Creekside was groomed yesterday. it was also re-routed somewhat around the contrived parts or dirty spots. it is the best skiing right now. the race course is set with double classic tracks. the sakte in the middle is a little chunky but passable. the upper west areas are in less than ideal shape. should get groomed after we get a skiff of fresh snow to mix in. the skiing is still good and the road is super dry. the a-frame will be staffed every day this week and weekend. please check in your season pass so we can get a good head count. thanks.

An estimated 6 inches fell last night and today.
The pisten bully is up and running. I will go up and pack and groom tonight. the are should then be ready to ski everywhere and touch up will be possible by the club machine, once it is working again.

summary: go ski wednesday morning

Let It Snow

The nordic center got hammered last noght and today. the pisten bully has a flat tire which requires quite a bit to fix. it should be up wed night. Ho Ho Ho.

The snowmobiles were out all day today packing and rolling trails. the race course is in decent shape and had classic track at 5pm. the wind will wipe awa most of the day's work but that only adds to the trail depth and snow quality. anytime it is blowing we try to have a guy out riding to 'catch' more snow in the tracks. it was very effective last year.

most of the trail were ridden about 6 times, which is what it took today to get them ready for the roller. then it takes 2 passes with the roller and 2 or more passes with the ginzu. It is quite a preocess.

Jerry D put in a full volunteer day today and we altenated getting each other unstuck for hours and hours. it was fun.

No pictures today but here's a good gauge. Snow was coming up over the snowmobile winshield so heavily that if you poked your head up to see through it your face was pummeled and mouth was packed full.

Average depth is now about lower thigh. it is kee deep or more virtually everywhere and some drifts are reaching epic proportions.

Do: racecourse, upper canyon.

don't: didaction, mule deer and creekside connector

Maybe: everything else

Opening Of Nordic Center!

The A Frame rental center will open Friday, December 19th. It will be open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10am-5pm the rest of the season as snow conditions permit. Season and Day trail passes can be purchased during open hours. Use the fee box located at the parking lot for skiing 24/7. Prices for day trail passes are $3 for kids, $6 for adults, $5 for seniors. Rental fees for ski packages are $8 for classic and $12 for skate ski package. Hope to see you up there soon, and keep the positive thoughts of snow coming, even if you have to bet someone.

TK

Skiing open

the ski area now has about 6 inches of snow and Andy has groomed enough that the gate is open now. park in the lot and enjoy. the 5k loop and canyon are best. the creekside area and connector is worst.

No pictures today, just news. Andy has put in about 40 hours in the last 2 days compacting and smoothing the trails. there is 4-6 inches of snow and some folks are skiing. It is still snowing and we may "open" mid week. At this point it is not good enough to "open" but people are welcome to go in and ski and make a donation to the ski club for their effort. www.pokyxc.org . Park at the creek crossing gate (but don't block it) and walk in. If you see Andy, Randy, or Steve just slip them some cash to cover the fuel and upkeep on the snowmobile.

Saturday Storm

Andy gearing up for a few laps on the snowmobile.


The base area buildings are starting to look festive.

Does anyone know how a hedge fund works? A manager buys a stock or asset at market price, hoping it will go up. Then they buy insurance that will pay them if it goes down. They hope that any movement in the market still makes them money. I hedged my snow bets. A staff member that shall remain nameless bet me $10 that he would have 3 inches of snow in his front yard in town by Monday morning. I figure if it snows then I win, because we got a lot of snow. if it stays dry I at least get a nice lunch on Monday.

The area got about 3 inches overnight in most places. A few places got a little scoured, a few places got some drifting. Andy rolled some of the trails to encourage drifting and prevent scouring further. The area is NOT OPEN yet, but the lead draw gate is unlocked. If you are willing to walk up from the creek gate then go for it. the trails are rough, use a lot of caution and take old skis.

I will head up tomorrow if we get any substantial snow overnight.

LET IT SNOW

This stellar crystal would lead to nice fluffy powder. it is in great shape with no melting, low wind and no real damage. Perfect



It is snowing again today in Pocatello. This can only mean one thing. Premature enthusiasm. Every year about this time we get a few flakes and skiers go crazy. Sure targhee and west yellowstone nordic are open but really..... mink creek is christmas to spring break. the only exception was the 2007-2008 year. But that being said the mechanincs spent last week tuning the snowmobiles and groomer just in case. If things get crazy we're ready.




