The minimal snow conditions in Fairbanks were just enough for the US and Canadian
National Team to train on for a week. But when wet, warm weather moved in on
Sunday, they had no choice but to leave town. The Birch Hill and Salcha ski
trails were skiable all week on only 2 inches of snow, but rain on Sunday made
the conditions at Birch Hill deteriorate in a hurry.
Both National Teams left on Monday to return to their respective headquarters,
which have much more snow. US Ski Team member Andrew Johnson said, "The
warm weather, rain, and general lack of snow in Fairbanks was starting to make
training pretty tough. We got in a solid week of pretty good training. Not the
best conditions but we were able to get the volume we wanted. However, by yesterday
afternoon the ski areas were looking pretty bad. "
Torin Koos reports, “The US and Canadian teams had been training for a week on 15 kilometers of trails in Salcha on 1.8 inches of snowpack. The lack of snow allowed for little more than distance training, although the team did get in one 15 kilometer pace workout last Saturday.
'I was looking to putting in some quality hours, getting to know my new skis,' remarked Wendy Wagner, on her recent switch to Atomic. Â
Trond Nystad credited the 'John the Salcha groomer' for his shoveling and maintaince of the trails. But when the temperatures were barely reaching freezing at night the team changed plans, heading back to Park City. ”