January 25, 2013 – A great coach can help athletes make the jump from having a promising career to having an Olympic medal. Much time, effort, and research has been put into discovering the best ways of motivating athletes and training their bodies and minds to excel beyond previous human capability in sporting activities. Coaching isn’t just for world-class athletes, though. A middle school football team or a recreational cycling class can be great ways to build athletic prowess, and professional coaches know how to help athletes at all skill levels get the best performance from themselves and their teammates. The sites on this list are kept by highly motivated, skilled, and well-trained coaches who have decided to bring their message of fitness and training to the web.

Check out the list of 100 Great Sites for Coaches as compiled by SportsManagementDegree.org HERE.

December 08, 2011 – In this week’s edition of Kikkan Randall’s Q&A, biathlete Carsen Campbell asked an interesting question about drafting in racing. Kikkan responded with some valuable tips and a word of caution…. Check out Randall’s Training Rap HERE and check her MAILBAG for all Q&As thru the season.

———-

Q&A Drafting

Hello Kikkan,

I am a biathlete from eastern Canada and am trying to take my raceing to a new level, my question regards drafting. How effective and important is this? Any insight you could provide and tips for effective drafting would be of great help to me.

Good luck, and keep up the great results.

Thanks,

Carsen Campbell

Hey Carsen,

Thanks for your question. Drafting is always a curious topic. Sometimes it can really make a difference and sometimes it doesn’t seem to really work at all.

From my experience, if you can tuck in behind a good skier and follow their rhythm, it can help teach you how to make efficient movements and stay relaxed in your own skiing. You can also save up a little energy for that last punch you need at the finish.

The only thing to consider when drafting is that you are at the mercy of the skier ahead. They get to take whatever line they want, they could fall or bobble and you may have a hard time getting around them when it counts. So my advice is to practice skiing behind others in practice and learn to always be ready for something to happen.

Good luck in your racing!

Cheers,
Kikkan 🙂

December 06, 2011 – Here is something I’ve just started doing with Toko Base Green. I did this twice last year with huge success – both for kick and glide. I decide on the kick wax of the day for kick, let’s say blue to make it easy. Then I’ll put on a coat of the base green and heat it with a heat gun and then cork it in real good.

Then I add another coat of the base green for the needed thickness to make it thru the race – thicker – and cork it well. Then I add another thin layer of the Base Green and cover it with the wax of the day (Blue). I cork them in together. I add another light coat of Base Green and cover it with a coat of Blue and cork them in together again. I like to recork the skis outside when they are colder to get them even smoother.

Man, I had great kick and a ton of wax left at the end of the Birkie and it was very aggressive snow. I will do more of this as I think manmade snow or transformed snow reacts very positively to this combination. Great kick and great wear!

See you this winter,

Marty

(Note from Toko’s Ian Harvey: I think this works especially well in snow that is especially abrasive or partially transformed or for very long races)

November 04, 2011 (Park City, UT) – In today’s edition of Kikkan Randall’s Q&A, Everett Wilson asked a great question about nutrition for athletes and Kikkan reveals her sweet treat of choice…. Check out Randall’s Training Rap HERE and check her MAILBAG for all Q&As thru the season.

———-

Q&A Nutrition

Hi Kikkan,

Really enjoying your training rap. I’m a cyclist as well and think about nutrition and the sports I partake in more than I actually put into practice but know it’s an important factor in the whole “equation” so to speak. I love all kinds of foods and any tips you can share would be great.

Thanks,

Everett Wilson
Calgary, AB

Hi Everett,

Thanks for your question. As an athlete you can appreciate the role nutrition plays in optimal performance! I like to think of my body as a race car engine, the higher the quality of the fuel I put in it, the “faster” the performance I get out. That means eating a balance of carbohydrates, protein and healthy fats and a lot of fruits and vegetables. One of the benefits of being an endurance athlete too, is that the engine burns pretty hot so there is a little room for “treats” in there too. One of my favorite treats after a tough interval session is the white chip Macademia nut cookies at Subway.

Basically, if I eat a smart balance of foods and time my meals/snacks to occur every couple hours, I keep an even level of energy that allows me to handle all of the training and racing my schedule demands.

Enjoy the winter!