HERE ARE SOME IMAGES FROM SnowCrystals.com. Here's a fun exercise. Say you dig a hole in your ski/snowmobile slope and find a 2 inch snow layer that is different from the top foot. which type of crystal would you least like to see, what is the best?

Stellar

And the answer: Who knows, there are too many unknows. But the needle or cloumn structures can act like tiny ball bearings and set off giant slides. I'd rather ski crystals anyhow.


And finally here's a crazy movie of a snowmobiler who is deninitely giving it all the gas he can. he should have studied snow crystal structre more.

bridge work

The ski club put up a nice post about our last volunteer work day. The staff had a work day on Sunday. things went well the bridge is 95% complete. We just need to work on the transition on and off and we are there. Sind\ce I plan to just plow snow up to make it transition it is looking good. the bridge is 12 feet wide and 25-28 feet long. 5 pine trees span the water each has a base diameter of about 16 inches. I'm not an engineer but it feels really solid. I was almost an engineer once but after taking all of the math and starting into engineering classes I thought to myself "I could not do this every day for 30+ years" and promptly became an outdoor ed student (and business management just in case).

In case you are looking closely the tripod is a temporary means to raise the logs and notch each one out the level things at each end. the 2x4's and other dimensional lumber level things in the middle when the logs bow or turn, like giant shims.

If you looke even closer you can see Jerry Sepich, Terrence, Wren, James and Travis all working away.

Andy and Steve also headed up high to do some fencing and get daley's disaction squared away. They were up there until after dark so I can't wait to see the sceme they have cooked up to solve the scouring issues that plague some places on those otherwise fun trails.

future kitesurfer

I almost bought a new small kitesurfing rig for my wife Mindy. Then I realized that is the last thing in the world she wants. She hates all things kite and surfing. Kaya, however, wants one for Christmas (future use, I'm sure). Here she is asking for one. How could I say no? If anyone else is interested in trying out kitesurfing kites for fun let me know. Since only 2 other people in SE Idaho even know what I'm talking about I can always use more accomplices.

PARTY

The ski club is having their annual bash at the ski area yurt this year. It is pot luck. You will also be able to purchase discounted season passes for the last time. Please bring a food item, your own drinks and dancing shoes. We will also have a bonfire, sing kumbuyah and talk about wax. more info is on www.pokyxc.org

Work Day

Sat November 8 is the final organized work day at mink creek. from about noon-5pm crews will split up and do maintence projects across the area to prepare for winter. We will be hauling firewood, cutting a new trail, fixing snowfence, cleaning out the groomer shed and generall sprucing things up. The last work day was very well attended and the energy was great.

Final Trail run.

Saturday November 8 is the final trail run of 2008. We will start at the mink creek nordic center and run the ski trails for a little under 5 miles. The terrain is "rolling". Many people consider this the most grueling race and other consider it the easiest. I consider it the best to watch because the racers cross the base area a few times and I don't have to drive a van around the mountains hoping no one is late. The race starts at 9am. everyone should be done by 11 when we have awards and food. Try to be there at least 15 minutes early to get your bib and gear sorted out. We will start on time.

