In case you haven't already noticed, the recent thaw/freeze cycle has
probably "groomed" your local golf course nearly perfectly for some
delightful ski skating.  I went out yesterday at noon for about an hour at
my local golf course and had a ball just skating all over the place.  Going
down the steep hills was still a bit more of a challenge than I wanted, but
the flats and gentle rollers were absolutely perfect.  If you've ever
ski-skated on a lake when the conditions were right you know how much fun
this kind of skiing can be.  Might be a good time for some moonlight skiing
also.

Jim

========================================
    Jim Grau
    Schlumberger-Doll Research
    36 Old Quarry Road
    Ridgefield, CT  06877
    Office:  203-431-5303
    Fax:  203-438-3819

I think "winter wonderland" is the best way to describe it.  Their web site
listed the conditions as "extremely excellent", and that was no
exaggeration!  Five-foot base, packed powder, a couple inches of fresh
snow, temps well below freezing, and excellent grooming ... pretty hard to
beat.  I skied classic all day in nearly perfect tracks; blue wax worked
very well, slipping only when my technique got sloppy, which is the way it
should be.  Those who were skating (including Teresa) seemed to be having a
good time also.  It was definitely worth the trip.

Jim

Now that's getting a little too excited.

Jumping out of one car and into the other
without your skis.

Paula....sound familiar

TC

Skied for 4 hours at White Memorial.
It was quite an arm workout.

Great coverage. Hardly anything poking through.
Approaching White Memorial you would think otherwise.
Looked like snow was really melting away.
The trails were very glazed and slick. We all tried some
klister just at the front of our scales on the waxless
boards. Seemed to help.

Can't wait for some fresh snow.
I may go to Fahnstock if any one is interested.

Regards

TC

I attempted to ski locally in Newtown at Holcombe Preserve. I went there
Tuesday for an hour before sunset, and it was fantastic! But today- I could
ski, but my skis got caught in the crust a couple of times, and I went down.
I guess any skiing is better than no skiing! Do check out Holcombe Preserve
for an hour's ski after work when the conditions are better. It's off Great
Hill Road in Newtown ( if you go to the end of Plumb Trees, keep going
straight- that's Great Hill Road. It is the highest point in Newtown and has
360 degree views. It is about as big as a 9 hole golf course, and has good
terrain (hills! and open fields) and some woods trails (only good after 10-12
inches of fresh snow).  Actually the woods trails are probably better for
snowshoes. Hope the skiing is better up north!
Paula

OK, so it wasn't all that great.  Perhaps another 10 passes with the roller
would have broken up the ice better.  As it was, the trails were littered
with golf-ball to tennis-ball-size icy chunks that kept throwing you off
balance, making the downhills more of a challenge than would have been
preferred.  And since my car-pool partner (who shall remain nameless)
somehow forgot to transfer his skis to my car, I had to give up my
meticulously- and perfectly-waxed classic skis and try to skate through
that stuff all day :)   I did, however, notice a few people who seemed to
be having no trouble with the conditions, so maybe I'm just being a wimp.

Anyway, to all of you out there who decided not to join us:  GOOD CHOICE!!

Jim

========================================
    Jim Grau
    Schlumberger-Doll Research
    36 Old Quarry Road
    Ridgefield, CT  06877
    Office:  203-431-5303
    Fax:  203-438-3819

I'm planning to ski at Minnewaska State Park Saturday, Jan 11.  From what I
hear they've got more than enough snow and probably will be groomed for
both skating and classic.  Currently I'm thinking of meeting for breakfast
at about 7:30 at the Windmill Diner on Mill Plain Rd in Danbury, getting on
the road by about 8:00, and getting to the park by about 9:15.

Minnewaska is a delightful place to ski with usually reliable snow
(elevation is between 1700 and 2100 feet) and some rather impressive scenic
views.  There's not much in the way of creature comforts, though, so bring
everything you might need.

