NYSSRA Championships, 3/6 2/26

[3/3] Saratoga Biathlon offers excellent spring skiing! Controls were hung this morning, so don't go up to check it out or "practice" between now and Saturday. The 6+ k used this weekend for the other NYSSRA Champs events are superb well groomed with a wet corn snow surface. I skied with my no-wax skis and found no problem with climbing, but glide left something to be desired.

Curt Schreiner was compacting and machining the remainder of the 7.5 k of trails and I skied in the remaining narrow tracks.

I am still tweaking the courses so I can't say all the controls are up, nor can I give course details other than my objective for skiable distances:

• Yellow: 3.5 k
• Green: 7 k
• Red: 10 k (with two maps).

With all those nicely groomed trails free technique would seem to be favored. However, if you choose skating skis there will be at least one point on each course that you will either curse the course setter or curse your decision (or both).

Please let me know that you are coming by return e-mail. Don't necessarily wait until 10 AM of Friday to let me know (that you want a printed map). Other event amenities like a well stocked concession stand will be determined earlier. Those of you who have experienced Betty Schreiner's home-made soups at reasonable prices know what I mean.

- Eric Hamilton

[2/22] Here are details of the Ski Orienteering event that will kick off the NYSSRA Champs this weekend. This is both the NYSSRA Champs and the NY State Club Championships.

This will be a sprint (short distance with lots of controls). There will be three courses for different age classes:

• YELLOW for Male and Female Scholastic and Female Grandmaster;
• GREEN for Male Grandmaster, Female Open, Female Masters; and
• RED for Male Open, and Male Masters. Winning times will be between 30 and 45 minutes and a 2 hour limit strictly enforced.

Start times will be from 2 to 3 PM only. Manual timing only.

Registration will all be by return e-mail no later than 6 PM on Thursday, February 25. I need your name, club (for which you are competing) and your class. No day of race registration. Entry fee is $15 payable to EMPIRE ORIENTEERING CLUB on arrival Friday (between 1PM and 1:45 PM). If you are participating in another NYSSRA - Nordic Championship event your entry is $5.

Club Championships (bragging rights only) will be figured by 3 points for every first place finish, 2 for second place finishes, and 1 point for 3rd. Your club also garners one point for each unique age group finish up to the 8 age groups. Your results will be posted on site by manual means shortly after your finish.

You will be able to use a finish at this event as grounds for a petition for qualification for the 2011 Empire State Games. Petition form letters will be available after your finish.

If you are unable to make the ski orienteering event on Friday, the controls will be up all weekend so that you can, informally, complete the courses on a self timed basis. Compare your informal finish time with the Champions! Pick up a laminated course map at the concession stand, but return the map so someone else can take the challenge. Only one person (or a group) will be using the map at a time.

Note that this is a fun, safe event, but all USOF rules apply. There are no one-way trails here, and by entering you agree to and will sign the NYSSRA waiver and release and further agree to file no protests.

- Eric Hamilton

Point au Roche, 2/7

[2/3] Due to the absence of snow at the Ski-O site, and because there is no measurable snow in the forecast for the area, the Adirondack Orienteering Klub's planned Ski-O for Sunday, February 7th at Point au Roche State Park is CANCELLED.

- Ted Meskunas

Mendon Ponds, 2/7

[2/3] Since conditions were unpredictable, we will set out 15 controls. Each course will have to get a specified number of them, in any order. There will be no time limit ( control pickup will start at 3:30.)

This event will be an ESG qualifier - BUT also this is an opportunity for lots of Ski O fun- if you are a skier, you have skis, please come and enjoy some orienteering challenge, do not worry about your technique or the idea of a race, just come out and enjoy the wonderful Mendon scenery and trails. Right now, there is just enough lovely snow to ski upon, and with continued lake effect and temps below freezing, the trails will remain in good, and mostly safe condition.

For serious racers, do not bring your best skis, the snow cover is thin in some places. Skating will be a good option on most of the trails.

- Rick and Dayle Lavine

Snowfari, 2/6

[2/3] I spent over an hour on the trails, last night, trying hard to justify holding the ESG Ski-O qualifier. I can't do it.

There is plenty of snow in the protected areas, but many of the open areas have only a dusting over grass or ice. Some of the roads, that are used for trails, are either bare or ice covered (with an inch or less of snow, making it very slippery). There were no groomed (rolled) trails, to be seen. The Val Bialys ski center, has been making snow, but it doesn't go where we need it.

Trying to come up with 4 courses that have route choices that avoid the 'bare spots' would be extremely difficult.

Sorry.

- Ed Kobos

[2/2]There is snow in the Utica, NY area. BUT many of the trails that are used on this map are on park roads. After the heavy rain we received on January 24-26 and the subsequent warm temperatures, followed by the sub zero temperatures last weekend, the possibility of a 'safe' (for the skiers and skis) Ski-O is doubtful. We are expecting snow (on and off) for the next few days, but as many of you know, planning courses around "IFFY" conditions is difficult.

