The Sweden “Spring Series” trip is ON! Between the racing opportunities, the Spring skiing, and what is developing into a fun group of athletes it was impossible to say “no.” We do have two spots still available, and are actively hoping to fill them to round out the group.

Here is a quick run-down of the trip:

Note: Except for the “Knallcrossen” at the end of the trip all races are FIS scored.

Flights are being suggested but not arranged. People can use miles, or points and fit departure points best to individual needs.

The first races are in Northern Sweden in Pitea (Peet’-eh-oh) on the weekend of the 4^th and 5^th of April. Most of the Swedish National team will be racing. I will leave for Stockholm on the 31^st of March, arriving on the 1^st (no foolin’!), and will pick up a van and drive north. Athletes are welcome to follow this schedule. I’ll stop in Solleftea to pick up some wax benches and gear and take a visit with the coaches at the Ski Gymnasium there. On to Pitea on the 2^nd. Athletes could arrive from North America on the 2^nd and connect through to Lulea, a short drive to Pitea, and I can meet them there. This gives departure flexibility, and avoids a long road trip right after a long flight. The 3^rd is for course inspection and shaking off the inevitable jet-lag. On the 4^th a short freestyle, 3km wos and 5 km, men followed by pursuit start 10 and 15 classics the next day.

We will stay in Pitea through the 8^th to unwind after travel and two race days. Ski and train there and in Lulea. We’ll make the decision about the Finnish races as a group before we go. The first of these is in Tornio, an easy drive from Pitea. Races are a 5 and 10 Free on the 10^th. Next is a choice of another 5/10 in Pello or a 15/20 in Rovaniemi on the 11^th. We could do none, one, or both. After the Finnish races we will take the drive down to Ostersund, arriving on Easter Sunday. If you haven’t fired up Google earth to help you with this geography I would do so. It is kind of fun.

If people decide to take more training and rest instead of the Finnish races we will head to O-sund sooner and spend the Easter Weekend somewhere in the mountains…Norwegian border, Lappland, somewhere fun. Local races would be on the plan for that time or a special longer tour.

We will arrive in Bruksvallarna on the 13^th and stay at Walles Sport Hotell which lies right on the trails. The first race there is a full sprint protocol on the 17^th. On the 18^th is a 26 km free. The 19^th, is a fun race called the Knallcrossen. It starts with a downhill (helmets required, which we can rent there) on xc gear. Finish time determines a place in a ski-cross with heats and ski-downs against members of the Swedish National team. Fun to do or watch.  Non-FIS.

On the 20^th I will drive down to Stockholm, spending the night there and flying out on the 21^st.

Two spots are open. Ground price in $USD is $2300. This includes lodging, meals except on the road or on-your-own excursions, van rental, fuel, and coaching help. It does not include race entry fees.

There are good flights right now on Continental out of Newark, and Icelandair out of Boston. Very reasonable connections from Stockholm to Lulea are available on Norwegian Air www.norwegian.no

Feel free to call with any questions or better yet to fill out the group!

Pete Phillips

Head Nordic Coach

Burke Mountain Academy

pphillips@burkemtnacademy.org

gamlefisken@yahoo.com

802-626-1516-ext-1010

Over the holliday break, we had a time trial scheduled before we depart for Nationals in AK.  Lucas and I did the very limited organizing and a over a hundred racers turned up for the start (7 actually.)  We were hoping to classic ski but with the heat wave that came in over Christmas the tracks were mostly worn away, so skating won out.  We skied the Oak Hill race loop at Pineland in New Gloucester, ME, which many might remember from the Eastern Cup held there two years ago.  Without the loop in the field it was 6.5km, short but hard. 

We had the same time-trial last year but there was a 10km and a 5km race. I didn’t right the times down but I believe Graham Egan (Midd) won the 10km for men Kate Barton (Midd) for women and Lucas Milliken (Burke) won the 5km.

This years results were

Sam Tarling (Burke) 16:20

Walt Shepard (Bowdoin) 16:21

Lucas Milliken (Burke) 16:25

Coleman Hatton (Bowdoin) 17:18

Tom Reagon (UNH) 17:24

Nate Niles (Maine Coast) 18:14

Nat Herz (Bowdoin) 18:28

Thanks to Ben Niles for the Timing!

We will most likely be doing this TT again next year, so if you are in the area join in.  Half the Burke Nordic team will be heading to Anchorage tomorrow while the younger kids will be staying at Burke for some good training for the next Eastern Cup.

