Author: chris

Today was the coldest day I can remember at Fall Camp in West Yellowstone. The thermometer says it was not too bad, at -9F (-23C). But the wind never let up. Put the two together and you were quickly at the off-ramp to Frozenville.

How to dress for a day of skiing in such cold? Follow along as we get dressed for the ski day.

Wind briefs, of course.

Undershirt and silk sock liners.

Even with wind briefs, a little extra protection is welcomed. A bandana, folded and stuffed in the briefs. Gents, you won’t regret it.

Wicking zip-neck T and tights.

Wind vest. This one was sewn by my mother in 1995. It has skied, run and pedaled thousands of hours with me. Thanks, mom.

Great breathable wind pants.

Plastic bags on feet. In this case, mismatched English muffin bags. Simple, cheap, does an amazing job. Just cover your toes and your feet can still breathe.

Boots. Classic, of course. Think your skate skis will glide at these temps?

Breathable ski jacket.

Balaclava, covering at least your neck and ears.

A nice warm Toko ski cap to cover the balaclava.

Booties over the ski boots. Make sure they don’t interfere with your bindings.

Thermobelt for your drinking needs. Your water bottle will quickly become a frozen brick.

Puffy parka. Yes, I do ski in this when it is this cold. The thermobelt is under the parka.

Toko Windstopper gloves.

Toko overmitts.

Rudy Project sunglasses. Your eyes can suffer in such cold temps. Give them some protection.

Skis and poles and you are out the door!

A few other items to consider: Have food with you and a bit more in your car. You will churn through the calories just trying to stay warm. Have a dry shirt, hat and gloves for the walk or drive home. Finally, enjoy your day outdoors! We love winter.

Today was the coldest day I can remember at Fall Camp in West Yellowstone. The thermometer says it was not too bad, at -9F (-23C). But the wind never let up. Put the two together and you were quickly at the off-ramp to Frozenville.

How to dress for a day of skiing in such cold? Follow along as we get dressed for the ski day.

Wind briefs, of course.

Undershirt and silk sock liners.

Even with wind briefs, a little extra protection is welcomed. A bandana, folded and stuffed in the briefs. Gents, you won’t regret it.

Wicking zip-neck T and tights.

Wind vest. This one was sewn by my mother in 1995. It has skied, run and pedaled thousands of hours with me. Thanks, mom.

Great breathable wind pants.

Plastic bags on feet. In this case, mismatched English muffin bags. Simple, cheap, does an amazing job. Just cover your toes and your feet can still breathe.

Boots. Classic, of course. Think your skate skis will glide at these temps?

Breathable ski jacket.

Balaclava, covering at least your neck and ears.

A nice warm Toko ski cap to cover the balaclava.

Booties over the ski boots. Make sure they don’t interfere with your bindings.

Thermobelt for your drinking needs. Your water bottle will quickly become a frozen brick.

Puffy parka. Yes, I do ski in this when it is this cold. The thermobelt is under the parka.

Toko Windstopper gloves.

Toko overmitts.

Rudy Project sunglasses. Your eyes can suffer in such cold temps. Give them some protection.

Skis and poles and you are out the door!

A few other items to consider: Have food with you and a bit more in your car. You will churn through the calories just trying to stay warm. Have a dry shirt, hat and gloves for the walk or drive home. Finally, enjoy your day outdoors! We love winter.

Sweden’s Vasaloppet is considered the largest Nordic race in the world. The big deal is the 90K classic mass start at the end of the week. But there are several races over the week leading up to that, including the world’s largest female-only race, a team relay, a half distance classic, a half distance skate and two days of Oppet Spar, or open track. This year’s Vasa week will draw more than 57,000 skiers.

The Oppet Spar can be a tour or a race, depending upon your approach. Several U.S. skiers who were in the region for the Masters World Cup stayed a few extra days to experience the Sunday Oppet Spar, along with a little more than 8,000 other skiers.

Skiers can start anytime between 7 A.M. and 8 A.M. There are cutoff times at each feed station. A chip keeps track of your time.

There is endless sport drink, water, blueberry soup, bullion, coffee and bread at the feed stations. Yes, you will get sick of them all.

