Blog | Mansfield Nordic Club

BKL Info December 9-15

By Liz Hollenbach on 9 December, 2024 in BKL Training Schedule

Update for Thursday- 9am Update Practice is on for this afternoon. We are going to have practice at Mills Riverside Park in Jericho at the regular time. We’ll be on foot doing dryland – playing games, hiking and running. Bring classic poles and we will do some running with poles.

We have our eye on the weather this week. Lots of snow and good conditions now, but there is a bit of rain in the forecast for Wednesday. It’s possible we need to modify our practice plans for Thursday. Please check back here on Thursday morning about 10am for any location and practice updates. We do not anticipate needing to cancel practice.

**Individual headlamps work great for skiing at Tomasi. Please send your child with their own headlamp. You can stash it in your child’s ski jacket the night before practice. And if you don’t already have a headlamp there are lots of great options out there. More and more are rechargeable. OGE and REI are good local resources. Black Diamond is my personal favorite brand and they have several types that are rechargeable ones. And if you can’t get one for practice we have one or two to loan out.

Sub-Groups and Coach Info
Parent Meeting Notes
Season Long Schedule

Tuesday, December 10th
Location: Tomasi Meadow, Underhill Center
Time: 3:45pm-5:15pm
Details: Skate Skiing for JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes and Racers – Classic for Penguins

Parking: The Tomasi lot on Mountain Rd was expanded this summer and we should all be able to squeeze in. We’ll plan to park in the same fashion as last week and have parking helpers.

Reminder: There is no inside space at Tomasi or bathrooms (go before heading over).

Thursday, December 12 – JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes, Racers and Devos
Location:Updated- Mills Riverside Park, Jericho
Time: 3:45pm-5:15pm
Details: Dryland practice on foot. Wear sneakers/running shoes or snow boots. Bring classic poles for running with ski poles.

Parking: Lots of parking in the Mills Riverside Lot

Reminder: There is no inside space at Mills Riverside Park or bathrooms (go before heading over).

Saturday, December 14 – Racers and Devos Practice at Sleepy Hollow. Technique TBD. Meet Coach Liz at 10am ready to ski on the trail outside the lodge and finish up about 11:30. You can watch the Sleepy Hollow conditions and web cam here.

Masters starts on (and in) the snow!

By Adam Terko on 9 December, 2024 in Masters Blog

We had a great start to the Winter 24/25 Masters season last week! Despite unfortunate construction and renovation closures at the Range, we are super grateful to Sleepy Hollow for helping us still train in the evening with lights and snowmaking. For afternoon Masters, Tomasi Meadow has also been a phenomenal resource.

Even more good news though: we had real snow to train on! It has become increasingly rare to kick off the season on snow, much less more than a small loop of artificial snow. We almost had too much of a good thing for Masters training, with heavy snowfall impacting the driving conditions on both Tuesday and Thursday.

Lots of snow happening during the ski Tuesday

Thursday brought difficult classic conditions with snow that Coach Kristen aptly described as “corn starch” in consistency. On top of the artificial snow, this was particularly tough: then add in another snowstorm and you have a recipe for winter chaos! It was still a beautiful night though, with fair temperatures and good spirits. The lights at Sleepy Hollow just have that slightly more “warm” feeling than the “industrial” vibes up at the military base…no surprise, I guess, but it’s a welcoming glow over in Huntington for sure.

We are dreading the upcoming rain on Wednesday, but given the snowmaking systems in place and the loop already created by Eli we’ll be hoping to keep our skis on for Thursday!

You can always view the latest at the Masters Training Doc.

Craftsbury Opener(s) Wax Rec

By Adam Terko on 5 December, 2024 in Junior Blog, Masters Blog

Winter looks to be ON for these races! With fresh snow accumulating a little bit each day, and cold temps keeping it around, the wax forecast for this weekend should be pretty straightforward (especially on glide).

SkiReg: Saturday SK

SkiReg: Sunday CL

Saturday (Sprints)

Low of 13 overnight, high of 22 on race day. 2″ of snow forecast for Thursday.

The course will feature a lot of artificial snow in the stadium/cabin area and therefore should remain quite fast despite it being a little chilly.

Glide wax recommendation

Two layers of Toko Blue and X-Cold powder, Swix PS5, or other green/blue range glide wax. Scrape and brush between layers, and brush thoroughly after the final application. It’s important for our bases to be “hardened” for cold conditions, hence the recommendation for 2x layers.

Topcoat recommendations

Star Next Cold liquid or wool block
Rode RL/RXL cold liquid, let dry thoroughly and buff
Toko Blue spray…apply it the night before OR allow for at least 1hr of drying time at room temp before brushing

Sunday (Classic Distance)

Low of 12 overnight, high of 31 on race day with flurries.

This course will be more natural snow if utilizing more trails distant from the center.

Glide wax recommendation

See above: the glide wax recommendation is the same for Saturday and Sunday

Kick wax recommendation

In a very rare New England event these days, it looks like green, blue, and violet hardwax will be on the menu! A binder such as Toko Base Green is recommended, but we will likely test binders on site and if a more rugged option (like Start Base Extra, which contains some klister) improves things we will let people know.

A good place to start would be Rode Super Blue or Swix Extra Blue. If more kick is needed, try adding layers or jumping up to Toko Red or Rode Violet. If more glide is needed, try dropping down to Toko Blue or Rode Blue Multigrade.

Visit the MNC trailer (lower parking lot) for any questions or assistance on race day!

