NOR’EASTER#1, HOOT-TOOT, & COCK-A-DOODLE-SHOE RESULTS (1/18, 1/19, & 1/20)

Friday 1/18 saw the running of the inaugural Nor’Easter Night 5k at Viking Nordic in Londonderry, VT. Nine runners took to the course under the lights, with 1st place honors going to David Hamilton & Christine Natalie. Our thanks to RD Eliza & everyone else on the Nor’Easter crew. Please check out their full slate of races – Sunday 2/10 is part of our points series, and there is a possibility we may include another of their seven races in the series as well. Full results for the nighttime 5k can be found here.

Saturday 1/19 saw another running of an perennial favorite, the Hoot Toot & Whistle 3.4mi snowshoe race along the Catamount Trail in Readsboro, VT. This was our largest race so far this season with 70 runners and walkers. The top two were Tim Van Orden & Jackie Wells. Special thanks to Bob and Denise Dion and their group of helpers, we couldn’t have his race without them! Full results can be found here. Pictures can be found here.

And finally, Sunday 1/20 saw a much-reduced field of runners at the Cock-a-Doodle-Shoe 5k&10k snowshoe races, due to a winter storm that hammered the northeast Saturday evening through Sunday afternoon. Despite the poor travel conditions 17 runners made it to the races, which saw Brian Wilson & Caitrin Chiantia finishing 1st in the 5k and Mitchell Ryan taking top honors in the 10k. RD Jeremy Drowne and his volunteers pulled off a race in very challenging conditions – deep snow and frigid temperatures. Full results can be found here.

MT TOM SCRAMBLE SAT 1/26

UPDATE FRIDAY 1/25 – SNOWSHOES IT IS FOR MT TOM!
Loaners are needed – the Dions are off at another event and needed all of theirs for that. So if you have an extra pair (or two) that you’d be willing to loan out, please bring them with you Saturday morning.

Gurney & Magic – 2019’s First Double-Header

by Laura Clark

It takes approximately 10,000,000 snowflakes to make an average-sized snowman; it is safe to say there is not one standing snowman in the Albany/Saratoga region. What a treat for us to travel to foreign lands this past weekend and remind ourselves that snow does exist!

Our last event was December 15 at Gore and for those of us currently living in this snow desert, it was a stretch to contemplate a double-header after a month away.  Even though I thought I had my gear close at hand, somehow in the interim items had scattered and I had forgotten the usual drill.  To add to the confusion, the temps registered really, really cold so we had to reach back all the way to last winter.  For you ladies out there, I have a short commercial break: Athleta Primaloft Ridge Tights are the way to go. At $98 they are pricey but they are so worth it! Not only did they keep me warm on top of Magic Mountain but they repelled water so well that I felt no need to change my bottoms for the drive home.  This was a first for me.  Sorry guys, but you have all those heavy muscles to power you through.

Back to the races…this was the first time for Churney Gurney’s reincarnation as a snowshoe event and Bob Underwood was so excited to showcase his mountain bike venue with at least 4 miles of snowy trails.  Alas!  While the midweek rain had erased much of the snow, some fat bikers decided it would be a good idea to go out in it anyway.  It couldn’t have been much fun and all they managed to do was to create deep ruts that the scarce snow couldn’t mask.  Luckily, Bob knew the trails intimately and was able to cobble together a fun 2.8 mile course, covered in what ski slopes would have euphemistically dubbed “frozen granular.”  Luckily, we weren’t skiing.  Those of us who sported the new Dion ice cleats were grateful!

By the time we finished, the fat bikers were assembling for their Saturday events and we were invited to take a test spin on the demo bikes.  Some of us seized on the offer, but I was a coward.  It is one thing to fall in soft snow; quite another to tumble on the hard stuff. And while falling is all part of the learning curve, I think falling on ice would have been too much learning for one day.

On Sunday our carpool arose at 0’dark thirty for the trek to Magic Mountain.  This event is turning out to be a moveable feast.  Last year we explored Lowell Lake Park and the previous year we were treated to isolated trails bounded by two porta potties and a hiking lean-to.  This year we got to explore the mountain itself, where Mike Owens, Chief Magician, works out.  Because of the many ski events in progress we claimed the 9AM slot, an hour earlier than last year.  True to its name, Magic was just on the edge of last week’s Big Snow, with at least 16” of powder.  Flanked by the big-establishment resorts of Bromley and Stratton, Magic retains an old-timey feel with a cadre of loyal skiers.  Known for its challenging terrain, a full 26 percent of its trails are Double Black Diamond.

Our route consisted of the uphill used by the skin skiers, followed by a sharp descent.  There were a few stretches of level ground.  One was a teaser halfway up the mountain and the other was a stretch on top where we got to look both ways and scurry across one of the downhills before the skiers bombed down. This was actually the only time I have ever seen Tim Van Orden flying out of control.  He was hurdling along on his second loop, while I was probing my first after a near disaster moments earlier. As he careened around a corner I heard screams below me from the two ladies slightly ahead.  I am pretty sure they opted out of the second loop.  One of the neat things about a two loop course, though, was that by the second time around there were more toeholds grooved into the steep uphill and I knew where on the downhill portions I could let go and where I would be courting another disaster.  Mike hints that next year he might offer a different venue.  Looks like he is trying to beat out Josh Merlis and his endless search for the perfect spot to hold Brave the Blizzard.

What stands out about this weekend for me, though, was the enthusiasm both race directors had for their respective routes and how eager they were to insure that all of us had a good time on the course and meet some new friends.  Reminds me of what my husband Jeff used to say every year when we directed our Winterfest and Camp Saratoga Snowshoe Races, “It’s like having a party for one hundred of my closest friends.”

See you next weekend!

—  Laura Clark is an avid snowshoer, trail runner, XC skier, race director, 2017 World Snowshoe Federation Championship 70-99 Female Age Group winner, and 2018 National Championship Half Marathon 70-99 Female Age Group winner.

GURNEY & MAGIC RACE RESULTS (1/12 &1/13)

Saturday 1/12:

24 racers completed the 1st Gurney Lane 5k Snowshoe Race at the Gurney Lane Recreation Area in Queensbury, NY. While nature was not entirely cooperative in providing good snow cover, RD Bob Underwood pulled together a rolling course with what snow could be found, with the snowshoers followed by fat bike racing in the afternoon. Series regulars Tim Van Orden and Christine Natalie took the 1st place positions. Full results can be found here.

Sunday 1/13:

For the 3rd year in a row RD Mike Owens put together a challenging race in Londonderry VT, this time at Magic Mountain Ski Resort. A late week storm left the Winter Magic course with plenty of snow, resulting in a 2 loop 2.9 km race for series points that 20 racers completed; several attendees completed an untimed single loop as well. Tim Van Orden took his second 1st place finish of the weekend, with Laurie Raffensperger finishing seconds ahead of last year’s womens’ champion Jess Northan. Full results can be found here.