IGVENTURE
- Thread starter pooriggy
- Start date
Thanks for the bday wishes errybody!
March is like adolescence, similar to someone on their way to adulthood but still has flare ups of childish behavior, which brings about turmoil. Lately March is more childlike, or winter like and less likely to concede to spring. I'm ok with this, I like snow, but not everyone feels this way. In a perfect world we would have snow mid December to February and then 50 degrees with sun and wind in March, isn't that the way is supposed to be?...thats how I remember it growing up, maybe I am glorifying the past?
Another reason I like March is because my birthday is on the 3rd, when I have snow on my Bday I consider it a blessing. To be honest, it's hard for me to get excited about bike racing when there is skiable snow locally. This is like my favorite band coming to town and a bus filled with OH beer and bikini models want to take me there...but I could start training for mtb racing, Fuck That.
I usually ski with Paul on wknds at New Paltz or High Point, we're into skate skiing and share the same passion for xc skiing. I like Paul, he has a child like quality that I admire and doesn't act like someone from NJ, he slows things down, like someone from VT. He grew up on a farm tucked away up off of 80 and raced motos as a kid, so he is kinda VTer.
This past week I've been digging the skate skiing locally, the golf course 3 miles from my house has primo conditions right now, I'm gonna hit it again today after work.
Snow Good
Fun and games at Wangchung
March is like adolescence, similar to someone on their way to adulthood but still has flare ups of childish behavior, which brings about turmoil. Lately March is more childlike, or winter like and less likely to concede to spring. I'm ok with this, I like snow, but not everyone feels this way. In a perfect world we would have snow mid December to February and then 50 degrees with sun and wind in March, isn't that the way is supposed to be?...thats how I remember it growing up, maybe I am glorifying the past?
Another reason I like March is because my birthday is on the 3rd, when I have snow on my Bday I consider it a blessing. To be honest, it's hard for me to get excited about bike racing when there is skiable snow locally. This is like my favorite band coming to town and a bus filled with OH beer and bikini models want to take me there...but I could start training for mtb racing, Fuck That.
I usually ski with Paul on wknds at New Paltz or High Point, we're into skate skiing and share the same passion for xc skiing. I like Paul, he has a child like quality that I admire and doesn't act like someone from NJ, he slows things down, like someone from VT. He grew up on a farm tucked away up off of 80 and raced motos as a kid, so he is kinda VTer.
This past week I've been digging the skate skiing locally, the golf course 3 miles from my house has primo conditions right now, I'm gonna hit it again today after work.
Snow Good
Fun and games at Wangchung
Kaleidopete
Well-Known Member
and Happy Birthday too!
RNG1
Well-Known Member
So funny you said that, I was wondering what happened to them and actually found my login to the site but it doesn’t work ;(
My First XC Race
My Birthday was March 3 but this past wknd felt like more of the celebration of me turning 53. Lake Placid has always intrigued me, I've never been there, but always wanted to go because the 1980 Olympics where held there and Mount Van Hoevenberg is a destination xc ski center that was hosting races Saturday the 16th. XC ski racing has been on my list of to do's.
Paul and I embarked on our journey Friday morning, we met at Utah's at 9am, the chatty competitive MTBNJ mtber, not the state. Paul left his car there and we loaded into my car for the drive up the NY Thru-way.
It was an easy drive, Paul and I talked about work, family, xc skiing and mtbing...basically the important stuff in life. The scenery from Lake George area northward is spectacular. This land was new to me, the mountains dart straight up, with pointed peaks covered in evergreens and lakes lay abundantly in valleys. I slowed down a bit and soaked in the beauty.
We got off at exit 30 and descended into the Keene Valley, which had no snow, while 20 minutes up the road in the mountains had about 10" of snow. Staying on 73 we headed up to Lake Placid, which is about a 20 minute climb by car that passed Cascade Lake and cascading mountains. Despite the fact that it was almost 60 degrees, the lake was frozen solid and ice flows kissed the road from the sides of the mountains. This appeared to be ice age territory, unlike anything I'd ever seen, the land was so raw, rugged and harsh but at the same time majestic.