Crowds? You bet. Many times I headed up the middle or off the side to pass large groups. If you need practice on changing track, the Oppet Spar gives you several hours to perfect it.

I can’t imagine a more pleasant long tour of the Swedish countryside. I did the Vasaloppet as a tour, stopping whenever I felt like it to take photos, talk to people or soak in the surroundings. At each feed station I waited for my wife to catch up. Sometimes I would go hard between feed stations. Mostly I didn’t.

With the right outlook, there were places that you could revel in the chance to be skiing across Sweden, be overwhelmed by the simple rolling hills, the trees covered with snow, and the celebration of being part of such a group of folks who love to be outside in the winter.

A volunteer handing out bread. The feed stations could be very frustrating if you were hoping to get through them in a hurry. But if that was your goal, you were probably in the wrong place.

The terrain will feel very familiar to anyone who has skied in the glacial morraines of Michigan or Wisconsin.

Sweden’s Vasaloppet is considered the largest Nordic race in the world. The big deal is the 90K classic mass start at the end of the week. But there are several races over the week leading up to that, including the world’s largest female-only race, a team relay, a half distance classic, a half distance skate and two days of Oppet Spar, or open track. This year’s Vasa week will draw more than 57,000 skiers.

The Oppet Spar can be a tour or a race, depending upon your approach. Several U.S. skiers who were in the region for the Masters World Cup stayed a few extra days to experience the Sunday Oppet Spar, along with a little more than 8,000 other skiers.

Skiers can start anytime between 7 A.M. and 8 A.M. There are cutoff times at each feed station. A chip keeps track of your time.

There is endless sport drink, water, blueberry soup, bullion, coffee and bread at the feed stations. Yes, you will get sick of them all.

Crowds? You bet. Many times I headed up the middle or off the side to pass large groups. If you need practice on changing track, the Oppet Spar gives you several hours to perfect it.

I can’t imagine a more pleasant long tour of the Swedish countryside. I did the Vasaloppet as a tour, stopping whenever I felt like it to take photos, talk to people or soak in the surroundings. At each feed station I waited for my wife to catch up. Sometimes I would go hard between feed stations. Mostly I didn’t.

With the right outlook, there were places that you could revel in the chance to be skiing across Sweden, be overwhelmed by the simple rolling hills, the trees covered with snow, and the celebration of being part of such a group of folks who love to be outside in the winter.

A volunteer handing out bread. The feed stations could be very frustrating if you were hoping to get through them in a hurry. But if that was your goal, you were probably in the wrong place.

The terrain will feel very familiar to anyone who has skied in the glacial morraines of Michigan or Wisconsin.

Classic technique for 90K, 57,000 registered skiers. Welcome to the 2010 Vasaloppet week.

Classic technique for 90K, 57,000 registered skiers. Welcome to the 2010 Vasaloppet week.

A few days ago I was planning to post about how great it was to be following the Olympics from Sweden. We are 7 hours ahead of Vancouver, so everything xc ski race is live in the evening, from around 5 P.M. to 11 P.M. No commercials and complete start-to-finish video feed. Multiple channels, so if an important Swedish curling match is on one channel, the other is free to broadcast more nordic skiing. Could it get any better than this?

Watching skiing at the bar, Hotel Scanic Lugnet, Falun, Sweden.

And then I tried to find the Nordic Combined team relay. Sweden did not field a team. There was no coverage to be found. I have read about the US/Austria battle in the final lap, but have yet to see it.

That aside, it is such a pleasure to watch the nordic races on TV here. After dinner, a large group of masters skiers in Falun for the Masters World Cup gather around the large screen TV in the bar to watch the Olympic racers do their thing. Per Elofsson, a former World Cup sensation from Sweden, provides expert commentary. Before the race, there is a significant amount of time spent discussing what we will see, and who the favorites are. After the race, there is video replay and analysis of crucial moves, missed opportunities and comparison of fast skis, etc. Pretty much like watching a NFL football weekend. But with skiing. And no lite beer commercials. Or any commercials.

