Snapshots of a Perfect Weekend

It was a perfect family weekend of outdoor activities!  Uncle Bri, Aunt Eva, and Anya joined us at Bretton Woods for some fun in the snow, and we sampled many of the great choices we have, thanks to all the snow we've gotten recently.

Nordic skiing on one of my favorite quiet wooded trails, Turnpike

Pete the groomer buffing up the Tubing Hill

So many giggles and shrieks of laughter coming down the Tubing Hill

The cousins LOVED doing laps on the Tubing Hill

Smiles at the Learning Center

"Hey, Mom, I'm cruising on the Magic Carpet!"

Happy Skiers

A perfect day for cruising in the soft snow

Hugs for the Snow Duck

Sliding on Bacon

Preparing for Bretton Woods' 40th Annual Geschmossel Classic Ski Race seemed to take a lot longer than the actual racing itself.  As any ski mom or dad knows, whether downhill or cross-country skiing, getting the gang ready for a ski day can be quite a production.  There are lunches to pack, mittens to find, and skis to load into the car.  And if you're headed to a Nordic race, you've got to wax your skis as well.

I must confess that I only know the very basics of cross-country ski waxing; I rely on Outdoor Dad to tackle most of our waxing.  There's a lot of science and technique involved, and the pros have "wax technicians" that just take care of this aspect of racing.  The general idea is that wax on the bottom of your skis helps you kick and glide on the snow, but you've got to match up the temperature and consistency of the snow with the right wax for your skis.

Bridget "waxing" her skis back in 2010

So on the morning of the race, as I gathered snacks and gear, Matt worked on waxing up his skis.  As he prepped his skis, Timmy was "helping."  To distract Timmy so that Matt could keep working,  I offered Timmy a piece of bacon to munch on.  Matt encouraged him by telling him, "bacon makes you fast."  Timmy marched over, took the piece of bacon, and then proceeded to rub it on the bottom of his skis.  Later, when Matt retold this story on Facebook, he said, "So if I win today, you know why... fast skis."

This, of course, made us all laugh, including our friend Sean, who always has our best interests at heart: he warned Matt that he was giving his waxing secrets away and that now everyone is going to be "'sliding on bacon'...as we call it in the race management business.  Just don't tell them about the pancake klister." (Klister is a type of very sticky wax.)

Previously, I wasn't so sure if Timmy was even interested in taking part in the kids' race, but it seems that he wanted in on the action with the rest of us.  Confirming this later, he said, "Mommy, I want to win."  (I've come to understand that I sometimes have to orchestrate a "win" for my son by crowning him "first of the three-year-olds").  I expected big sister to reply with a retort about how small he is, but instead she said, "Timmy, I'm bigger and faster than you are, but if I win, you can have my medal."  I was reassured that moment in her capability for compassion.  I also realized that as much as we stress that the racing is just for fun, they can take it quite seriously.

At registration, The kids received a glorious goody bag along with their racing bibs.  Candy, gummies, and various patriotic treats like red, white and blue star necklaces, flag pencils and "I heart USA" tattoos, all which looked suspiciously like leftover goodies from a Independence Day celebration.  The kids were oblivious to the seasonality and overjoyed to have some bling to sport during the race.

Despite the bitter cold, Matt joined 100 other racers at the start line for the Geschmossel, one of New England's oldest citizens' races.

Meanwhile, I got the kids geared up for their race which followed.

They were very excited to have number bibs to wear.

They were full of smiles as they warmed up before their start, eager to get things going.

And then the meltdown happened.  As all the kids lined up, Bridget started to whine about her hands being cold.  It was, in fact, only about 15 degrees out and windy.  Matt ran to the car and got her some hand warmers (little packets that heat up when you open them), but this didn't calm her down.  As the race started, so did the tears.  Matt skied along next to Timmy while I tried to encourage Bridget to follow the other racers.  She started down the trail, sobbing about how cold her hands were.  Historically, she tends to heat right up when she cross-country skis, but I knew that this wasn't going well, and despite all the preparation that morning, I knew what I had to do.  I told her she didn't have to race if she wasn't having fun, and we headed back to the car to warm up.  In truth, I think the meltdown was due more to panic than cold hands, but either way, I was only interested in this process being a positive one, and we talked about how sometimes a race just doesn't work out.