Our cabin was next to the entrance to the xc ski center which was an ideal location. I have to admit that we where a bit startled when we opened the door and saw how small the cabin was. The 2 bunk bungalow was slightly larger then a prison cell but had an enclosed bathroom/shower, mini kitchen and table. I joked that it's so small that you have to leave the room to change your mind, but it was warm and cozy and not bad once we got used to it.
Friday the course didn't look good but temps improved for grooming and race Saturday morning.
We got into ski clothes and drove 5 minutes to the parking lot and checked out the race course for tomorrow. They had to modify the course, since it was over 50 degrees the last 2 days and parts of the course had standing water. Originally the Loppet (weird name for xc ski race) was to be a 25k course with racers using variations of it to compete in different lengths (4K, 8K, 12K, 25K, 50K). They ended up making an 8K course as the template. The 25K and 50K are for serious racers, while the shorter lengths are called Citizen races, which are for non competitive types. Originally I was going to do 12K race, since it was my first race but the more I thought about it, I jumped into 25K, since I consider myself a competitive person as well as a Cat 1 mtber... I have a reputation to uphold. Paul signed up for 25K as well.
The snow on the course was soft, some sections like mash potatoes others had ice, overall it was skiable with snow cover and with the forecast dipping down to 25 over night and a high of 28 degrees, grooming will improve the snow. Ok, enough about snow, we enjoyed happy hour in the lodge with a few beers and live entertainment before heading back to the cabin.
Paul had contacted a friend, Chris, who lives in Lake Placid and we met him for dinner. Chris and I where similiar in that we shared the same name, roughly the same age with kids the same age and we are friends with Paul, who is 20 yrs younger then us. It was a pleasant night with easy conversation with beers.
Saturday morning we woke up around 7am and went over to do day of reg for the 25K, after a nights sleep, that was the race we both felt made the most sense. We then came back to cabin, ate breakfast, kitted up and headed over to race. Paul's race the 25K Classic went off at 10:15 am, my 25K Freestyle went off at 11:45 am. Paul's race uses diagnol stride technique, while mine is skating style. I cheered Paul on for his 1st lap then got myself ready to do my 3 lap race.
Paul racing in MTBNJ, like my son, he came I'll prepared so I had to lend him my vest.
While I did feel nervous getting ready, I loosened up while skating out the jitters and at the start line 80s dance music was bumping to lighten up the atmosphere. With over 100 racers on the line, I placed no expectations on myself as to where I'd finish, my goal was to go out and skate hard in my 1st xc ski race and see what happens.
The first half of the course had climbing, with the 2nd half being flatter. After the climbs I was in the front 3rd of the race and lost some spots on the descents, my fitness level was stronger then my technique and found myself making mistakes if I skied outside my ability, which usually occurred when going 30mph on xc skis. Like a cx, there was always someone to race around me, often times I traded spots with fellow racers on climbs and descents, when we got to the flats it's who wants it more, conserve when you can with optimum glide and inflict pain on those around you. This was the scenario on the last lap, going back and forth with 2 people like a boxing match. They had skin suits and better skis, which told me they where serious racers.
I stopped for water every 4K as volunteers held it up, while others I marked up kept going. It only took 3 seconds to gulp it down but as a mtb racer, I know how important it is to stay hydrated in a 1.5 hr race. With these quick stops I felt I could make ground up and finish stronger. This plan worked as I caught my marked racer and made the pass stick in the last 1K. As I crossed the finish line I was exhausted but waited for the people I was racing to high five and thank them for pushing me. I finished 40th out of 104 with a time of 1:28 for a 25K, which I'm happy with.
Coming into the finish.
