Hot Bed of Snowshoeing: The WMAC Dion Snowshoe Series

Could you have imagined: The rapid adoption of snowshoeing in the USA has led to the growth of multiple snowshoe race series throughout the country. Historically the granddaddy of all series, the Western Massachusetts Athletic Club Dion Snowshoe Series, launches the competitive season in Florida — Florida, Massachusetts that is with their state championship in the Savoy Mountain State Forest. The sheer quantity of snowshoe races in and around Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York leads this geographic area to be one of Snowshoe Magazine’s Hot Beds of Snowshoeing.

What are you doing on Sunday, Dec. 26, the day after Christmas? The WMAC will be racing snowshoes in Woodford, Vt. — The “I Love Woodford” snowshoe race, a nice sentiment after the holiday — the second on the 2010-2011 schedule.

And how will you be recovering Sunday just after New Year’s Day? Why not chase moose in Goshen for five miles, which sounds like a good tonic for some. Left unanswered is — what occurs if you catch one.

The WMAC website is laid out in a systematic and intuitive fashion. Clicking on the race date leads to a picture from the race and, importantly, a link directly to the application to enter. Other information that racers want is handy, too, like finishing orders for recent years and particularly topographical maps showing the racecourses. Will this be the first series to have an Apple App for the iPad and iPhone?

Turner Trail, Pittsfield, is on Saturday, Jan. 8, a nice five miles to prepare for the upcoming back-to-back weekend races. The race essentially goes up for two miles and then down for two miles for a good quadriceps challenge. Two races, two separate weekend days are fun to do but normally difficult to find, but not in this Dion Snowshoe Series.

Saturday, Jan. 15, the Greylock Glen is toeing off in Adams for its 3.7-mile test. On a lean circle course, racers are treated to a big climb up a wall of a mountain as the course starts to turn and get to gather a nice downhill on the trek back. Oh, there is an uphill leading to the finish for a chance to challenge for those positions.

Sunday’s Brave the Blizzard challenges in Guilderland, N.Y. Toe off for the 10 a.m. start then indulge in some platefuls of pancakes at the annual breakfast afterward. You have earned them.  Look for the abominable snowman here who missed breakfast several times a few winters ago (see photo). Some racers, like Leslie Dillion (see photo) really make time on this course.

Next weekend is the Hoot Toot and Whistle in Readsboro, Vt., with its nifty logo. The course is on former narrow track railroad beds, Catamount Trails, the longest snowshoe and XC ski lane around: 300 miles! How about an out-and-back snowshoe ultra?

On Sunday, get to the Constitution Hill Snowshoe race, Lanesboro, with its unique 5.5 km distance. The layout, somewhat like the outline image of a praying mantis, features some nifty down hill jaunts that naturally enough get back at one with those climbs back up.

Center Sandwich, N.H., home of the Side-Hiller USSSA qualifier, closes out the last January weekend with its Saturday competition — giving all a break with its 11 a.m. start — while Curly’s Record Run, races Sunday in Pittsfield. Curly is Albert Voll who enjoyed these same trails on skis.

February opens with the Northfield Mountain 5.3 mile trek on Saturday with its “new” New England Federation Cup championship. Their cool advice on finding the race location: “Go old school — use a map.”

The Saratoga Winterfest 5 km, now in its 12th year in Saratoga Springs, NY, is the weekend’s Sunday event. The race also counts as an Empire Games qualifier.

Wilton New York’s Camp Saratoga shoes off on February 12, a key date in the USSSA qualifying season. This 8.25 km layout features an annual write-up by RD Laura Clark, with such titles as “Saturday the 13th: Another Lucky Day at Camp Saratoga,” and “Cupid Camps Out at Camp Saratoga.” Be there and be a part of her 2011 article . . . and since Valentine’s Day is Monday, maybe you can use the souvenir shirt as a gift, and just skip the candy? Yeah, right, and get a well placed crampon in return! (see happy finisher).

In this hotbed of snowshoeing even with this busy schedule thus far, there are still two more weekends full of races. Saturday February 19 is a second event in Lanesborough, the Moby Dick racing for 7.2 miles over a squeezed loop featuring every hill the Mt. Greylock Reservations offers. Their logo is the only one in snowshoeing featuring a large — but happy — whale with snow on top.

Following in West Hawley on Sunday, the Hallockville Orchard has its challenging out and back course testing snowshoers. No wonder Northeast snowshoe racers do well at national competitions: It is in those hills they climb at these races, with some flat, speedy courses thrown in for good measure.

Saturday, February 26, features the Northeast Championship for the season’s second event in Northfield. Sunday is a return visit to West Hawley for the Moody Spring 5.5, a mix of groomed ski trails and single track to keep the snowshoer’s interest. Like many of these events, bring your own liquids for the time on the trails.

Hawley closes out the point’s season on Sunday with the Kiln Klassic. Held in the Dubuque Forest, the course is a single-track lover’s dream for its five miles.

The season closes with a non-points race, the USSSA National Championship (see photo, 2010) celebrated this year in Cable, Wisconsin, located in the heart of the Midwest’s hot bed of snowshoeing.

One has to enjoy the tone of the WMAC DION snowshoe racing such as that found in their list of races: “Winter Weather changes things, we are flexible,” encouraging racers to check back often.

The series also features a ‘Shoer of the Week listing, for example, Konrad Karolczuk who was the first racer to finish 100 of their events. Then Abby Mahoney was honored as she scored 14 consecutive wins no doubt leading to groans whenever she lines up for registration. Special mention, too, for the Sidehiller Acidotic racers who made up more than 20 per cent of the field at the Moby Dick and the Hallockville Orchard races. There the youngest series snowshoer, London Niles, finished 20 races at age twelve while Bob Dion, wearing his famous snowshoes, completed his 100th. What about the incomparable Richard Busa, the oldest competitor, finishing his 100th race also. These highlights are fun to read and no doubt for the recipients, fun to get.

Dave Dunham compiles a weekly milestones page, which has to take an enormous amount of time, but must be deeply appreciated by those mentioned and those who aspire to be mentioned. The page is full of names and points but to mention just one: Jim Johnson tied Richard Bolt for the most consecutive wins in a season with four.

Showing the cordiality of snowshoe racing and events, the site links to the Granite State Snowshoe Series a nice bit of neighborly flavor.

That WMAC races events in a Hot Snowshoeing environment is without question, as long as they do not burn all the snow off.

www.runwmac.com

www.snowshoeracing.com

Ideas? Write phillipgary@snowshoemag.com

See Phillip’s new book: HARMONIZING; Keys to Living in the Song of Life – www.iHarmonizing.com

Top two photos: courtesy Paul Partridge

Camp Saratoga photo: courtesy of the race

USSSA 2010 National Championship: courtesy Ultra Superior Media

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