Blog | Mansfield Nordic Club

Altitude Camp Concludes Summer

By Adam Terko on 20 August, 2024 in Junior Blog, Uncategorized

The bags are checked, the airport snacks are purchased, and our group of Juniors who just finished Rocky Mountain Camp are in various stages of transit back to Vermont.

This was a great camp, and the third edition of this western adventure. We got to visit some new places, both in training sessions and beyond…we went to a new canyon (Cascade Springs), raced at a new GoKart track (The Grid in Provo).

We even had a massively-expanded timetrial at the Soldier Hollow rollerski track with Team SoHo and Park City Ski and Snowboard club. Last year we were in Utah a week later and most had started school, but this time the clubs of the area were hosting practices-as-usual just like us. So we had a skate rollerski timetrial with 40 athletes total!

There are sure to be more stories and reflections to come, but for now please enjoy a sampling of photos, with links to the full album, until we get out feet under us back East 🙂

Rocky Mtn Camp Photo Album

Joint rollerski with Team SoHo and PCSS

Mt Timpanogos in the distance, where we’d hike later in the week

We also explored some non-ski outdoor activities, like a bit of fly fishing

Some chalk decorating after a TT with the other clubs!

Double pole intervals up Big Cottonwood Canyon (complete with fried chicken at the top from the Brighton store!)

The ever-scenic Mt Timpanogos

Final-night sunset at Guardsman Pass

Presentation this Thursday by Meredith Stetter

By Adam Terko on 19 August, 2024 in BKL Race Blog, Junior Blog, Masters Blog

On Thursday, August 22nd, we will have a presentation at the MNCC from Meredith Stetter.

Meredith is an MNC alum, who competed for the Pugs before going on to ski at Bowdoin College. This week, she is returning to the club to give a really important presentation for anyone interested.

Discussing the intersection of food, bodies, and eating disorders in competitive Nordic skiing

A casual discussion/mini-presentation of my experience with these topics, including things I wish I had known/been told as a young skier.

Please join us at the Mansfield Nordic Community Center at 11am on Thursday, August 22nd! You can find information on parking and accessing the MNCC at the link below.

Parking at the MNCC

Master’s “Three Mountains” Trail Run

By Rosemary Shea-Cobb on 19 August, 2024 in Masters Blog

Pascal, Katie and Michael along the Three Mountain Trail route.

After reading the past few summers about the Juniors tackling the epic “Three Mountains” trail run, the Masters gave it a try for the first time on Sunday for the last long training run before next weekend’s Race to the Top.

“Three Mountains” is a 17-mile loop that starts at the Audubon Center parking lot in Huntington, goes up Sherman Hollow Road to Sleepy Hollow, winds up-and-over three adjacent mountain biking networks (Sleepy Hollow, Hinesburg Town Forest, and Carse Hills) to Hollow Road, and ends with 5 miles on paved roads through Huntington village and back to the start (see map link below). The mountain biking trails briefly cross Texas Hill Road and Lincoln Hill Road, allowing for shorter point-to-point runs for those who lack the time or inclination for a 17-mile outing.

Pascal Cheng, Michael Dillon, and Katie Hill took on the mountain biking stretch of the “Three Mountains” challenge for a 10-mile point-to-point run from the Sleepy Hollow parking lot through the three trail networks to end on Hollow Road. This is a rugged route – lots of rocks and roots and more than 2000 feet of elevation gain – but it was a real treat to string together so many miles of continuous forest trails, with several of the trails new to all three of us. Katie left her car at Lincoln Hill Road for a shorter 6-mile run but opted instead for the full 10-mile distance, her longest training run in decades. Micheal earned bonus points for riding his strategically-hidden bicycle from the end of the run back to Sleepy Hollow to complete the full 17-mile loop. Wildlife spotted along the way included a barred owl and Ben Ogden on a mountain bike, following the same “triple” route as us. This trail run is a “keeper” that we’ll definitely do again!

If you try the Three Mountains route, make sure you have at least the free version of the Trailforks app on your phone, with the Vermont map downloaded for when there’s no cell signal (i.e., most of this route). This will give you access to detailed trail maps for most of our local trail networks.

Bummed that you missed this outing? Join us for our next “epic” masters trail run/hike: the Monroe Skyline between the App Gap and Lincoln Gap, tentatively scheduled for Sunday 9/15. That’s 11.5 miles point-to-point, with shorter routes possible by going out-and-back or exiting via the Sugarbush access road. Keep an eye on the Masters Training Doc & Slack for details.

-by Katie Hill

Three Mountains Loop – Huntington

Masters hike, bike, lift, and more!

By Adam Terko on 9 August, 2024 in Masters Blog

The summer has flown by, but our Masters have taken great advantage of lots of Vermont’s best trails, mountains, and outdoor resources. We have a group of leaders heading up all sorts of workouts each week, so be sure to check the Masters Training Doc if you’re looking to connect with others for training!

Our big new option is Masters strength training at the MNCC on 3 Wednesdays of each month. To learn more, check out this page (also located at the bottom of the MNC homepage):

Masters Strength Training

Here are a few photos of the Masters in action across all sorts of venues and activities!

Busy, hot and humid

By Adam Terko on 4 August, 2024 in Junior Blog

It has been a jam-packed week, with action all over the place from running to skiing to biathlon. The humidity has been brutally challenging, but as sports author Steve Magness writes, “heat and humidity are the poor man’s altitude” so we are getting a bit of an early acclimation in preparation for our camp in Park City, UT next week.

We’ve tried to take all sorts of good measures to remain functional in the heat. Lots of hydration (especially Capri Sun aka “suns” at practice) as well as the occasional towel soaked in ice water around the neck.

Rolling through the heat at the Range

While the flooding isn’t exactly ideal, we are thankful to have a lot of water sources near almost every spot we train at. The Winooski was a little muddy the other day, but that didn’t stop us from braving the big jump off the Long Trail footbridge into the cool(ish) waters below.

By the time you climbed back up the banks and steps to the bridge after one jump, you were already sweaty enough to make the next splash right away.

Niko, Lorenzo, Kate, Eli and Adam make the leap

That river jumping excursion took place right after the Bolton uphill run test, a great marker of our summer. We had a collection of first-time runners of this test (Acadia, Annalise, Mia) and some sweet PR efforts, notably Lorenzo with a 47 second personal best!

At the top we enjoyed some watermelon and savored the hazy view from the summit tower, and then took our leisurely time on the descent, as is our style.

Catching up at the finish line

Taylor hitting targets and skiing fast (Team SoHo photo)

Earlier in the week was the double pole test, with some equally impressive and solid performances. Astrid and Gillian were both just a hair off the course record, while general improvement across the board in technique and times was great to see.

But wait, there were more races happening too! Instead of having the ultimate fun of running up a mountain on Saturday, the EABC athletes were competing in the Summer Biathlon Nationals at the Range on Sat/Sun. Taylor was on the podium Saturday, and MNC skiers were all across the event as Taylor, Pat, Seven, and Liam raced it out.

Lots of MNC faces were also helping the event run smoothly, from Coach Liz (timing) to Coach Rosemary (volunteer coordinator) and more, it was a good display of our Jericho-area ski community.