Jim

========================================
    Jim Grau
    Schlumberger-Doll Research
    36 Old Quarry Road
    Ridgefield, CT  06877
    Office:  203-431-5303
    Fax:  203-438-3819

One Week Skiing in NORTH TAHOE, CA for $750!!   4 places available

6 Incredible Days Of Skiing.   Sat - Sat  Feb 8th  – 15th  2003

Down Hill and/or Cross Country Ski in the Sierra's land of 500 +
inches of snow a year. North Tahoe offers over a dozen Cross Country
areas with incredible scenic views of dramatic peaks, gorges and of
course Lake Tahoe. One area has over 324 Km of groomed trails. There
are eight downhill areas offering a wide variety of challenges for
beginner and expert alike. We will stay in a beautifully appointed
chalet in Truckee CA, with hot tub and exercise facilities available
close by. For $750, trip includes accommodations, ground
transportation, all breakfasts, lunches and four dinners. For your
trail passes and lift tickets "Discount Days" and Group discounts may
apply.

Leader: Thomas Carruthers       Co-Leader: Fiona Nicholson
Email: TCnFee2003@...     Bethel  CT 06801   Fax (203) 778-3454

Four spaces left!!!   Come and share the house, great food and
company and have incredible skiing everyday several resorts.

Check out photos of our previous trips at the "Tahoe" folder in Tom's
briefcase:
http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/thomascarruthers

Check out the ski resorts & conditions at North Tahoe:
· http://www.renolaketahoe.com/ski/resorts
· http://www.tahoebest.com/skiing
·
	 http://tahoeguide.com/tahoe/SITE/indexlisting.cfm/activity/601
/0/direct
· http://www.snoweb.com

Come and join us, fill in the forms and book your own flight to Reno!

Look at the Prospectus and fill in the Registration form, also in the
briefcase in the "Tahoe Info & Registration" folder, under
the "Tahoe" folder.

Meet at 10:30 a.m. in CPL at Exit 2 off I-84.  Group consensus will
decide where to ski.  Present options include Richter Park in Danbury
or Fahenstock in Cold Spring.

See you.

Thur-Sun, Feb. 20-23, 2003 - Cross Country Ski in Conway, NH. (CT)
Energetic novice/ intermediate. Stay three nights in Victorian Hostel in
the Mt. Washington Valley. Hostel is now open during the day. Ski in Jackson,
Bear Notch, Bretton Woods,
or Great Glen groomed areas. Do the leaders all time favorite -The Ellis
River Trail.  Explore many other great trails too!  Cost $120 (no
refunds unless replacement is found) includes 3 nights dorm style
lodging, 3 continental
breakfasts, and 1 dinner.  Call L Paula Burton 203-426-5369, or email
peburton@.... CL Jim Scheef, 860-355-0034, email
jscheef@....

I ditto Jim's report on Fahnestock. Fiona and I were both there as we'll.
We skied from about 2:30-4:00 . The trails were in great shape (tracks)
considering it was the end of the day.
Couldn't believe this was the first time I'd skied on their
groomed system. It's really a very short drive from Bethel.
It was quite excellent. I have skied on the backwoods
non-groomed trails there in the past and they are also great
when there's enough cover.

Skied at Ward Pound Ridge Reservation Friday afternoon.
Wish they would purchase some grooming gear.  In my opinion, it still has some
of the nicest terrain around. The conditions were a little crusty
and there were quite a few detours around trees laden with ice which
had bent over the trail. Conditions will probably be perfect there tomorrow
(Sun)
if the temps go up.

Give me a holler if anyone is looking to go X-C skiing Sunday.

Tom C

I stole a few hours from my end-of-the-year panic mode at work to go ski at
Fahnestock this morning.  Although Fahnestock has offered groomed skiing
trails for several years this was my first ski there.  The conditions were
quite good.  They have a well thought out system of mostly one-way trails
(which is good) that were designed and are maintained by a very avid XC
skier.  All the trails are groomed for skating as well as diagonal, usually
with two sets of tracks.  In a few places the skating lane gets a bit
narrow, but that just adds to the challenge, eh?  I'll definitely ski there
again as long as they have good snow, although at about 1000 feet lower
than Minnewaska I suspect there won't be many more days as good as this one.