Just Cuz

The Shoes
At the August Fun run I ended up winning a pair of shoes. Mark Romero graciously gave them to me after his name was called after I joked about them being my size. I think I also promised to run if I had good shoes. In truth they just went on a shelf in my office in case I got the urge to run. Fast forward to October. Josie kept pushing her half marathon on her blog and through a steady stream of emails. On a lark I emailed a form back to her with my name on it trying to enter the ‘couch potato’ division.
My wife has been running in the fun run series for a while now and occasionally takes the dogs out for a few laps around the neighborhood. I went with her once. It didn’t take.
Josie took my entry form seriously and demanded $25. I didn’t have the heart to back out and decided to start training. Unfortunately I made that decision Halloween night at 10pm. The extent of my training was unlocking the rec center to get my shoes off the shelf, lacing them up and trying them on. It was getting pretty late so I headed home at a pretty good pace, in my truck. At least eh shoes fit.
On Saturday morning I ate a quick power breakfast (frosted flakes in whole milk)and loaded up my gear (shorts and shoes) to go to the park. It was a little awkward trying to explain to all of the runners there that I wasn’t there to time the race, but to run. It was even harder to answer the comment “I didn’t think you were a runner”. For the record: I am not a runner. I might occasionally chase a soccer ball or Frisbee but running for the sake of running rarely crosses my mind, and never in a good way.
I found my way to the top of mink creek. Everyone in my van was talking excitedly about their last marathon or half marathon, training schedules and best times. I was trying to avoid interaction and be un-memorable. At the top parking lot I avoided pictures and groups taking pictures fastidiously. I didn’t want there to be any hard evidence that I had started the race, in case I didn’t finish. Government workers always try to maintain plausible deniability. When I worked for a service company an acronym we used for some customers was D.A.K. or denies all knowledge. i.e.: Customer DAK of gaping hole in wall. I wanted to DAK that I was there to run if I ended up dead by the golf course.
Moments before the start I stripped down to shorts and the mandatory fun run shirt and took my place in the back of the pack. I thought that since I didn’t know how to pace myself, I don’t even own a watch, that I would just attach myself to someone that looked knowledgeable- but also preferred to run in the back. Everyone else seemed to have a heart rate monitor/watch/GPS but I remained undeterred. I did have brand new shoes, they had a grand total of 50 meters on them when it was time to go.
Fortunately Bridget Marshal had her usual timing (not quite late, not quite on time) and I attached to her for about 5 miles until I got a feel for the pacing. She made lovely conversation and we sauntered along at a pleasant pace through the beautiful fall hills on a perfect morning. I had heard these things were hard, but I was feeling pretty good. The course is about 7 miles of downhill (1300 feet downhill) and the balance is flat to slightly rolling. I bid farewell to Bridget and stepped up my pace a little, because I am not very smart.
I was pretty excited to pass the halfway mark because not only was I still alive but I was slowly passing people. My wife was out running errands (picking up the PA system, checking stations….) and kept informing me in a rather surprised tone that some people were behind me. She even started counting and giving me updates. "You passed 11 people so far" The night before we tried to guess my time Vegas style. I placed the time to beat at 2:30:00 and she took the Over. I based this on the last 5K I ran in 1997. It was a hair over 20 minutes, I multiplied by 4 to get the mileage right and adjusted a minute for each intervening year.
At the half way mark I was pacing just under 2:20:00 and feeling OK so I upped the pace again. Much to my surprise I started passing a few folks. I think most of the passing took place at aid stations. I think drinking water just adds weight to my already significant load, so I took it light. A few other people also took rest stop in the portable toilets not knowing that every minute spent in the blue room takes 10% of your lung capacity away for the next 24 hours.
At mile 11 there was an aid station with all sorts of goodies. I passed on the whiskey but did take a handful of licorice, a candy bar and some water to wash it down. I have to admit this was half because I don’t know how to take a hit of carb gel without gagging. While I was perusing the treat selection my muscles were rebelling by ceasing to work on command anymore. The cramps and tightening started to take a toll and I was feeling pretty terrible after my pit stop. At least the candy entertained me until I met my wife on the course a bit later.
She was all fresh and cheery and jogged easily alongside me pushing our stroller and talking like the effort was no big deal. I thought I was putting up a pretty mean pace. The final hill was a real challenge when my left leg ceased to work for a few yards. I tried to cry exclusively out of my left eye so Mindy couldn’t see. I coaxed my leg back to life by telling it this would never happen again and we could sit down in only a few yards. The finish was maybe 200 meters from the top of the hill. I cruised (not the right word) in at 2:03:?? and felt horrible. I could barely walk, marginally hobble and didn’t feel very social. Mindy pampered me and brought everything I required.
The food was excellent and plentiful and the weather held nicely. I was almost an hour behind the winner but managed to pass quite a few people somewhere along the way.
Josie announced that next year I was in charge of the race, much to my relief. Though I did act like I wanted to race again, for good PR. In truth my awesome running shoes will likely have just 13.2 miles on them next year in October when the Just Cuz rolls around again. But maybe not.

Work Day Report October 17

Mink Creek in the fall: don't miss it.

Randy, a true pro with his tool of choice.

A strange thing happened Saturday. I was working away on a project when some folks wandered up to the ski area. I usually stop, answer their questions about the area and bid a good day. But these people didn't leave. they picked up shovels, chainsaws and donned gloves. I gave them

some jobs to do and went back to work. Minutes later more folks rolled up ready to get diry. Again and again people showed up out of the blue to pitch in to improve mink creek trails and facilities.

In all about 15 people helped out at the first of two work days at the nordic ski area. We started by cutting 4 new sections of trail, cleaned up the groomer shed and de-junked the base area. As an encore we took out existing dead trees that would be falling on trails and filled a shed with firewood. At any given time at least 5 chainsaws buzzed away and a flock of worker bees followed in their wake piling and hauling brush and wood.

