CXC Elite Team Blog

Updates from nygrenk RSS Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

• nygrenk 4:21 pm on April 5, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  Crust Skiing 

  Nygren

  

  With the last races of the season completed Santi and I headed out Sunday morning for some amazing crust skiing in Sun Valley before we started the long drive home.  With copious snow and warm afternoon temps the snow had hardened into a strong crust that not even pole plants would penetrate.  With such conditions it was possible to ski anywhere so we parked up by Galena and headed into the National forest.

  

  We found some sweet clearings with fun terrain.

  

  Skiing up and making some turns coming down.

   

  

  We took off the skis to climb some really step sections and then came flying down.  Here Santi is below and I am still up on the rock face.

  

  It was a blast and a great way to speed our last moments on snow.
   

  Reply Cancel reply

  Required fields are marked *

  Name *

  Email *

  Website

  

  Notify me of follow-up comments via email.

• nygrenk 6:28 pm on March 9, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  A “Zero” Day 

  Nygren

  

  I typically check the weather forecast before going to bed and last night when I saw  32 F and snowing for today I got me excited.  With 6 x 4 min level 4 classic interval planned I knew it would be a perfect day to test my Salomon Zeros.  Having grown up just south of Minneapolis and skiing at Eldora Resort in Colorado in college I am used to cold snow.  As  a result I feel I have my cold, hard wax classic skis and cold skate skis dialed.  I know exactly how they will perform in different cold snow conditions and when one will likely out perform another.  When the temperature rises, however, I get less confident.

  This fall I got a great pair of new Salomon Zeros and I have been anxiously awaiting a good day to really test them out.  Zeros are a classic ski with different base material in the kick zone that is designed to be roughed up and then the little hairs that stick up provide great kick around 32 F or 0 C (Zeros).

  

  Last night I roughed up the kick zone with 150 grit sand paper on an orbital sander.  The choice of grit, direction and mode of sanding can be fine tuned to a science but what I did seemed to work great.  Next, I coated the kick zone with silicon.  This provides lubrication so the little hairs can grip the snow but don’t stick to it.   A similar sanding/lubricating process can be done to normal classic skis and the resulting skis are typically called hairies.  With a specifically designed kick surface Zeros often work better but hairies can also work.

  Once out on the trails I was amazed.  There was an inch of fresh, wet, snow ball packing snow on the trail and a little snow in the air but kick and glide was perfect.  Hard wax would have slipped and klister would have iced terribly.  The intervals went great as I was able to kick up even the steepest hill and glide well.  I don’t often ski in condition around 0 C but I now can be confident that if I wake up race morning to tricky wax conditions with  fresh, wet snow around 32 I will have great skis.  I am willing to bet the top skiers today in the Junior Olympic classic race at Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis went out on Salomon Zeros.
   

• nygrenk 10:01 pm on January 18, 2011 Permalink | Reply  

  Nygren   Skiing in Minnesota the pa… 

  Nygren
  

   

  Skiing in Minnesota the past weeks since Nationals has been nothing short of spectacular.  There is more snow then I can ever remember and trails all around the cities are  pristine.  Under such conditions it is fitting that the next two weekends of Supertour races are here.

  

  Women's start last year at Wirth

  This coming weekend should prove exciting with Supertour racing down town at Theodore Wirth Park.  Saturday is a 5/10k individual start skate races and Sunday follows up with a 10/15k mass start classic race.   It is fun to race in a more urban area and hopefully the close proximity will turn out a good crowd.  If you are looking for something to do this weekend do not hesitate to come down the Theodore Wirth .  This weekend should also be a good test run for Junior Nationals which will take place here later this winter.

   

   

  

  Exhausted after Regionals in Houghton freshmen year

   

  There might be a lot of snow here but it is nothing compared to what the UP regularly receives.  After Minneapolis racing resumes the following weekend in Houghton, MI.  Houghton offers a great venue and I have really enjoyed racing there in the past.  I am really looking forward to getting back and having some great races .

  

  Nationals in Houghton

   

  With two weekends of racing close at hand I have one more set of intervals on the schedule followed by ski testing and race prep.
   

• nygrenk 6:43 pm on December 5, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

  A Blue Bird Day at Bohart 

  Nygren

  

  I am headed back to Minnesota Monday to prepare for US National after three solid weeks of training in West Yellowstone.  The best way home is to fly out of Bozeman since the team van is headed north to Canada for some races.  Coincidentally my brother Hans attends Montana State in Bozeman so I am spending  the weekend with him in Bozeman before flying home Monday. Yesterday I went up to Bohart Ranch near Bridger Bowl just outside of Bozeman with Hans and the Montana team for an absolutely perfect day of skiing.  The Montana team was hosting their annual Christmas Pole ski races so the places was bustling and the mood was festive.  I had 10 x 90 sec level 4b  and 5 x 90 sec level 4a intervals on the schedule so I got out past the race course  and had an amazing workout on their outer Logger’s Loop.  The skiing was absolutely perfect.  They had recieved a sizable amount of snow a few days earlier and with it perfect grooming and clear blue skies it was definitely one of the best workouts of the year.

