Gasline Time Trial

The Seawolves

Just like every fall, every year, for at least the past 35+ years and probably longer, local ski racers run an uphill time trial following the gas line from Hilltop Ski Area to Prospect Heights trailhead. It takes between around nine and fifteen minutes, and it's a pretty good gauge of skiing fitness. Of course, some skiers are naturally faster runners than others, so if you're slow in the Gasline Time Trial, it doesn't necessarily mean you'd be slow in a ski race. But doing the time trial multiple times each year, we can compare our present selves to our former selves to see if we're progressing. Or regressing.

I don't know for sure, but I think John Clark may have founded this time trial course sometime in the late 1980's or early 1990's when he was coaching the Dimond High School Ski Team and was also coaching a summer training program for local skiers. His program didn't have a name and it wasn't a business. It was just "John Clark's training group". John Clark died last year, and there are a lot of people in this town who truly miss seeing John around the local scene. Anyway, if John wasn't the one who came up with this time trial course, track me down and let me know and I'll stop claiming it was John Clark's idea. I do know this: While John Clark's Gasline Time Trial of the 1990's followed the same course and had the same finish line as the present course, there was a significant period of time when UAA's team time trial started in the same spot, but continued uphill on the pavement for an additional six or seven minutes beyond the present finish line. I found that course to be particularly brutal, because you would come off the steep, narrow dirt trail of the gasline and then transition to a wide paved uphill road, and somehow it always felt like you had suddenly slowed to a crawl. Perhaps it was a matter of perception. Maybe the narrow, brushy trail gave a false perception of moving quickly, but coming out onto the open road made you realize how slow you really were going. Maybe Skiwolves from a generation ago will read this and have some answers, or at least some uncomfortable memories of that version of the course. Anyway, I don't know why the UAA time trial was later shortened back down to the traditional, standard distance about ten years ago. You could ask Trond and he could tell you for sure. I could ask him too, but this blog makes no attempt to pass itself off as "real" journalism, so I'm not going to bother to do the research.

Traditionally, this is a workout for the cross-country skiers of this town. But our alpine skiers joined in the fun this time, and I'm glad they did! Their presence really heightened the vibe of the morning, and it was a good chance to get to know each other better. And though you might think that because the alpiners ride chairlifts to get to the top of their race courses, they might not need the capacity to run fast uphill for twelve minutes, that's not the case at all. It takes a maximal effort for a full minute to ski a slalom course. And top aerobic fitness allows alpine skiers to complete longer and higher-quality training days on the slalom hill. I hope it's going to be a regular thing that the alpine skiers join us for this workout. Their presence made a big difference in the tone of the morning!

Many personal records were achieved on the Gasline Time Trial course yesterday morning.

This photo may lead you to believe that Head Coach Sparky Anderson won the gas line time trial. But he did not.

No records, personal or otherwise, were in danger while this guy was on course.

Hedda Halvari

Freshman Aria Grandi

Freshman Tuva Svindland

Constance Lapointe

Freshman alpiner Baptiste Cais. He was fast! Maybe if the alpine thing doesn't work out for him, we can strap some "misery sticks" on his feet and see what happens.

Marit Flora set a new personal best.

Before the time trial, I asked Murphy how he was going to do, and he told me he was going to set a new personal best. He was true to his word. He went more than 30 seconds faster than he ever has before!

Our freshman Kasilofer, Chase Laker. Freshmen typically have a big disadvantage on this course because the gradient changes throughout the route and it takes a few tries to learn the right tactics. But Chase, being an Alaskan, has done this time trial before, and it showed. He was fast. 

Alpiner Tommy Olcese is in good shape this fall.

Henry Skjønsfjell

You might think last year's team captain, Matt Seline, wouldn't race this year's time trial because he doesn't have to. He graduated from UAA and is now working in the emergency room at the Alaska Native Hospital until November when he becomes a cadet with the Anchorage fire fighting academy. But Matt's not one to shy away from discomfort. Besides, for all I know, the Fire Department might require their recruits to pass some kind of physical test. So I guess Matt ought to stay on the training plan after all.

Freshman Caleb Brooks

Garrett Siever

Erling Bjørnstad

Freshman alpiner Niki Buchar

Freshman alpiner Guro Vognild. Last year, Guro skied for Westminster College. They cut their ski team.

Ethan Eski

Freshman alpiner Dora Ljutic

Chase High was doing double duty yesterday. After working as the starter, Chase started himself. It was only a year and a half ago that Chase was racing for Saint Scholastica at the NCAA Championships, so I was not surprised that he was fast in the Gas Line Time Trial.

Freshman Fredrik Johansen

Dylan Timm. Encouraged by Baptiste, who'd finished earlier.

The scene at the finish line.

Reunion!

 Most years, I miss the first two weeks of UAA's fall training season because I like to travel down south to visit my friends in the Nevada desert. For the past 25 years, more or less, I've made it an annual thing. 

Etienne and his friends

But this year I could tell Trond was really excited about this year's team. And he was so eager to get everyone together again and training for the upcoming ski season that I didn't want to miss it. So I'm letting my freaky friends gather in the desert without me and I'm staying here in Anchorage instead. 