Meanwhile, Matt and Timmy were doing a short loop of the race course, and we watched Timmy come  across the finish line with his hands over his head.  And then he wanted to know, "Can I have my candy now?"

The prospect of candy soon trumped Bridget's memory of the race, too.  There seems to be a pattern here!

Many thanks to the Bretton Woods Nordic Center staff for putting on a great race for both kids and adults.  We're looking forward to the Bretton Woods Nordic Marathon and the Mount Washington Cup in March!

The Little League of Cross Country Skiing

For a family that loves outdoor activities, Nordic skiing is an essential part of our quiver of winter fun choices.  Introductory cross-country ski programs for kids provide a fun way to get outside and enjoy playing in the snow.

Happily retuning to the Bretton Woods Nordic Center for another season, I passed by a family loading up little ones into their Chariot for a tour. One of the kids was crying, and I wanted to reassure the parents that (1) most likely their kids would soon fall fast asleep as they glided along the winter trails, and that (2) before they knew it, the kids would be clamoring to strap on skis of their own.   It occurred to me that this would be the first season in five years that we wouldn't be toting our babies around in the trusty pod to get our skinny-ski fix in.

Instead, we were embarking on a new endeavor to all of us: Bridget was going to try out the Bretton Woods Nordic Club's Bill Koch League.  Named after the first American Olympic medalist in Nordic skiing, BKL is the Little League of Nordic skiing.  Sponsored by NENSA, the New England Nordic Ski Association, BKL programs teach the fundamentals of Nordic skiing and racing with an emphasis on fun.

Although Bridget is only five, the youngest of the age requirement to join the club, I had a feeling she'd do fine, given her familiarity with downhill skiing and her one foray into Nordic racing last year.  I was excited for her to ski with other kids, knowing that the camaraderie of other kids would make it more about playing in the snow than learning a new technique.

After filling out some paperwork and renting skis, we met the group out by the tennis courts.  Bridget was thrilled to have poles - a piece of equipment we haven't tackled yet on the downhill terrain.  Although parents are required to accompany kids 7 and younger, I was glad to be able to tag along and see what kinds of activities the kids would do.  It was reassuring to see that along with the coaches and other parents, 31 kids had gathered to learn more about cross-country skiing - a large number for what many consider to be a "secondary" sport to downhill skiing.

We started with a warm up that asked the kids to pretend they were touring the world on their skis, and they yelled out countries to visit and obstacles to ski around.  Although I'm pretty sure the zombie references were above Bridget's head, she followed right along as we stood in place and moved from double-poling to tucking to making a star pattern in a circle.  I could see how all the jumping and hopping around would make these little skiers nimble in the snow.  We played a game to see how many times we could double-pole along a length of track and then ditched the poles to practice gliding as far as possible. We played freeze tag, where the only way to "un-freeze" was to have someone else either ski through your legs or over you.  Bridget's size made her perfect for rescuing the adults who wanted back in the game.

 

Next, we split up into smaller age and ability groups.  Our friend Audrey, an instructor for Bretton Woods Nordic, took Bridget and a few other girls under her wing for some basics in getting moving on cross-country skis.  We practiced shuffling our feet and swinging our arms like a gorilla, to "step, step, glide" along the track.  Then we skied over to the hill below the Mount Washington Hotel to practice a little uphill and downhill maneuvering.  The girls we eager to slide downhill, and somehow didn't even notice that they were using a herringbone (making a V with their skis) to get uphill.

Although our allotted time wasn't quite up, some of the girls had to take a restroom break and I knew that Bridget would be exhausted after all the new activity she just took part in.  As part of her membership in the BKL, a cup of hot chocolate was waiting for her in the Nordic Center, and I knew she'd be happy to go in for a while and tell her Dad all about her adventures.  She's excited to return next week!

For more on a sample of Bill Koch League games, visit the NENSA Bill Koch League Kids Page.

For more on getting kids started cross-country skiing, visit Winter Feels Good.

