So your child is in 5 -8th grade and you can choose between Arctic Foxes and Racers. How do you decide? Here are some things to think about:
Ask your child’s friends who also ski with us which program they are signing up for. Kids like to ski with their friends! Also ask your child which program they want to do.
Do Arctic Foxes- if your child just wants to ski recreationally, if they have never skied before, if they like to ski along and chat or if their friends are doing it.
Do Racers- if your child wants to go fast, if they want to do races on the weekends, or if they are thinking of racing in high school or if their friends are doing it!
Bottom Line- Both programs play games, teach technique and go touring. Your child will learn to ski better and have fun in either program! Racers takes the technique a little further and also teaches racing tactics. In addition, Racers includes a third day on the weekends of either a practice or a race. This third day is wonderful for the Racers because they get more time on skis, get a little more individualized coaching, get the benefit of having a coach at their races and they get to know each other better. Usually most of the racers do the BKL Festival which this year, will be a District-wide Festival at one of our local VT touring centers.
We are excited to kick off the BKL’s MNC season starting December 1st. Due to COVID a few things will look different for this upcoming season. First off, the club is without Range access for this season. Despite this frustration, Bolton Valley and Sleepy Hollow have been supportive as we solidify our upcoming season plans. This year you will need to purchase ski passes separately from our usual program fees. We recognize the added financial burden this places on our members, but we hope you will continue to support our club along with the local family-run Nordic centers that we will be relying on this season.
MNC Registration
Program Fees: ($tbd)
This fee covers coaching and special skiing access. Bolton is partnering with us to revitalize their trail network and to accommodate our BKL program needs.
Look for program registrations to open the week of 11/1.
Location & Season Pass Information
BKL (Tues & Thurs 4-5:30PM)
Location: Bolton Valley Nordic Center Daylight skiing transitioning to the 1.4k lighted loop as the sun sets. Ski Pass: Bolton Valley Nordic ($tbd).
We are currently negotiating season pass pricing with Bolton for our members, so please do not purchase a pass at Bolton until we update with more relevant MNC pricing!
This is designed for BKL kids aged 10-14 who have prior ski experience, want to try rollerskiing, and want to get some fun ski specific exercise this fall to get ready for ski season. If you were on the MNC Race team last year, you can definitely do this! If you are new to the Race Team or new to MNC, email Coach Rosemary (sheacobb19@gmail.com) to see if this would be a good program for you. We will spend time getting used to rollling safely, do some fun agility and play some socially distant games.
Dates: 9/23/20- 11/18/2020
Days/Time: Wednesday afternoons, 3:30 – 5 pm
Meeting Location: Allen Brook School Parking Lot
Cost: $99
Equipment Needed: Bike Helmet, Rollerskis (Skate are best, classic are fine too), skate poles (change the tips to rollerski ferrules), high visibility shirt/vest/jacket, waterbottle, a mask that you can put on and take off easily with your bike helmet on and carry with you while you ski.
If you are new to Nordic skiing, the lineup of waxes from a company like Toko can be daunting. That being said, Toko is actually one of the easiest systems to get to know! Most all waxes, grip and glide, are based on a 3-color system of Blue, Red, and Yellow. Using this as a guide, I put together a short video displaying some of the most useful products and “what you really need”. I will list those products, with informational links, below the video. At the very bottom I will also link a great series of videos from Toko displaying specific waxing techniques.
Note: to purchase Toko products at a great discount, visit the MNC Apparel Page below to download the Toko Order form. Email your completed order forms to Toko Representative Dave Boucher (davidnboucher@comcast.net)
After melting in and ironing wax, you will need to scrape and brush the wax. This requires 3 tools: a groove scraper, a plexi scraper, and a brush.
Things can get complicated with a multi-brush procedure, large oval brushes, and rotary brushes. The simplest way to think of it: the larger the brush, the quicker the job. But the smallest brush will be cost-effective and work just as well for 99% of skiers! If you purchase just one brush, a metal brush is recommended.
First, use the groove pin to clean the wax from the center groove of the ski:
Next, use the plexi scraper in a pushing motion (with two thumbs on either edge of the groove) to scrape the bulk of the wax off, tip-to-tail direction:
Finally, use your brush to finish getting the finer wax particles out. Mark an arrow on your brush, and only use it in that direction. With metal brushes, move tip-to-tail direction only.
For the simplest wax purchase, I recommend sticking to only Base Performance/NF BLue and Base Performance/NF Red. These waxes will cover most conditions. You can also make life even easier by supplementing with a liquid glide was such as Express Wax. Once per week (say, on a Sunday) apply your hot wax with an iron and scrape/brush. Then, for the rest of the week, just run on a little Express Wax before each ski. At the end of the week, re-wax with the traditional iron method.
Toko has a handy resource of videos on their website, and at MNC we are working to also create similar content. Here are some recommended basics videos:
The First-Ever MNC Trivia Night and Dinner on Friday, October 25th
Join the club at the Cochrans lodge for a night of good food and fun trivia! With categories and questions for all ages and topics (not just skiing!) this is something to invite ALL of your friends and family to. Teams of 6 will go head-to-head with trivia knowledge to score some cool prizes and bragging rights for a good cause…the MNC Van!
Register a team with the form below, and join us on Friday, October 25th…dinner at 6:00, trivia at 7:30!
The event is a dinner and goofy trivia night, with themes and questions designed for all ages and categories…not just skiing!
Where/When is the event?
The event is at the Cochran Ski Lodge, 910 Cochran Road, Richmond, VT. Dinner begins at 6pm, with trivia beginning at 7:30. MNC members will provide potluck appetizers and deserts, and the club will be grilling burgers and hot dogs.
The club will also be providing non-alcoholic drinks. The event is BYOB for alcoholic beverages, but there will be a keg of local beer available for a $4 donation to our van.
How can I participate?
We are asking MNC members to be a captain and form their own teams of six people that would be part of your goofy trivia team. Ideally, each team of six would have some non-MNC members (eg. friends, family, etc.). Each team member pays to participate. Adults pay $20.00, children pay $10.00. As the team captain, you collect money from your team and then register your team through the MNC website. As a captain, you are also asked to come up with a theme for your team and represent that theme. Prizes will be awarded to the team or teams with the best theme. Prizes will also be awarded to the top trivia teams.
How should I market this event to my friends and family?
Ask your friends and family if they would be interested in participating in a fund raiser where they get dinner, music, and play goofy trivia as a team. The goofy trivia is a team activity; it is not individual. During goofy trivia, teams have time to discuss what they think is the correct answer and provide one answer that represents the entire team. It should be a night of good food and good laughs.
How soon should I get my team registered?
We are asking all teams are registered by October 20th.