Jim

========================================
    Jim Grau
    Schlumberger-Doll Research
    36 Old Quarry Road
    Ridgefield, CT  06877
    Office:  203-431-5303
    Fax:  203-438-3819

Went for a quick ski at Waramaug Golf course today. A bit crusty, but otherwise
good skiing in some tracks and good views.

We went to White Memorial (Museum area) on Thursday. Very few people but,
naturally, a few tracks were already skied in. Nice snow but not as much as
we had expected. In fact there were a few wet spots

Yesterday (Friday) we drove up to Maple Corners Farm in Granville, MA.
Conditions were mearly fabulous. With air temp right at freezing but colder
snow, I started with Blue Extra and then added some Special Purple after
lunch. Your mileage may vary. The terrain is at the lower end of the
challenge scale but there are enough hills (grades) for a few nice rides.

A happy and (more) prosperous New Year to all.
Jim

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
http://mailplus.yahoo.com

I've decided I'ld like to do the hike, but I have no idea where
Terrywile is.  Can someone give me directions to the starting point?
   Also, does anyone know the traffic conditions on Rt84 from Waterbury to
Danbury (I assume Terrywile is around there) at around 5:30pm.  I
suspect it can be very heavy.

Thanks,
Jon

peburton@... wrote:

>Meet Paula, Jim, and Shasta at 6pm at lower parking lot of Terrywile. Dress
>warmly, wear good boots, bring ski pole for balance, and headlamp or
>flashlight. Hope to see you there.

I've decided I'ld like to do the hike, but I have no idea where
Terrywile is.  Can someone give me directions to the starting point?
  Also, does anyone know the traffic conditions on Rt84 from Waterbury to
Danbury (I assume Terrywile is around there) at around 5:30pm.  I
suspect it can be very heavy.

Thanks,
Jon

peburton@... wrote:

>Meet Paula, Jim, and Shasta at 6pm at lower parking lot of Terrywile. Dress
>warmly, wear good boots, bring ski pole for balance, and headlamp or
>flashlight. Hope to see you there.
>
>
>

Meet Paula, Jim, and Shasta at 6pm at lower parking lot of Terrywile. Dress
warmly, wear good boots, bring ski pole for balance, and headlamp or
flashlight. Hope to see you there.

Anyone into a full moon hike this Thurs eve at Terrywile?
Let me know.
Paula

Hey Gang

I went skiing @ White Memorial on Friday and it was great with the exception
of a few scrapes from below. Saturday I was at Pound Ridge reservation
in NY where I enjoy the terrain much more. Unfortunately the coverage  was
not deep enough for their trails which tend to be a little rocky.

Time to get out the old P-Tex. I don't think I've filled holes and scrapes in
on the bottoms of skis in 20 years!  Yikes!  Boy, am I old. I'm not use to
mending my skis. Maybe I just ski  when there's enough snow most of the time.

Had fun anyway. It was great to be out on the boards without having to drive
to Vur-mont.

Please call me anytime to ski. I work at home and X-C Skiing always
is always priority ONE instead of work. Work can be done anytime!!!

203-778-1550

Let's play.

Cheers

TC

>Community email addresses:
>  Post message: hcc-ski@yahoogroups.com
>  Subscribe:  hcc-ski-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
>  Unsubscribe:  hcc-ski-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>  List owner:  hcc-ski-owner@yahoogroups.com
>
>URL to group page: http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/hcc-ski
>------------------------------------------------------------------------
>  The skiing was great at Fahnstock on Sunday.  Could not have asked for a
better day.  Looks like this is the year for x-country!  I heard we are
getting 27 storms :)

