Time for the switch to non-waxable skis
Warm temperatures this week mean it will soon (if not already) be spring skiing conditions at Okanagan cross-country ski areas.
The Ski Sheriff usually starts and ends the season with his non-waxable skis, since he hates klister. It’s a sticky, gummy wax you apply to the grip zone of waxable skis but it gets everywhere — in front of and back of the grip zone, the sides of your skis, your boots, your pants, the ski rack or box, virtually everything. Ugh!
For the uneducated, regular grip wax is designed to work with snowflakes that have fairly stiff, strong and defined shape with “arms” (when the snow temperature is below 0 C). Just like regular grip wax, klister is designed to allow snowflakes to penetrate into it, but it is designed to work with snowflakes or crystals that are softer and are lacking much shape or “arms.”
The arrival of spring conditions also means potholes on McCulloch Road so longtime skiers flock to the Summit Parking Lot of Kelowna Nordic Ski and Snowshoe Club (on Highway 33 opposite the truck chain-up area).
Last weekend, this small parking lot was packed with skier vehicles so you should arrive early. The snow was at the dangerous phase: when you skied out of tree shade into bright sunshine, there could be a sudden deceleration of your skis on the warmer snow. And it always seems to affect one ski in particular, leading to some precarious situations.
The Sheriff found that the kick/doublepole technique worked well, but gliding down a gentle downhill was definitely the best. It also helped to not leave one ski or the other rooted in the track for very long when doing the diagonal stride technique.
The Sheriff, Constant Companion Carmen and kayaking buddies Tricia and Betty climbed Diamond Dave’s Trail to green Thunder Mountain Trail to Backcountry to Fletcher Challenge to Roller Coaster on the way to the Meadow Cabin for lunch.
And then we backtracked on Upper Meadow to another section of Fletcher Challenge to rolling Old Cedar Trail, which has numerous views of the trails below. We prefer to do Old Cedar heading back to Thunder Mountain because most of it is a gentle downhill in that direction. That 2.2K section of Fletcher Challenge wasn’t groomed, so it was an enjoyable backcountry experience.
And there was almost no one else on those Thunder Mountain-area trails, which actually receive more snow than the closer, more popular trails on the west side of the ski area. Highly recommended, not just because of the spring potholes.
*** Athletes from throughout the valley, Vancouver and Washington state competed in the White Kennedy Ullr’s Winter Tri powered by Parkers Jeep on Feb. 18. Tom Evans took first place, finishing in under two hours.
“We hosted about 20 athletes this year,” said Lyndie Hill, co-owner of Hoodoo Adventures and race organizer. “I do think the deep, cold winter had an affect on registration. But that’s OK; everyone who attended loved it and that is the most important thing for us. The race course is truly first-class and we are hopeful that we can grow the event in the future as it does really showcase the area as a vibrant, active and beautiful winter destination.”
The event, sanctioned by Triathlon BC, was held at Apex Mountain Resort with a 16K mountain bike to Nickel Plate Nordic Centre, a 10K Nordic ski and an 8K snowshoe/mountain run back to Apex Village.
The next race in the four-race Elevation Series goes today — Ullr’s Winter Triathlon at Big White Ski Resort, with fat bikes, Nordic skis and snowshoes.
*** The Shuswap has done it again — kickstarting another year of trail work, building relationships and helping to get people outside, active and on their feet — with this year’s annual bash by the Shuswap Trail Alliance on Feb. 3 that raised $37,000.
The alliance is a role model and an example of what should be done in the Okanagan Valley, which has so many more outdoor clubs and a much larger population.
Now in its 12th year, the Shuswap Trail Alliance acts as the meeting point for regional partners to work together to design, sign, maintain and promote greenway trails. It’s a vision that has made the Shuswap a recognized trails destination in the province.
“It’s also a forum for figuring out how to do things better together — like build more environmentally sustainable trails, share knowledge and resources, shape common signage and messaging and more accountably acknowledge our place within Secwepemc Nation territory,” said executive director Phil McIntyre-Paul.
Learn more at shuswaptrails.com and check out Shuswap Event’s live-stream videos on Facebook. The Shuswap Trail Alliance’s annual general meeting is on Wednesday at Okanagan College’s Salmon Arm campus. All are welcome.
*** Fourteen skiers with the Nickel Plate Cross-Country Ski Club competed at the B.C. championships in Kamloops on Feb. 17-19. Fred Albrechtsen took the bronze aggregate award in the juvenile boys category and John Wilkie was first in the mens 30-39 category in both the 15K classic and 10K skate races.
Tim Bell placed sixth overall at the Gatineau World Loppet in Ottawa against an international field in both the 51K classic and 51K skate races, and club GM Murray Farbridge won gold at the Canadian Masters Ski Championships in New Brunswick in the 20K classic event.
The South Okanagan club is hosting The Skiathon on March 4, a fundraiser to help pay for grooming equipment with the skill development youth program and the junior race team skiing laps for money. Food and drink will be sold as well.
On St. Patricks Day, March 17, there will be a noon barbecue for $20. Eat, drink and be Irish. Tickets are available now at the ticket office. For more info, go to the club website: nickelplatenordic.org.
J.P. Squire, aka the Ski Sheriff, is an Okanagan Sunday reporter and an avid outdoors enthusiast. Contact him at jp.squire@telus.net.