A week of snow-hunting

The weather really came through for us this week. We were able to basically extend our on-snow volume we began in Canada with skiing in the North Country that got better and better as the week went on, the result of a little more snow each night and being in the right place at the right time. Though the early week saw me spending a fair amount of time behind the wheel (when is a ski coach NOT spending time behind the wheel) in search of the best snow, it was well worth it for everyone to have our options dialed in.

TUESDAY

We began skiing at Star Lake on a few inches Tuesday, mostly sticking to the upper areas that drain water well as the ground wasn't quite frozen. People were icing up but the repeated laps meant we 'self-groomed' a loop that was much better by day 2 (Wednesday).

WEDNESDAY

Our self-groomed loop was in great shape by Wednesday after setting up overnight. The team got in some solid skate intervals in a dark blizzard, which actually helped narrow the focus on balance and staying in control. Headlamps became the norm when darkness fell.

Boys team getting some skate intensity Wednesday

THURSDAY

Snow fell into Thursday, enough so that we attempted a classic ski at Higley. It would've been great in the morning, unfortunately temps warmed considerably by practice time and kick was hard to come by if you weren't on fishscales (a good lesson to the team about the value of always having a crappy pair of Grandma's old skis with you...you never know) 

FRIDAY

When things cooled down overnight and into Friday morning in Colton, Ethan and I fired up the snowmobile and made a few passes at Higley...no grooming equipment yet, but three trips around with the machine itself made for more great skating and some longer, easier intervals on the smooth terrain.

SATURDAY

This was the real treat. Ethan and I were up at dawn, and I took the snowmobile, this time with a roller attached, and made a nice loop at Star Lake. I was having a blast, really trying to make use of every space there. In the end, we may have even had up to 6 or 7k totally groomed, mostly wide enough for two abreast. I even groomed a twisting downhill run that slalomed between some trees...right after creating it I sent three of our girls down it and everyone ended with their faces in the powder. Guess we need the practice! Additionally, I groomed a smaller loop on the highest, driest part of Star Lake, with the intent of having it left unskied and able to sustain the rain and warm temps we now have...don't think it's gonna happen. 

Wide tracks and good skiing at Star Lake. Looks just like Gatineau, right?

The second highlight of Saturday morning was the trip Ethan and I took to the extremely rustic 'Hillside Diner' after we finished grooming (the team hadn't arrived yet). With our snowpants strapped on and reeking of two-stroke, we fit right in with the two other people in the joint. I ordered 3 large pancakes, which got our waitress and the kitchen staff all riled up. Apparently in 22 years only 2 people have finished all 3 cakes. They were 14 inches wide and almost an inch thick. I take my breakfast food very seriously, so despite already having eaten breakfast that morning (oatmeal and 2 eggs) I wasn't about to back down after placing my order. It took me an hour, but as the team vans rolled past I triumphantly choked the last few bites down, much to our host's surprise. I ate the pancakes at 9am and wasn't hungry again until 8pm that night, so for $4.95 I'd say you can't go wrong if you're ever hungry in the Star Lake area. 

Hillside Diner...breakfast of champion groomers

The team skied for 2.5 hours Saturday, as we swapped overdistance days knowing it would unfortunately be all melted by today...campus is now awash in a downpour, but as we head into a recovery week it's been incredible to get this skiing in right when we needed it!