Kongsberger Ski Club

 Wow, that was one for the books, wasn't it?  When you hear comments at the finish line like, "That was the toughest 30k ever," or "That 30k felt like 70k," or "That was brutal," you know it's been an interesting day.  The Gunnar Hagen is known for challenging skiing conditions, and this year's delivered.   The forecast leading up to race day was not inspiring, but race day itself looked like a lucky break in the weather: With minimal snow in the weeks leading up to the race (thank you, El Nino), and with heavy rain saturating the snow we did have, then "heavy wet sticky" snow falling the day before, the groomer knew it was going to be tricky and he really came through for us, as he does!  Turns out the soggy packed snow was too fragile to support the grooming machine and allow real grooming on the trails, so he used the Kongsberger snowmobile and tracking sled to set two skiable tracks around the course, and the race was on!  The rac...

The Kongsbergers' Gunnar Hagen classic ski race is on Sunday, January 7. If you're racing: everything you need to know, particularly the registration deadline of 5:59 pm on Thursday, January 4 (if you don't want to pay a late registration fee), is on the Kongsberger website. If you're not racing: the USFS doesn't allow the trails to be closed to the public, so if you do want to ski there that day, be aware that the parking lots will fill up early and the trails will be very active until early afternoon. Most years, the race course follows the road and around the Berg and Viking loops, leaving Amabilis open and racer-free. This year, unless Good Saint Nick can magically pull another six inches of snow out of thin air in the next week, there is a chance the race will be moved to Amabilis, leaving the lower trails free. Check the KSC website (kongsbergers.org) as we get closer to race day for the latest updates.