Ski Trail Etiquette

I thought this would be an interesting post from Graham regarding skier etiquette. Every word of it is true, and if you don't follow this Etiquette you could find yerself haved up in the woods by some fly by skier.

Skier Etiquette
 
Our trails can get very busy ... especially on the  weekends ... so there are a few rules of etiquette we should try to abide by:
 
- if you stop on the trail please step to the side so that you are not obstructing the flow of skiers blockng the flow of traffic ...
- if you're a fast skier, always ski in control and make sure you give lots of clearance when passing a fellow skier. 
- to create a friendly atmosphere on the trails extend a greeting to your fellow skier .... we're all members of the same club 
- experienced skiers should always have a eye out for skiers who get astray on the trails ... if so take time to get them back on course
 GO
 

SKI WAXING

Help Raise $$$ For Whaleback and Get Your Skis Waxed Too!!! Enter Brian Dunphy
 
Just check this out ... 'course you all know Brian Dunphy .... he's the best ski waxer this side of Harbour Deep and he's wicked fast ... one day I thought I was blasting down the trail for all I was worth .. legs and arms going like a dogfight and the first thing ya know ... zoooooooooooom ..... Brian glided right past without even striding, or poling.  What wax!  
He's amazing!  I saw Jack White going up last week to ask him for the wax of the day!  Not true ... Lies!!
 
So here's the deal ... Brian Dunphy will wax your skis to perfection ...  and you pay $10. at the desk at the chalet and the money will go to the ski club as a fundraiser.   If you want to donate more than $10. that's fine too. So help yourself, make yourself go faster down the trail, protect your ski bases, HELP YOUR CLUB, put brian to work and raise funds for Whaleback. 
 
Here's the drill 
- pay the attendant at the chalet for your waxing job and you will be issued a receipt
- make sure that you tape your skis together (or clip them) and put your name on them
- place the skis behind the attendant's desk in the chalet for pick up that evening  
- Brian will have your skis back the next day all waxed and ready for the trail
- Brian will do this for one week only ... from January 18 and January 25th!!
 
Let's make sure that Brian's evenings are busy between January 18th and the 25th
 

SNOWY OWL

Well, I thought I lost my way when I came upon the Snowy Owl last Sunday....taught I was in another ski world....but someone said..."no, das just da boys, day cut a new trail"...I didn't take the Snowy Owl but someone said that it goes right up to the OT. tanks bys Jill
Here is a note from GO about the Snowy Owl and a couple of pics to show how hard da bys worked on it.
"A big thanks to the crowd of Whaleback elders who helped cut the new piece of trail on the Snowy Owl. It's DONE!  This photo was taken on Thursday at the end the last cutting session.  It is worthy to note that Chief Don Cormier won first prize for his delicious apricot cake which is shared with his starvin' buddies.  We urge Linda to continue to stuff Don's lunch tin with big chunks of goodies.  A big thank you to Howard Skinner as  well who worked all by his lonesome on Friday  and went in and skinned out the base of Yellow Birch Hill; and harvested the wood to boot!   GO
 

GET OUT AND SKI

What a day on the trails!   Great day for both classic and skating skiers! And so early in the season! No wind! Moderate temperatures and infectious smiles as wide as Bay St. George ... now that's not say that skiers have big mouths, but it's a figurative descrition of how people look when they step outside to have fun in a winter playground. There  were so many skiers on the Foxtrot today that we could have used a traffic cop. Three or for times I tried to hail Wayne Reilly to see if he'd help give directions at intersections, but he flew by me like an arrow out Robin Hood's bow ... swisssssh and he was gone!   Couldn't stop him!   
 
We had two instructional lessons  today, one in the morning and one in the afternoon and  both were well attended.   Very quick learners and hopefully they will continue to come back for night skiing and on the weekend. Lessons are always fun as you get a chance to "get out and meet the people", a saying that my dear old Dad always told me.    "Don't stay in the house ... get out and meet some new people!"    Which brings me to the point, how many of you have friends who sat home today watching out the window hoping that it would snow so they could use their snow blower ...  or maybe you have friends who shuffled back and forth to their favourite local coffee shop where they sat in doors and told the same old story that they told last week and everyone laughed at the same time ..... Hmmm methinks  such a life is lessssss than interesting.  Perhaps you could bring them along and help them along for a healthy heart workout and they'll mee tnew people to boot.  I met 18 new friends today on the trail and you could and you're non-skier friends could toooooooo!  Here are a few tricks for meeting people on the trail:
 
1. Even if you know the trails like the back of your hand, stop someone you don't know and ask them how to get back to the chalet 
 
2. Take off one ski on the side of the trail and pretend that you can't get your boot snapped into the binding
 
3. If you have a waxable skis, ask the first skier who comes along if they have extra wax (just don't ask a skater 'cause they don't know what you're talking about)
 
4.  Another favorite of mine is to loudly state that you're having a low blood sugar moment and you're in need of something sweet... you would not believe the muffins, cakes, cookies and candies I've procured using this tried and true method.
 
