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Welcome to MNC Winter 2016/2017! Our programs kicked off yesterday at the Range with skiers from the BKL, Junior, and Masters levels all out in force! Just a reminder, if you have not already done so NOW is the time to make sure your program registrations are current: this applies both both MNC Memberships as well as Winter programs.

Below you’ll find helpful links for the winter ahead!

MNC Winter registration

BKL Blog/Training Schedule

Junior Team Training Doc

Masters Group Training Doc

MNC Scholarships

The forecast is looking like…WINTER!

Sleepy Hollow

The skiing at Sleepy Hollow features 5k of terrain groomed old-school with the snowmobile. The snow was somewhat wet today and the lower section of the loop (Liberty Meadow -> Lower Saddle ->Ridge Road) carried a risk of ski icing. Good reminder to wax your skis, even the old fishscales!

The cold temps tonight, combined with the snowmaking currently going on now along with those temps, should make things even better tomorrow!

Looking up Ridge Road this morning at Sleepy Hollow

Be sure to check out the latest conditions on the Sleepy Hollow website.

The Range

I went up there today at 2pm and checked it out. The groomer, Dan Westover, was in the garage so I went in and asked him what he thought. There’s about 6-8 inches but since the weather was warm nothing froze on the paved loops so skis (or snowmobiles) would scrape right through so no grooming for now. The pavement only has about 4-5 inches.

Range 2pm on Monday

Snow depth on the paved Range trails

Well, we might be in for a great week! The snow is falling and things are looking more like winter than they ever did last year. I know many folks are wondering what conditions are like, so when possible I will try to post updates these next few days for anyone looking to get out on their skis.

The Range

The photo below is from the Range today at 2pm, and it is still coming down.

2pm 11/19/16

The snow was thick and wet, but great coverage: you could have skied around the grass on waxless skis if you so desired. With the rollerski loop, it’s a double-edged sword. The pavement is always flat so it doesn’t require a lot of depth to make a smooth trail, but it is also pavement so there needs to be a solid frozen layer to prevent you from digging through to the asphalt. I’m hoping that more snow, cold temps tonight, and possible snowmaking (they’ve been setting up the equipment) could get us skiing there on Tuesday.

Sleepy Hollow

The snow report and webcams looked promising for Sleepy Hollow, and Eli reports that they may groom for rock-skiing tomorrow if the conditions permit. Definitely worth checking that out, especially if you don’t get out of work until later and the temps drop with the darkness (and if they are turning the lights on for night skiing?). Check the snow report HERE.

Notch Road

The Stowe social media accounts were saying that 6″ had already accumulated at elevations over 2000′ which means the Notch Road is possibly the most “sure bet” for skiable snow. Given the thick snow and near-freezing temps I’d recommend classic skiing with fishscales or skin skis…if you can, putting some glide wax on will make a big difference and prevent icing. For the best reports on this area, you might see some submissions on the XC Early Snow website.

Hello MNC members and families,

With snow on the horizon and fingers in need of warmth, I thought I’d take some time to lay out my thoughts on Toko gloves: how models differ, what conditions and temps each is useful in, and how they fit.

You can watch a product video on the gloves HERE for some info, but my perspective will be New England-based and specific to MNC…that is, skiing in the dark at the Range…waxing at Eastern Cups…skiing in slush and corn…etc.

I don’t necessarily think Toko gloves are 100% perfect, but they are the best gloves I’ve skied in, and I’m not just writing that because they sent me one of each to test and promote last season 😉

Below are some of my thoughts, for better or worse. Overwhelmingly, these comments are positive because the gloves are great, but I have included my own gripes when applicable in the interest of maintaining a bit of objectivity. Hopefully this info will help in making informed decisions should you choose to make a purchase from our MNC Toko Order. Sorted by weight/thickness, here are the models I have skied in:

1. Profi

Hard to believe there was ever this much snow at some point last year, but it turns out we had our moments! This was at the Eastern Cup in Waterville, ME

The Profi gloves are light, soft, and silky. They offer very little protection from the elements, particularly the wind (the sides of each finger are ventilating mesh). They are as close as you can get to skiing without gloves, which is actually my favorite type of skiing. Don’t tell Toko that.

