This is training and it is wellness: Cook Inlet extends to the horizon while Alex Lee scoots along in the local woods.
Lacking a local on-piste ski area to “uphill,” no problem: Alex Lee makes the training work in a terrain and conditions smörgåsbord.
Yesterday morning I found myself out of breath heading uphill with 65mm race skis on my feet, head-to-toe in Crazy Idea clothes, nordic poles in hand, and a soft flask of water stuffed in my shirt. I was in Girdwood, Alaska, 40 minutes south of my home town, Anchorage. I picked up about just over 10 miles and just shy of 4,000 feet of vert in a couple of hours of skimo training.
Such a sight is far from uncommon in ski towns across the country. Skimo athletes and fitness faithfuls use resort uphilling not just to train, but also increasingly to take part in a budding ski “scene,” catching up with friends, soaking up the early morning views, and donning that fresh pair of corduroy before the masses ascend upon their iron couches. However, while Alaska’s premier ski resort—Alyeska—resides in Girdwood, they do not allow uphilling. Unfortunately us spandex inclined AK skiers have no such scene to show off our stylish neon race garb, let alone rando race train, as do our southern counterparts. Indeed, moving up to Anchorage, I feared that without local access to a resort my skimo setup with rust in the garage. I was wrong.
I love the Front Range of the Chugach and usually ski there at least a couple times a week. The peaks translate into ski fitness, but not really skimo fitness—they are too steep and rarely in great conditions for race skis and race pace. I have also extolled quite a bit in the past about ski mountaineering traverses in Southcentral Alaska. Classics like the Eklutna and Bomber traverse, as well as lesser-known local favorites, are perfect skimo outings when conditions are just right. These feel like big race days and show up late in the year.
The local groomed cat road network becomes an excellent surface for the kick and glide.
In contrast to the cat road, we present the ungroomed, relatively untamed alder thicket. Such terrain helps develop proprioception. (Weight training with a napping child recommended is also a benefit.)
My motivation for getting off the couch: I have a growing race calendar for the first time in a few years, with plans to head to the Grand Traverse and PDG. Maybe you find yourself in a similar boat, or you just want to stay in shape for the weekend backcountry outing? Whatever the case may be, little skis on local trails should not be overlooked.
So, how did I manage yesterday’s outing?
I was on a cat road. This road is well known in the backcountry community for providing access to popular backcountry zones of Notch Mountain and A1. The road is maintained and groomed by Chugach Powder Guides for snowcat skiing. The pitch is steep in spots and the run down requires a good bit of skating at the end: which ticks valuable training boxes.
Cat roads, snow machine trails, Nordic trails, bike trails, and wooded birch and aspen forests all provide more than enough enjoyment, space, and access to feed a skimo appetite if you find yourself without a ski hill nearby. Come spring, the mountains push these opportunities even further.
My favorite skimo scoot skiing has become single track winter bike trails. Fortunately for me, the fat biking boom has blossomed in AK, and with it, an amazing effort to groom single track has succeeded in offering great intown hot laps. The Single Track Advocates, a local bike org, has put in and maintained a network of 30 trails connecting Anchorage’s hillside to Chugach State Park trails. Most STA trails offer a zippy ride up and down a quick 300-500 vertical feet. Tacked together and plugged into State Park trails, it’s no problem at all to stretch these to 1200 ft runs, add in great sections of skate skiing, shuffle along extra miles, and push into the alpine for extra adventure. From a one hour after work sesh, to an all-day exhaustion fest, these trails are perfect for rando race training in town. Single track trails are popping up all over the place; they flow, bank, and wind just right—hop on little skis and give them a try. Up here, moose on the trails are the biggest hazard.
Groomed single track snowbike trails—an excellent option for logging the meandering miles.
In the event daylight fades yet the motivation remains high, there’s always the headlamp and the just out of town tour.
These trails, however, still require hopping in the car. My closest option on the other hand is an unmaintained bit of forest. This forest provides; remember this is how skiing started after all. I live on a hill. It’s not steep, tall, or particularly open, but if there is enough snow to get through the alders, I can ski a half a mile through the woods, down about 350 vertical feet. Enough locals ski back here that a pseudo trail system sometimes emerges. This plugs into an unmaintained State Park trail that runs for miles. Some people use fish scale skis, some Nordic skis, some backcountry set ups, some snowshoes. I find my skimo setup strikes the perfect balance. I have a 5-mile loop with a 1000 ft of vert out the door that I am endlessly grateful for. After my cat road ski yesterday, I had lunch, caught up on a bit of work, and then added a quick three miles at sunset in these woods. If it’s close to home, it’s always worth it.
Other options abound – sometimes I follow snowmachines (Alaskan for snowmobile), sometimes I kick wax cross-country trails, sometimes I just take my race skis in the backcountry. Uphilling is a great addition to the training arsenal and ambassador to both backcountry and skimo racing, but if you don’t live near a resort with an uphill opportunity, you can still show up for race day, hop on little skis come spring, and train for big pushes. More importantly, race skis can still be plenty of fun!
Keep moving, ski fast, ski everywhere. No uphilling, no problem.
