Celebrating Our Own Olympics

Have you been glued to the games like we have? I realize that Olympians have rare talent and tenacity, yet it's fascinating for me when I think about the fact that these athletes are real people who grew up in little towns like the one we live in, and skied and trained at mountains that I've skied. The inspiration they spark in me every time I watch a skater glide across the ice or a snowboarder soar in inconceivable whirls and turns makes me wonder if we might be able to have our own Olympic moments on our next visit to Bretton Woods.

With Bridget's penchant for flying down the mountain, we'd obviously start our Olympic tour on Bode's Run. Bode Miller himself helped design this run from the top of Mount Rosebrook, and it's full of the variety you'd expect from the iconic skier, with a good little headwall at the top, and then some sweeping turns around clusters of maples for practicing those race turns.

Next, we may want to see how we'd fare against gold medal ski race winner Ted Ligety. Even 4-year-old Timmy can see how he would compare to Ted with a few runs down the NASTAR course.  Every time you race NASTAR you are racing against Ted and his Par Time. The handicap you earn is the percentage your time is behind Ted's time (e.g. 15 handicap = 15 percent behind Ted's time). NASTAR is the acronym for the NAtional STAndard Race and is the largest public grassroots ski race program in the world. Participants compete within their age and gender groups to win platinum, gold, silver and bronze medals. 

For some freestyle flair, we'll have to hit one of the kids' favorite runs, Coos Caper. My guys are too little to actually hit any of the features, but they love to ride up and over the big whales of snow carved out for the big kids to fly off. Safety note: we try to keep our forays into this playground to the times that the real freestylers aren't there, like early in the morning -we don't want a little ripper to be hidden behind one of the jumps and have someone land on them!

We've enjoyed the Bretton Woods Nordic Marathon in the past, and the 2014 event is coming up on March 8. It's a great place for even a casual cross-country skier to get the feel of participating in a big Nordic event. There have been some famous names in Nordic racing participate in this event in the past, like Olympians Justin Freeman and Dorcas Wonsavage, but hundreds of participants have enjoyed this race, entering the full, half, or untamed divisions. Participants get amazing goody bags, and the banquet at the Omni Mount Washington Hotel that follows is the kind you'd only expect from a grand hotel.

When sliding down a snowy run at thrilling speeds is our Olympic aspiration, we can imagine we're on a luge on the tubing hill near the Bretton Woods Nordic Center. From the base of the tubing hill, it's normal to hear uncontrollable giggles and shrieks of laughter as kids and adults alike careen down the slope.

Next, we might try some ice dancing in one of the most scenic spots you could think of: on the rooftop of the spa and convention center at the Omni Mount Washington Hotel.  With the Presidential Range in the background, I'm hoping the views will make up for the fact that we aren't the most graceful of skaters, and if we have to pick ourselves up a few times, well then there's always a warm mug of hot cocoa waiting for us inside at the Rosebrook Bar in the Hotel.

As history buffs know, the Gold Standard was set at Bretton Woods, and I know that going for the gold will be a ton for us too, even if it's only in our imaginations!

Where the Wild Things Are: WinterWild 2013

It was a wild morning for Outdoor Mom at the WinterWild race at Bretton Woods, an uphill/downhill race that challenges skiers, snowboarders, snowshoers and runners to get up the mountain and back down in the fastest time possible.

The night before, ski bag was packed, skins placed on my telemark skis, blister block purchased, and alarm clock set for the 6:30 am race.  I congratulated myself on how organized I was and went to bed early to get a good rest before the race.

Unfortunately, I set my clock for 5:15 pm rather than am.  I woke up on my own at 5:32 and in a panic  rushed out the door... to find that it was dumping snow.  Normally that would be a cause for celebration in my world, but wet snow on unplowed roads meant I wasn't making up any time on my way to the ski area.

As I arrived at Bretton Woods in the dark and quickly grabbed my gear and headed to the lodge, I overheard the events director tell someone in the parking lot that the race start had been pushed back to 6:45 because of the morning's slow driving.  Phew.  I  rushed to register and said hello to friends and family who were also racing.  Tracy and Fred, visiting from New Mexico, were also up before dawn to race up the mountain.  Tracy would be skiing with me, while Fred ran.  I also saw friend and fellow blogger Organic Runner Mom, and my cousin Becky and her family, Mark and Casey, who were in the running for winning the overall WinterWild series.