Julie

>There are 5 messages in this issue.
>
>Topics in this digest:
>
>      1. ski conditions
>           From: peburton@...
>      2. Re: ski conditions
>           From: Jim Grau <jgrau@...>
>      3. waxable skis
>           From: Jon Nyberg <jdnlistgroups@...>
>      4. Re: waxable skis
>           From: Jim Grau <jgrau@...>
>      5. Local skiing is here!!!
>           From: Jim Scheef <jscheef@...>
>
>
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>________________________________________________________________________
>
>Message: 1
>   Date: Sun, 8 Dec 2002 11:29:12 EST
>   From: peburton@...
>Subject: ski conditions
>
>Has anyone been out skiing? I went to Litchfield yesterday and the snow
was
>excellent in places, then very sticky in others. Today I went to Holcomb
Park
>in Newtown and it was excellent in the early morning except in the
southern
>most field.
>Paula
>
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>________________________________________________________________________
>
>Message: 2
>   Date: Sun, 08 Dec 2002 12:09:52 -0500
>   From: Jim Grau <jgrau@...>
>Subject: Re: ski conditions
>
>Because of some bloody work commitments I've only been skiing on the old
>railroad bed in Ridgefield, because it starts just a few hundred yards
from
>where I work.  It was still quite good this morning (Sunday) as I got in
>about 90 minutes before heading to the office.  I skied with purple wax on

>my waxable skis and found it was perhaps a bit too warm, but probably good

>for my technique since you had to have nearly perfect form not to
>slip.  Just for curiosity I slipped into my waxless skis at the end and
did
>another 15 minutes ... what a difference!!  I'm becoming more and more
>convinced that the preponderance of waxless skis around here is the main
>reason more people don't get hooked on XC skiing ... it's just not nearly
>as much fun without the glide you get with waxable skis.
>
>I've heard that Minnewaska, Mohonk, and Fahnstock are in pretty good
>shape.  Wish I could be there :(
>
>Jim
>
>At 11:29 AM 12/8/2002, you wrote:
>>Has anyone been out skiing? I went to Litchfield yesterday and the snow
was
>>excellent in places, then very sticky in others. Today I went to Holcomb
Park
>>in Newtown and it was excellent in the early morning except in the
southern
>>most field.
>>Paula
>>
>>Community email addresses:
>>   Post message: hcc-ski@egroups.com
>>   Subscribe:  hcc-ski-subscribe@egroups.com
>>   Unsubscribe:  hcc-ski-unsubscribe@egroups.com
>>   List owner:  hcc-ski-owner@egroups.com
>>
>>URL to group page: http://www.egroups.com/group/hcc-ski
>>
>>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>========================================
>   Jim Grau
>   Schlumberger-Doll Research
>   36 Old Quarry Road
>   Ridgefield, CT  06877
>   Office:  203-431-5303
>   Fax:  203-438-3819
>
>
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>________________________________________________________________________
>
>Message: 3
>   Date: Sun, 08 Dec 2002 13:32:10 -0500
>   From: Jon Nyberg <jdnlistgroups@...>
>Subject: waxable skis
>
>So just how hard is it to learn how to properly wax skis?
>
>Jon
>
>
>
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>________________________________________________________________________
>
>Message: 4
>   Date: Sun, 08 Dec 2002 14:42:02 -0500
>   From: Jim Grau <jgrau@...>
>Subject: Re: waxable skis
>
>Jon,
>
>As long as it's below freezing and not icy it's quite simple.  The waxes
>have a fairly broad temperature range and you just pick the most
>appropriate one and it almost always works well.  If it slips too much you

>might need to stop and make it thicker or go to a warmer wax.  If it's
>sticking too much you're still probably getting more glide than you'd get
>with waxless skis, but you can always scrape a bit off and/or add a colder

>wax on top.
>
>Waxing becomes more of a challenge when it's right around freezing or
>above.  The waxes made for these conditions are inherently more sticky and

>thus less pleasant to deal with, and much of the time they don't seem to
>perform quite as well.  You can get it right with a bit more effort, but
>you might want to save your waxless skis for these conditions.
>
>If the snow is "old", typically meaning there's been no new snow in a
>couple of weeks or more, the snow crystals won't be sharp anymore and
>you'll need to use klister.  Some skiers absolutely refuse to use klister
>because it's very sticky and tends to get on EVERYTHING if you're not
>careful, but klister skiing can be some of the absolute best skiing there
>is.  Klister can give you incredibly secure kick and the old snow can give

