WAXING YOUR “NO-WAX” SKIS — There are a couple situations where this is appropriate. One is general maintenance: coat the bottom of the skis with a thin layer of liquid glide wax available at most local ski shops. Do it when the skis are warm and polish it with a waxing cork. This gives you a nice smooth glide and helps prevent water from sticking and icing up.
The other reason to wax is a bit more complex: it is to add more kick to your “no-wax” kicker or scales.
A little basic background may be helpful. The way cross country skis propel you forward is when a section of the ski under your boot grabs the snow as your full weight is applied to that one ski. The camber (curve up in the center) of the ski allows you to glide when your weight is evenly distributed. This ‘kicker’ area under your foot traditionally was created by using a soft wax that would grab the snow when pressed down. A harder/slippery wax went on the glide part of the ski (tip and tail).
With modern “no wax” skis made of hi-tech plastics, the manufacturers make a little ‘one-way-valve’ scale pattern in the kicker area which takes the place of gooey kicker wax. Like anything else, the convenience can be a trade off for performance. In a group such as “BikeSki” we are skiing recreationally - i.e. our main function is not racing, but rather to have a good time and get some exercise. Hi speed performance is not usually our goal. Because of the variety of terrain, the no-wax skis in a wider ‘back-country’ type ski are great for our type of outing.
The manufacturer tries to guess the ideal length of this kicker area for the size of the ski — incidentally, there are way less choices of length available now, which means each choice of ski must cover a broader weight range. Sooo … what I see most often these days is folks having a really hard time getting up the hills because their ‘no-wax’ scales just don’t seem to grab. Our solution to these problem is to extend the kicker range of the scale by adding a little soft kicker wax before and after the scale area … maybe 4-12″ at each end … depending on wax softness, snow and body weight. Be sure not to cover the scales.
Want help? Come a little early and see me next outing! -Mike
We have have had excellent to perfect conditions for the last couple outings. Check out the photos to get a feel! Great snow, great people. One of the problems that has popped up nearly every time and usually at the beginning of an outing is with bindings. Typically someone who has been skiing but keeps their gear in the car and has the modern style binding that grabs the little bar on the tip of their boot (NNN, SNS, NNN-BC and etc …). These bindings are manufactured to pretty tight tolerances and have plastic on plastic and plastic on metal moving parts. When you ski, water and snow and ice get inside the binding and will seize it up, especially if it is cold out. So: they require just a tiny bit of maintenance: here is what I suggest. Take them indoors between ski outings if you can (at least do it now). After they dry out, spray a little bit of WD-40 inside the binding, where the bar catches and you can lift the rubber coveriung and squirt a bit under there too … then work the lubricant in by pressing the release button a few times. See the parts that move, that’s what need the lube. The WD-40 will mostly evaporate, but it will leave a thin film of lube between the high tolerance sliding parts, displacing the water and keeping incoming water (eventually ice) out … That’s it!
TRAIL number changes AND General TRAIL WORK at Hammond Hill — “Friends of Hammond Hill” is the loose group that has an agreement to maintain the trails at HH with an all volunteer network. These are multi-use trails for hiking, mt biking, skiing, horseback riding, hunting and so thus includes the Ski Club, Equestrian Club, BikeSki, Cycle-CNY and other user groups. Part of what we do is for example is the big trail clean up day starting from Ann’s home in the fall every year (this went well again by the way!). Also in the works at the moment, we (BikeSki) in coordination with NYSDEC are re-tagging all the officially designated trails with new colored disks (ie: R1,R2,Y4 and etc…)
This project is now done! All numbers remain the same except for two changes: the section of mostly east-west trail between B1 and Canaan Rd (west side of Canaan) that used to be labeled Y5 has been correctly relabeled as Y6 — it is labeled Y6 on all the NYS DEC maps and the map on our website and the ski club (CNSC) website already. The section of Y2 north of Star Stanton Rd on the east side of the “MC Escher Loop” was labeled Y3 on some old maps and on some trees in the forest. The erroneous Y3 tags were removed and replaced with Y2 tags to match the current DEC map. Now the yellow tags in both sections match the NYS DEC map. Updated Hammond Hill map from NYS DEC is here http://canaaninstitute.org/bikeskiblog/?page_id=891
