Quick Overview of this newsletter:

1. ❄️ Ice Storm Update
2. 🎿 Christmas Gift To Myself - XC Ski Set!!!!
3. ⛷️ Where I Learned to Ski - Breckenridge, Mammoth, & Shasta
4. 🧤 Associated XC Ski Gear
5. ✨ 2023 Re-cap Continued: Blog Posts with Longest Read Time

Hello from the other side of the great Oregon Ice Storm of 2024!

What started out cute and fun turned out to be much more dangerous and overwhelming than anticipated. And when I mean dangerous, I personally witnessed the top third of a mature frozen pine tree snap off and spear the roof and first floor of my neighbor’s house. I had no idea how bad it was at the time, but I went over and brought my neighbors inside to the warmth of our house until a friend came by to get them (luckily, no injuries occurred). With power outages, falling limbs, and more, we quickly learned how important winter preparation is. We had many good things in place, but can do much more for future storms of this severity. Safe and warm now, a thorn of experience… is exactly what we just experienced.

And to think that I was hoping to go cross-country skiing this last weekend! Too funny, but now we have a good base of snow in the cascades and will surely enjoy the groomed runs in the coming weeks. Onto a lighter subject, I dedicate most of the rest of this newsletter to cross-country/XC/Nordic skiing!

Happy Travels,

Hanna

Christmas Gift To Myself - XC Ski Set!!!!

Big Nordic should be sponsoring me for how much I bring up cross-country skiing to anyone and everyone who will listen. I’m not even great at the sport, yet I have a great time gliding through the trees, and I want everyone who enjoys hiking to try it. Since I’m not about to give it up anytime soon, my partner and I opted to get ourselves/each other a cross-country ski set instead of other Christmas presents. EEEE! So, so excited!!

We opted for simplicity and went with an XC Ski Package instead of trying to figure out and buy the components individually. Not only did this save a ton of time, but it also saved us some dough because the packages were on sale. I opted for the 2024 Rossignol Evo Tour XT 60 Positrack package with one boot upgrade from XC Ski HQ. With this starter set, I can upgrade individual parts as I learn more. And in the meantime, I am relieved to have a set of my own. No more trying to figure out where to rent from or burning daylight while filling out forms and waiting to be fitted from rentals at a resort. It is freeing, and I cannot wait to take them for a glide!

Where I Learned to Ski - Breckenridge, Mammoth, & Shasta

I learned to cross-country ski in Breckenridge, Colorado. While I have the whole story in my Breckenridge blog post, I’ll give you the shortened version here. We had just spent the morning downhill skiing… Well, my partner snowboarded for the morning while I did two runs and decided it was too cold on the lifts and too snowy on the hills to even enjoy myself, so I chilled at one of the on-mountain huts with a comically strong cider beverage. After a few more runs, our friend invited us to try cross-country skiing instead. We tried it and were nearly blown off our skis by the vastly different conditions. It was quiet, peaceful, and with very few people around, compared to battling the wind, snow, lift lines, and avoiding people on the mountain.

We went XC skiing twice during that initial trip, and I would say that I picked it up pretty well by the end of the first day and could do one or two “blue” runs by the second day. Having hiking fitness and knowing how to downhill ski gave me an advantage, but I believe that most people would be able to pick it up within two to three days of trying. At the same time, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with sticking to the “green” runs.

Since then, we’ve skied at:

• ​Tamarack XC Skiing, Mammoth Lakes, California: The Mary Lake Loop was phenomenal
• ​Shasta Nordic Center, Mt. Shasta, California: Views of Mt. Shasta, are you kidding me?!
• Hoodoo Ski Resort, Oregon: No blog post yet, but we loved the trails on New Year’s Day, 2023

What to Wear XC Skiing

Another great thing about XC skiing is that you already have the clothing items needed. You don’t need to go out and buy special snow pants, jacket, and helmet. Instead, you simply need light layers appropriate for the current snow temps. While I’m still figuring out my exact favorite outfit to wear, here’s a basic set of clothing items from head to toe:

• Beanie or Ear Covering - I love the photos of my two-pom fleece-lined beanie (it’s from Amazon) because of how unserious it is. It also makes everyone smile when I’m on the trails. But many of REI’s beanies are on sale.
• Thin Base Layer - Could be short or long sleeve. I’ve been wearing an athletic shirt from Old Navy. Bonus points for breathable wool, but you know, work with what you got.
• Long-Sleeve Mid-layer - This could be lightweight, like the Patagonia’s Capilene Midweight Base Layer, or a heavier option, the Patagonia Re-Tool Fleece Pullover in colder conditions.
• Vest - A vest is ideal because it keeps your torso warm while allowing arm mobility. Mine’s an older version of the Patagonia Nano Puff Vest, but consider something from REI, The North Face, or Old Navy for a more affordable option.
• Gloves - Not too thick because your hands may heat up. We’ve also taken back-up lightweight fabric gloves on warmer days. In the Shasta photos, you’ll see I’m not wearing gloves because of how hot it got!
• Fleece-lined Tights - Pants have been the biggest question mark because my legs work hard while nordic skiing and heat up quickly. In Breckenridge and Mammoth, I was wearing fleece-lined tights. I need to test something with wind resistance since that is what others wear. My partner, who runs hot, wears a rain jacket and pants set and seems happy.
• Wool Socks - Something that will keep your feet warm, even when sweating. A friend of mine said she liked the Darn Tough brand, so I’d be curious to try out these socks that are specific for Nordic skiing boots. Tall ankle socks are all you need.

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2023 Re-cap Continued: Blog Posts with Longest Read Time

A different, exciting metric I look at for my blog is which blog posts have the longest average engagement. Or, in simpler terms, which posts people spend the most time on… as in reading. Gasp! Here are the top three blog posts with the longest read time:

1. ​ARIZONA – CAMP AT HAVASUPAI - Different than the “Hike to Havasupai” blog post, which was in the most viewed list, the “Camp at Havasupai” post has a lot of nuance to it and what to expect, versus a skimmable hiking or waterfall blog post. For those new to backpacking or visiting Havasupai for the first time, this blog post may help soothe fears of the unknown.
2. ​PRODUCT REVIEW – TESTING THE ADVENTURE WAGON INTERIOR MODULAR SYSTEM - Yes, this makes sense. If you are seriously considering purchasing an Adventure Wagon modular system, then you would want to comb through every word of my review post… which is also lengthy. I’m a little surprised it’s not the first one.
3. ​ARIZONA – PREPARING FOR A GRAND CANYON RAFTING ADVENTURE - Finally, this is my packing blog post for the Grand Canyon rafting trip. It’s not particularly long, so my guess is that time is adding up because they click on a link to consider a product and then frequently come back to the blog post to look for the next product.