Bella (Thanks for the photo, Etienne!)

Besides, I got a message from Laura a few weeks ago, telling me that Steffi and Karl were planning a visit to Anchorage this week from their home in Bavaria, and we should all gather round the bonfire together. So now I had even more reason to stay put for the first week of school.

In Laura's back yard. Certain Seawolves in this photo were on our team more than 20 years ago. How many can you name?

So school is in session. Team training is underway. We're all back together again. We've lost a few familiar faces to graduation. But we have a few new faces in our midst. I sense that the team is excited to be here and working together. I know for sure that the coaches are fired up for the coming season.

And it snowed yesterday - the last day of August. Here's a photo I stole from Erling, who took this photo of his teammate, Murphy, rollerskiing at team practice. We'll be on snow before you know it!

Birkie Break

 The Seawolves have been on the road, traveling from place to place around the mountain west for the past few weeks, though the list of venues able to host ski races is a lot smaller than usual this year. That's because there's hardly any snow on the ground west of the Mississippi River. In fact, we are scheduled to be in Bozeman, Montana this weekend for the RMISA Championships, but we're in Utah instead because there isn't any snow in Montana. And it was decided last week that the NCAA Championships, slated to be hosted by Montana State, will also be moved to Soldier Hollow, the only place that has a ribbon of man-made snow thick enough to host a serious ski race. 

Yes, it's really that warm here at Soldier Hollow today. And the forecast calls for a lot warmer this weekend. Our skiers came on this trip prepared to race in shorts.

So I decided I needed a little change of scenery for a few days. And that's how I ended up in the north woods of Wisconsin last week, for the running of the American Birkebeiner ski race. I didn't go to Hayward to race. I just went there to watch, and to do a little race announcing. But there were plenty of Seawolves at the Birkie, just as there are every year. 

For example, Hannah Rudd (2020) won the women's classic Birkie. So I got to meet her at the finish line with a microphone in hand and get caught up on the latest Hannah Rudd news in front of thousands of spectators lining main street.

Hannah Rudd

And who are these two characters at the start line?  Any true Skiwolf fan knows that's Seawolf and 2014 Olympian Brian Gregg (2006) and our current assistant coach Chase High wearing the Seawolf green!

In the end, these two stuck pretty close to each other all day, with Chase ultimately crossing the finish line a half-second ahead of Brian, to take 25th place. 

And who's that in the black and green Craftsbury suit (below) just to the left in the frame, reaching the finish just behind the lead pack in lucky 13th place?  Why, that's Seawolf Michaela Keller-Miller (2020)!

The Birkie is a big deal. Big enough that if you listen to local radio in Hayward during Birkie Week, you'll be serenaded by a long list of Birkie songs floating across the airwaves. Birkie Fever is alive and well.

ps. The Birkie even has its own rock concept album. You can listen to Bifurcated Monkey's EP, Birkie Extra Blue, here. And you can thank me later.

Champagne Dreams

When I was a freshman at the University of Wyoming in the fall of 1987, my roommate, Mike, was from Steamboat Springs. There was always tons of snow in Steamboat, so we occasionally made the two and a half hour drive from Laramie for a couple days of training and a change of scenery. Mike's family had one of those little pets that looks like a dog, only smaller, like a little schnauzer or a poodle or some such little vermin. Mike would slide open the door to the rear deck and toss that little animal as far as he could out into the back yard, where the snow was so deep that the little guy would vanish into the light, deep snow, out of sight. Mike slid the door closed and said, "That should give us about a half-hour of peace and quiet."  By and by, the dog would swim its way back to the slider door. We'd let him in and he'd fall asleep by the fire, well-exercised for the evening.

Steamboat Springs is the land of "Champagne Powder". That's the trademark tagline that the Steamboat tourism marketing people came up with many decades ago to describe the winter experience here, where the snow tends to fall heavy, and lie deep on the ground for months at a time. Steamboat is known for its reliable, bottomless, light, deep snow, and the powder skiing in the wooded glades on Storm Peak is legendary. 

The dream of the Arnold Barn in Steamboat

The 2026 reality of the Arnold Barn in Steamboat.

But this winter in Steamboat is not turning out to be so legendary. Unless you're talking about a legendary lack of snow.

The view from my bench on the sidewalk outside the Lucchese store on main street yesterday afternoon. I was wearing a t-shirt.

The snow was a little thin on the Howelson ski trails yesterday.

But we found a little snow here and there. And we aren't complaining about a lack of sunshine.

Tredje Igjen

 Racing took place today at 9,000 feet above sea level, in the glorious Rocky Mountain sunshine.

Chase and Trond, at the office.

Chaos in the women's race

Dashe was fast today. Her first top-ten RMISA finish.

Garrett was fast today. Sixth place. His best RMISA result yet.

Less than one kilometer from the finish line, and Corbin is trying to win this race. But two Buffaloes were stronger today.

Enjoying the après-ski

How long will it be before Corbin gets tired of third place in RMISA races? Maybe we'll find out tomorrow. 

Don and Kallie made the trip over the mountain to see their son race.

Thanks for the peppermint patty, Corbin!