What We Learned In West Yellowstone
By: Kevin Johnson
Factory Team – Salomon/Swix tech
Salomon Pilot Equipe Classic Bindings are the 1st choice!
The Factory Team’s Kristina Strandberg won the West Yellowstone SuperTour’s women’s 8km classic race by an astounding 50 seconds. While she was warming up for the race, she tested two pairs of Equipe 10 Classic skis. Both seemed to provide excellent kick and good glide. Which pair would she race on? Her decision was easy. One pair had the bumper-less SNS Pilot binding; the other still had the older SNS Profil binding. The bumper-less Pilot classic binding provides such an advantage over the older style that there was really no choice. The Pilot Equipe Classic Binding provides better ski feel, more responsive kick, more stability and better ski control than any bumpered binding.
After the race, Kristina said that she wasn’t sure which pair of skis actually was faster, but she likes the feel and kick of the Pilot classic binding so much that her decision was made easily. You can bet that for the rest of the season all of Kristina’s classic skis will have Salomon Pilot Equipe Classic Bindings installed.
Squeaky Snow and Snow Temperature
Is it ever warm in the morning in West Yellowstone? One time in West Yellowstone I remember waking up and thinking that it was almost balmy outside; it was June! One great thing about this place is that it almost always warms up in the afternoon.
The air temperature started out right around zero degrees Fahrenheit (-18C) for both days of racing last week, but warmed up to the mid-twenties (-5C) by the afternoon. We typically also look at snow temperature when selecting race wax for both kick and glide and this was the factor of greatest importance when we chose the wax for these races.
For measuring temperatures we used 2 Swix Snow Thermometers (T0095) placed side-by-side; one sticking ½ inch into the snow, the other sticking out of the snow to read the air temperature. In the morning the snow temperature was zero degrees Fahrenheit, just like the air. But as the air warmed, the snow temperature didn’t really change much during the whole day; especially in the shade. Had we paid attention to air temperature alone, we likely would change wax one or more times, but our wax stayed consistently excellent throughout the day. When the snow is as cold as it was, Swix LF3 Cold Powder and VR30 Kick Wax are typically excellent choices. These cold waxes performed well throughout the day from early morning well into the afternoon giving our athletes incredibly fast skis with great kick.
West Yellowstone SuperTour
Classic Women 8+Km
1st Kristina Strandberg- Factory Team - Salomon Skis Boots Bindings - 22:01
2nd Laura Valaas - US Ski Team - Salomon Skis Boots Bindings - +50.07
3rd Polina Ermoshina - U of New Mexico - +50.09
Classic Men 16 km
1st Leif Zimmerman - US Ski Team - 38:31
2nd Andrew Johnson - Craft +8.7
3rd Ben True - SVSEF + 14.0
4th Garrott Kuzzy - Team CXC - Salomon Skis Boots Bindings - + 18.2
5th Michael Sinnott - Factory Team - Salomon Skis Boots Bindings - + 18.9
Sprint Men
1st Garrott Kuzzy - Team CXC - Salomon Skis Boots Bindings
2nd Mike Sinnott - Factory Team - Salomon Skis Boots Bindings
3rd Dave Chamberland - MWSC - Atomic Skis Boots SNS Bindings
Sprint Women
1st Laura Valaas - US Ski Team - Salomon Skis Boots Bindings
2nd Karin Caminish - Switzerland
3rd Katie Ronsee - U of Denver