Cheers,
Kikkan 🙂

February 23, 2011 – The wax techs at Swix US have compiled a preliminary wax recommendation report in anticipation of this weekend’s American Birkebeiner, taking into account current weather forecasts and course conditions. Stay tuned with more updates at Birkie Expo, SwixRacing.us, and Facebook/SwixNordic.

FORECAST
– Thursday Feb. 24th- Mostly Sunny throughout the day with a forecasted high of 28ºF.
– Thursday Night- Mostly Cloudy with a low of 8ºF. North wind between 5-10 mph.
– Friday Feb. 25th- Cloudy with a 20% chance of snow showers. Forecasted high of 19ºF.
– Friday Night- Mostly Cloudy with a slight chance of snow showers. Forecasted low of -4ºF.
– Saturday Feb. 26th- Mostly Cloudy with slight chance of snow showers. Forecasted high of 17ºF.

COURSE CONDITIONS
The track should be hard and compact. Snow crystals will be a mix of some new and fresh snow crystals (types 1 and 2 in the Swix Classification System), along with mostly old, transformed snow crystals (type 3) making up the majority of the snow crystals in the track . Tilling should mix these snow crystals together. The snow will be abrasive with some dirt present in the snow pack, due to the freeze/thaw cycle of last week.

WAXING CONSIDERATIONS
1. Base Preparation
Clean glide zones with Swix Base Prep 99- BP99 using the “hot scrape” method. Scrape the BP-99 while still molten with a sharp, clean plastic wax scraper- T0824D. Let the skis cool, then brush out the skis with Swix Fine Steel Brush- T192. This will open the base pores of the ski.

If you will be using or use Swix Cera F and or Swix HF waxes, we recommend using Swix Cleaner for Flour Glide Wax and Conditioner- I0084. Wipe the base with I84 using a piece of Fiberlene. While the base is still wet, brush and scrub from tip to tail with a Swix Nylon White Brush- T0161. Using a new, clean piece of Fiberlene, wipe the ski base clean and let dry for 5-7 minutes, then brush with the Swix Ultra Fine Steel Brush- T191. The very fine steel bristles of this brush throughly clean the base structure of the ski base.

2. Durability
Given the length of the race and the aggressive nature of the snow crystals on the race track, it will be important to build strong and solid base layers into the ski base, prior to the HF and Cera F wax layers. The first step is to use Swix Moly Flouro Wax- MB77. Apply one layer of MB77, let cool then scrape and brush. Brush with the Fine Steel Brush, then polish with the Swix Blue Nylon Brush- T0160

Next, apply one layer of Swix LF4, scrape and brush, using the same method as the MB-77. NOTE- because LF4 is a hard glide wax, it is possible and recommended to scrape this wax while it is still warm to the touch.

3. Ski Selection and Structure
Expect the race track and snow to be firm. Use a medium to stiff flex ski that will be stable in hard pack snow conditions. Fine to medium fine base structures will work well. If you need to add structure, use the Swix T0403 Economy Structure tool with the 0.3mm Broken-V structure roller. Apply the 0.3mm Broken-V structure roller after final waxing and brush with Swix Blue Nylon Brush- T0160

FAST LANE TO HAYWARD Waves Elite & 1-5
Base HF wax layers:
Apply one layer of NEW Swix Marathon Wax- DHF104BW. The Marathon Wax is a highly durable wax for aggressive snow crystals and has a High Flouro content and BW additive to resist dirt. Iron at 140ºC, let cool 4-6 minutes, then scrape and brush using first the Swix Fine Steel Brush- T0192 then the Swix Ultra Fine Steel Brush- T0191. Using both brushes properly removes all excess wax and reveals ski base structure. Polish with Swix Blue Nylon Brush- T0160.
Apply one layer of Swix HF4BW. Iron at 150ºC, let cool 4-6 minutes, then scrape and brush using above method.

Race Cera F layer:
Apply Swix FC7 Cera F Powder. Iron in with one pass (5-7 seconds) with iron temperature at 160ºC. Let cool 3-5 minutes, then brush up the ironed in powder using Swix Black Nylon Brush- T0194. Iron a second time using the same process. Let cool 5 minutes. Brush out with Swix Wild Boar Brush- T0164 and polish with Swix Blue Nylon Brush.

