Searching (and dreaming) for snow

First off, I'd like to direct your attention to our SLUSKI Sale page, where we are offering up some deals on old team gear like jackets and hats...cleaning out our closet and hopefully using some of the funds to support current team purchases like wax, uniform stuff and offsetting trip costs.

Check out the website here:

https://sites.google.com/site/sluskisalepage/

You may recognize some of the 'models' of these fine products!

With the leaves all gone and the days getting colder, the time of year has arrived for snow to be on the back of everyone's mind.

Webcams from numerous ADK snowmobiling sites (thanks to Kyle for spreading the word about those) have been taunting us with a few inches here and there in the mountainous regions, and we're not-so-patiently waiting for a promising report of lake-effect powder in the hills. The excitement for the first real skiing of 2013/14 is building.

I have the Star Lake gas station on speed-dial, if that says anything about the subject.

It snowed a few flakes this morning, enough for me to get out the old waxless boards and cruise around the fields for a few minutes...

Unfortunately it is disappearing rapidly, and until the ground really freezes and the days turn as cold as the nights, we'll be sticking with dryland training. We've been steadily checking off our list of 'best and most challenging fall workouts'. Here's a few photos from recent training sessions:

Hard bounding at Higley...a predetermined loop with hard bounding on the hills and L3 running everywhere else. Many laps, many trips to the pain cave. Very old school and Scandinavian, this one! 

We've been staying active in the gym, incorporating new exercises like the Swedish reverse-bench press (or "bench pull"). This one is all the rage in the ski world, though I don't think the director of the Fitness Center was psyched to see us setting up a bench so precariously when she happened to walk into the Varsity training room this day...

Another solid workout is specific strength repeats at Higley. The closed roads allow for lots of group skiing and, in this case, towing. You can't see it from this show but Meng is actually pulling Matt Dier up the hill via a series of bicycle tubes attached to his water belt. It's easy to see why these drills are effective: not only does it incorporate specific muscles for skiing, the towing aspect allows you to get comfortable putting your body weight in a nice forward position.

Here is an unfortunate shot of the second rollerski Will has broken this year...this time during a town line sprint near Parishville. Will is working on planting his feet a bit more forward instead of landing on his heels, and here is a great indicator of why! He got tripped up while springing and put all his pressure straight onto that back section, snapping it straight through. He claims he is switching to aluminum skis from now on.