A few days ago I was planning to post about how great it was to be following the Olympics from Sweden. We are 7 hours ahead of Vancouver, so everything xc ski race is live in the evening, from around 5 P.M. to 11 P.M. No commercials and complete start-to-finish video feed. Multiple channels, so if an important Swedish curling match is on one channel, the other is free to broadcast more nordic skiing. Could it get any better than this?

Watching skiing at the bar, Hotel Scanic Lugnet, Falun, Sweden.

And then I tried to find the Nordic Combined team relay. Sweden did not field a team. There was no coverage to be found. I have read about the US/Austria battle in the final lap, but have yet to see it.

That aside, it is such a pleasure to watch the nordic races on TV here. After dinner, a large group of masters skiers in Falun for the Masters World Cup gather around the large screen TV in the bar to watch the Olympic racers do their thing. Per Elofsson, a former World Cup sensation from Sweden, provides expert commentary. Before the race, there is a significant amount of time spent discussing what we will see, and who the favorites are. After the race, there is video replay and analysis of crucial moves, missed opportunities and comparison of fast skis, etc. Pretty much like watching a NFL football weekend. But with skiing. And no lite beer commercials. Or any commercials.

We made it to Falun, Sweden, for the Masters World Cup. A bit of a rocky start, as the airline lost one of my bags in Chicago, so I spent the first day here skiing in the same clothes I had worn for about 24 hours of travel. Tried to not go too hard, as I had no dry clothes to change into. Of course my ski boots were in my carry on, so I was covered there.

Here is the view from our hotel room window. That is a sport community college in the foreground, a ski jump in the background. The race stadium is at the base of the jump, behind the college, a 5 minute walk from home.

Bandy practice (a Swedish game similar to hockey) after school on an outdoor rink. All part of the sport complex, and a great way to walk home after the ski, to the sound of skates and sticks.

A street in downtown Falun. The little we have seen so far we like a lot. Bikes, sleds, pedestrians, and everywhere snow. It is about a 15 minute walk, so I might not get there everyday. Lazy, I know.

My wife, Stefani, at the base of the jump after our first ski on the course. The course is beautiful, through forests of pines with rolling hills. Coverage is great, a mix of abrasive fresh snow and manmade snow. It is fairly squeaky snow, and race air temperature for my first race, a 30K classic on Saturday, will be around 5F. Tomorrow I will prep skis with Toko Nordlite Powder X-Cold.

We made it to Falun, Sweden, for the Masters World Cup. A bit of a rocky start, as the airline lost one of my bags in Chicago, so I spent the first day here skiing in the same clothes I had worn for about 24 hours of travel. Tried to not go too hard, as I had no dry clothes to change into. Of course my ski boots were in my carry on, so I was covered there.

Here is the view from our hotel room window. That is a sport community college in the foreground, a ski jump in the background. The race stadium is at the base of the jump, behind the college, a 5 minute walk from home.

Bandy practice (a Swedish game similar to hockey) after school on an outdoor rink. All part of the sport complex, and a great way to walk home after the ski, to the sound of skates and sticks.

A street in downtown Falun. The little we have seen so far we like a lot. Bikes, sleds, pedestrians, and everywhere snow. It is about a 15 minute walk, so I might not get there everyday. Lazy, I know.

My wife, Stefani, at the base of the jump after our first ski on the course. The course is beautiful, through forests of pines with rolling hills. Coverage is great, a mix of abrasive fresh snow and manmade snow. It is fairly squeaky snow, and race air temperature for my first race, a 30K classic on Saturday, will be around 5F. Tomorrow I will prep skis with Toko Nordlite Powder X-Cold.

It has been a tradition for my wife, Stefani, and I to finish up Fall Camp at West Yellowstone by skiing into the park on the Riverside Trail. A walk of two blocks leads to the edge of town and the Park boundary. From there, a narrow groomed track leads down to the Madison River. Always a relaxing and rewarding way to end the week of skiing.

It has been a tradition for my wife, Stefani, and I to finish up Fall Camp at West Yellowstone by skiing into the park on the Riverside Trail. A walk of two blocks leads to the edge of town and the Park boundary. From there, a narrow groomed track leads down to the Madison River. Always a relaxing and rewarding way to end the week of skiing.