BKL Info December 2-8 and Sub Groups

By Liz Hollenbach on 2 December, 2024 in BKL Training Schedule

Find your child’s Sub-group & coach info here: BKL Sub-Groups

Please make note of your child’s coach’s contact info. Let coaches know if your child will be late or absent. If it is last minute, please text Coach Liz (802-922-1843).

*Remember that groups are not static and we may switch kids if we find they would benefit from being in a different group.

This week we have our virtual parents meeting and the first day of practice for everyone, except Penguins. The new snow over the past few days has allowed Coach Peter to work on grooming at Tomasi Meadow in Underhill Center. We’re going to jump at this chance to ski.

*Practice Location Update – MNC has just learned that The Range, our home base for skiing, might not be open for this ski season. We have our fingers crossed that we can work with the National Guard to make something work starting in January. We will not be at The Range for December. We are working on several other options. This will impact some families with children in multiple programs and those that do the Masters program in the evening. Afternoon Masters Group will be at the BKL location. Read All the Details Here

Tuesday, December 3 at 7pm – Virtual Parents Meeting on Tuesday. Check your email for a meeting link.

Thursday, December 5 – First day of practice for JackRabbits, Arctic Foxes, Racers and Devos

Location: Tomasi Meadow, Underhill Center
Parking: The Tomasi lot on Mountain Rd was expanded this summer and we should all be able to squeeze in.
Time: 3:45pm-5:00pm (we’ll end 15 minutes earlier than usual, but bring a good head lamp!)
Details: Classic Skiing (Choose your skis depending on what you have- waxable classic skis, classic rock skis or no-wax classic skis)
Reminder: There is no inside space at Tomasi or bathrooms (go before heading over).

Saturday, December 7 – Racers and Devos Practice at Sleepy Hollow. Let’s skate ski. We’ll meet at 10am ready to ski on the trail outside the lodge and finish up about 11:30. You can watch the Sleepy Hollow conditions and web cam here.

Pro tips to help you get equipment ready for ski practice:

Practice putting on ski pole straps – Bring your poles inside, put on the gloves or mittens you plan to wear to skiing. Test that ski pole straps are secure. They should be loose enough to slide hand through easily over mittens/gloves, but snug enough so if you let go of the pole grip, it stays close to your hand. Make sure kids know how to put on their own poles and practice putting on poles in the living room.
Practice putting on your skis. Bring your skis into the living room. Put on your ski boots ski boots and set skis right down on the carpet. Practice opening the bindings and putting boots into the bindings.
Label all equipment, so kids and coaches can find the name easily (skis and poles especially). It doesn’t have to be anything fancy- masking tape and sharpie work great.

RANGE UPDATES 12/2/24

By Adam Terko on 2 December, 2024 in BKL Jackrabbits, BKL Race Blog, Junior Blog, Masters Blog, Uncategorized

Mansfield Nordic
Range Update and Practice Locations
December 2, 2024

Last week the National Guard announced to Mansfield Nordic Club, Ethan Allen Biathlon Club and local High School coaches that there would be no one allowed to ski at the range in 2025. They later updated this announcement further to inform all groups no outside groups were going to be allowed at the facility after December 9th. This was quite a surprise, because as of August we thought the situation going forward was clear and not impacting our programs.

The Walker Building is scheduled for deconstruction starting December 9th. There is also site work and trail widening that will happen this winter. These projects are part of a larger plan that includes some new buildings and trail upgrades. While we are excited to benefit from infrastructure improvements in the future, it is disappointing to learn of this exclusion from the National Guard right before many groups and teams begin their winter seasons.

MNC’s head coaches and Board of Directors are working together with Ethan Allen Biathlon Club to advocate for use of the Range starting in January 2025.

These immediate changes are challenging for MNC because many members are involved with more than one of our groups: BKL, Juniors, and Masters. We understand that these changes in our program location will be tricky for some MNC skiers.

We have made alternate practice location plans for December and will be reassessing options for January based on any new agreement we are able to make with the National Guard.

December Tuesday/Thursday Practice

BKL – Practice will be in the Jericho/Underhill area. Mills Riverside Park/ Tomasi Meadow

Juniors – Tuesday and Thursday practices will be at Sleepy Hollow. Practices on other days of the week will be at Sleepy Hollow or other locations depending on snow conditions.

Masters – Afternoon Master coaches will hold practice at the same location as BKL practice. Afternoon masters have an option to swap to evening masters, and vice versa. Evening masters will be at Sleepy Hollow.

Masters will be responsible for paying for their own skiing at Sleepy Hollow. Sleepy Hollow has offered a discounted pass at $100 for a two day week option here (also see button below). Pass holders can use this pass for Tuesday and Thursday sessions, or for another day that week if they cannot make a scheduled practice, for up to 2x days total per week. This is not a reciprocal pass, and will not be able to be redeemed at other ski areas. If Masters skiers already have a regular Sleepy Hollow Pass, there is no need for this additional pass.

MNC Masters: Sleepy Hollow 2x/Wk Pass

Range Access Pass Holders– There will not be a Range Access option in December 2024, and we are not sure if there will be a Range Access Pass option in January 2025.

Refunds for Programs and Range Access will be considered after January 1, 2025. More info will be posted once available on the MNC website and in the weekly e blast.

Communicating with the National Guard

While there may be a lot of understandable frustration about this situation, particularly the lack of communication from the National Guard at Camp Johnson (where all facilities and resource access is managed), please hold your calls and emails until we reach any potential agreements for January 2025 onward.

There is certainly a deep well of community support and input that groups like MNC, EABC, MMU Nordic, and other can compile in sharing our frustrations with Guard leadership. But for the time being we are looking to approach this with an eye toward pragmatism and collaboration.

We hope to know more in advance of the new year.