New Adventures in Nordic

As a parent who's eager for my kids to enjoy the outdoors as much as I do, I have found that it's a challenge sometimes to find that balance between healthy encouragement and overbearing pressure.  I want my kids to love to ski.  Part of that is selfish: I want to go skiing myself, and know that the likelihood of my being able to sneak in a few adult runs is greatly increased if we're all at the ski area together.  And I hope that in creating a lifestyle with my kids that includes skiing, that someday they'll be ripping down the slope alongside me, ahead of me, or even without me.  And perhaps on the less selfish side, I want to share that love of skiing with my son and daughter because I know how fun and rewarding a day on the slopes or trails can be for them.  I want them to feel that pride in mastering a new skill and that euphoria that comes from gracefully gliding down the mountain.

But I also know that sometimes my pre-schoolers have a different agenda than me. Sometimes they just aren't interested in being out there. And although I do want to teach them that sometimes you've got to do things that aren't your first choice,  what I really want to avoid is them feeling like skiing is a chore.  So our number one rule has been to KEEP IT FUN.  This can be frustrating when we've made the effort to come to the ski area, only for the little angel to decide that she's done after one run, but I know I can't force it.  Gently suggest, encourage, and model a positive attitude, yes; but forcing it is going to leave everyone unhappy.

To my pleasant surprise, when we asked Bridget what she wanted to do on Saturday, she said she wanted to go cross-country skiing.  After a weekend stuck inside with the stomach bug, we were all eager to soak in some sun and fresh air.  It's hard to believe that it's already the third weekend in January and we we just going to the Bretton Woods Nordic Center for the first time of the season.

This was one of those times when Matt and I decided it would be best to approach our outing with a low-key attitude.  We wanted to give the kids a chance to try out a little cross-country skiing, but we had no delusions of grandeur about a long trek through the forest.  This was going to be a friendly warm-up for the season, a chance to see how the kids would take to it after 6 months away, and to say hello to friends at the Nordic Center.  Matt and I dressed for a slow pace, rather than an aerobic workout.

Bridget took to the track as if she'd never been away. We strapped her into her skis and she just scooted on down the trail.  We tried using poles at first, but after a while she passed them off to me.  I think she found the poles more of a hindrance than a help.We just went out over the bridge and back a few times, and then she heard a cup of hot chocolate calling her name...

Timothy, our two year-old, was more interested in hanging out in the Nordic Center than anything else.  We checked out the new trail maps that have a picture of my friend Bob and me pulling Bridget in the Chariot when she was a baby.  We said hello to Peter, the Nordic Center Director, and to instructor Audrey at the desk.  And of course we enjoyed some hot chocolate.

Later, Bridget and I went out for another short jaunt while Matt took Timmy to see Pete and the Nordic trail groomer.  Timmy loved the "snow tractor" and I'm sure would have jumped right in if we let him.  I showed Bridget how they lower the track setters to create two troughs side-by-side for us to classic ski in.

And then before anyone got too tired or too hungry, we headed home.  The kids protested leaving at first, but we knew that it was time to get some lunch and that nap time would soon follow for Timmy, and we wanted to go while there were still smiles on their faces.

So after a low-key cross country experience on Saturday, we had a little bit more at stake on Sunday.  Our friends at the Nansen Ski Club were hosting the Nansen-Milan Winter Festival at the Milan Hill State Park, including adult and kids' cross country ski races.

We arrived for Matt to compete in the 14k classic race, and the kids and I went for a dog sled ride while he jumped right in to a race as his first real day back on Nordic skis for the season.  I had hoped to try the 5k citizen's race, but the kids were cold and whiny and I feared we'd be heading home sooner than later.  But then Bridget saw her friends donning race bibs for the kids' race and suddenly, she was all about the kids' race.  I should never underestimate the power of a costume to up the allure an activity!

So while Timmy napped in the warm car, Bridget gathered  with the other kids at the starting line.

Having never done this before, I was afraid the distance might be too long for her.  I assured her that she should just do her best, but could turn around at any time. She lined up with about 8 or 10 other kids, most of them not much older than her, and then headed up the hill.  Under the guise of photography, I walked next her as she cruised along.

I was reminded that "race" can mean something very different for a four year-old.  She didn't seem particularly concerned that there were some kids that were much faster than her, or that she was ahead of some.  She was just relishing that moment of trying her best.  And after telling her that she was the fastest four year-old. she beamed with pride.  She had won her race.