Skiing at Washington Pass with Caitlin Gregg

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Here's a clip of Caitlin and Brian skiing at Washington Pass, here in the the Methow Valley.

Caitlin sent this note:

Hi Mark,

Yesterday was the earliest on snow skiing for me in 5 years. It was awesome!!! Dave Ford set some tracks around the Washing Pass overlook road. There was only about 6-8" total but it firmed up for some nice skiing in the afternoon. I started on fish scales but quickly switched to waxable skis. Next time I will bring my good skis. I am excited to be testing grinds with you again this year. Super pumped to now have the S1 on my favorite pair of skis. Here is some video of the first ski of the year. We were so excited to ski that we didn't get many pictures.

Thanks, Caitlin



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A Note from the Haig Glacier

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Here's an email and pictures I got today from Brian Gregg of CXC Elite.

Brian grew up here locally (Mazama, WA) and continues to improve. He's dedicated, talented, and he's working hard at becoming the best he can be.
Hi Mark,Just checking in from up on the Haig Glacier.  The 
conditions are fantastic and training is going well.The last few nights have been clear and the track 
has set up well.  There is a 7.5km loop which winds 
back and forth.  The terrain is moderate which is nice 
since we are nearly at 9000 feet.I am really impressed with the new PL3 grind.  Thanks 
for shipping it out to me, the skis are awesome up here.  
I feel bad for my teammate Matt.  He put flouros on his 
skis and mine are still faster.Anyways just wanted to say hello.  There are more pictures 
on my site(www.xcSkiLife.com)  Hope you are enjoying 
things back in the Methow.-Brian
With the hot weather here in the Northwest, the pictures from the Haig Glacier really look inviting!

Dog Days

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It's late July, the hottest dog days of summer. As far from ski season as you can get in the northern hemisphere.

It's also a relatively quiet time at Ultratune. A few batches of team skis are rolling in, and a few odd pairs of skis for forward-looking skiers. Some minor updates in the shop, mostly in preparation for the new Mantec grinder in September.

At Nordic Ultratune, August will bring a slow uptick in ski activity at the shop. New skis will begin to arrive. The phone will ring more often; emails become more frequent. Skiers awaken.

For cross country skiers, August brings a light to the end of the hot green tunnel. August days will start to become noticeably shorter; noticeably cooler. Nights longer, stars brighter. More ski-specific activities will creep into the day-to-day routine. There's a change.

If you are a competitive skier then now is the time for the diligent work that will pay dividends in December. Though it's hot and sunny, and friends are heading to the beach, stay focused on the task at hand and don't lose track of your training.

Don't let these hot July afternoons turn into dog days.

FIS Trainers Seminar in Whistler

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This weekend was spent at Whistler BC.

Margaret was attending the 2009 FIS Trainers Seminar, and I was sampling the single-track on the mountain bike.

The FIS Trainers Conference was an educational siminar for coaches from Europe and North America, and had presentations on physical, tactical, and technical preparation, as well as strategic planning for long term athlete development. Researchers such as Holmberg (SWE) and Smith (CAN) are leading researchers in areas such as double poling, testing, and sprint preparation.

Margaret reports that the speakers were of the highest quality and the presentations were uniformly excellent and well worth attending. As you might expect, she came away from each day boiling over with enthusiasm and very stimulated.

It's worth noting, I think, that there were no USSA coaches at the seminar, and as far we could tell, Margaret (representing the Methow Valley Nordic Club) was the only USA coach in attendance.

Margaret will have a summary report in an upcoming Ultratune Newsletter.