  Today I we are going to ski in town at Linley Park .  With many groomed kilometer in town and Bohart just a short drive away I have been extremely impressed with Bozeman.  It has been great ending three weeks on the road in the comfort of my brother’s college house catching up and getting a feel for where he trains.

  Once home the plan is to spend a few days taking it really easy to make sure I am recovered and then get to work preparing for Nationals.  Preparation is going to first involve getting some solid volume in.  Next the volume is going to decrease and I am going to introduce some really hard level 4 intervals. Finally the volume will be almost eliminated and with a few select intervals maintained hopefully I will be peaked ready to rock.

  great hobbies and Rich Heilman are discussing. Toggle Comments

   

  • Rich Heilman 1:36 am on December 6, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Nyg,
    Great to hear that you had one of those “white moment” days on the snow in Montana. Super glad to hear you had some quality time with Hans too. Me and you big bro Erik are busy grooming up Kenwood and getting the Panther ready (and Cougars) for a killer season in MN HS skiing. I’m sure Erik has mentioned it already, but if you want to join us at all for training while you are in MN come on over. We have about 12-14″ so thin, but stable conditions. Murphy may skiable, haven’t been there yet. Keep up the great training and see you soon.

  • great hobbies 2:16 am on December 8, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    There are numerous different hobby suggestions and actions that you could enjoy either in your own or as component of a group.
    hobby ideas

• nygrenk 1:31 am on November 7, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

  Building the Race Form 

  Nygren

  I remember reading an article a few years ago with a line saying, “It’s time to build the race form.”  With a crisp bite to the air in the mornings I have been thinking about that phrase a lot recently. With the first races of the year only weeks away it really is time to start getting into race shape.  For me this means more Level 4 intervals, strength as less of a focus, and a heavy focus on execution.  Executing every workout extremely well so that it has the greatest possible impact is now very important.   I am not saying I am lax the rest of the year but rather extra careful now.  Just like training builds throughout the year so too does focus and execution.  A focus on execution includes morning jogs, eating very well, streaching, icing, napping, hydrating, eating right after training, and hard focused training.

   

  

   

  In an attempt to really get after it I went out and bought a cheap rubber storage bin and have been contrast bathing after every hard workout (2 min ice water, 2 min hot tube, 4 reps).

   

   

  

  I have learned that building race form is about executing and controlling the things you can, letting go of what you can’t, and allowing the years training to develop and pay off.
   

• nygrenk 7:44 pm on October 13, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

  XC Chicago Clinic 

  Karl Nygren

  

  Brian Gregg and I spent last weekend in the fine city of Chicago working with the highly motivated, dedicated skiers of the greater Chicago area.  With the amazing help of Tom Dvoratchek and the Chicago skiers this clinic was the  highest quality,  most comprehensive clinic I have ever done.  The clinic kicked off Saturday morning with an extensive 3 hour classic session.  We started with dry land drill and then transitioned to roller skies with a large emphasis on the double pole and a strong core crunch.

   

  

  One on many breaks to refuel throughout the clinic.

   

   

  With the temp close to 90 we were highly appreciative of Powerbar for sponsoring the event and providing drinks and bars to help keep energy and moral high.

  

   

  After lunch the focus of the clinic shifted to skate.  One of the man ideas here was getting the hip forward and getting a complete weight shift from side to side.   We played around with really throwing our hips to each side to establish a great gliding position.

  

  Later in the afternoon we split up and worked both V2 and V1 in smaller groups.  In was really fun to see the tremendous progress people were making.

  

   

   

   

  The group heading in for the day after a lot of V1 work on Capone’s hill.

  

   

   

   

   

   

   

  To cap off the day we gathered at Benedictine University for a meet and greet ski presentation.  With the help of Regina  and the Sports Phys department the presentation ran extremely smooth and we were able to answer a broad range of questions about life as a skier over pizza in the college lecture hall.

   

  

  Demonstrating single sticking before giving it a try.

   

   

  With a large amount of drills and technique work on Saturday we decided Sunday would have a more training based approach.  After going through our typical warm-up with the skiers we moved into a sampling of workouts.  We started with a speed workout giving people the chance to try starts, transitions and drop-ins.

  Afterward we moved to specific strength and single sticking, core only double pole and double pole.  I hope this gave people a good idea of new workouts to incorporate into their training.

  Thanks to everyone who came out and helped make the clinic a huge success and a great experience.

