Goldstream Sports Newsletter 07-02-Vol2

February Newsletter, Volume 2

Just when you think Mother Nature has given us an easy winter, she throws us a last reminder that we live in one of the coldest climates, but with the cold comes beautiful natural phenomena like the sundog, and the Aurora borealis. You can't see these effects while inside your house, so why not go night skiing or visit a cabin. We have the ski equipment to get you out there, so come on in and get set up with a backcountry ski package today. And, bring a copy of this newsletter to take advantage of our in-store sale items.

Sale Item - All skis, boots and poles 25% - 50% off!

Salomon boots and skis up to 50% off, Karhu skis 50% off, All poles up to 50% off. Take advantage of our special early bird sale for Newsletter recipients, bring in a copy of the newsletter for great deals.

Feature item –Toko Thermo Bag

Throughout the colder months the coarse cold snow calls for a hard wax. You may have noticed the frequency at which you re-apply the wax. One way to cut down on the frequency is to add a warmer wax as a base layer for the cold wax to adhere to.

Another way to increase the staying power of the cold wax is to use the Thermo Bag. The Thermo Bag keeps the waxed skis overnight at a constant 59C (138.2F), keeping the wax liquid and allowing it to soak into the bases, equating to around 6 coats of wax. A second Thermo Bag with a cold wax on top allows the cold wax to deeply penetrate the ski base and adhere to the warm wax, allowing a larger amount of wax to stay within the base pores, and therefore last longer.

Tech Tip - Brushing out skis

Brushing out skis removes excess dirt before you apply wax, and removes excess wax from the bases making your glide smoother. Brushing should always be done in the direction of glide, so from tip to tail. This makes sure that any loose fibers in the bases remain flat in the direction of glide. The softer horsehair brush polishes the ski base nicely and will remove a fair amount of wax.Copper brushes get wax and dirt out of bases a lot quicker than horsehair. If you skijor or mush, you may want to have two brushes; one to clean the poop off, and one to brush the wax out of the ski.

Help Wanted - Full and Part-time

We are looking for bike enthusiasts with strong people skills to work full and part-time in the store. Come and work in a fun atmosphere, with flexible schedule and get great discounts. Drop your resume in at the store or call 455 6520.

Yukon Arctic Ultra

This ultra marathon race starts in Whitehorse each year on the second Sunday in February; the same day as the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. The race follows the Quest trail and includes classes running over 26, 100, 300 and 460 miles. The race is by foot, bike, ski or skijor, and your method probably lets others in on your madness.

The marathon race finishes at the Takhini Hot Springs, while the 100-mile racers go from Whitehorse to Braeburn. The 300-mile racers will keep on going all the way to Pelly Farms. There they will leave the river to turn around and go back to Pelly Crossing on the farm road. The 460-mile athletes continue on the Quest trail to Dawson City.

The trail is marked, however, if there is fresh snow or a lot of wind it is often difficult to find the trail. The use of a GPS is encouraged and trail co-ordinates and other information on the racecourse is available on the race website.

This year the race faced challenges of temperatures plummeting down to –61 temperatures (at these temps it doesn’t matter if it is Celsius or Fahrenheit), causing the longer distance racers to hunker down and run during the warmer parts of the day. Four athletes racing towards the end of the long race had covered 17 miles in 24 hours, prompting the shortening of the race to 330 miles.

Of the 43 athletes that started the 4 different races, 32 competitors completed the various distances. All but one of the finishers were on foot this year, with one skier completing the marathon.

This is a race for serious endurance competitors, and for those with a good knowledge in winter survival. For more information on the race visit www.arcticultra.de/.

Event Calendar - March 2007

Date	Club	Time Location	Event
3	ASPA	11am Birch Hill	Birch Hill Race
4	NSCA	Anchorage	Tour of Anchorage
6	ASPA	6pm Creamer's Field	Fun Race #6
9-11	ADMA	11am Mushers Hall	Limited North American Champs
10	UAF	10am UAF	Skiathon
17		Nenana - Fairbanks	Equinox Ultra Ski
18	ASPA	4pm Creamers Field	Orienteering Race
24	NSCF	Birch Hill	Sonot Khaazoot
24	ASPA	11am Mushers Hall	Fun Race #7 and BBQ
31	NSCF	Birch Hill	Ski For Women
31	ASPA	Lee's Cabin	Lee's Cabin
FCC - Fairbankc Cycle Club - SCC - Salcha Ski Club; ASPA - Alaska Skijor and Pulk Association ; NSCF - Nordic Ski Club Fairbanks; NSCA - Nordic Ski Club Anchorage; ADMA - Alaska Dog Mushers Association