Blog | Mansfield Nordic Club

Bogburn Wax Tip Update! and Course Maps

We just got some new intel from people who raced at Rikert today that hardwax is working well. But, you definitely need a binder. See the previous post for a gide recommendation.

For BKL: Regular hardwax binder like TOKO Base green or other cold binder. Rough up the kickzone with 150 grit sandpaper. Rub on the binder and iron in. Wax of the day can be applied on site.

For Masters & Juniors: Rough up the kickzone with 150 grit sandpaper. Then iron in either 1) a thin layer of klister binder (Toko base green, swix green, chola) or 2) a good layer of Toko base green or other cold hardwax binder. Cork smooth after ironing, let cool. Then rub on 1 or 2 more layers of base binder, corking smooth after each one. If your skis are very soft, you may want to go with the thin klister binder and less layers. If your skis are stiffer, go with they layered hardwax binder.

If all this sounds like Greek to you, don’t worry! We will have some spray binders, an iron, lots of hardwax, wax benches and coaches to help you get skis that work! See you at Rikert!

Also, course map:

Bogburn Wax Tip

By Adam Terko on 5 January, 2024 in BKL Race Blog, Junior Blog, Masters Blog

The Bogburn is ON! Rikert has worked hard to create a manmade loop of 1.5k for racing, and some cold nights will keep things in good shape.

Prep glide zones by brushing with a metal brush and (if you have some) using a dedicated glide cleaner. Lots of these manmade loops, especially Sleepy Hollow due to the walk up from the parking lot, can be a bit dirty.

For a paraffin layer, I would suggest a neutral blue or mid-range option such as Swix 7 or Toko Red. BKL skiers racing earlier might choose Toko Blue or Swix 6.

For kickwax, expect abrasive snow. When the morning temps are cooler, it might be possible to race on a klister/hardwax mix such as Oslo Blue, or a spray klister binder with a hardwax application.

For later races, klister might provide the durability and kick needed to hold up over race distance in transformed snow…corners may get icy and bermed-up, and climbs might get sugary. Starting with a purple ice klister and adding in warmer universal options (like Rode Multigrade, Swix Universal, Guru 39) could be worth a try as the races go on throughout the day.

One option that seems “safe” would be to start with Swix KN33 Nero in the morning, and add/bump up to Swix KN44 Nero as the temps rise and the course begins to change.

Happy racing!

US Nationals begins!

By Adam Terko on 1 January, 2024 in Junior Blog

A group of MNC athletes are out in Utah this week competing at the US National Championships! You can follow along at the official event website here:

US Nationals Info

Timing info and results can be found at the site below. MNC racers are Gillian, Elsa, Julia, and Anders!

US Nationals Timing

We are also joining-up with Ford Sayre for this trip, sharing lodging and waxing and hanging out with our fellow New England friends. Our final ski of 2023 was a beautiful cruise up at 9000′ at the Bonanza Flats trails…this is a publicly groomed network with amazing views and fun trails.

Although the Bonanza Flats trails were around 4km, and the venue itself (Soldier Hollow, site of the 2002 Olympics) has only a 3.3km loop of manmade snow, we’re still very fortunate to even have that much distance. Most of our club is still skiing on very short loops, but making it work!

Here’s a video edit of our Bonanza Flats ski:

BKL Info Jan 1-7

By Liz Hollenbach on 1 January, 2024 in BKL Race Blog, BKL Training Schedule

Happy New Year! We have confirmed details for this week and will be skiing at the Range both days. Details below. The Range has made some snow and there is a ski loop.

The Bogburn Race is this Saturday, January 6th and all BKL skiers that want to race are invited to come. Feel free to reach out to Coach Liz with any questions. More info linked below.

The New England BKL Festival Registration is open and this year’s Fest is at Rikert, Ripton, VT hosted by Frost Mtn Nordic. It’s a fun weekend of ski activities and races. More Info

BKL Sub-Groups

Parent Volunteer signup sheet

Tuesday: Penguins, Jack Rabbits, Arctic Foxes & Racers

Location: The Range

Details: Skate (Penguins Classic), Devos check out the Junior training doc

Thursday: Jack Rabbits, Arctic Foxes, Racers & Devos

Location: The Range

Details: Classic

Practice Waxing Info: If you have waxable classic skis you can either wax at home or meet at the wax bench outside in front of the Walker Building. Please come 10 minutes early for waxing. If you plan to wax at practice make sure any old kick wax is cleaned off (by putty knife or wax remover). It looks like it will be machine made snow and 31 degrees. A warm hard wax (toko yellow) or klister.

Saturday: Bogburn Ski Race at Rikert in Ripton

The Bogburn is on. Online registration closes Friday, Jan 5th at 5pm

Classic Technique

Registration Info | Race Info

Let us know you are planning to race: MNC Racer sign-up list

Juniors head into 2024

By Adam Terko on 26 December, 2023 in Junior Blog

The calendars are about to turn over, and the MNC Juniors will be spread around the country for a bit. What are we up to?

USBA Youth/Junior World Trials

Taylor, Virginia, and Pat are travelling to Mt Itasca, MN to race in the Junior/Youth World Championship trials for biathlon. This series of races is right around the corner, and finishes up before the new year.

You can find a press release about these upcoming races right here on the US Biathlon website.

US National Championships

Gillian, Anders, Julia, and Elsa are travelling to Soldier Hollow, UT to compete at US Nationals. In addition to serving as qualification races for U18 Scandinavian Cup and World Junior trips, the first 3 races also count as out-of-region JNQ events, and are also just great for seeing the greater picture of skiing in all of the US!

These races take place from January 2nd through the 7th, with results and information available at this site.

Training in Vermont

Many of our Juniors are going to be in Vermont for the start of the new year, training in preparation for the rest of the season. We have a pretty significant gap between the 1st and 2nd Eastern Cup races, which is great for a flexible schedule around biathlon, US Nationals, or just putting in time with training!

Our group in Vermont will be at the legendary Bogburn classic race on the 6th, before everyone reconvenes from their various trips and championships to compete in the Silver Fox Trot in Hanover on the 13th.