I did not plan on it January was ski race month. I did four races on for consecutive weekends. Probably haven’t done that in 35 years, because even over those 10 Alaskan winters I never race every weekend and rarely did more than two in a row. There just weren’t that many local races over the long winter and I would only travel once or twice a year for a race.
2022
Frisco Gold Rush last year was my first outing in eight years and results were mixed. Racing at an elevation of 9000-9500′ was more difficult than I remember, and dang the age group competition was tough. I was top 25 overall in the race, but was only 5th in my age group and I only gained that final spot over the last kilometer. So if any type of age grading were used in these races, 60-64 would be the toughest on the Colorado citizen race circuit.
2023
The Grand County Nordic Series is new this year, and it’s somewhat overdue. They have several Nordic areas, but in the past eight years since we moved back to Colorado only three races a year (if you combine the Snow Mountain Stampede 25K/50K skate-classic on consecutive days). With such great skiing and a couple hundred Ks of trails at Snow Mountain, Devil’s Thumb, and Grand Lake it’s nice to have a series of five race weekends, the four races in January and then the double in March. February is a good month to go elsewhere, like the Alley Loop in Crested Butte, now a popular race, and the venerable Frisco Gold Rush. Add in the Birkie in Wisconsin and state high school championships, it’s a busy month.
The schedule for January was the 7.5/15K skate race at Snow Mountain on January 7, 7.5/15K classic at Snow Mountain (same course) on the 14th, 15/30K Stagecoach Classic on the 21st, and the 15/30K skate at Grand Lake on the 29th. They are keeping points, but it’s either for the long race or short race (no mixing) and for some reason combined the 50-69 in to one big age group, even though participation-wise in Colorado, this is probably the most active age range for citizen racing. Interestingly, the 60-64 age groups are more or less leading the score, with the leader in each short and long being 60+, and currently four of the top six in the long are 60+. Go figure.
Here is how it has gone for me so far.
January 7, 15K skate, Snow Mountain Ranch – This was just my second race in nine years, and I had only been on skis maybe five or six times in November and December, I was rusty. Pretty tough course, starting and finishing at 8500′ with four climbs of 150-200 feet (long grinders, taking 5-10 minutes apiece). With only a short warm up (traffic delays getting to the venue) I went into oxygen debt half way through the first lap and really had to back down on the second climb, heading back toward the lodge. But I pulled it together somewhat on the second lap and actually had a negative split. Finished 5th in the 60+ age group and 10th for the 0fficial 50-69 year olds. About like the Gold Rush last year (with most of the same skiers up there). 57:30 (3:50/km).
However, the most exciting part of the day was running into Bill an old friend from the mid-1980s. Bill taught me how to V1 skate in 1985, that was cutting edge back then, only World Cup/national skiers were doing that. Even the universities were skiing mostly classic. Hadn’t seen Bill in more than 30 years but we caught right back up.
January 14, 7.5K classic, Snow Mountain Ranch. I did not want to do the full 15K so signed up for the shorter race. This was my first classic race since 2014 and. that was hard. My main competition was 12-15 year old girls, and the got the better of it. I kind of folded on the last pitch of the last hill, and probably lost 30 seconds over a couple hundred meters (walking). 2nd in my age group, 29:30 (3:56/km), but something like five minutes off 1st (guy’s a Norwegian phenom).
January 21, 30K classic, Devil’s Thumb Ranch. I think it was wise to go shorter the first week, but had always wanted to do the Stagecoach Classic at Devil’s Thumb Range, near Fraser. Devil’s Thumb is rated the number one Nordic resort in the country. Not sure about that, but that’s what they say. Very upscale, and they do have some nice trails and a magnificent mountain backdrop on the leeward side of the Continental Divide.
I had a decent start/first few kms and was right in the thick of it, but think I blew it in ski and wax selection. It was mid-low teens and for kick I had three layers of blue, and a layer of Blue Extra in the middle. It was a little too grippy. That and I chose my softer skis. The course was gentler than at Snow Mountain, where either you are climbing or descending–with only a half K or so per lap of double poling. At Devil’s Thumb it was 70-75% double pole. So I held up on the ascent (first lap at least) but got swallowed up on the easy downhills and flats because the other skiers had better glide. My arms were aching by the end! And the race ended up taking 20 or 25 minutes longer than I had expected. 5th in 60-64 age group, 6th for 50-59, 2:27:50 (4:56/km)
January 29, 30k, no make that 32K skate, Grand Lake Nordic Center. I last raced in Grand Lake in 1985. It was my first ever skate race. Just before the start at encouragement of some friends, including Bill, I scraped off the kick wax from my Fischer Air Carbons and raced 10K, doing the marathon skate and single pole up the hills. I was a 30 minutes on fast spring snow.
This was January, and in addition to the fact that I’m 38 years older now, a lot has changed. The East Troublesome fire ripped through Grand County in the fall of 2020, and devastated the forest around the golf course and forest trails. Other than the steep herringbone climbs, the narrow 7.5K loop was unrecognizable.
I lined up in the third row, so top 15 but quickly got swallowed up by 8-10 skiers. After that it was just a slog. I picked off a few in the later laps and there were several drop outs. Each lap was a struggle. The snow was slow and soft, the course was very technical, and it feature numerous small but steep hills, on one 2.5 to 3 minute climb that thwarted your efforts.
Each of the four races had its challenges, but this was the hardest. I ended up in 18th overall, 3rd 60-64, and in 2:24 (4:30/km). I have skied faster for 45K on a cold day. And I won national masters titles at 50K in 2009 and 30K in 2013. But that was years ago. Will have to take it as it is now, and just glad I made it through!
What’s next? I’m doing a higher elevation (9000 feet) but easier course at Frisco next weekend. I actually won that race one year in the late 1980s. After that? Might go back to running, or might hang on for another month to do Snow Mountain Stampede 25K or (less likely) the 50K skate.
2024
We’ll see.
rrunnin234 