>you very good glide ... you get the best of both worlds.
>
>The bottom line is that waxing skis IS a bit more work, but once you've
>experienced skiing with properly waxed skis you'll find it hard to settle
>for anything else.
>
>Jim
>
>At 01:32 PM 12/8/2002, you wrote:
>>So just how hard is it to learn how to properly wax skis?
>>
>>Jon
>>
>>
>>
>>Community email addresses:
>>   Post message: hcc-ski@egroups.com
>>   Subscribe:  hcc-ski-subscribe@egroups.com
>>   Unsubscribe:  hcc-ski-unsubscribe@egroups.com
>>   List owner:  hcc-ski-owner@egroups.com
>>
>>URL to group page: http://www.egroups.com/group/hcc-ski
>>
>>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>========================================
>   Jim Grau
>   Schlumberger-Doll Research
>   36 Old Quarry Road
>   Ridgefield, CT  06877
>   Office:  203-431-5303
>   Fax:  203-438-3819
>
>
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>________________________________________________________________________
>
>Message: 5
>   Date: Sun, 8 Dec 2002 15:48:18 -0800 (PST)
>   From: Jim Scheef <jscheef@...>
>Subject: Local skiing is here!!!
>
>Hello everyone,
>
>Saturday afternoon we sampled skiing in both Washington/Kent and
Litchfield
>at the Lake Waramaug CC and the Litchfield CC (one of the borders of White
>Memorial). Conditions were definitely skiable - sort of. Skiing on the
nicely
>manicured golf course grass was a mixed blessing and we found the best
skiing
>of the day in the woods on old roads. Despite the above freezing temps,
the
>snow was still a nice powder. Unfortunately the ground benieth was not
frozen
>and the wet would reach up and grab your ski when you would least expect
it.
>If there had been a nice frozen anything under this new snow, the skiing
>would have been heaven.
>
>This is certainly the earliest local skiing I can recall in my 30 years in
>CT. Hopefully this is the start of a great ski season!
>
>Jim
>
>__________________________________________________
>Do you Yahoo!?
>Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
>http://mailplus.yahoo.com
>
>
>________________________________________________________________________
>________________________________________________________________________
>
>
>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>
>
>
>
>



Julie-Ann Farrell
www.cyclect.com - The ultimate source for Connecticut Bicyclists

Hello everyone,

Saturday afternoon we sampled skiing in both Washington/Kent and Litchfield
at the Lake Waramaug CC and the Litchfield CC (one of the borders of White
Memorial). Conditions were definitely skiable - sort of. Skiing on the nicely
manicured golf course grass was a mixed blessing and we found the best skiing
of the day in the woods on old roads. Despite the above freezing temps, the
snow was still a nice powder. Unfortunately the ground benieth was not frozen
and the wet would reach up and grab your ski when you would least expect it.
If there had been a nice frozen anything under this new snow, the skiing
would have been heaven.

This is certainly the earliest local skiing I can recall in my 30 years in
CT. Hopefully this is the start of a great ski season!

Jim

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
http://mailplus.yahoo.com

Jon,

As long as it's below freezing and not icy it's quite simple.  The waxes
have a fairly broad temperature range and you just pick the most
appropriate one and it almost always works well.  If it slips too much you
might need to stop and make it thicker or go to a warmer wax.  If it's
sticking too much you're still probably getting more glide than you'd get
with waxless skis, but you can always scrape a bit off and/or add a colder
wax on top.

Waxing becomes more of a challenge when it's right around freezing or
above.  The waxes made for these conditions are inherently more sticky and
thus less pleasant to deal with, and much of the time they don't seem to
perform quite as well.  You can get it right with a bit more effort, but
you might want to save your waxless skis for these conditions.

If the snow is "old", typically meaning there's been no new snow in a
couple of weeks or more, the snow crystals won't be sharp anymore and
you'll need to use klister.  Some skiers absolutely refuse to use klister
because it's very sticky and tends to get on EVERYTHING if you're not
careful, but klister skiing can be some of the absolute best skiing there
is.  Klister can give you incredibly secure kick and the old snow can give
you very good glide ... you get the best of both worlds.

The bottom line is that waxing skis IS a bit more work, but once you've
experienced skiing with properly waxed skis you'll find it hard to settle
for anything else.