  

  Andrew Tripp is discussing. Toggle Comments

   

  • Andrew Tripp 1:43 pm on October 14, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Chicago skiers should check out Weston Ski Track for a great urban ski area. Snowmaking and skiing from mid Dec to mid March support a vibrant nordic scene in Boston. Chicago could be ripe for a similar project.

• nygrenk 3:14 am on September 12, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

  Head-to-Head Sprint Work 

  Karl Nygren

  

  

  From the beautiful north woods lakeshore setting of Cresthill Resort to parking lots and suburb roads of Minneapolis training rolls on.  After a great camp up in Hayward the past week and a half a couple of us got together today for a really high quality sprint workout.  With fall weather in the air training is becoming more race specific.  We have been incorporating many short sprints into workouts and some sprint specific workouts to develop some speed.

  

  We have been mixing it up quite a bit to take advantage of all scenarios we might find ourselves in during races.  We practiced some starts head-to-head in a large vacant parking lot and then V1 up a nice kicker.

  I find it really helpful to always have a technique focus every time I get out and ski.  Lately, I have been really trying to get  my hips tucked up and forward while skate.  I have always known they should be forward so my weight is not back but lately I have been trying to get them even further forward so I maintain a better body position.  Technique improvement are always endless so before heading out training decide what nuance of technique you are going to improve.
   

• nygrenk 2:07 pm on August 16, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

  August Camp Rap-Up 

  

  We just rapped up a great two-week training camp in Ironwood, MI.  I have had the opportunity to spend August at training camp in Ironwood the past two summers and have relished every moment of it.  It was definitely hot and humid but after talking to my brother in the Cities I learned just how easy we had it up north by Lake Superior.  The training in Michigan continues to impress me.  Not only are there many good trails and roads but there are also a couple of absolutely exceptional training locations.  We were staying at Big Powder Horn so we had one of the largest alpine hills in the Midwest right out our front door for hill bounding and the adjacent Wolverine ski trails for running.  My favorite spot though was the roller ski climb to Anvil, MI.  I have lived out west and realize we do not have anything close to mountains in the Midwest but the 9 min level 3 climb to Anvil was the perfect workout.  It provided a great V1 pitch step enough that we had to be driven down and great switchbacks and transitions throughout the climb.

  I am home for two weeks now before our next training camp in Hayward, WI in September and excited for a quality recovery week to absorb the amazing training of the past weeks.  The slight lull will be a great opportunity to work a little, catch up with friends and family and put the final touches on my motorcycle.  I have been rebuilding a 78 Honda and am anxious to get out and ride.

  

  kay, Jennie Bender, and BG are discussing. Toggle Comments

   

  • BG 12:19 am on August 17, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Really Karl? Right after gus sent and email asking us to put our name at the top.

  • Jennie Bender 4:26 pm on August 17, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Hahahaha

  • kay 10:15 pm on August 17, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Did you mean wrap up or was that a play on words?

• nygrenk 7:06 pm on July 17, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

  Birkie Trail Work 

  We finished a solid training camp in Hayward , WI this past Thursday.   With a few easy training days, for recovery, scheduled after the camp we hit the Birkie Trail  and got to work.   Yesterday we worked on clearing a new corner on the classic course.  The original corner had proved a little too tight and the pitch was making erosion a problem.  A new path through the trees was cut and we started hauling away the down trees.A lot of the clearing was done by hand but Bill Pierce was also with us in a Bobcat to do some of the heavy lifting.

  Today we drove east on a maze of gravel roads and started cutting trees that were encroaching on the trail.

  Trees that are too close to the trail end up leaning over the trail when weighted with snow and get in the way of both the groomer and skiers.  Every few years a bit of cutting is required to keep the trail looking good.

  A little preemptive action on some large dead or leaning trees was also need to avoid unpredicted falls in the winter.

  This part was definitely a little fun!
   

• nygrenk 2:42 am on July 3, 2010 Permalink | Reply  

  Summer in Paradise 

  It is the middle of summer and I am currently enjoying some time with family up north.  There is nothing quite like MN lake-country and traveling up north to spend some time by the water has always been a family tradition.

  

  I found a great deserted road for a really solid set of levels 3 intervals earlier in the week and ventured out to the nearest high school track to run some 600’s yesterday.  The high school marching band started practicing right on the track with me and gave me the little extra push I needed to finish up the level 4 intervals.  Running a track workout as the sole member of an audience to Billy Joel was definitely a new experience for me.

  

  I have also enjoyed some time on the water.  One of my favorite activities is 4-sqaure on a floating raft.  It is an absolute blast.

  

  My Dad, two brothers and I getting after it.

  The water also provides an opportunity to ski that we take advantage of when the water calms down in the evening.

  

  My Dad showing us how it is done.