The inaugural Tahoe Rim Tour, on Sunday, Jan. 27, is a fund-raiser for the Far West/Auburn Ski Club Junior Nordic programs. Northstar Resort and Tahoe Cross Country are donating their services to make this tour an incredible winter experience and to help raise money for Tahoe’s young skiers.
The event starts at North Tahoe High School in Tahoe City and finishes at the Northstar Resort Cross-Country Ski & Snowshoe Center.
Classic wave starts at 8:30 a.m., skate and snowshoe wave starts at 9 a.m. Event includes race registration, aid station at Starett Pass (approximately half way point), transportation back to Tahoe City, light lunch and awards.
Distance: 30 Kilometers Cost: $40 pre-registration and $60 day of event Registration: Online at www.Farwestnordic.org
A Q&A with Jeff Schloss In an effort to increase the popularity of “classic skiing” — the traditional form of cross-country skiing, Jeff Schloss organized the inaugural 30-kilometer Tahoe Rim Tour race. The race will take participants from Tahoe City to Northstar-at-Tahoe Sunday morning; the event will raise money for the Far West Nordic junior skiers. The World sat down with Jeff to talk about skiing, the race and the sport’s future:
Tahoe World: What gave you the idea for the race? Jeff Schloss: I wanted to promote classic skiing and there are no long classic races in the Western United States. If you look at the races they’re mostly skate but there’s this whole world of classic skiing that’s fun and challenging. People need a race like this to get motivated to get out there and classic. I want to get people excited about classic skiing but I want skate and snowshoers as well; I want this race to be for everyone. Also, it’s a a point-to-point race which people love.
TW: Have you held any clinics to help Nordic skiers prepare people for the race? JS: Last Saturday, Glenn Jobe, Tav Streit and Ben Grasseschi hosted a classic clinic at Tahoe Cross Country and had a huge turnout. Mostly people who had done a lot of skate skiing were there — excited to work on classic.
TW: Why do you think classic skiing isn’t as popular as skate here? JS: Waxing is very difficult but no-wax skis are an easy alternative.
TW: What do you like to do more skate or classic? JS: I love both kinds. It just makes you a better skier to do both.
TW: Is it true your heart rate gets higher from classic skiing than skate? JS: I know from personal experience I can get my heart rate up higher classic skiing. I also notice that my athletes get their heart rates up higher too.
TW: Why is classic technique important for ski racers to learn? JS: If they trained part of the time classic, it would make them better skaters. Classic skiing is the birth of cross-country skiing, the foundation of the sport. So to be a great cross-country skier you have to classic. It’s just like swimmers you don’t just swim breaststroke you do all the strokes.
TW: Any tips for racers? JS: The biggest thing is to pace yourself. It’s a long a challenging course. It’s going to be 15-kilometers of uphill so have skis that grip well. If you’re going to be out there for three hours or more you might want to bring fluid with you. For skate skiers it will be a great warm-up for The Great Ski Race but it’s not the same course.
TW: Can people can ski the course before the race? JS: The whole course will be groomed (today) and people can ski it as long as they have a trail pass to either Tahoe Cross Country or Northstar. It’s a great chance to see what the course looks like.
TW: What are the awards and prizes? JS: There will be awards for top three in each age group. Prizes from Sierra Nordic and Alpenglow will also be handed out. There will also be a hot meal at the end for all racers.
TW: Any expectations for the race in the future? JS: It has potential to grow into a really big event. I think it could grow to be as big as The Great Ski Race.
TW: Where do people register? JS: Online at www.farwestnordic.org or on race day from 7 to 7:30 a.m. at North Tahoe High School, where the race starts.
Check out tips and a video on classic nordic skiing:
The Experience: If you are going out on Nordic skis for the first time prepare to be amazed at the feeling of serenity it will grant you. There is none of the hustle and bustle of downhill ski resorts. Nordic skiing is done at your own pace and most Nordic facilities provide that still, individualistic feeling of a backcountry experience. But don’t let the peaceful nature fool you-prepare to be sore the next day. You are exercising your quads, hamstrings, calves, shoulders, biceps and triceps. Cross-country skiing is arguably the most effective low impact exercise available, burning anywhere from 400-600 calories an hour. Have fun!
Cross Country Skiing Techniques: The most basic movement in traditional cross-country skiing is the diagonal stride. It is also referred to as the “kick-and-glide” technique. To master this technique start with your skis parallel in the snow and next to each other. Balance your weight over your right ski, pressing the ski into the snow. Now kick off your right foot as though you are kicking a ball along the ground. Allow this motion to carry your right leg forward. At the same time swing your left arm forward, pole in hand. This will allow you to keep your body weight centered over your skis. Glide in this position while shifting your weight to your left ski and preparing to kick off that leg.
Skate Skiing Techniques: Side-glide and side-weight-shift and sideways-leg-push are critical for effective skating. If you get your weight up and over the forward ski (as opposed to sitting back), the ski will glide forward with quite a bit of freedom and power. Balance and edging are the absolute keys to starting the skating motion.
This position along with complete weight transfer from side to side is the foundation of all the skating techniques. Single pole-pushing approach is sometimes called “diagonal poling” because it’s sort of like the poling sequence for classic striding, which is also called diagonal stride. Swinging the shoulders from side to side is a way to help the legs keep going up a steep hill — keep pushing the ski out to the side — to keep the magic of the “side-glide” going. One of the key advantages of ski skating over classic striding and poling is that skating allows a wider adjustment of “gearing” to effectively deliver power at a wider range of speeds because the skate ski can push while gliding on the snow, while the pole tip or striding ski must stop against the snow in order to push.
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The inaugural Tahoe Rim Tour, on Sunday, Jan. 27, is a fund-raiser for the Far West/Auburn Ski Club Junior Nordic programs. Northstar Resort and Tahoe Cross Country are donating their services to make this tour an incredible winter experience and to help raise money for Tahoe’s young skiers. 
A Q&A with Jeff Schloss