. Come Ski With Us!
_______________________________________________
Cross-Country Technique Fundamentals - CDROM
This CD lays the foundation for both Classic and Freestyle techniques on
which we can build a consistent technique program that will continue to
develop great cross-country skiers for years to come.
WAKE UP! IT'S TIME TO TRAIN - DVD
70 minutes of exclusive interviews with US National Team coaches, drills and
technique, fitness testing, sports physiology, core strength, training
volume, intensity levels, race footage, and much more.
X-COUNTRY - DVD
The inside story on one of the toughest sports around by top World Cup
racers.
Visit the CXC Store
http://cxcskiing.org/CXC%20Store/education.htm
_______________________________________________
Matching Grant Update
Dear Skiers, Outdoor Winter Enthusiasts and Supporters:
This is our first week after the announcement to raise $25,000 to
match Dr. Leslie and John Taylor grant to Madison Winter Festival. The grant
was issued on January 1, 2008 and will match dollar for dollar every
donation collected from now until February 1, 2008.
After seven days $3,800 has been raised. There are 24 days left with
$21,200 needed to be raised. Thank you to individuals and businesses who
already made a contribution. If not, please do it today. All donations are
tax deductible.
Your contribution will give an opportunity to the Madison Winter
Festival to expose more kids and families to the winter outdoor activities
and celebrate healthy life style through participation.
There are two ways you can donate:
1) Simply send a check to the Madison Winter Festival at PO Box
930442, Verona, WI 53593. The check should be made out to 'Wisconsin Nordic
Sports Foundation' with the 'Madison Winter Festival' on the memo line or
2) Go to http://www.winter-fest.com/site_pages/Grant.htm and donate
online with the credit card
_______________________________________________
"Who will you pursue this Valentine's weekend?"
The Cowboy Chase Nordic Pursuit Race
Saturday February 16, 15km/5km freestyle, 10:00 am start time
Sunday February 17, 7.5km/3km classic pursuit, 9:30 am start time
Happy Jack Recreation area, 9 miles east of Laramie, WY, just
off Interstate 80.
Registration:
Race day, $20 per race or $25 for the weekend
For detailed information, directions, course maps:
www.uwyo.edu/ski/CowboyChase.htm
Lodging Options: Hampton Inn, Comfort Inn, EconoLodge, Best Western
_______________________________________________
38th Annual Salomon “Frisco Gold Rush”
Featuring the SALOMON Nordic races and TUBBS Snowshoe 7K
February 3, 2008
Click Here For More Details
Join us at Colorado's oldest XC Ski & Snowshoe event - the Frisco Gold Rush hosted by the Town of Frisco and the Frisco Nordic Center.
To Benefit the Summit Nordic Ski Club
_______________________________________________
NOTE: If you have an event you would like to have in SkiPost please send emails to weanswer@skipost.com
|
Do you love the sport of cross-country skiing?
Do you look forward to each edition of SkiPost?
Do you wish to support some of America's best Nordic athletes?
Do you wish to associate your company with health, fitness and winter performance?
Would you like your brand to receive over 150 million media impressions
annually?
Become a sponsor of the Factory Team www.EnjoyWinter.com North America's
Premier Cross-Country Ski Team.
For more information on Factory Team sponsorship opportunities contact
endure@endurance-enterprises.com
|
|
|
| Copyright
2008 SkiPost.com All rights reserved. |
|
