Training: Nov. 16 - easy classic ski. Total time: 2hr.
Nov. 17 - off day
Mark and I had a fairly comical morning yesterday that entailed a mentally frustrating workout and a dead car battery. We woke to a good 6 inches of fresh snow on the ground and were excited to go out and plug around on our classic skis. When we arrived at the touring center, they had gotten one pass with the snow machine and we were quick to get on the snow. I had some kick on with a temp range of 0-(-2) and realized quickly that kicking was out of the question. I needed something warmer and Mark seemed to experience something similar. The wet snow underneath was clashing with the dryer fresh snow. Not having anything warmer with us, we bought a tube of V70, a gooey wax that was only 4 bucks. after laughing a bit trying to get the yellow goo to spread on our skis, I was hopeful to get awesome kick. I did!!!!.... for two or maybe three strides before the ice buildup underneath my skis almost forced a meeting with my face and the snow. Ok... I guess we are covering. I pulled out my violet wax (colder harder wax) and applied a cover layer. A few strides later and the skis were off again. Perhaps I just needed another coat to cover the goo a bit better. Another layer and a few strides later, the same thing. I went colder with the cover layer and still had no luck.
The wet snow underneath combined with the dry snow on top makes for an almost impossible attempt to find descent kick. We had an approx. 4k out and back loop groomed and the first loop took us a solid 40 minutes or so with the numerous wax adjustments. By the end of the first lap, Mark and I were on the verge of throwing our skis in the woods and starting a new profession. Instead, we took a putty scraper and took everything off. I thought that i would rather have no kick than deal with icing up. I threw on a few layers of violet and although i still had mild icing with the residue of the V70, i could at least ski a full lap without having to stop and curse at the snow. The snow had beat me by the end of the workout and I vowed revenge another day.
The workout was done and I was mentally and physically exhausted. So much for the L1-2 ski. I got some dry clothes on and was encouraged by the thought of a good breakfast, but my small amount of hopefulness was dashed by the car refusing to start. The back hatch hadn't closed all the way after we waxed our skis and the battery had died. LAME!!!!! We found a guy inside to help us out and give us a jump and we were thankfully on our way home. There was only one thing to do at a time such as this, where the spirits were broken and the day turning for the worst.........
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