Goldstream Sports Fairbanks Alaska

TRAIL MAPPING PROGRAM RELEASED FOR PUBLIC USE
A Fairbanks-area trail user recently released a beta version of a program he is working on
called TrailMapper.
This is a web-based trail-mapping program that uses Google Earth and allows
users to add trails. Currently, most of the trails in the program are from interior Alaska,
but the program is set up for use by trail users statewide. As more users contribute trail
data this will become a very useful tool. Alaska Trails, a statewide non-profit trail group,
is helping facilitate development of the program.
To access the program go to: http://www.trailmapper.org
Click the link “Help” for a short tutorial. You’ll be prompted to download the
Google Earth plugin. It’s about 5 megabytes.
Because TrailMapper is in its beta version, it’s critical to give feedback to its
developer, Tom Clark (aksnowbiker@gmail.com). This is a volunteer effort and Tom is
busy with other projects for the summer, so further development and bug fixing is likely
to be delayed.

Many trails are already on the system including the Ester Dome Single Track and the Goldstream Sports Classic Ski Trail.

Apply LF Moly as a base to repel dirt and improve break a way speed, scrape and brush, then apply HF Blue/HF Red mixed 1:1, scrape and brush.  Finish by rotocorking JetStream Blue/JetStream Red brush with a dedicated nylon polishing brush and polish with a thermopad. The Jetstream will improve glide and durability while repelling dirt.

Pace yourself to finish strong. Last year I bonked and the hills from the coastal trail up to the finish were brutal. Take plenty of fuel and fluid early in the race. Waiting to long will catch up with you.  Have fun and finish strong.

Kick not a problem at minus 16. The trick was getting good glide. I was running Toko HF blue on a cold stone grind (The Dunner). The high flouro wax was gliding fast with humidity up for minus 16  conditions. The HF was also repels dirt that can drastically slow skis by the end of the race if it sticks to them.  Because there was not any new sharp snow crystals I skipped the cold power. The snow was actually quite fast for the temperature.

I choose to ski on a klister ski. This may seem odd but the tall camber wax pocket alowed me to keep the kick wax off the snow alowing the ski to glide freely. I waxed the short pocket I would use if I was using klister. Getting grip on a klister skis at this temperature is not hard so the taller camber was not a problem. I waxed with Toko Green Binder ironed in Two layers of mint and some Green Toko Binder under the toe for bomb proof kick. I could walk up anything and rocket down the hills. The best of both worlds. Now if I could just figure out how to be healthy for races.   Joel

Heats start at 12:30.  Top 30 from qualifier advance to heats of 6, 3 will advance from each heat. The link below has link in upper left that take you to the results as they happen. Jr not in top thirty advance to Jr heats.

For full qualifier results below.

http://summittiming.com/live_results/data/live_results_for_men.html

Congratulations on great races in the 30km Classic.

The new Goldstream Sports Classic Ski Trail is in great shape. I set track yesterday and skied it this morning. The 4k we added this year is a blast. It is narrow with a mix of straight and winding sections. Most has moderate grades but there are a few steep hills.

The section we built last year is 4.5 k of  trail similar to the new section but without the steep hills.

The trail head is in front of the store and heads out on a mix of privet and DNR land.  It is four feet wide  with a set track totaling 8.5 k. Ski it both directions for a total of 17 k.

I hope to get some trail maps up at the trail head and intersection in the morning. Come and enjoy. Joel

Sale Items

Come in and get 30% off all Swix nylon, horse hair, brushes.

Get 30% off select Toko Structurite tool.  Put an instant structure into the base of your ski in the comfort of your own home!

Get 30% off Toko Pocket Driver – perfect for snowboarders to tighten their bindings!

New Toko Service Boy Ski Forms in stock!

Check out the new Toko ski forms.  The Service boy is a very cool adjustable ski form that you can mount on any work bench, or wax bench.  Or, purchase the Service Boy legs and mount the ski form right on the legs!