FAST LANE TO HAYWARD Waves 6-10
Base HF wax layers:
Apply one layer of NEW Swix Marathon Wax- DHF104BW. The Marathon Wax is a highly durable wax for aggressive snow crystals and has a high Flour content and BW additive to resist dirt. Iron at 140ºC, let cool 4-6 minutes, then scrape and brush using first the Fine Steel Brush- T0192 then the Ultra Fine Steel Brush- T0191. Using both brushes properly removes all excess wax and reveals ski base structure. Polish with Swix Blue Nylon Brush- T0160.
Apply one layer of Swix HF6BW. Iron at 140ºC, let cool 4-6 minutes, then scrape and brush using above method.

Race Cera F layer:
Apply Swix FC78 Super Cera F Powder. Iron in with one pass (5-7 seconds) with iron temperature at 165ºC. Let cool 3-5 minutes, then brush up ironed in powder using Black Nylon Brush- T0194. Iron a second time using the same process. Let cool 5 minutes. Brush out with Wild Boar Brush- T0164 and polish with Blue Nylon Brush.

PERFORMANCE PRO Waves 1-5
Base HF wax layers:
Apply two layers of Swix HF4BW. Iron each layer at 150ºC, let cool 4-6 minutes, then scrape and brush throughly using the Fine Steel Brush- T0192 first, then the Ultra Fine Steel Brush- T0191 second. Polish with the Blue Nylon- T0160.

Race Cera F layer:
Apply Swix FC7WS Turbo Solid Block. Rub on one thick layer and iron in at a temperature of 160ºC with one quick pass tip to tail. Let cool 5 minutes and brush out with Wild Boar Brush- T0164, then polish with Blue Nylon. Run on a second layer and hand cork in with Swix Natural Cork- T0020 or T0021. Brush out with Wild Boar then polish with Blue Nylon.

PERFORMANCE PRO Waves 6-10
Base HF wax layers:
Apply two layers of Swix HF6BW or HF6. Iron each layer at 140ºC, let cool 4-6 minutes, then scrape and brush throughly using the Fine Steel Brush- T0192 first, then the Ultra Fine Steel Brush- T0191 second. Polish with the Blue Nylon- 0160.

Race Cera F layer:
Apply Swix FC7WS Turbo Solid Block. Rub on one thick layer and iron in at a temperature of 160ºC with one quick pass tip to tail. Let cool 5 minutes and brush out with Wild Boar Brush- T0164, then polish with Blue Nylon. Run on a second layer and hand cork in with Swix Natural Cork- T0020 or T0021. Brush out with Wild Boar then polish with Blue Nylon.

PERFORMANCE Waves 1-5
Base LF wax layer:
Apply one layer of Swix LF4. Iron at 150ºC, let cool 4-6 minutes, then scrape and brush throughly using the Swix Fine Steel Brush- T0192. Polish with the Blue Nylon Brush- T0160.

Race HF wax layers:
Apply two layers of Swix HF4BW. Iron at 150ºC, let cool 4-6 minutes, then scrape and brush throughly using the Fine Steel Brush, then polish with the Blue Nylon. Repeat the process.

PERFORMANCE Waves 6-10
Base LF wax layer:
Apply one layer of Swix LF6. Iron at 140ºC, let cool 4-6 minutes, then scrape and brush throughly using Swix Fine Steel Brush- T0192. Polish with the Blue Nylon Brush- T0160.

Race HF wax layers:
Apply two layers of Swix HF6BW or HF6. Iron at 140ºC, let cool 4-6 minutes, then scrape and brush throughly using Swix Fine Steel Brush- T0192. Polish with the Blue Nylon Brush- T0160. Repeat the process.

KICK WAX APPLICATION
As the race is still 4 days away, it is difficult to predict the exact kick wax for the Birkie. There are two main options that are possible based on the developing weather: hardwax binder and hardwax race kick wax or klister binder and hardwax race kick wax. See the details below for the recommended waxes on both options. Swix will be at the Expo for waxing advice, tips and clinics.

KICK ZONE PREPARATION
Remove old kick wax with a kick wax scraper and clean the kick zone with Swix Wax Remover and Swix Fiberlene. Let the base dry. Use 80 or 100 grid sandpaper and texture the kick zone by sanding the zone in a manner parallel to the groove in the ski base. The Swix T0011 Cork and Sandpaper combi tool is ideal for this process. A typical adult kick zone is 65-75cm from the back of heel forward. A typical adult klister zone is 60-65cm from the front of the heel forward.