With hundreds of people around, the post race was a big party, there was not much room in the lodge so sharing space and striking up conversation about the race, where you're from and such came naturally, racing, free food and beers usually puts everyone in a good mood. While in the lodge I saw Hans and his wife Kim as well as their kids. They run High Point XC Ski Center in NJ. Actually Paul and I met them earlier that morning as we were registering to race. Having seen them the week earlier when Paul and I skied High Point, it was kinda funny to run into them again. Anyway we all hung out together in the lodge and made plans to meet up later for diner.
Post race vibes.
As the party in the lodge was breaking up Paul and I began rounding up our shit and headed to the car. Paul was already at the car talking to some dude in his late 20s when he says, hey Chris, this is Simon, he did the 50K race and needs a ride into town, I was like sure, hop in. I've said before that one of the reasons I like Paul, is for his child like qualities, he is also like a dog everyone likes to pet, strangers are not afraid of him.
Since we where going into Lake Placid to meet Hans and crew, it made sense to bring Simon with us and avoid 2 back and forth trips. We hung out in our prison cabin, had snacks, more beer and got cleaned up. Simon was from Montreal, he took a bus to Lake Placid, got a room in town and took a taxi that morning to race. He was gonna walk 7miles back to town when he spotted Paul...the mark. Actually, he was good company, he shared his life with us and we shared ours. When I told my wife this story she said he could have been a serial killer, I said no, he's alright, he xc skis.
Me, serial killer and Paul.
We got to Lisa G's restaurant in town around 7pm, met the Hans entourage (Hans, his wife, son, daughter, son in law, son's buddy) and sat at the bar for about 45 minutes to wait for a table for 9 people. We where starving but the wait went fast, in fact the whole night flew by. After dinner we dropped Simon off at his hotel .5 mile away and went to Lake Placid Brewery for a night cap with Hans crew. It was good to sit and talk, I learned about Han's background, he won some big xc ski races in Norway, came to the states and raced, met his wife at Vernon Valley Ski slope where she worked, they got married, lived in Norway, moved back to states where they lived upstate and ran Tug Hill then moved back to NJ to be closer to Kim's family. Hans has been running the High Point XC Ski Center for 20 yrs and works full time for Picatiny Arsenal as activities director(trip planner). This is the nutshell version, he tells the story with greater detail, his Norwegian accent makes the story sound better.
Iggy in his glory.
When my head hit the pillow Saturday night I fell into a deep sleep in minutes. 7am rolled around and we ate breakfast in the cabin, I waxed our skis in a shed out back while Paul cleaned up cabin. We packed up, loaded car and drove over to the ski center to get in one last ski. The conditions where great, it snowed 3" over night and it was 12 degrees. This place is incredible.
The drive home went quick, Paul and I where tired from the weekend and where comfortable enough with each other to not feel the need to break the silence of a car ride. As I sit here typing this I now realize how much I needed a wknd get away like this. I feel as refreshed and renewed as when I come home from Kingdom Trails with the team. I need to put together a xc ski team for next year so we can go back, rent a bigger place or rent the prison cabin again with Paul and wing it.
My Birthday was March 3 but this past wknd felt like more of the celebration of me turning 53. Lake Placid has always intrigued me, I've never been there, but always wanted to go because the 1980 Olympics where held there and Mount Van Hoevenberg is a destination xc ski center that was hosting races Saturday the 16th. XC ski racing has been on my list of to do's.
Paul and I embarked on our journey Friday morning, we met at Utah's at 9am, the chatty competitive MTBNJ mtber, not the state. Paul left his car there and we loaded into my car for the drive up the NY Thru-way.
It was an easy drive, Paul and I talked about work, family, xc skiing and mtbing...basically the important stuff in life. The scenery from Lake George area northward is spectacular. This land was new to me, the mountains dart straight up, with pointed peaks covered in evergreens and lakes lay abundantly in valleys. I slowed down a bit and soaked in the beauty.