Burke skiers took part in a fun and competitive sprint race a week ago and two great races this past weekend. Great Glen Nordic Center in New Hampshire held the sprint race on the 6th of December.  A lot of eager skiers came and it was a fun gathering of familiar faces and teams from all around northern New England. Vermont’s Bolton Valley hosted a frosty 5 k skate race on Saturday the 13th, and Craftsbury Nordic and the Craftsbury Outdoor Center held a 10 k classic show on Sunday. All were pulled together with the help of Nature to be sure, but more like rabbits out of hats by enthusiastic race crews and groomers. Each course was challenging…no easy early season strolls. Training, skill and tactics were tested and not a few  “Wake up! It’s time…” reminders went out to bodies thinking about sliding slowly into the season or a little sluggish kicking into gear. 

Some Burke skiers are entering their first seasons as J1’s and others are headed with high hopes for the US Nationals in Anchorage, so every chance there is to get in a start and work a course is fun and valuable. Thanks from all of us up on the shoulder of Burke Mountain to the organizers, volunteers, groomers, and other wizards at Great Glen, Bolton Valley, and Craftsbury for providing first class season openers! A super way to start the year and we are grateful!

Burke Mountain Academy

Nordic Ski Team

Here is a slew of pictures from the Fall to make up for the lack of blog posts.

Our fall started with a tough academic block at school and then a camp in Keene, NY in October. We did Lactate/Vo2 Max testing at UNH and returned to school for another intense academic period. On the 20th of November we drove up to Stoneham, QC and have been here since. We are training at Foret Montmorerency where there was a 500m loop of man-made snow. Four days in, it snowed! It has been snowing since then and we have many many kilometers to ski on. Happy Thanksgiving!

The Burke Team saddled up on the Montmorency Merry-Go-Round again on the morning of the 25th. The plan called for level 4 intervals and we hid them inside a two-skier team relay. We had five teams and each skier did two laps of the course, tagged off, kept moving in active rest and then hopped on again. Four legs per athlete. It worked well and best of all it got harder and harder because it was snowing and adding up. It snowed all afternoon and then blew like no tomorrow all night. Down here in Stoneham it warmed up a lot and was spitting the good old “wintry mix” of rain and something else this morning, but by the time we reached Montmorency it was still snow.

The wind had eased and the crew from the lodge had been out and laid in some beautiful tracks. Most of it was perfect given that the cover was still not deep. Tricky classic wax…it took me a minute or two…don’t let anyone tell you that old minds don’t slow down…to realise the remark ” Man, my arms are tired!” was directed at my choice of kick wax and was not a compliment. I’d gone about a K before a little voice said “Hey! …smart — punk …wax your own damn skis…grumble grumble,” slip, slip, clog. Actually I did have pretty good luck with both of my trial waxes which this trip were a Ski-go Yellow, and Start Moly. Not too bad either one.

Skating firmed up and was fast and good for the afternoon session. Folks are showing up from all over New England and we all might pull together a time trial over the weekend. TG day is “OFF” for the Burkies. It has been a good week for us so far, and we are grateful to the crew at Laval University’s facility at Foret Montmorency. Great spot to ski!

the old fish

Burke’s coin landed on Quebec for the November training block this year. We reserved condos in Stoneham, and with snow iffy just put our heads down and drove. The first morning we drove up to Le Foret Motnmorency and I scouted while the team ran on the roads around Laval University’s Pavillion. Not far from the lodge I found a sweet, short loop of man-made and carefully groomed snow. Short. 500 meters. Classic and skate.  The post-run head count came up one short and visions of holes in the ice or the dripping fangs that populate the North woods sinking in to hapless Vermont flesh launched a brief and succesful search. After that we headed back to the condos to get ready for the next day’s training on snow.

It was a near thing. When we arrived this morning and I was busily setting up the wax bench, one of our French speakers came running out ot tell me we were being told “Non.” Understandable. The loop is indeed…short. It won’t tolerate too many people and give anyone quality, and much of the cost had been borne by the University so wanting to save it for guests of the lodge was reasonable. We gently persevered with our cause and as we waited in came the cancellation from UVM! We were in. Thanks, Paul! Hope it is great over in NY.

Skiing is good. Both skating and classic tracks are well groomed and hard. No rocks. Flat enough to keep a nice gentle pace and work on getting back to the game. The crew at the Foret have done a great job with very little resoursce. It won’t take much snow to open up a lot more terrain but for now, were here and we’re skiing. “You can’t always get want you want, but if you try sometimes you just might find…”. We may get dizzy but we’ve got what we need.

the old fish 

After reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan in my week of wisdom-tooth woes, I was inspired to write this essay on the health choices of young athletes, namely my peer group of nordic skiers. Since at Burke we strive to not only be the best athlete’s we can be but also the best students, I have decided (or dared) to post a snippet of academia on Fasterskier, with the full acceptance of our readers’ scrutiny and discern.