I plan to survey the courses/trails, tonight (Tuesday 2/2) after work, and give you a report on Wednesday Morning for a "GO" / "NO GO" for this Saturday.

As of right now the normal grooming, which consists of the down hill ski area (Val Bialas) rolling the roads within the park and paths on the golf course, is not existent. I have also asked the city to NOT plow the road, but they may need to plow to get the Snow Ball Softball players to the top of the hill.

Also, as most of you remember from last year, the prices for this event are set by the SNOWFARI committee. I donate all my time, and your entree fee, to the Utica Zoo.

The prices last year were a bit high, and I asked them to readjust them for this year.

The cost this year will be $10 per individual, and a max of $25 per family. Sorry, there are NO DISCOUNTS for membership in any Orienteering Club. But you can write a check, and use that amount as a charitable contribution for your taxes. The money goes directly to the operation of the Utica Zoo.

There will be 4 courses offered for the four Empire State Games Qualifier Categories this Saturday. Starts are from: 11:00 AM until 1:00 PM. Distances are TBD, after my review Tuesday night.

• BLUE - Male Open
• RED - Women's Open, Men's Masters, Men's Grand Masters
• GREEN - Women's Masters, Boy's Scholastic
• YELLOW - Women's Grand Masters, Girl's Scholastic

Pre-Registration WILL BE MANDATORY and will guarantee you to a PRE-MARKED map. Please send your name & course preference to KK2B@aol.com by noon (12:00 PM) THURSDAY.

NO Electronic Punching - Leave your dibblers home

- Ed Kobos

Byrncliff, 1/31

[1/28] They have a good base at Byrncliff, a couple of inches of new snow yesterday and more expected today. There's a short start window 10:30 to 11 so contact Patty if you will be arriving outside this "window."

- Eric Hamilton

Byrncliff Snow Report

Bear Swamp, 1/31

[1/28] I'm going to have to cancel the ski-O race scheduled for Bear Swamp on Sunday. I went up to check out the trails yesterday evening. There is coverage almost everywhere--that is a coverage of 1/2" of fresh powder on pretty much glare ice, with the occasional rock poking up through. It works great for transport on Ridge Road which is relatively flat and had been groomed by the snowmobile club shortly before the rain. For some reason there is a little better bonding between the snow on top and the ice below there. The regular ski trails are also quite skiable on flatter sections. The underlying surface is bumpier, but at least with classical skiing there is enough grip between snow cover and ice to make things work fine. As soon as trails get a little steeper things get completely out of control in the downhill direction. Although there is an inch or two of lake effect snow in the forecast for today and more for Friday, I really can't put on the race on the basis of today's conditions which are really hazardous, even though the area may well be skiable on Sunday.

- Eric Smith

[1/25] This massive rainfall is a regional thing. What Ann is saying about Hammond Hill is almost certainly true for Bear Swamp as well. Again, I would put the likelihood of cancellation at about a 95% level, but would also like to reserve final judgment until the current rainstorm has finished itself off. Check back later in the week to see if the races can be held this coming weekend.

- Eric Smith

Hammond Hill, 1/30

[1/27] Due to no snow, there will be no ski-o race at Hammond Hill this Saturday.

- Ann Leonard

[1/25] It looks exceedingly unlikely that I will be able to host a Ski-O on Hammond Hill this weekend. The rain has already trashed our base in its entirety in the meadows, and since it is supposed to continue like this all day, very likely the trails will lose much of their base as well. Since the forecast includes only snow flurries, it sure doesn't look good for Saturday. Will let you know "fer sure" by Wednesday, but I'm 95% sure already we are going to have to cancel.

- Ann Leonard

BREIA Trails (Jackson Hill), 1/24

[1/11] Normal starts will be from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM. There is a warming hut, just under 1/2 Km from the parking lot, on Jackson Hill Road. There is a 2 hole out house available, for your convenience. There will be 4 courses available (Yellow, Green, Red & Blue lengths) for the 4 classes (Scholastic, Grand Masters, Masters & Open). Distances and climb are TBD.

BREIA grooms trails to a high standard, providing a superior Nordic skiing experience. To ensure that the trails retain this standard for all skiers, the following rules are in place and will be enforced:

• No Motorized Vehicles
• Ski Or Mountain Bike At Your Own Risk
• Ski In A Manner That Does Not Endanger Others
• Snowshoers Please Stay To The Side Of Ski Tracks
• No Pedestrians On Ski Trails In Winter
• No Dogs In Winter (Except Canal Trail)
• No Skate Skiing (Except On Sunfield Trail At Jackson Hill)
• No Towed Sleds (Except On Canal Trail)
• No Hunting
• Due To Varying Conditions, Not All Trails May Be Groomed

- Ed Kobos

Mendon Ponds, 1/17

[1/14] Ski O greetings!