Now those are little tips to use tomorrow and I can assure you that you too will  meet 18 new people ..... next week I'll fill you in on techniques that I often use during happy hours to get a yaffle of free wings and a few frothing friends.  Just kiddin' of course.

Pics I found

The Loppet

Well, the Loppet is tomorrow......you know, the Loppet!!!! Now what exactly does THAT mean....Loppet. It reminds me of Easter and bunnies and Lop-eared rabbits. But it has nothing to do with that. It is apparently, according to the website CCCski... this:
"The term “Loppet” originated in Scandinavia where you have such great events as the Mora Vasaloppet in Sweden and the Birke Beinerrennet in Norway.
In the Vasaloppet in Sweden, the skiers ski from Berga to Mora (90Km) to commemorate the same trail the king of Sweden (at the time it was Gustav Vasa….hence the name Vasaloppet) skied about 500 years ago. About 15000 people take part in the Vasaloppet and approximately 1.7 million people watch it on TV.
So you are wondering, “What is a Loppet”. It is a great gathering of skiers who ski on a specifically groomed trail either classic (diagonal stride) or free (skating technique) of various distances. Enormous amounts of food and drink are consumed during the event. After there’s a party and celebratory banquet with awards and prizes and usually a time (dance).
The Loppet means different things to participants. For some it’s intense competition, for others it’s a relaxing way to spend a day outside, taking in the pristine beauty of the country side or wilderness, and enjoying the home grown entertainment and great food and drink at the rest stops along the trail.
In Canada, there are some great Loppets like the Canadian Birkebeiner in Alberta; the Keskinada Loppet in Gatineau Quebec; the Mont-Ste-Anne Loppet in Quebec; the Don Allen Saskaloppet in LaRonge Saskatchewan; and the Great Labrador Loppet in Newfoundland and Labrador to name a few. In the USA, you can ski the famous American Birkebiener in Wisconsin; the Minnesota Finlandia in Bemidji, Minnesota; Great Glen to Bretton Woods Adventures, in New York ; or the Royal Gorge’s California Gold Rush, Soda Springs, California.

Loppets in Newfoundland and Labrador are becoming more popular each year. Some events that are of a Loppet nature are the Snowy Owl Classic, Stephenville; the Newfoundland Marathon (various locations); the Big Land Loppet in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador; the Newworld Island Challenge, Summerford; the Butterpot Open, Avalon Nordic, St. John’s; The Don’t Hang Up Your Skis at Mount St. Margaret, the Northern Peninsula; the PAL Great Labrador Loppet at the Menihek Nordic Ski Club in Labrador City and Blow Me Down Loppet, Corner Brook."

So there you have it...the LOPPET....ours is being held on Sunday, Feb 27th at Whaleback Nordic Ski club....come one, come all, come for fun, have a ball.........hey, I should have entered in the slogan contest for Winter Carnival.
Mandogrl
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To Sculpture or Not to Sculpture?

I had to include this in the Blogosphere, I thought it was really cute.
and once again.....in the words of GOTo Sculpture or Not to Sculpture?
 
Frank Gust-of-Wind asked me if Whaleback was building a sculpture for the carnival ... at first I said no .. then I said well maybe .. then I phoned Faron ... and while Faron said he'd take it on,  I later felt it was unfair to have Faron shoulder the load.  Poor Faron wants to ski the loppet so he does not want to break his back all by himself  building a sculpture and of course Faron always thinks BIG ... like building a dragon or a whale ... If you have have ever seen Faron at work you know what I mean.   But we can't put the pressure on Faron to deliver and my plate is FULL for the next week 'cause Howard is right on my heels in the BIG BREAD BAKEOFF contest.   But if anyone wants to take on the initiave and start carving then go right ahead ... it would be wonderful to have a snow sculpture up for the marathon event if we didn't make the judging deadline for the carnival .. the judging for carnival is on Monday.   Any takers to help Faron?  The BR250 is at your disposal to move snow ... if someone says they'll take it on, I'll send out an email to rally the  troops ...we will however have to cut the Sculpture roster off at 111.   Otherwise we'll be tripping over one another."