BASE KICK WAX- Hardwax binder (if the surface is mainly fresh snow)
Apply one (1) solid and even layer of Swix VG35 Base Wax. Iron in at 110ºC. The binder should have a smooth and even consistency after ironing. Smooth out any lumps with a thumb or cork. Make sure that the binder layer in the front and the back of the kick zone makes a smooth and gradual transition with the glide zone. Let cool 5-10 minutes outdoors. Apply one (1) layer of Swix V40 Blue Extra. Cork smooth.

BASE KICK WAX- Klister binder (if no new snow is present)
Apply one (1) thin, even layer of Swix KB020 Base Klister Spray. Smooth even with a thumb or cork. Let cool 5-10 minutes outdoors. Apply one (1) thin, even layer of KR35 Violet Special Klister. Use an iron set at 110ºC to smooth even. Let cool 5-10 minutes outdoors. The klister layer should be hard and leave a finger print when touched. Apply two (2) thin layers of Swix VR30. Cork very smooth and be gentle when corking. It is best to cork the hardwax layers outdoors, to keep the wax from becoming too warm. For Waves 6-10, use VR40. These skis are ready to race on!

RACE KICK WAX- For Hardwax Binder
Waves Elite & 1-5: Apply 5-7 thin layers of Swix VR30. Cork smooth. If added kick is needed, add one layer of VR40 underneath the foot to 15cm in front of the binding. It is recommended to cork outdoors to keep the wax cold.

Waves 6-10: Apply 5-7 thin layers of Swix VR40. Cork smooth. If added grip is needed, add one layer of VR45 underneath the foot to 15cm in front of the binding. It is recommended to cork outdoors.

January 12, 2011 – Check out this great instructional video by SkiTrax technique columnist Keith Nicol on how to improve your 1 skate or V 2 skate – a popular cross country skiing technique. Nicol, a CANSI Level 4 instructor, demonstrates typical problems that skiers have with this skill and how to correct them. He also runs the winter outdoor pursuits programme at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. Visit his web site HERE and for more information on CANSI click HERE.

January 07, 2011 (Rumford, ME) – The waxing for yesterday’s skate races was predictable and straightforward. The organizers did add a bunch of freshly shot new snow overnight which made it necessary to add XCold to the HF Blue. So the wax was LF Blue, HF Blue/XCold mix, followed by a top coat of JetStream Blue. The Blue structure was excellent. Most people do not understand Nordlite XCold even still. XCold is an additive that increases durability and hardens the base, but that is not the most important thing that it does practically. What it really does is make the skis faster at slower speeds (ie breakaway speed). For this reason, it is superb in freshly shot man-made. If conditions are simply fast and cold, it is not needed. If it is slow and cold, it is the ticket (either mixed with Blue or as its own layer in extreme cases).

This was one of the most exciting and stimulating race days that I can remember. In the men’s race, there were 3 skiers who battled it out: Lars Flora, Noah Hoffman, and Tad Elliot. These three were very close throughout the entire race, despite the individual start format. On the last lap of the 30k skate, with about 1.5k left, Tad was 2 seconds up on Noah and even with Lars. I was happy for Tad that he finished .10 ahead to take the win. The impressive thing was that Noah and Tad had excellent information and simply kept doing what they had to do in order to win. Unfortunately for them though, Lars is skiing fast! They kept on having to suffer more and more in order to match Lars. It was an extreme game of “up the ante”. I am sure that had Lars followed the other two in the start order, he would have won. Congratulations to all 3 of these warriors on a great day and thank you for inspiring those who witnessed the battle.

The women’s race was another story. Evidently Liz Stephen skis really well when she is pissed. She took the race out with intensity and simply took the race. Her effort level, tempo, and will to win was simply unmatched today. She earned the big win, that’s for sure.

January 04, 2011 (Rumford, ME) – The USSA National Championship classic sprint race in Rumford, Maine lived up to expectations as an exciting and challenging event. The organizing committee did an amazing job given the prevailing weather conditions over the past week and Sunday’s race was fair for all the racers competing.

The weather forecasts were as predicted for Sunday with warm air temperatures and wet corn snow crystals. Track conditions were extremely dirty and keeping ski bases as clean as possible was one important aspect to having fast skis. Structure also played an important role in the ski preparation process, as the snow was very wet due to temperatures not dropping below freezing for the prior 48 hours before the race. Glide wax selection was straight forward, as the weather and snow conditions did not drastically change prior to or during the race.

