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Summer Skiing: North vs. South
Summer Skiing: North versus South
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\r\nBy: Kikkan Randall
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\r\nAs an elite ski racer I train all year round. Each summer I strive to get on snow for at least a couple weeks to keep my skiing legs fresh and in tune. Over the last few summers I have had the opportunity to experience two summer skiing havens: one in the far north in my home state of Alaska, and one down in the southern hemisphere where it’s winter from June through September. Each site has its own unique atmosphere and both provide excellent training conditions.
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\r\nThe summer skiing up north is found at the Thomas Training Center (TTC) on Eagle Glacier, just a 30 minute drive and 10 minute helicopter ride from Alaska’s biggest city of Anchorage. Originally built by the US Ski team in the mid 1980’s, the training center and the grooming are now run and maintained by the Alaska Pacific University Nordic Ski Center. The boxy, green, yet homely building sits atop a rocky ledge overlooking a glacier bowl and is a short two-minute walk from the ski trails. Skiing at the TTC can begin as early as the end of May and continues some years into the middle of September. Eight kilometers of trails wind up and down the very top of the glacier bowl and the scenery while skiing is breathtaking.
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Lodge at Eagle Glacier.
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\r\nThe TTC is a great summer training location for North American skiers that want to avoid the costly travel to glacier training over in Europe where conditions are often very crowded and skiing is not “just out the front door.” A quick helicopter ride brings you to the training center and you can be skiing minutes later. With three prepared meals a day, hot showers and comfortable living quarters, the TTC is a great place to accomplish quality training. Tracks are set for both skating and classic. The snow conditions are spring-like and klister is common for classic waxing.
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Eagle Glacier.
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\r\nSouthern skiing is done at the Waoriau Snowfarm on New Zealand’s south island. The lodge is a long rectangle with a protrusion coming off the front that the locals call the “UFO.” Over thirty kilometers of trails zoom off in every direction from underneath the magnificent sky-bridge. To get to the Snowfarm you must drive up a twisty, turny road that serves as a rally car racetrack in the summer. It is quite the ride! The Snowfarm is actually a two-sided operation that includes test tracks for winter-conditions car testing and movie filming as well as cross-country skiing. On a sunny day, the views of New Zealand’s southern alps are amazing.
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\r\nWhile getting in plenty of skiing at the Snowfarm it is easy to get down into the small town of Wanaka, which remains snow-less all year round, for dry land training. However, the expertly groomed trails are often hard to leave behind, even for an afternoon. The Snowfarm lodge is run by a full-time staff and provides many modern day commodities such as cable television and Internet. Three meals are provided each day.
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Snowfarm skiing...
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\r\nEach training site provides great training but there are also disadvantages to both. The TTC, because of its location on a mountain ridge, can sometimes be blocked-in with bad weather, making it hard to fly up there. The conditions can be challenging sometimes as well, including rain, snow and strong winds. The Snowfarm also experiences its fair share of tough weather. Due to lack of trees, the wind can rip across the trails, sometimes burying them underneath large snowdrifts. The Snowfarm is also a long and expensive way to travel. It took me nearly 30 hours to complete the trip from Alaska.
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\r\nI have had the opportunity to ski at both venues and I think they are a perfect compliment to each other. Summer skiing is an important and fun part of the yearly training plan. So get out and try some of these great places!!
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Written By: KRandallDate Posted: 8/25/2004Number of Views: 315
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