The Service Boy (with center beam) normally $200 – On sale at $159.99
The Service Boy legs normally $133.99 – On Sale at $99.99

Don’t forget those last minute
stocking stuffer gift ideas starting at $3:

Wax kits – make a wax kit for your loved one (or we can make one for you)

Ski pants – The perfect gift for the skier in the family

Windproof Briefs – perfect for the high school skier (beats duct tape!)

Ski Hats (Toko, Swix, Wigwam, Bontrager) – Perfect stocking filler!

Toko Lobster Mits and Mittens – great for cold hands on cold days!

Bike lights – for those intrepid commuters

Ski ties – always a great gift to keep the new skis on good condition

Padded ski bag – hold everything neat and tidy and ready for skiing

Handlebar Tape – For those roadies anticipating the summer

Ski Hydration Pack – keeps you hydrated, and carry snacks on the longer ski

Water Bottle Cage – perfect for on the trainer and in summer – loads of colors

Dermatone Wind Block Stick – The big stick, great for colder days

Reflective Aardvark ankle straps – great for night visibility when riding

Cold new snow waxing requires bases to be very hard. Using the hardest waxes will improve glide. Most wax companies make hardeners for this purpose. Toko Nordlite X-Cold Power is Fairbanks favorite. Swix LF3 cold power also works well. They are used as and additive to waxes like LF Toko Blue or Swix CH 4. We find Toko to be much easier to scrape of you skis and glides better more often then not. Swix often does well with new snow and high humidity.

To apply cold powers you will first drip on and smooth out your base wax like Toko LF Blue, Swix CH 4 or Start Green. Then sprinkle on a layer of cold power and iron in together. You may need to tamp down the cold power on the first pass so you do not push the cold power off the ski.  Let cool 45 minutes and scrape and brush as normal. You will find a Toko Copper or Swix fine steel bush  take the hard wax off the skis much easier then a nylon brush.

What about scraping the skis warm when the wax is still softer? There are two problem with doing so. First the bases are very soft when warm and you will press out the base structure  and can easily round off you bases or scratch them if you slip.  Second the cooling process is when the skis are  soaking up the wax.

To get the wax off it is important to use a sharp plastic scraper. There are tools available to help you put a good edge on an old scraper. A block of wood as a guide and sand paper will work as well. I sharpen my scrapers allot. With CH4 I will even sharpen between skis. We used to use CH 4 bulk was in the shop because it was the cheapest cold wax available. We have switched to Toko Blue because it is so much easier to work with and save a lot of time.

Clean skis glide better. It is important to clean you skis after skiing in dirty conditions.If you wax dirty skis you will be helping the dirt migrate into the skis with your wax. Minimal base structure is recommended in dirty conditions to give dirt less area to get trapped.

First brush out the skis with a copper brush then a horse hair brush. Next perform a hot wipe. This is done by melting on a yellow wax and immediately wiping off all of the wax while still in liquid form using a lint free paper like Toko Base Tex or Swix Fiberlene. This will open the structure of the ski and clean the skis without the use of a solvent. When going through this process it would make sense to apply a layer of Toko Moly to improve you break-a-way speed and help repel future dirt. Next the bases need to be hardened by waxing with a cold wax like Toko Blue or equivalent. Now you can apply the wax of the day or just ski on the last layer of Blue wax.

If you do not have time to go through the whole cleaning process, brushing with a copper brush before each time you ski or wax will help.

Ski Conditions have become very dirty over the last couple days. The wind in the hills has affected Birch Hill much more the UAF. I skied Birch Hill two times yesterday and UAF this morning. UAF is far cleaner and in great shape. UAF Trails are great for  the easy skis or recovery workouts because the terrain is much more mellow. I would recommend skiing at UAF while the conditions are warm and Birch Hill has dirty snow.

When waxing for dirty conditions wax as cold as you can get away with. The colder kick wax is not as sticky and will not pick up as much dirt. It is also a great time to use the Start MFW grips waxes. They contain Moly and Fouro’s to repel dirt. Swix VR waxes would also be a good choice. For glide waxes error to the cold side and use more Flouro’s to resist the dirt. In addition this is a great time to use the Toko Moly as a base coat.