Swix racing service was present at the event and ran a number of on snow tests to determine the optimum combination of glide wax, base structure and kick wax that was used by many top competitors in the classic sprint.

Starting with glide testing, we tested base and mid layer paraffin waxes. MB77- Moly Fluor Wax was an ideal base paraffin for these dirty snow conditions. On top of the MB77, testing found HF8BW to run the fastest, with the BW additive aiding in repelling the considerable amount of dirt on the race course.

Once we had our base paraffin and layer paraffin waxes identified and applied to our skis, the next step was to find the ideal Cera F top coat. Testing found that FC8X was the fastest Cera powder. The combination of MB77, HF8BW and FC8X is a widely used in World Cup racing with a history of providing excellent race results.

The morning of the race, Swix RS tested final layer Cera F liquids and base structure. We found FC8L to be the best liquid to use over the top of FC8X. The structure test revealed that the T401 Swix Super riller with the 1.0mm coarse bar combined with the 1.0mm Broken V structure roller over the top greatly reduced the wet friction created by the moisture in the snow. Also, this structure combination did not collect dirt, keeping the skis as clean as possible in these extremely dirty snow conditions.

Kick waxing was very straight forward, given the snow crystals present. A thin klister base of KR20, covered with a thin layer KR35 provided a strong binder layer for the top, race wax layer of KR70 with just a few dots of K22n mixed into the KR70. The KR70 provided great kick and the K22n added toughness to the KR70, reducing wear and icing. It was important to make sure the race wax layer was not too thick, as this would collect dirt and slow the skis down.

Weather conditions look to improve as the temperatures will be dropping below freezing for the next week. The snow guns are running and we are looking forward to testing in the new conditions. Look for updates at www.SwixRacing.us and SwixNordic on Facebook.

Only Swix’s Cera Nova wax matrix takes the guesswork out of waxing by creating a perfect wax for each snow condition.

January 04, 2011 (Rumford, ME) – Conditions were as forecasted – warm, wet, (although during race times there was no precipitation) dirty, and soft. The wax recommendation held up all day and as we recommended, more structure was needed as the day went on. Attention to detail proved to be very important today as well. Small things made a difference especially in a short race with extreme conditions (wet and dirty) and with a finishing section consisting of a downhill with a long run out!

The wax needed to be brushed and polished off the ski very well today to prevent dirt build up. That applies to fluorocarbons as well. Even a slight greasy sheen on the base will attract dirt in such dirty and wet conditions.

The kick zones used today were pretty short as glide was so important. It was important to clean up the exposed sanded area so it wouldn’t attract dirt.

The Yellow Structurite bit proved to be really good over a 1mm linear structure as we recommended. After a few runs (including qualifying), it needed to be reapplied as it only got wetter out there.

Many had success with JetStream Red (as well as the more obvious Yellow). JetStream Red is surprisingly good in wet snow and is generally the call when conditions are wet and dirty. If wet and clean, JetStream Yellow is best. Sunday was a short race and of course people rewaxed for the heats, so Yellow was good despite the dirt.

December 23, 2010 – The Toko Race Wax Tips have been posted for this weekend’s events. Our goal is to have the tips posted 48 hours or more before each event. There are some events (that are on Sunday for example) that we have not received good information on yet. These recommendations will be posted in the next day. Also, should the situation arise that we need to update the wax recommendation, we will make the changes directly on the website. The Toko Race Wax Tips can be accessed directly HERE.

Toko Race Wax Tips have been posted for the following events:
– Sunday, Dec. 26: Snowshoe Thompson Classic and JNQ, Auburn Ski Club, Soda Springs, CA
– Sunday, Dec. 26: West Itasca Xmas-New Year Ski Festival Time Trial I, Rainbow Resort, Waubun, MN
– Sunday, Dec. 26: Como Championships, Como Park, St. Paul, MN
– Sunday, Dec. 26: Holiday Classic, Boyne Valley Lodge, Walloon Lake, MI
– Sunday, Dec. 26: Bozeman Creek Climb, Sourdough/Bozeman Creek, Bozeman, MT
– Monday, Dec. 27: Christmas Classic, Lost Creek Trails, near Ketchum, ID

December 21, 2010 – To all of you cross-country skiers, where ever you may be celebrating it – Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! You may want to go easy on the New Year’s celebrations as you could be beginning the new year in the starting gate.

Talk to you next year!