Conditions HH — We skied Sunday in the rain! It was OK. Tuesday night, 5 of us hiked while it was snowing. The base is still there (about 1-3″) and we got another 2-3″ last night … so it is skiable just barely right now. Some places the base is worse, like the snowmobile trails and the fireroads. But the woodsy less traveled trails are nicer. We may try skiing Thursday night! I’ll post another note tomorrow morning. Photos here. I forgot to take one this morning (wed), but you can see the base from Monday’s pic - we did not loose too much of that base before the powder hit. Most recent photo is always at the end of this album: http://picasaweb.google.com/michael.ludgate/SnowPicsForCanaanInstituteOutdoorBLOGBikeSkiGroup#5415079774611458546
Sat Dec 12 — We have crunchy crusty icy base at HH with a fresh ~2 inches on top of it. Raylene is going to check conditions later this morning. I can’t go out until tomorrow …
Reminder: Deer hunting season in our area with guns know as “regular season” starts Saturday November 21st 2009 and ends December 13th 2009. Deer hunting continues after that with primitive weapons (archery and black powder). See NYS DEC website link below for exact dates on that. Please; whether you hunt, bike, hike or play: wear flourescent neon colors (like “hunter orange” or “biker yellow”) so we can all see each other. The hunters in our area have an excellent safety record … but (for example) it is just as scary for them to think they hear a deer tromping through the woods only to discover it is a naive hiker wearing brown. So; wear neon! Oh and YES hunting is permitted at Hammond Hill and Shindagin Hollow and generally all similar NYS forests. Deer hunting is not allowed after sunset. Regulations are stricter in areas designated “parks” like Treman or Buttermilk for example. Here is DEC’s web page with hunting dates: http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/28605.html
Sept 30 2009 — Today The New York State DEC handed down a landmark draft supplemental environmental impact statement that determines under what conditions gas drilling can proceed in NYS. This ruling will have a monumental impact on every one of us and our region.
Titled: “Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement on the Oil, Gas and Solution Mining Regulatory Program - Well Permit Issuance for Horizontal Drilling and High-Volume Hydraulic Fracturing to Develop the Marcellus Shale and Other Low-Permeability Gas Reservoirs”
This document could have a huge impact on our rural areas and fresh water supply. DEC webpage and link to actual document http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/47554.html
I have had a couple inquiries from new bikeski email list subscribers and potential subscribers … “how do things work” in this group?
Basically it is my (and my spouse Raylene’s) group. We lead outings from our home near Hammond Hill State Forest 3x per week (2 bikes and 1 hike in the summer … xc-ski and snow shoe in the winter ) and I announce the times on the bikeski email list. We hope that you will rsvp a little in advance (just reply to any email) if you are coming; that just gives us an idea how big the group is that day and if we need to wait for stragglers (we start pretty much on time). BUT; if you are not sure and want to be spontaneous … it IS ok to just show up! Of course if you are late, we won’t know to wait for you :-)
We usually hike/bike/ski for about 2 hours.
There are lots of subscribers on the email list, so I try to provide other useful information about some of the other groups in town. You will see mention our friend Marilyn’s hikes, Brenda’s women’s mt bike rides and Cayuga Trails Club hikes and kayaking and trail work at Shindagin or Hammond Hill and etc etc … ( if you have something outdoorsy to announce send it to me! )
Come join us! The group size usually is between 2 to 8 people total and an occasional dog on hike days :-)
NY TIMES Sept 01 2009 — “After looking at racers’ blood work, he determined that some of the ultramarathoners were supplying their own physiological stress, in tablet form. Those runners who’d popped over-the-counter ibuprofen pills before and during the race displayed significantly more inflammation and other markers of high immune system response afterward than the runners who hadn’t taken anti-inflammatories. The ibuprofen users also showed signs of mild kidney impairment and, both before and after the race, of low-level endotoxemia, a condition in which bacteria leak from the colon into the bloodstream.”