The whole crew waiting for pizza to arrive to refuel and head back out

Thank you to everyone that came out. A lot of new faces were milling around and I tried to learn a few names. It is great to see such enthusiasm.

Trail Run two is through

We had a few more runners out to partcipate in the second race than the first. It may have had something to do with the perfect weather. The morning was clear windless and cool but not cold. The trails were dry and clear but not dusty. Everyone managed to make all of the right turns and no one died. All around it was a great race. I don't have any pictures unfortunately, but I will have results soon.

In the elite class super rivalry I fabricated between Luke and Andy there was a new development. Nick. Nick Green took them both down and looked fairly comfortable crossing the finish line about 18 seconds ahead of Andy. Congrats to Nick on his first win that I can recall. With andy missing hte first race the series title is a one point game with Nick in the lead over Luke.

Here are the results in order of finish- but not divided into categories.

Nick- 37:16
Andy- 37:34
Luke- 39:01
Mark- 40:19
John- 40:52
Randy- 42:29
Murphy- 42:58
Robert- 48:39
Jim- 50:40
Darin- 50:41
Luther- 52:21
Dan- 52:32
Melissa- 52:33
Angier- 53:48
Joe- 54:41
Dale- 58:09
Bill- 1:00:26
Stephen- 1:00:54
Bridget- 1:07:31
Holly- 1:08:14
Jonathan- 1:15:35
David- 1:16:59

Trail Run Deux

Valve House to East Mink Creek via Canyon

The start line shared by the frist 2 trail runs- Mink Creek Rd is in the background.

The second trail run is Saturday. It starts at 9am. Please meet at the mink creek nordic center by 8:30. If you need directions the the ski area they can be found on http://www.pokyxc.org/ .

The map I have is a PDF and will not post on blogspot so send me an email if you need one. here are directions:

The second race starts at valve house and after almost 2 miles takes the first major left, eactly like the high basin run. (do not turn at the newly renovated blind springs trail by the cattle trough) Instead of climbing out of the canyon up the rocky trail just stay straight in the guts of the wooded canyon. The trail eventually comes to a fence. Go through the gate/fence (or over if you are tough like that) and take an immediate hard left onto a somewhat lesser used ATV trail. It leads back to canyon trail and the Nordic center. Don’t turn off canyon, just take the most direct, worn route back.

If you are worried about finding the course it is easier than it sounds. valve house really only has one lefthand turn that is easy to find and no major righthand turns. The fence is an excellent landmark for the only really hard turn and it is really clear form there.

On race day it is marked by big bright orange triangles- and you are unlikely to be leading the pack anyhow.

The men's course record is 35:24 and held by Evan Honeyfield. The Womens course record is 43:55 and is held by Roberta Zimmerman

Trail Run One is Done

The first trail run of the year is in the books, and what a run it was. Not only did it snow before the race, it also snowed hard about 30 minutes in and continued until everyone finished and left. Luke Nelson (36:50) showed the best strategy is to run so fast that the snow simply doesn't have time to start before you finish. Few other runners seemed to realize this, and lagged behind. Nick green (38:52) stayed close though and took home second.

Holly Cree (1:08:44) dominated the women's division winning over her nearest competitor by an infinite amount. Funny enough i saw Bridget Marshall running up mink creek road as we were cleaning up the start line. I thought maybe she had decided to run from home to the start line, and was just a tad late. No such luck.

The sport winner was Mark Burnham (42:06) the recreation winner was Stephen Stokes (1:00:00)

Overall the competition was friendly and relaxed. Most folks seemed focused on survival, minimizing the number of falls and drinking cocoa.

IN THE FUTURE ALL RACES WILL START AT 9AM. THE 8AM THING WAS A TYPO.

I was really looking forward to an Andy-Luke showdown but Andy was already obligated elsewhere. Lukes time was only 40 seconds slower than Andy's record last year (35:58) , but Luke stopped to put fallen signs back up for those that followed- so I'm declaring it too close to call. To preview the upcoming races elite showdown.... The canyon run is very similar to the last run and Luke was very close last year. Luke has improved considerably in the last year or two and has run the trail more than a few times. Advantage Luke. And finally- the potato loop follows the 5k nordic race course plus canyon trails. Being a crazy nordic skiier that know every dip and rise intimately- I have to say advantage Andy.

