FEBRUARY 2003 News for the members of the Madison Nordic Ski Club Vol. 22 No. 5 • A WORD FROM JIMMY • OUR NEXT MEETING Monday, Feb. 10th, 2002 Who’s to Blame ROCKY ROCOCO’S WEST Agenda this Time? 6:00: Social half-hour with free beverages BY JIMMY VANDEN BROOK, PRESIDENT 6:30: Video’s on the Big Screen & Pizza Buffet 7:30: Business Meeting ook’s like Madison truly, regime change won’t help. Here now 8:00: More videos Lis on its way to a are my top seven “End of winter as we 8:30: Adjourn record snowfall season! know it” suspects (with mitigating circum- Too bad it’s the wrong stances for all but one): MNSC BOARD OF DIRECTORS end of the accumula- 1. Governor Doyle — He’s warned us Jimmy Vanden Brook tion spectrum. Seems repeatedly that painful cutbacks are on the President almost comical that way. Well, he has the pain part right, but (608) 437-4192 Madison had but 4.25 since he didn’t take office until after the [email protected] inches of total snow drought began we can cut him a little slack Willi VanHaren on snow responsibility. Nontheless, it’s Vice President accumulation through mid-January, most (608) 437-3782 of which promptly disappeared. And the fun to blame our government for things, so [email protected] rest of Wisconsin is not I have a few more state offi- Hans Herweijer much better. Nothing but …WHAT WE cials/agencies on the list. Treasurer cold, dry air is featured for 2. Former legislative lead- [email protected] the rest of this month, with ers Chvala and Jensen — Mike Cockrem REALLY WANT IS Trips Chair our historically driest month Embroiled in the caucus [email protected] scandal, these two are wor- on deck. MadNorSkis have Nancy Hoene taken to scraping the ves- TO FINGER THE ried about not being able to Publicity tiges of snow into meager stick taxpayers with their (608) 226-9994 piles on the pond at Elver PERSON(S) legal bills. Could they have [email protected] Park so that sliding on real sold off our snow to replen- Scott Bachmeier Membership skis could be attempted. An RESPONSIBLE FOR ish the coffers? Not likely (608) 233-9336 heroic effort, if a tad desper- actually, since they have a [email protected] ate. Travel to the Upper poor record of cooperating Karen Wesley Peninsula provides the near- THIS DEARTH OF on anything. New Member Chair est real relief. 3. The WI Department of [email protected] Calls for the club to get Agriculture, Trade and Ned Zuelsdorff SNOW. Race Chair into snowmaking or to rent Consumer Protection — By (608) 231-1876 nearby downhill areas for X-C skiing law, this state agency is actually responsi- [email protected] mount. But these are merely solutions to ble for regulating “Weather Modification” Harry Lum the problem when what we really want is (no kidding). Somebody sleeping at the Advertising/Promotions (608) 273-2821 to finger the person(s) responsible for snow switch? Though it might be gratify- hlum@convenience this dearth of snow. Before I run down the ing to do a little bureaucratic butt-kicking, electronics.com list of likely suspects let me put you at DATCP is off the hook because I work Kay Lum ease about my own innocence. While my there. So there. Newsletter natural Catholic guilt allowed me to 4. The WI Department of Natural (608) 249-0186 ext. 110 [email protected] accept responsibility for several recent Resources — Snow is a natural resource, Pete Anderson sub-par snow years, I guarantee you that I right? So where is the management? All KidSki Chair am incapable of maintaining a streak like we want is a little environmental justice. 222-1928 this regardless of the endeavor. If I were, You know, snow for everybody. Besides, is [email protected] I’d have much better racing results for every DNR staffer working exclusively on John Taylor sure. My fellow MadNorSkis, your presi- CWD? Even if they are, I have many pals Social Director 236-4565 dent is not a crook. This may seem a at DNR who are really good folks and they [email protected] pathetic attempt to retain power, but (SEE BLAME, CONTINUED ON PAGE 13) What's Up ? • WE WANNA GO, WHERE’S THE SNOW? • With Wax Trips Trips Playing The Trips. Percentages: BY MIK COCKREM, TRIPS CHAIR A SAFE WAX BET WITH A BROAD RANGE ntry skii cou ng s- BY ERIC MITTELSTEADT, TOKO TECH TEAM s ro C word that comes to mind when How do we then apply this to the ! AI think of winters here in