WAM-XC

Saturday mornings a little stale? Did your Birke time slip a little this year? Maybe you should liven up your Saturdays and log some impressive pole hiking K's at the same time.

Just show up at the next WAM-XC session and start striding out at one of the several metro area parks the group uses each Saturday from "last snow" to about mid-October.

No doubt you will see some familiar faces, as this veteran group of skiers competes at all levels, from the World Loppet circuit to weekend neighborhood contests. But not all of the regulars ski. Trina Buhr doesn't, but likes the chance to get acquainted with all of the parks. "It's fun to get out with the group. I like the social part of it and no one pressures me about skiing," she reports.

Women and Men Who XC Ski (and drink coffee) began, more or less officially, four years ago as several ideas seemed to come together with some of the original members. They wanted to include off-season LSD work in their training regimens. Many of them had participated in more structured programs and wanted to do something a little more informal.

"The idea came from Ahvo (Taipale)," relates Toby Markowitz. "He said the best racing season he had followed a period of extensive hiking. The two of us hiked together on the ski trails at Wirth in the mid-90's."

Ken Salzberg, a professor of law at Hamline, said that he and several other skiers were doing Sunday hikes with Armen Hitzemann about then, and the idea of summertime LSD workouts followed from that. "We wanted to expand from just using Afton for each session, so we talked about going to other parks as well."

That concept is followed now, as a look at the group's web site (wamxc.org) shows. Hyland Lake Park Reserve, Afton State Park, Lebanon Hills, William O'Brien State Park, and Willow River State Park near Hudson, are all used regularly, mostly because they have challenging hills, including John Carpenter's favorite, the "seven minute climb" at Afton.

The hikes last about an hour right after the skiable snow is gone but extend to about three hours by August. Weather (and bugs) determine lengths, as temps can get high by mid-morning in July. The pace is moderate, allowing for plenty of conversation, but hill repeats and optional bounding can quickly get the heart rates up. Scott Sjoquist and Chad Geise actually seemed to like repeats on the Hyland ski jumping hill.

But Level 1 is the norm, as is the use of "compaction," when those in front simply turn around and "catch back" those following, thus the last become first.

And given the backgrounds and interests of many of the hikers, it was no surprise when two-way radios and GPS units became a part of each session. These allow the group to stay together and yield an accurate record of time, route and distance for each hike.

Unlike some training groups and programs, none of these hikers feel they have outperform others, or even need to complete the entire route. The recent soupy weather saw many hikers cut their walks short. Level of conditioning, personal goals, and time constraints all serve to regulate the time spent. Buhr simply likes to hike and get to know the parks. This writer often limits his hike to about two hours.

"There is no problem with that," says Ralph Bache, who rarely misses a workout. "We all know what's best for us at any given point in our training." Ralph hosted last fall's social on his boat on the St. Croix River.

Leaving early, though, may cause you to miss what some for some may be the best part of the morning: coffee and good conversation at a nearby deli or coffee shop. After all, it's called Women and Men Who Ski - and drink coffee. Talk over coffee ranges from racing war stories through family news, travel plans and training tips, computer news and childhood memories.

Also discussed are spontaneous bike rides and the more structured North Shore training weekend in September. Karen Roesler, an attorney for Hennepin County, has headed up this trek for several years. Extended hikes that use the North Shore Trail system and center on Gooseberry Falls State Park involve about a dozen hikers and feature great campfire sessions. Karen reports that Steve Gaskill helped to get this concept off the ground when he came to the Twin Cities.

All in all, perhaps counselor Steve Casey's personal summary of why he gets up every Saturday fits the group the best: "I'm at an age where I need a little push. Knowing there's a good group ready to go each Saturday helps to get me going. It's easier to do it with a group than it is alone. On my own, an hour and a half usually sees me looking for my car, but on Saturday the expectation is that you'll stay with the group."

An informal poll of the group yielded some interesting information about the hikers and it may help you to decide to come along on the next hike:

• The average hiker is 46 years old, has been skiing for 16+ years and is working in a professional/technical field, often with an emphasis on computers;
• Their favorite hiking site is Afton State park, with William O'Brien a close second, and, interestingly, Hyland, though often visited, was not mentioned by anyone as a favorite;
• Mora's Vasaloppet 35 Km freestyle race is the group's favorite contest, with the Birke(both long and Korte) coming in second;
• The hikers make about two hikes per month on average, though there is a core of about a dozen avid trainers who rarely miss, and they report 45 minutes as the time they are usually willing to travel for a hike;
• Their reasons for getting up early on Saturday are varied, but center on being up anyway, liking mornings and missing traffic, and being able to use the rest of the day for other things. Perhaps coach John Strand of Roseville High School sums it up best by saying, "I like the company and the coffee."
• They do many other ski specific workouts, as many of them have ties to the Finn Sisu training groups, but they also list biking, paddling and strength workouts as off-season training.

Dennis (Denny) Nelson coached at Coon Rapids High School for 18 seasons before retiring. He's still very active in the ski community, volunteering at Champlin Park and area races, and can usually be found in the Fall working out with the WAM-XC group.

Related links

• WAM-XC Website