Twenty eight eager canoeists and three kayakers departed from the boat launch at Laurier Park at 12:30 pm. in ideal canoeing weather, slightly overcast and pleasantly warm with a slight breeze. After paddling 16 kms in approximately two and a half hours on the North Saskatchewan they arrived at Goldbar and were transported by bus back to Laurier Park. The canoeists were treated to some of the most spectacular views of downtown Edmonton.
At Laurier Park they were joined by over forty other club members for a midsummer BBQ. Good food, great weather, no mosquitoes and fellowship were the order of the day.
Special thanks to Art Switner, Bill and Joan Webber, Archie Childs, Gord and EstherOaks, John Valentin and Maria Yakula for their help in making this event a very enjoyable experience for all those that attended.
As many of our members know, our photo albums have been hosted on the RMSSC Facebook site since mid-February. To see all the albums there, click on this link:
If you are a Facebook member and click on the “Like” button, Facebook will automatically post any new RMSSC pictures or videos to your wall. It’s a good way to keep up to date with all the new pictures. Plus, you can comment on any picture. There are already over 160 photos in the 2010 Biking album (click on the Photos tab and then 2010 Biking), plus a couple of videos (click on the Video tab) of our bike trip to Canmore.
If you aren’t a Facebook member, no problem. You can still see all the albums and videos that are posted there.
Attention all golfers! The RMSSC is planning a golf tournament and supper to be held at Montgomery Glen Golf Club (formerly Wetaskiwin Golf Club) on Wednesday, September 15th. For an entry fee of $80, all golfers will be treated to pre-game coffee and muffins, 18 holes of golf (Texas scramble), shared power cart, steak supper, prizes and lots of laughs. Tee-off is at 10 a.m. with a shotgun start. As always, all levels of golfers – and non-golfers – are welcome. More information, including directions to the course, can be found by clicking on this link:
To enter, please print off the entry form below and send it, with your payment, to the address indicated. Deadline for entries is September 1st. If you have any questions, contact Mike Tansey.
This year the club is again organizing a Canoe Trip and BBQ on Wednesday Aug. 4. The information and registration forms are included in the June newsletter or they can be downloaded by clicking on the link below. Canoeheads (the supplier of the canoes and transportation) can only supply 14 rental canoes (maximum of 28 canoeists) but this year they are capable of transporting a limited number of personal canoes or kayaks back to Laurier Park at a cost of $25 (includes 2 seats on the bus). In addition, if anyone wishes to use their personal canoe or kayak and make arrangements for their own transportation you are more than welcome. The only cost you would incur is the cost of the BBQ.
Everyone is welcome to join the BBQ at Laurier Park at 4:30 pm. This is a great opportunity to renew acquaintances and enjoy a delicious BBQ.
If you are planning to only attend the BBQ, you also need to send in the registration form.
If you have any questions, please call Klaus Kyritz @ 780.458.0293 or Maria Yakula @ 780.717.1299
Canoe Info And Sign-Up
With the end of the ski season we can now look forward to a summer of biking! The RMSSC biking group is set to start on Tuesday, May 4 at Hawrelak Park. If you indicated that you want to be a part of the biking group, you will already have received an email from Bob Holzer with the May schedule.
We have also published the 2010 edition of the RMSSC Biking Group Manual. Members who have signed up to participate in biking will be given a hard copy of the manual when they show up for biking. It is strongly recommended that all cyclists read this manual!
If you want an electronic copy, you can click here:
Our video collection keeps growing! Those members who were on the bus trip home will remember the dvd that Bob produced of our Silver Star trip. You can see the photos by going to our photos page. Now you can see the video, complete with steamy footage of the hot tub snowball fight.
The front page of the February 2010 edition of the Edmonton Senior newspaper featured a large colour photo of RMSSC members enjoying themselves at Sun Peaks last year. The “Top of the World Warming Hut” never looked so good, with all those smiling faces in front of it! Nice plug for the Club. Thanks Edmonton Senior!
Click on this link to view the page as a pdf file:
For those who were on the Marmot Ski Improvement trip, the videos that Bob took over the first 3 days (and shown at the Wednesday night dinner) are now posted on the website. Click on the Photos tab, above, then on the Marmot Videos link, or just click HERE. There are a total of 6 YouTube videos posted – 3 of the Fun Race, 2 of the lesson groups, and 1 of just general skiing by club members. Hope you see yourself!
Twenty-six eager racers took part in the Marmot fun GS race on Wednesday, January 27th. This was almost a quarter of all the participants on the tour, so it should be considered a great success. The race was held on the lower part of Dromedary, which enabled novice racers to take part without fear of imperiling life and limb.The slope and course favoured the “technical” skiers, rather than the speed demons, but a good time was had by all. Congratulations to all who entered!
Of all the gear we use to participate in alpine skiing, none is as important as the boot. This is the connection between your body and your edges. The Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance teaches the importance of stance and balance when skiing. It starts with your boots. Think of your ski boots like a car. There’s a wide variety available. Race cars have quick positive unforgiving steering and stiff suspension. Race boots are stiff and unforgiving. Race cars are hard to get in and out of and so are race boots. Simply put – the quicker the reaction, the less forgiveness and the tighter the fit.
Manufacturers are finally telling us what models in their lines are narrow, ( usually 98 mm. & narrower,) which models are in the medium fit group, (100 mm. & up) and the wide body ( 102 mm. & up) for the heavy, wide foot. This is called “the last” of the boot. Along with “the last” of the boot, manufacturers are also indicating the flex index of each model. Eighty flex is the softest and approximately 130 flex is the stiffest. It is important to take your time with a good boot fitter to endeavor to find the right boot for you. A expert boot fitter should:
First look at your feet. Is your foot wide or narrow? Do you have a high arch or high instep? Does your foot pronate or supinate, and do you have bunions, bone spurs, low calf, heavy calf, bow legged, or knock kneed etc.?
They should ask about your skiing. What kind of a skier are you? How often do you ski? What are your skiing goals? Did you have a price range in mind? Remember – boots are the single most important piece of ski equipment and they will last you many, many years. Perhaps this is not the time to be frugal.
Here’s what you should look for:
Can I get it on and off?
Can I flex the boot, when I am wearing it, so my knees go over the toes of the foot?
Do I feel balanced and in an athletic position when the boots are on?
Do I feel like my knees are being pushed to the inside or outside? The upper cuff should be able to be adjusted to the angle of your leg.
Is the shop willing to work with you if I have fit problems after having skied in the boot for a few days?
They should explain how to look after your boots so you can get many years of enjoyable skiing out of them.
Just a couple of other thoughts – Custom foot beds really improve fit, performance and warmth. If you suffer from cold feet the electric boot heaters really work. Don’t over tighten your boots. This cuts off circulation and causes cold feet. Hope this helps.
“THINK SNOW” Milt Gilmour
Milt Gilmour is a club member. He is a partner in Totem Men’s Wear and Ski Shop, in Jasper, and Jasper Source for Sports. He is a CSIA Instructor and has worked with our groups at the Marmot Ski Improvement Tours in recent years. This article will also appear in the March newsletter. Thanks for the information Milt!