We got off at exit 30 and descended into the Keene Valley, which had no snow, while 20 minutes up the road in the mountains had about 10" of snow. Staying on 73 we headed up to Lake Placid, which is about a 20 minute climb by car that passed Cascade Lake and cascading mountains. Despite the fact that it was almost 60 degrees, the lake was frozen solid and ice flows kissed the road from the sides of the mountains. This appeared to be ice age territory, unlike anything I'd ever seen, the land was so raw, rugged and harsh but at the same time majestic.
Our cabin was next to the entrance to the xc ski center which was an ideal location. I have to admit that we where a bit startled when we opened the door and saw how small the cabin was. The 2 bunk bungalow was slightly larger then a prison cell but had an enclosed bathroom/shower, mini kitchen and table. I joked that it's so small that you have to leave the room to change your mind, but it was warm and cozy and not bad once we got used to it.
Friday the course didn't look good but temps improved for grooming and race Saturday morning.
We got into ski clothes and drove 5 minutes to the parking lot and checked out the race course for tomorrow. They had to modify the course, since it was over 50 degrees the last 2 days and parts of the course had standing water. Originally the Loppet (weird name for xc ski race) was to be a 25k course with racers using variations of it to compete in different lengths (4K, 8K, 12K, 25K, 50K). They ended up making an 8K course as the template. The 25K and 50K are for serious racers, while the shorter lengths are called Citizen races, which are for non competitive types. Originally I was going to do 12K race, since it was my first race but the more I thought about it, I jumped into 25K, since I consider myself a competitive person as well as a Cat 1 mtber... I have a reputation to uphold. Paul signed up for 25K as well.
The snow on the course was soft, some sections like mash potatoes others had ice, overall it was skiable with snow cover and with the forecast dipping down to 25 over night and a high of 28 degrees, grooming will improve the snow. Ok, enough about snow, we enjoyed happy hour in the lodge with a few beers and live entertainment before heading back to the cabin.
Paul had contacted a friend, Chris, who lives in Lake Placid and we met him for dinner. Chris and I where similiar in that we shared the same name, roughly the same age with kids the same age and we are friends with Paul, who is 20 yrs younger then us. It was a pleasant night with easy conversation with beers.
Saturday morning we woke up around 7am and went over to do day of reg for the 25K, after a nights sleep, that was the race we both felt made the most sense. We then came back to cabin, ate breakfast, kitted up and headed over to race. Paul's race the 25K Classic went off at 10:15 am, my 25K Freestyle went off at 11:45 am. Paul's race uses diagnol stride technique, while mine is skating style. I cheered Paul on for his 1st lap then got myself ready to do my 3 lap race.
Paul racing in MTBNJ, like my son, he came I'll prepared so I had to lend him my vest.
While I did feel nervous getting ready, I loosened up while skating out the jitters and at the start line 80s dance music was bumping to lighten up the atmosphere. With over 100 racers on the line, I placed no expectations on myself as to where I'd finish, my goal was to go out and skate hard in my 1st xc ski race and see what happens.
The first half of the course had climbing, with the 2nd half being flatter. After the climbs I was in the front 3rd of the race and lost some spots on the descents, my fitness level was stronger then my technique and found myself making mistakes if I skied outside my ability, which usually occurred when going 30mph on xc skis. Like a cx, there was always someone to race around me, often times I traded spots with fellow racers on climbs and descents, when we got to the flats it's who wants it more, conserve when you can with optimum glide and inflict pain on those around you. This was the scenario on the last lap, going back and forth with 2 people like a boxing match. They had skin suits and better skis, which told me they where serious racers.
I stopped for water every 4K as volunteers held it up, while others I marked up kept going. It only took 3 seconds to gulp it down but as a mtb racer, I know how important it is to stay hydrated in a 1.5 hr race. With these quick stops I felt I could make ground up and finish stronger. This plan worked as I caught my marked racer and made the pass stick in the last 1K. As I crossed the finish line I was exhausted but waited for the people I was racing to high five and thank them for pushing me. I finished 40th out of 104 with a time of 1:28 for a 25K, which I'm happy with.
Coming into the finish.