Hey, it is finally winter and we have snow and ROC has its first Ski Orienteering event this Sunday--Please wax up your skis and come to Hopkins Point lodge- in beautiful Mendon Ponds Park.

Starts are from 12pm til 1:30

Now for the "nitty gritty facts of ski O life"--Jim Russell is designing the courses, which will depend on the Sunday snow conditions- Predictions are for above freezing temperatures which can mean mash potatoe snow and "perhaps" uneven snow cover. You will receive a message about how to prepare for Sunday's conditions Saturday evening. So, please check your email- we will email to you, Saturday evening, about the conditions. [updates will also be posted here]

This event will be an ESG qualifying event, so Jim will have courses of all levels.

For those of you that need encouragement about trying Ski O- Yes, do it, it is so much fun- all controls are on trails (you can bushwhack and even, legally, take off your skis and run with them.)

For newbies, carrying the map is the challenge- pinning the map to your parka will be necessary; this means you cannot orient the map which is a mental challenge, but is OK. There are many ingenious homemake apparatus you can devise. Dedicated ski-oers have a map holder that allows orienting the map and is actually very user friendly ( but pricey-seems like our sports become very equipment specialized)

Experience WINTERFEST Sunday- there will be a smorgasbord of winter activities in the park, beginning at 11am-

SOOOO- see you Sunday, for day of winter fun

- Rick and Dayle Lavine

Moreau Lake State Park, 1/9

[1/6] rules, info, and conditions (PDF) - updated 1/6

- Phil Hawkes-Teeter

Dewey Mountain, 1/2

[12/25] There will be four courses:

• white - 4k, 7 controls - FS, Junior Scholastic, FG
• orange - 6.5k, 10 controls - FM, MG, MS
• green - 10.5k, 18 controls - FO, MM (map exchange at control #8, inside at registration)
• red - 13k, 21 controls - MO (map exchange at control #11, inside at registration)

About 1/2 of the ski trails should be groomed. Other ski trails are, some wide, some narrow and not likely to be groomed. For some courses, snowshoe trails will be used.

Directional trail signs may be ignored. Be courteous to recreational skiers. Some trails have lighting wires that may cross overhead. Be careful, especially if you are very tall!

Dewey Mt. is owned by the Town of Harrietstown. They do request a $5 use fee per person. Additionally, AOK will have a donation can available at registration. Any amount will help offset the costs of maintaining controls, paperwork and printing expense.

IMPORTANT: If this is an ESG qualifier for you, check the EMPO website for age, club affiliation, etc. PLEASE PRE-REGISTER VIA E-MAIL n1cm@yahoo.com - include age and intent to qualify. Do this by Tuesday night 12/29/09.

NOTE: not much base - some rain could ruin it. Next update late Thursday night. Stay tuned.

- Len Cormier

Lapland Lake, 12/19

[12/16] Finished placing controls today. Conditions are almost perfect. I say "almost" because there are a couple of spots where the groomer or track setter hit an exposed rock or bare spot. You just have to focus on the trail ahead.

Grooming left a hard packed base with new cold snow on top. Conditions are great for skating, but all those old logging roads, rides, and old ski trails make for some interesting route choices. You will... more than once... thank your flexibility to have some classic technique and a bit of kick wax.

Courses:

• White (recreational) - not done yet.
• Yellow 3.8 k, 8 controls for MS, FS, FG
• Green 5.4 k, 11 controls for FM, MG
• Red 8.6 k, 14 controls for MO, FO, MM (two maps)

Expect more course setter's notes on Saturday.

- Eric Hamilton

[12/10] Excellent early season skiing at Lapland Lake today, their opening day.

The snow had high moisture content and was packing as I skied. Over half of their trails had at least a couple of passes with a snow machine-towed groomer. One loop had classic tracks, but since I was skating I didn't notice if this was groomed in or skied in. Great coverage, but there were several soft spots where slow drainage patterns have prevented a snow bridge from forming, yet. (My skis easily "bridged" these areas that were less than a foot wide across the trail.)

Snow shoe trails have not been tracked in. Only a selected few "cut offs" have been groomed and none were skied in, yet.

While I was there a squall came through. It snowed hard enough to be reminiscent of last year's event, but it tapered off in 20 minutes. Olavi Hirvonen says he will be adding more groomed trails tomorrow.

Barring a major melt down we should have great conditions for the Ski Orienteering ESG qualifier on December 19. The warmest weather in the forecast is for early next week, but lots of lake effect snow other days.

My tentative thoughts on course design so far:

• Start will be in a different location than finish
• Route choice right off the start to first control
• Map exchange depending on conditions
• Electronic timing (so bring your chip if you have one)

I don't want to deny anyone the opportunity to ski this weekend. But if you will be using the December 19 event as a qualifier there is an embargo on skiing on the Lapland Lake map after Monday, December 14.

- Eric Hamilton