Out at the start, I panicked again when I saw that only one of my poles was with my skis on the rack.  I figured that one of the other competitors must have inadvertently grabbed one of my poles, and I rushed around looking for it, and had the race announcer ask if anyone might have it, but with no luck.  I thought I might have to abandon the race, but saw that there was another single ski pole, very different from mine, sitting on the rack, so I grabbed it and figured I might as well make the best of it and use two different poles to trek up the mountain.

The start courtesy of SNAPacidotic

Flustered and with barely enough time now to get into my bindings, the race started and Tracy and I headed up Two Miles Home towards the summit of Mt. Rosebrook.

For those of you wondering about the difference between telemark and alpine, the actual telemark ski has become very similar to alpine, but often lighter.  The major difference between the two types of ski gear is the binding.  Unlike a downhill binding that locks in the entire boot to the ski, the telemark binding is only attached at the toe, allowing the heel to raise up and down.  The free-heel concept allows for a telemark turn going down the mountain, where you do a lunge-like bend for each turn.  It also allows you to "skin" up the mountain.  For those times when you want to ski somewhere that doesn't have a lift, "skinning" can often be the most efficient way up the mountain.  Originally mountaineers really did use animal skins, but nowadays we have synthetic skins for the bottom of our skis. Going uphill, you adhere the skins, which are cut to fit, to the bottom of your skis.  Like an animal's fur that slides smoothly in one direction and roughs up in the other, the skis slide uphill, but catch in the other direction, keeping you from slipping backwards as you ascend the mountain.  Going uphill, a free heel allows you to "walk" up the mountain on your skis.

Once I got past the fact that my morning hadn't started so smoothly, the skin up Two Miles Home was beautiful.  Dawn was just brightening up our way as we began, and every tree bough was blanketed with fresh snow.  I resisted the urge to diverge from the race course to grab some turns in the powder as we passed Inferno and Snowmaker's Gully trails.  Unlike last year's race that ascended the steep Waumbeck trail on the opposite end of the resort, Two Miles Home is a much more gradual incline - although the two kickers near the top of Mt. Rosebrook felt steeper than "intermediate" going up!

Tracy urged me on to start picking off some of the skiers ahead of us (the runners were long gone), but I couldn't maintain her pace and she climbed ahead of me.  At the peak of Rosebrook, Tracy was clipping back into her bindings as I was just starting to take my skins off.  Now for the fun part!  I zoomed down High Ridge and Outer Bounds, past the top of the Zephyr Quad and down Range View to the finish.  I made it up and down in 55 minutes and 11 seconds, and I'm guessing 51 of those minutes were used up on the ascent.

The Downhill courtesy of SNAPacidotic

Back at the lodge, Outdoor Dad and the kids greeted me with smiles and cheers.  I explained to my husband the confusion at the start of the race when I couldn't find my pole, and he went to check the car and parking lot to make sure I hadn't dropped it on my way in.  When he saw the pole I used as a spare, he realized my mistake: he had gotten a pair of rental poles for our visiting friends, and I had grabbed one of the rentals instead of my own when I was rushing in the dark that morning.  That pole that just happened to be on the rack at the start of the race was the one I had brought from the car!  

Well, I felt quite silly having been so confused at the start of the race, but happily everything turned out okay.  I hadn't actually lost my pole, and I managed to win my age group in the Telemark category of the race despite my foolishness!  We all had a good laugh at my expense.

One of the best parts of this race were all the PRIZES.  Not only were there nice mugs for placing in all of the different categories, but it took nearly an hour to get through all of the great raffle prizes they had, including eggs and t-shirts from Pete and Gerry's.  Tracy won a gift certificate to Poco's Bow Street Cantina in Portsmouth and Fred and I won beer from 603 Brewery.

We filled the remainder of our day enjoying all that new fallen snow on the runs at Bretton Woods.  And I even used my own poles.

