Being Thankful For The Snow We've Got

I have some friends named Burky and Sally. They have been living and skiing in Anchorage since the early 1970's. In their observation, the average date that we can start skiing on our city ski trail system is around Thanksgiving.  If we get decent snow before Thanksgiving, then we're early. After Thanksgiving is late.

Here's Burky.  He knows that when the Thanksgiving weather transition (from rain to snow) comes, the best place to be is on the beach in Hawaii. Did I mention that Burky was the first head coach of the UAA Ski Team?

Here's Sally. She didn't get out of town quite soon enough. Real skiers don't break legs while skiing. They break legs in icy parking lots. Apparently, the broken leg isn't keeping Sally from going snorkeling.

I had to leave town the day before Thanksgiving. I had some errands to run and I couldn't be here for the Nordic team's annual Thanksgiving Training Camp. Anchorage was brown as I drove to the airport the day before Thanksgiving. Though I wasn't here to participate, I kept tabs on the local training program and weather conditions. I heard lots of good news about talent shows and mini-golf, but I also heard about rain storms and long training runs on snowless Turnagain Arm. 

Toom is a coach now. But that doesn't mean he's just going to give up and start losing sprints at practice.

Natalie and Anna

Michaela. Yes, there wasn't snow in town at Thanksgiving, but the skiing was just fine at Glen Alps, a fifteen minute drive up the hill from school.

Coming back to Anchorage at two o'clock this morning, I wasn't sure what kind of weather conditions awaited. But I got the memo when I arrived:  Morning training at Kincaid Park; on snow: classic skiing; intervals.  

Five hours' sleep and one Power Bar later, I was out there with the team again. Our first ski of the year at Kincaid Park.  It felt good to be back!

Pre-workout instructions

The boys.

The girls. Marine has the fitness to keep the pressure high in training.

Trevor, Espen and Marine. Snowmaking is in full effect in the ski stadium.

Espen. Doing his thing at 11am sunrise.