south- unpredictability of snow conditions o g ern Wisconsin is “unpredictable”. combined with the fact that most of e fo th As the marathon season, including us don’t ski race for a living and time r skiers on the American Birkebeiner, is limited? approaches, this unpredictability Following are some simple rules h dear, the December Demo Days can leave ski waxers stressed out. that should ease your guesswork on Odidn’t depart, due to a dearth of But not to worry. There are a few choosing the right wax for your next snow. Maybe next year? simple things that you can do to “hit event and make the best use of your By the time this arrives in your the wax” for the big events while time: mailbox, the Third Annual Nordic keeping your ying and yang in check. 1.) The first step: brush, from tip to Ski Rendezvous at Telemark will But first, let’s take a step back. tail, with a copper brush. The cop- have happened... hopefully! (as of Jan. There seems to be a myth out per brush bristles have just the right 20, it looks like with the man-made there among x-c skiers that those fast combination of stiffness and fine snow Telemark made, and the 3 skiers who have great knowledge and gauge to get into the base structure inches of fresh natural snow (so far)... experience in ski waxing must use without being too aggressive. This is that it may just be a go! some really special, top-secret tricks an important step that should not be to make their skis go so fast. skipped. If your ski bases are really The truth is most skiers who are scratched or look a bit “white” as a really “in the know” have three result of oxidization, you may want things going for them. First, they to get the skis stone ground. completely understand the wax 2.) If your ski bases were really brand(s) that they use and, second, dirty, you may want to do a “hot they use proper technique in the scrape” at this time, otherwise, the wax application and removal second step would be to apply Toko And it looks like it will even be cold process and lastly, they KEEP IT LF Molybdenum as your “base coat”. enough and snowy enough for the SIMPLE. This last point is the one I Why use the LF Moly? This prod- Book Across the Bay, in Ashland, to like to stress the most but all three uct is used by a majority of the elite be on skis and not in kayaks. This factors really need to be given equal ski world virtually every time a pair informal MNSC trip is February 14-16, weight. of skis is waxed for a race. The 2003. The Book Across the Bay is a If any of you have attended one of “moly”, as it’s usually referred to, 10-km race that crosses the frozen my wax clinics, you have probably increases the durability of whatever Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior, heard me say, “stick with one brand you put on top of it (pretty impor- beginning in Ashland, WI and ending of wax and learn it really well”. In my tant for a marathon-length race). It in Washburn, WI. The race/tour is Sat- early days of ski waxing, I made the also enhances the properties of urday night at 6 P.M. The entire course mistake of having a little bit of every graphite (black) bases such as is lit by hundreds of candles in ice wax brand known to man in my wax repelling dirt and preventing static luminaries. The event is open to par- box. I thought that by having a little build-up. The molybdenum is simi- ticipants of all ages and ability levels; of everything, I would have a good lar to graphite base waxes, however, the course will be groomed for classi- wax for every condition out there. it’s structurally stronger which cal- style and skate-style skiers. Snow- As a result, I had a little bit of every- increases the bonding between it shoers are welcome too. Proceeds thing and a whole lot of confusion. and your next wax layers. from the race benefit the local Med- Since that time, I have spent the 3.) Step three starts to get more ical Society and Public Library. You better half of the last ten years wax- specific regarding matching the wax can call the Ashland Area Chamber of ing skis. Along the way, I have to the conditions. Commerce at (800) 284-9484 or picked up many tips, tricks, tech- The basic concept is to match www.batb.org. The race starts at 6 niques and good old fashioned expe- “the wax” to “the snow type“. If we pm.
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