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.

Outdoor Mom's Mount Washington Cup

After four years of pregnancy, nursing, and care of two babies, I had hoped that this would be the year to finally get back into shape enough that I might get back to some kind of competitive sporting event. Although my fitness for racing was a bit questionable for the Mount Washington Cup, the great thing about Citizen's races is that it really is just a chance to get out there and test yourself, but you don't need to have a bunch of experience to just have fun.

After a winter of pristine snow conditions at Bretton Woods, everyone was a bit disappointed to see rain in the forecast the week before the Bretton Woods Nordic Marathon and Mount Washington Cup. Luckily, a winter of nearly daily snowfall had built up a substantial base, and we could survive a few warm days. Not so fortunately, though, a couple days of big melting and rain created an ice jam on the Ammonoosuc River just outside of the Nordic Center that created quite a mess. Bretton Woods staff had to scramble to clear the flooded areas in preparation for their biggest event of the year. And they pulled it off .

Because of some wet areas, both the Marathon and the Mount Washington Cup had to be rerouted and shortened somewhat, but the courses still proved quite challenging. My husband participated in the Marathon while I stayed home with Bridget and napping Timothy. Sunday was my turn to race.

Despite best laid plans, between sick kids and vacations, my cross-country ski training had dwindled in the last month, but I had made a decision to do the Mount Washington Cup, and with only some ego at stake, I really had nothing to lose in giving it a shot.

My cousin Becky, her husband, Mark, and daughter Casey joined us for the weekend of racing as well. All three are experienced triathletes, but new to cross-country skiing. It was great to have some friends on the course, and seeing them race together as a family was great inspiration to me. They are a perfect example of the family that makes it a priority to get outside and be active and have so much fun doing it.

I had taken a skate ski lesson and I had tried to ski as much as I could before the race. I knew from my bike racing days that I needed plenty of food and drink to fuel up before the race. I knew I need a good warm-up to get my heart rate up and my muscles warm before the race. But on the start line, I realized that I really didn’t know what it was going to be like. I knew that it was going to be a bit chaotic as over 100 skiers barreled into a trail that narrows to a width that just barely accommodate two skate skiers. But I didn’t know where exactly I’d stack up in all that.

As we started, I quickly found out. Everyone was double-poling in the elbow-to-elbow positioning. I rarely double-pole, and I wasn’t making a lot of headway. As soon as I could, I began to skate, but people were just streaming past me. The bike racer in me didn’t want to give any ground, so I just skied to the side enough to let them pass. My heart was racing, but I just tried to keep focused on the trail.

By the time we got to the hill by the Eisenhower Wayside Park, the crowd of experienced racers had passed and I flip-flopped back and forth with a few people. I quickly realized that my downhill skiing experience was going to be to my advantage… although my momentum slowed down on the uphills, I could pass some tentative skiers on the downhills. But it was a long slog up hill before I got there. Rolling Dark Forest, up Peter’s Path, and then up and up and up Beech Hill and Clinton. It seemed to take forever to get to the top of Sebosis.

And what a relief it was to cruise down Sebosis. The right onto Stumpwalk took me into a bit of unknown territory. I don’t ski it often because it is usually left ungroomed. But it was a rolling downhill that brought me out onto the bottom of Cornonary Hills, then I knew it was just a cruise back to the Nordic Center. Out on the golf course, the snow got heavy and wet, and I was glad that the snow had held up so well so far.

What a treat it was to see little Bridget scooting around on her cross-country skis as I crossed the finish line. Still running on the adrenaline of the race, I was happy to watch her as she demonstrated to me how fast she could go.

The 12.5 kilometers took me just over an hour, and I ended up 30th out of the 36 women who raced. Cousin Becky’s daughter Casey was second in her age group, followed by my friend Amy’s niece Rachel, who was third. It was great to see the smiles on their faces as these teenage girls adorned their medals, and even more wonderful to know that a taste of success would be just what they needed to keep racing on their radar. And yes, not only did Casey beat me, but she beat both of her parents as well! It’s amazing to think that one day I’ll just be trying to keep up with my kids on the trails and slopes.