They have a tight neoprene cuff, so poles and jackets slide over them easily. They have some rubbery gripper material on the palm which also helps pole feel. The pattern is sleek, and the Royal Blue color is a perfect match to the MNC race suits so that’s an extra bonus. #SWAG.

My qualms? This generation (I also own an older red pair of these same gloves) seems to be a bit floppy on the back of the hand. You’d think this is nitpicking, but it can get a bit annoying as sometimes your poles will tug at the glove and cause it to flop around a bit loose in the fingers. Like I said, nitpicking, but I discussed this with another Toko glove-using coach at JN’s and they confirmed that the model did change slightly and that was one result.

Only other qualm, which holds true across all models, is that the “touchscreen compatibility” wears off after washing. All Toko gloves are machine washable, a big plus for sure, but don’t expect the screen compatibility to last. A bummer for coaches who like to use video, but not the end of the world.

If it’s 30 degrees or above, this is almost certainly my pick for the day’s ski. If it’s 20 or warmer I’ll race in this glove as well!

2. Classic

The Classic is the glove I ski in on “average” days if I am out for a ski myself, or if I am klistering at the wax bench…more on that in a sec. If I am taking video, or doing a lot of standing-skiing-standing stuff, I might go warmer (see Thermo Plus) but for active skiing the Classic is ideal. Wind blocking yet close-fitting, it allows a really natural hand flex. For a bit of extra protection, I sprayed mine with an off-the-shelf silicone water-repellent aerosol treatment from Wal-Mart which helps water bead off even better…love that stuff.

The Classic gloves have a rib-knit cuff, not as tight as the neoprene of the Profi but this also leads to it’s strength as my “klistering glove”. No velcro means the glove fits well with poles and under jacket sleeves.

So why are these my “Klister Gloves”? The fit is snug but not quite as tight as the Profi. The material is also stitched in such a way that the seams are easily pulled on (usually with teeth) to get the glove off quickly. The ribbed cuff pulls off easier than the Profi as well. Finally, there is no interior liner (like the Thermo Plus) which sticky hands can pull and catch on awkwardly. Without a doubt these are my go-to wax testing gloves: I can ski comfortably, then get to the bench and rip my right glove off with my teeth, klister up a pair of skis, and slip the Classic gloves back on all in the flick of a start wand. Boom! This is the only pair I re-ordered this year, since my pair from last year has a hole in a few fingers as a result of torch incidents…that pair is now the “official klister pair”.

Toko Classic glove with their easily teeth-pull-able fingers

3) Thermo-Plus

The warmest glove I’d race in. Somehow this glove is super warm yet also maintains the pole-feel and free hand movement I like to have in a glove. I think the trick is the inner-liner, which ironically also gives this glove its only hiccup in performance, which I’ll cover in a sec.

For the most part, all of the pieces are there: tight but not restrictive neoprene cuff, insulated fingers, but only on the back which means still having a clean grip, and (in this case) American flag graphics!

A good example of the use of this glove was the MNC Pursuit, the one time I raced in this glove last year. I usually try to race in as thin a glove as possible…for the Pursuit, which involved a mid-race ski change, I knew I’d need to have fingers that were unquestionably warm and nimble when the transition zone came up. I debated back and forth and decided to err on the side of “too warm” with the Thermo Plus, and it worked out great as I had no binding or ski-swap issues whatsoever.

My small qualm with this model is that they don’t work quite so well with Klister on wax testing and race days…the inner liner can get caught on sticky fingers, turning the gloves inside out an making it hard to get your hand back in. Again, nitpicky!

Thermo Plus turned inside out…this is what can happen sometimes when klister is involved

4) Arctic Plus

Frankly, this is my least-tested glove, mainly because it never got that cold last winter! This glove was my go-to for Masters coaching, however, when the sun went down and the air got colder. I’d say it is a bit think for me to race comfortably in, but if I were to go out for a 2-3hr tour on a chilly day I’d bring these guys no question.

No racing or skiing pictures, so here are the Arcitc gloves on my countertop