To cyclists in Ithaca, Elmira, and surrounding areas:
With the recent discussions on the FLCC and BHV listservs about lane positioning and how cyclists should ride, and minimizing car-bicycle conflicts, I wanted to let you know that these issues are at the core of two bicycle traffic skills courses that are being offered locally in September and are open to all cyclists. The courses incorporate the latest information from the League of American Bicyclists, and the lead instructor is Lois Chaplin, Bicycle and Pedestrian Specialist at Cornell University, and a nationally recognized expert in cycling safety education.
The courses consist of classroom instruction, bike rides on local streets, and parking lot drills where bike handling and emergency evasive maneuvers will be taught and practiced by everyone. In addition, there is a bonus class on bicycle maintenance. The courses meet in the evenings, and the cost is $25.
Full details and registration information can be found at the following website:
ITHACA NY — Cayuga Ho’e – Cauyga Outrigger Canoe Paddlers endeavor to paddle the length of Cayuga Lake, with a Hawai’ian Lu’au celebration by the Kiwanis Club of Ithaca-Cayuga at Stewart Park on Sat., Aug 29th to raise funds, awareness.
Members of the Cayuga Outrigger Canoe Club will be paddling the length of Cayuga Lake on Saturday August 29th. The event will culminate that afternoon at 4pm with a Hawai’ian Lu’au at Stewart Park Main Pavilion sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Ithaca-Cayuga. The Lu’au and celebration are open to the public, tickets for the Lu’au dinner are available online at http://www.cayugaoutrigger.com and from Cayuga OCC and Kiwanis members.
In celebration of the Cayuga Outrigger Canoe Club’s first anniversary, members will paddle a six-person Polynesian Outrigger Canoe from Cayuga Lake State Park in Seneca Falls to Stewart Park in Ithaca, a distance of just under 40 miles. This endeavor, the “Cayuga Ho’e” (pronounced HOay — the Hawai’ian word for paddle) will take approximately 7 hours and is being undertaken to raise both awareness for the sport of outrigger canoe paddling and funds for the Cayuga Outrigger Canoe Club and development of the Ithaca Youth Bureau’s paddling programs. The Kiwanis Club of Ithaca-Cayuga is sponsoring a Hawai’ian Lu’au Dinner in celebration of the event, with ! traditional Hawai’ian food and music. Lu’au dinner tickets are $15/adult and $10/child.
The Cayuga Outrigger Canoe Club is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the sport of outrigger canoe paddling and bringing the spirit of aloha to Ithaca. In existence since August 2008 and located at East Shore Marina, our members paddle a six person Hawai’ian outrigger canoe (wa’a) from May to October and compete with other outrigger teams in races throughout the East coast.
snow, great people. One of the problems that has popped up nearly every time and usually at the beginning of an outing is with bindings. Typically someone who has been skiing but keeps their gear in the car and has the modern style binding that grabs the little bar on the tip of their boot (NNN, SNS, NNN-BC and etc …). These bindings are manufactured to pretty tight tolerances and have plastic on plastic and plastic on metal moving parts. When you ski, water and snow and ice get inside the binding and will seize it up, especially if it is cold out. So: they require just a tiny bit of maintenance: here is what I suggest. Take them indoors between ski outings if you can (at least do it now). After they dry out, spray a little bit of WD-40 inside the binding, where the bar catches and you can lift the rubber coveriung and squirt a bit under there too … then work the lubricant in by pressing the release button a few times. See the parts that move, that’s what need the lube. The WD-40 will mostly evaporate, but it will leave a thin film of lube between the high tolerance sliding parts, displacing the water and keeping incoming water (eventually ice) out … That’s it!
21st 2009 and ends December 13th 2009. Deer hunting continues after that with primitive weapons (archery and black powder). See NYS DEC website link below for exact dates on that. Please; whether you hunt, bike, hike or play: wear flourescent neon colors (like “hunter orange” or “biker yellow”) so we can all see each other. The hunters in our area have an excellent safety record … but (for example) it is just as scary for them to think they hear a deer tromping through the woods only to discover it is a naive hiker wearing brown. So; wear neon! Oh and YES hunting is permitted at Hammond Hill and Shindagin Hollow and generally all similar NYS forests. Deer hunting is not allowed after sunset. Regulations are stricter in areas designated “parks” like Treman or Buttermilk for example. Here is DEC’s web page with hunting dates: 