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| The start-finish area about 7:45 Saturday morning. Looks cold, and it was. Brrrr. |
Before you ask, the temperature was -14 degrees Fahrenheit (about -25.5 C. to the rest of the world) at 7:30am when I arrived with squeaky snow everywhere. It warmed up but not by much, hovering at about 0 F. (-17.7 C.) for much of the beautifully sunny day.
When you move around as much as one does in cross-country skiing, you stay surprisingly warm, hence several thin layers of clothing rather than heavy, bulky items that restrict your motion. Of course, modern synthetics that wick moisture away from the skin really help, because you do perspire without necessarily being aware of it.
Ok, but what did you actually do, Heinz-Ulrich?
Well, my particular function was as a "sweeper," and I basically escorted the slower skiers, ensuring that no one ran into trouble, and that the course was clear once everyone had finished. I then skied the route once again afterwards, removing the orange traffic cones, signs, and v-blocks that guided the participants along the route.
All good. But the best part was the various skiers participating in both the 5k and 15k events.
A good mix of men and women, boys and girls. There was a blind skier with his guide out in front calling out terrain and instructions to him, along with people battling various stages of cancer or other conditions. Plenty of 70+, but extremely fit skiers too. Several pairs of high school-aged skiers and their parents also tackled the routes together. Spotted a few obvious children all suited up and clipped into their skis too. All of them quite fast.
And of course the 20- and 30-something racers who were amazing to watch before they disappeared into the distance up ahead.
The final skier in the 5k was an old skinny guy named Richard W., who won an award for the 80+ age group! I skied most of the 5k route with him. He was very slow, but he was out there on his skis in frigid weather navigating some challenging terrain, which included the final very long climb up to the top of Homerun Hill and the terrifying descent on the other side back to the start-finish line.
Richard was wryly funny, and we enjoyed a good chat about this and that as we skied along together. It was all good fun, and hopefully I'll be able to emulate him when I reach his age.
A final word of skiing advice. If ever you have the chance to take a ski tour during a full moon, do so without another thought. The term 'magical' doesn't do the experience justice.
-- Heinz-Ulrich
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| Just one of many snowy trails on a spectacular Saturday afternoon at the end of January 2026. |
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All opinions are welcome here. Even those that differ from mine. But let's keep it clean and civil, please.
-- Heinz-Ulrich