The sport division is interesting. Mark ran well and won by a decent margin but he doesn't realize that John Taberna is a cyborg, and only gets stronger with age. Because of the fact that he can see age 50 from where he's at now, I predict he will come on even stronger and take the series. Overall the average racer age is higher than I would expect for a course of this difficulty but the times are still really fast. Half the field is 44 or older and a few are looking forward to those social security checks in the near future.

The recreation division is very relaxed. Stephen seems committed to pre-running some of the courses and doing well. So despite the fact that he is a lawyer I predict he will take it all. We all know lawyers can't run fast.


full results, Last names are omitted because I am lazy:
Luke 36:50
Nick 38:52
Mark 42:06
John 43:26
Darin 48:22
Jeff 48:25
Robert 51:01
Dave 53:40
Sherwin 53:48
Joe 54:14
Bill 57:33
Alex 58:49
Stephen 1:00:00
Holly 1:08:44
David 1:22:16

Fall is in the air

The crew and some volunteers headed up to mink creek to lay out the course today. the trail crew from the forest service did some 'trail improvements' and there is a lot of debis on valve house road and the last uphill stretch before high basin. The arrows are up however and it shouldn't be a huge problem. it was really nice out, but my camera was dead. Hopefully it is nice tomorrow.

New Sport in the Arsenal?

Outdoor Recreation is probably a long way off from teaching kitesurfing. This was Lance's first day with his new full-size kite. Call it a highlight reel.

Surprisingly the second day was not as successful.

Main Salmon Rafting

The Rafting/Kayaking trip for 2009 on the Main Salmon River is on the calendar for June 12-16. This 5 day trip covers 90 miles of whitewater in the biggest contiguous wilderness area in the lower 48. We camp on the beach and float every day.
Participants in the trip share the workload evenly including loading and cleaning gear, cooking, cleaning more, setting up camp and making important decisions. Participants also share the cost evenly including gas, shuttles, food and gear rentals. It usually costs about $250 per person.
Email me for more info if you are interested.

Kid Rock is Coming

Our after school rock climbing program is opening just one fall session. You can sign up at the community recreation center between 6am and 10pm Mon-Fri. Grades 1-3 climb on Mondays 3:30-5:00 starting September 29. grades 4-6 climb 3:30-5:00 on Wednesdays Starting Ocotber 1. Each session goes for 4 weeks and costs $24. All classes are held in the Community Recreation Center indoor wall- 144 Wilson Ave. 232-3902

Halloween Haunt Disc Golf

The Local disc golf club is holding the third annual halloween haunt tournament on October 18. The entire Upper Ross Park course is lit and decorated with 12 theme holes. The tournament is held at night, very scary.

Entrants are divided by skill and there are prizes for just about everything. You can win for; low score, hitting a certain tree, carving a pumpkin, improving score, costumes.... and just about everything else. So far the payout will be about $2000 from sponsors. Just by signing up you get a lighted disc. click on this link for more info: http://pvdgc.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=35&Itemid=52

Trail Run Series

Registration is now open for the fall trail series. These off road events start October 11 and run every other Saturday. All of the events meet at the East Mink Creek Nordic Center. Trails range in elevation and distance but most are about 5 miles long. Participants can enter one of 3 divisions: elite, sport and fun. Participants can choose to walk, run, rest or stop at any time. The fun division has no time limit. Participants are transported to a trailhead and follow well marked forest service trails back to the Nordic center. At least one water station is provided along the way.
You can sign up for any combination of the races and you get a discount for registering for all three. More information is available on http://www.pocatellorunners.com/
It is better than mowing the lawn and makes the transition to ski season a little less painful. Contact Lance in outdoor recreation for more information. lclark@pocatello.us

After the second (October 25) and third (November 8) runs the Pocatello Cross Country Ski Foundation will host a work day to improve the ski trail system. Lunch is provided. Bring work clothes and gloves as well as any useful tools. Check the pocatello ski club page for updates to the work days: www.pokyxc.org

A map of the first race course, October 11

Other maps are available on the pocatello runners website http://pocatellorunners.com/Trail_runs.htm

Welcome!

Due to the huge process of getting an official website up and running for the Pocatello Outdoor Recreation Program I decided a blog would do for now. It will contain links to important partners, upcoming events, good information, pointless information, pictures and anything else that crosses our minds.

Lance will be the main contributor but comments and submissions are welcome. Do something cool in Pocatello? Let me know.

Some appropriate activities include rockclimbing, kayaking, rafting, running, hiking, trails, photography, triathlons, backpacking, skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, anything backcountry, disc golf, fitness..... you name it.