Cross country skiing at the Exhibition Grounds in Courtenay, BC

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

We usually cross country ski at Mount Washington but with the cold temperatures and recent snowfalls we have been cross country skiing at the Exhibition Grounds in Courtenay. This area has some wide open fields so gets lots of sun and we have set some tracks in one area. The powdery snow has meant that the tracks needed a few passes to compact but now we have some nice tracks to ski which are just 5 minutes from home. If readers have other places where they ski locally in the Comox Valley let us know since we are interested in trying out some other areas which may have some ski tracks on them.  Not sure how long the local cross country skiing will last this year but rain is forecast for Sunday , January 2. So we plan to get out some more today- Dec 31 and again tomorrow before the rain changes everything.  See you on the trails.

Checking out the waterfalls in some Vancouver Island Provincial Parks

 by Keith and Heather Nicol

With all of the rain that has been falling on Eastern Vancouver Island recently we decided to check out the waterfalls at two provincial parks near Parksville on Friday, Oct 29.  So we left Courtenay and headed south on the Inland Highway in some rare bright sunshine. First up was Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park and we parked at a small parking lot at coordinates 10 U 0387129 E and 5463551 N.  We walked around a 2 km loop that featured a couple of bridges (see photo below) and several roaring waterfalls of varying sizes (see photo below). We loved all the shades of green in the vegetation and the gorge cut by the river is very impressive. The trail is suited to a wide variety of hikers and we saw several groups enjoying the fall colours. Next up was Englishman River Falls Provincial Park which is located about 30 minutes away near Errington, B.C. We parked in the main parking lot (coordinates 10 U 0403651 E 5459385 N) where there are a variety of picnic tables and shelter. They also have a looped trail that is about 1.6 km long and two scenic waterfalls.  Again the trail is suited to a wide range of walkers. The upper falls has cut an interesting knife like gash in the rock (see photo below) and below the second bridge there is a side trail to be a deep pool that would be nice to dip into in the summer on a hot day. These areas are well worth a visit at any time of year but there are still some fall colours which will brighten your trip.

 

 

Let roller skiing get you in top cross country ski form before the snow flies

By Keith and Heather Nicol

   Roller skis are a great training tool and many people use them to maintain their cross country ski skills through the summer and fall. But you can also really improve your cross country skiing using roller skis so that when you start the new ski season you are way ahead of where you left off last winter. Lets look at some problem areas for many classic skiers who are want to improve their diagonal stride. Some of my most popular you tube videos over the past couple of years have been related to correcting the shuffle and the lunge in classic skiers. Both the shuffle and the lunge are very common amongst classic skiers and the majority of classic skiers that I see through the winter do one or the other.  With shuffling the skier keeps both skis on the pavement and it is more of a walking motion than a skiing action. With the lunge  my lead foot gets way out ahead of my body and again I am quite upright.

                 Lunging is very common in many xc skiers       Shuffling (both skis always on the pavement) is also very common

To correct the shuffle and the lunge we need to think about pushing down and back and we can use the bouncy knee and coffee cup drills to begin to get the feeling of striding from ski to ski. The following video shows how roller skis work and how to do the bouncy knee and coffee cup drills-  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BDwJxLFzxc   Other drills shown in this video for developing balance on a single ski are the scooter drill or the scooter drill with both skis on. I really like the scooter drill with both skis on since with these roller skis you can adjust the brake to give you more glide or more grip on each ski so that you keep you speed under control and learn how to develop the 1 footed balance needed to stride. When we stride we want to ski from ski to ski (see photo below) and the bouncy knee, scooter and coffee cup drills are stages in the learning progression.  Once you improve you can leave the shuffle and lunge behind for good.  Thanks to Jenex Roller skis for their help with this video. Also if you would like help with your roller or snow skiing (either on line or in person) you can contact me at k2nicol@gmail.com

 

Getting started with classic roller skiing

By Keith and Heather Nicol

Roller skiing is an ideal way to get ready for the cross country ski season but it takes some practice to be able to feel comfortable while roller skiing. After all pavement is a lot harder than snow. If you are new to classic roller skiing I suggest that you have a look at these 3 wheeled roller skis by Jenex the XL125RC.  Since they have 3 wheels they make balancing easier than a traditional classic roller ski with 2 wheels. I suggest that you start out with your roller skis on grass trying some of the exercises like balancing on a single ski and making small step turns. That way you can get comfortable with roller skis in an environment where if you fall you won’t likely get hurt. 