Jim

At 01:32 PM 12/8/2002, you wrote:
>So just how hard is it to learn how to properly wax skis?
>
>Jon
>
>
>
>Community email addresses:
>   Post message: hcc-ski@egroups.com
>   Subscribe:  hcc-ski-subscribe@egroups.com
>   Unsubscribe:  hcc-ski-unsubscribe@egroups.com
>   List owner:  hcc-ski-owner@egroups.com
>
>URL to group page: http://www.egroups.com/group/hcc-ski
>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

========================================
    Jim Grau
    Schlumberger-Doll Research
    36 Old Quarry Road
    Ridgefield, CT  06877
    Office:  203-431-5303
    Fax:  203-438-3819

So just how hard is it to learn how to properly wax skis?

Jon

Because of some bloody work commitments I've only been skiing on the old
railroad bed in Ridgefield, because it starts just a few hundred yards from
where I work.  It was still quite good this morning (Sunday) as I got in
about 90 minutes before heading to the office.  I skied with purple wax on
my waxable skis and found it was perhaps a bit too warm, but probably good
for my technique since you had to have nearly perfect form not to
slip.  Just for curiosity I slipped into my waxless skis at the end and did
another 15 minutes ... what a difference!!  I'm becoming more and more
convinced that the preponderance of waxless skis around here is the main
reason more people don't get hooked on XC skiing ... it's just not nearly
as much fun without the glide you get with waxable skis.

I've heard that Minnewaska, Mohonk, and Fahnstock are in pretty good
shape.  Wish I could be there :(

Jim

At 11:29 AM 12/8/2002, you wrote:
>Has anyone been out skiing? I went to Litchfield yesterday and the snow was
>excellent in places, then very sticky in others. Today I went to Holcomb Park
>in Newtown and it was excellent in the early morning except in the southern
>most field.
>Paula
>
>Community email addresses:
>   Post message: hcc-ski@egroups.com
>   Subscribe:  hcc-ski-subscribe@egroups.com
>   Unsubscribe:  hcc-ski-unsubscribe@egroups.com
>   List owner:  hcc-ski-owner@egroups.com
>
>URL to group page: http://www.egroups.com/group/hcc-ski
>
>Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

========================================
    Jim Grau
    Schlumberger-Doll Research
    36 Old Quarry Road
    Ridgefield, CT  06877
    Office:  203-431-5303
    Fax:  203-438-3819

Has anyone been out skiing? I went to Litchfield yesterday and the snow was
excellent in places, then very sticky in others. Today I went to Holcomb Park
in Newtown and it was excellent in the early morning except in the southern
most field.
Paula

Thur-Sun, Feb. 20-23, 2003 - Cross Country Ski in Conway, NH. (CT)
Energetic novice/ intermediate. Stay three nights in Victorian Hostel in
the Mt. Washington Valley.  Hostel is open during the day. Ski in Jackson,
Bear Notch, Bretton Woods,or Great Glen groomed areas. Do the leaders all
time favorite -The Ellis
River Trail.  Explore many other great trails too!  Cost $120 (no
refunds unless replacement is found) includes 3 nights dorm style
lodging, 3 continental breakfasts, and 1 dinner.  Call L Paula Burton
203-426-5369, or email peburton@.... CL Jim Scheef, 860-355-0034, email
jscheef@....

Thur-Sun, Feb. 20-23, 2003 - Cross Country Ski in Conway, NH. (CT)
Energetic novice/ intermediate. Stay three nights in Victorian Hostel in
the Mt. Washington Valley.  Ski in Jackson, Bear Notch, Bretton Woods,
or Great Glen groomed areas. Do the leaders all time favorite -The Ellis
River Trail.  Explore many other great trails too!  Cost $120 (no
refunds unless replacement is found) includes 3 nights dorm style
lodging, 3 continental
breakfasts, and 1 dinner.  Call L Paula Burton 203-426-5369, or email
peburton@.... CL Jim Scheef, 860-355-0034, email
jscheef@....

Hello everyone,

Since we will soon see snow flakes, I thought test this list to see
which email addresses have gone bad over the summer. Email addresses
that bounce messages back (ie: the addresses are not active for some
reason) will be removed from the list.

Think snow!

Jim