With hundreds of people around, the post race was a big party, there was not much room in the lodge so sharing space and striking up conversation about the race, where you're from and such came naturally, racing, free food and beers usually puts everyone in a good mood. While in the lodge I saw Hans and his wife Kim as well as their kids. They run High Point XC Ski Center in NJ. Actually Paul and I met them earlier that morning as we were registering to race. Having seen them the week earlier when Paul and I skied High Point, it was kinda funny to run into them again. Anyway we all hung out together in the lodge and made plans to meet up later for diner.
Post race vibes.
As the party in the lodge was breaking up Paul and I began rounding up our shit and headed to the car. Paul was already at the car talking to some dude in his late 20s when he says, hey Chris, this is Simon, he did the 50K race and needs a ride into town, I was like sure, hop in. I've said before that one of the reasons I like Paul, is for his child like qualities, he is also like a dog everyone likes to pet, strangers are not afraid of him.
Since we where going into Lake Placid to meet Hans and crew, it made sense to bring Simon with us and avoid 2 back and forth trips. We hung out in our prison cabin, had snacks, more beer and got cleaned up. Simon was from Montreal, he took a bus to Lake Placid, got a room in town and took a taxi that morning to race. He was gonna walk 7miles back to town when he spotted Paul...the mark. Actually, he was good company, he shared his life with us and we shared ours. When I told my wife this story she said he could have been a serial killer, I said no, he's alright, he xc skis.
Me, serial killer and Paul.
We got to Lisa G's restaurant in town around 7pm, met the Hans entourage (Hans, his wife, son, daughter, son in law, son's buddy) and sat at the bar for about 45 minutes to wait for a table for 9 people. We where starving but the wait went fast, in fact the whole night flew by. After dinner we dropped Simon off at his hotel .5 mile away and went to Lake Placid Brewery for a night cap with Hans crew. It was good to sit and talk, I learned about Han's background, he won some big xc ski races in Norway, came to the states and raced, met his wife at Vernon Valley Ski slope where she worked, they got married, lived in Norway, moved back to states where they lived upstate and ran Tug Hill then moved back to NJ to be closer to Kim's family. Hans has been running the High Point XC Ski Center for 20 yrs and works full time for Picatiny Arsenal as activities director(trip planner). This is the nutshell version, he tells the story with greater detail, his Norwegian accent makes the story sound better.
Iggy in his glory.
When my head hit the pillow Saturday night I fell into a deep sleep in minutes. 7am rolled around and we ate breakfast in the cabin, I waxed our skis in a shed out back while Paul cleaned up cabin. We packed up, loaded car and drove over to the ski center to get in one last ski. The conditions where great, it snowed 3" over night and it was 12 degrees. This place is incredible.
The drive home went quick, Paul and I where tired from the weekend and where comfortable enough with each other to not feel the need to break the silence of a car ride. As I sit here typing this I now realize how much I needed a wknd get away like this. I feel as refreshed and renewed as when I come home from Kingdom Trails with the team. I need to put together a xc ski team for next year so we can go back, rent a bigger place or rent the prison cabin again with Paul and wing it.
JDurk
Well-Known Member
Great read. Lake Placid is awesome in the summer too. Was up there in '17 for IM70.3 with my wife. We did it as a duo, she was the swim/run and I was on the road bike. The descent down to Keene was the fastest I've ever rode a bike. Going back this summer at the end of July and plan to explore the mtb trails.
Yeah, my brain was lighting up firing of primordial urges drawing me to the area. I would like to plan another buddy trip back there to mtb.
You start abreast in the start finish area. The starter informs racers to double pole to a specific point about 150 yrds in. This allows the herd to dissipate a bit and spread out before adding a skate kick to the mix. In a 25 kilometer race there is plenty of room and time to make passes, it's not like the start of Cathedral Pines single track mess.
Lining up at start.
Kids are always cute and great to see enjoying the sport.
Paul polling out, even though he's classic skiing, it's still more efficient to double pole at start.
Getting ready to get ready.
I can't see you. Fake News.