 Once you get on pavement try the scooter drill – with one ski on and pushing back with the foot with no ski on it. Remember to try to align your toe, knee and nose over the ski that is gliding (See photo above) Be sure to switch skis so that you practice balancing on each both your right and left ski. Next with both skis on try striding – working on developing the one footed balance from ski to ski. The Jenex XL125RC can be obtained with a brake which I suggest especially for skiers new to roller skiing. By keeping your speed under control with the brake you can develop the balance and coordination needed to stride on roller skis without moving too fast. Once you are at ease with classic skiing with the brake on you can reduce the braking action so that you glide further with each stride as seen here.   As you improve and want to go faster think about getting more power by pushing down and back – as your striding leg leaves the pavement you should have a straight line between your leg and torso as seen in the photo below. By practicing no poles classic roller skiing you will be ready to glide in the tracks when the snow falls.  Also wear appropriate safety equipment like a helmet, possibly knee and elbow pads and start out on flat smooth pavement where you can’t get going too fast. If you would like on line or in person coaching to improve your roller skiing contact me at k2nicol@gmail.com. For a video on these drills and exercises see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmZsgHIzKA4  

 

 

October Full Moon rise from Air Force Beach , Comox, BC

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

One of the disadvantages of living in the Comox Valley is that you don’t get a chance to see the sun dropping off into the horizon in the evening. Sunsets in this area can be nice as the setting sun undercuts any clouds that are in the area but a classic sunset (with the sun disappearing below the horizon) can’t be seen due to the Beaufort Mountains. But we do have moon rises which come up over the Salish Sea and so we have taken to seeing the full moon rise whenever the weather cooperates. Our favourite place to see the full moon rise is the Air Force Beach Parking area and this gives us a good view of the various Gulf Islands, the Sunshine Coast and the mountains of the BC mainland that lie behind.  Below is a shot of the Hunter’s Moon rising on October 19, the day before the actual full moon. 

   Of course like the sun, the full moon doesn’t always rise in the same place each month so the back drop to your views and pictures will always be different. As well the clouds are often different so this adds another variation to each month’s offering.  To find out the date of the full moon and where it will be in the sky check out this web site: https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/canada/comox. For newcomers to this area Air Force Beach take Kilmorley Road and be sure to drive past the turn off to Kin Beach.  Turn right on Air Force Beach Road and continue to the end.  See you for the next full moon and bring a tripod and telephoto lens for the best pictures. The next full moon is tonight and is appropriately called the  Hunter’s Moon. Check it out!

 

Great Fall Colours at Millard Creek in Courtenay, B.C.

 By Keith and Heather Nicol

  Fall is at its peak right now and on Sunday, October 17 we took advantage of some changeable weather to get in a photogenic hike at Millard Creek. Millard Creek is located in the southern part of Courtenay just off of Highway 19A. We parked at Millard Road where there is a parking lot and several new benches have been built which look out to the Comox Estuary. The coordinates of the parking lot are: 49 39.916 N, 124 58.284 W. The trail starts near the parking lot and a real bonus of this trail is that it has a small brochure with 10 interpretative signs which cover various topics related to salmon, the old railway that traversed this area as well as explaining aspects of the vegetation. Look the brochures in a plastic waterproof holder at near the start of the trail. In the photo below Heather is looking at a sign which dicusses the salmon life cycle - stop #9 in the brochure.

 There are numerous big leaf maple in the area and they have showered down lots of leaves along the trail but there are still lots of leaves left on the trees at this point in time. There is a small bridge which fords Millard Creek but we saw no signs of salmon swimming upstream. We saw many people on the trail including a number of families and this trail is also used by cyclists. We walked as far as 31^st Street which would offer another starting point for the walk but it only has 4 parking places so can fill up quickly. The walk to this point is almost 1 km so the return trip can be done in 30 -45 minutes. The fall leaves are well worth checking out since with our windy rainy weather of late they won’t last.  Thanks to the Millard-Piercy Watershed Stewards and the Rotary Club for putting together the brochure.