12 Days of Christmas

It's back! For the 12 days before Christmas, Wild Rock puts one thing on sale each day! You can check the website or get a notice in your inbox.

Email wildrock@wildrock.net to sign up for notice of what is on sale!

Events:

Dec 3rd - Santa Claus Parade - check out what Wild Rock has done this year!

Dec. 7th - Triathlon Bike Maintenance Clinic. This clinic is specifically designed to address the needs of multisport participants. Learn how to fix a flat with a cartridge, take your bike apart for travel and learn pre-race maintenance. Cost is $5 when you sign up.

Dec. 17 - Mount St. Louis Moonstone Trip
For snowboarders and downhill skiers, Wild Rock Outfitters is once again offering this full day trip to Mount St. Louis Moonstone which is one of Ontario's premier alpine resorts. We will meet at Wild Rock at 8am, where a bus will be waiting to take us to the hills. We are planning be back by 8pm. Cost $60.00, includes transportation and day
pass.

Dec. 18 – Snowshoe Hike
We will start the snowshoe season with this hike to Warsaw Caves, a conservation area of 225 hectares. There are unique geological features to see including underground caves and kettles. The park has a 13-kilometer trail system that takes hikers through woodlands; past caves and kettles to a scenic post over
looking the Indian River Valley. Sunday, Dec. 18th. We will meet at the Park & Zoo’s parking lot at 9:30am
Cost: $10.00 includes a pair of rental snowshoes, or $5.00 if you bring your own
ones.

For information on any event, please contact Wild Rock at 745-9133

The Joys of Waxing:

Part I: Waxing for Kick:

Why? In Classic skiing, to obtain "purchase" you must have something underneath the middle third of the ski that will "grab" or "stick" to the snow crystals just enough to provide a launch pad to drive onto the other side. This "something" is either a synthetic "waxless" pattern permanently embedded in the ski base OR it is some form of "kick wax". Kick wax is only applied to the middle third of a waxable ski known as the "wax pocket" or "kick zone". Kick wax past the kick zone will only slow down a ski and will not aid in getting kick.

Kick waxing can be frustrating if you totally miss the wax and it can also result in some of the best Classic skiing of your life.

Kick Wax: #1: Stick Wax

Looks like and is applied like a stubby, wide crayon. Comes in a small, peel-able "can" in all sorts of colour-coded temperature ranges. Typically, green and blue represent temperatures below freezing; violet just around freezing; and red and yellow above freezing. Stick wax is gently crayoned on and smoothed into the "wax pocket"--the middle third of the ski. Kick wax is used primarily for fresh, cold, and semi-transformed snow conditions.

How to Use Stick Wax

Grip the stick wax in one hand and support the ski with your other hand as well as your body. If you have a bench with vises it will be a bit easier but they are not essential. Gently crayon on enough wax to cover the entire wax pocket running surfaces--but not the groove. You will find colder waxes crayon on very quickly/easily and this is one of the big reasons why it is easier to use waxable skis in colder regions (i.e., North America's Midwest, Alaska, the Yukon). Warmer stick waxes and klisters tend to glob so be careful. Once you have applied a "layer" of the stick wax, you will need to use a waxing cork or the heel of your hand to gently smooth the wax into a clear layer. Don't work the wax too much. Just rub in smooth, firm strokes
primarily in the direction of travel. It is important to try to get wax as smooth as possible in order to create a faster kick zone and better kick. If you have globs or rough spots the ski slows down and the high spots can actually lift a ski a micro-amount so that kick is compromised! When applying, try to leave a couple inches above the bottom of your wax pocket so that smoothed or "corked in" wax won't be spread past the wax pocket.

The best method of applying stick wax is to use several thin layers rather than one thick one. Occasionally you will need to apply a binder with stick wax. A binder is a harder stick wax put on first that will increase the durability of the wax of the day but not compromise speed. Binders are usually only used in particularly abrasive conditions.

Try to scrape out any wax that gets into the middle groove before skiing. Wax in the groove doesn't help kick and will slow glide. After a few times practising you'll get a hang of the process and this can be a pretty quick operation.

Tips for Selecting Kick Wax

Aim For Option "A"
When you kick wax you can have three outcomes:

A. good kick and glide
B. too slick of a ski
C. a ski that sticks or develops ice and snow clumps on the bottom

To make matters worse, a ski that is slick ("B")is often the result of tiny ice crystals forming in the wax (called "icing") because the wax was a bit too warm--the same problem that results in "C". Yikes!!!

Here's a few general rules to follow to avoid "B" and "C"...

Never assume conditions will be the same everywhere in the ski location of the day. Always carry waxes with you for above and below your temperature choice so that you can change wax while skiing.

When in doubt, go with the colder wax. It is easier to put on a layer of warmer wax over colder wax than vice versa...and you also avoid the icing problem.

Remember that kick waxing is always going to be hardest when temperature ranges change dramatically or when snow crystals are in their most volatile state--just around freezing. If you get frustrated easily you may want to skate or use waxless skis in these conditions.

Make sure to avoid putting too much wax on and make sure you smooth the wax into the base. Even the "right" wax for the day can stick or slip if too much is applied.

Kick Wax: #2: Klister

Comes in small toothpaste tubes and is undoubtedly the messiest part of X-C Skiing. Klister is applied in one very thin layer and smoothed to form a clear sheen across the wax pocket. It also comes in color-coded temperature ranges with several "universal combinations". You typically need klister in warm and older snow conditions as well as ice. Note: Don't be scared off by klister's messy aspects. If you understand how and when to apply it you can substantially reduce the difficulty of using klister and you will also come up with a great way to enjoy previously "unskiable" conditions.

How to Use Klister

Start by running a pencil thin line of klister down each side of the wax pocket. Then use a klister paddle to smooth the lines into a clear sheen. As with kick wax you do not want klister in the groove so clean up spillage. Likewise, you'll need to clean off extra klister on the sides. The most common error with beginners is putting on too much klister to start with. Go with as little as possible to get a thin, tacky layer throughout the wax pocket.

Quite often klister is used in very hard snow or ice conditions which means you'll need a binder to increase durability. A binder simply means a colder, harder klister laid as a base for a softer, warmer klister. The binder helps to prevent softer klister from being rubbed off the ski in the first couple kilometres. Blue or green klister is the most common binder in most brands. Application of binders is exactly the same as regular klister however, due the hardness of the wax you probably will need to warm a binder before and during application. The easiest way to warm a binder is to warm up your klister tubes inside before you wax. Once the tube is warm enough so that the klister easily comes out, you'll want to apply and spread using heat to break down any clumps that develop. Pre-warming klister tubes is probably a better and safer method than direct heat for beginners. However you end up applying the binder, you must completely cool the ski before you apply the next layer. Otherwise you will end up mixing the waxes and you'll likely lose all your wax on the first icy turn!
 
Thanks to www.xcskiworld.com for these helpful tips.  

There are ideas for paddlers, cyclists, hikers, campers and more. There are also ideas for $10, $20 and $50 and under. 
Go to wildrock.net/newsletter/gift_list.asp to go to the list  

A few great friends have moved on from Wild Rock over the last couple of months. Some have found different jobs, some are going back to school, some are on
trips, some are returning and some are not.

Ryan Sutherland has left Wild Rock for up to a year to pursue his lifelong dream of a around the world trip. It is sad to see him go but there is no doubt in anyone's mind he deserves it and will come back an even greater person. He has strapped on his IPOD, donned his pack and headed for a tour of South East Asia and then off to New Zealand. For Ryo, one of our keenest snowboarders, it was a tough decision to miss a winter. We are hoping he has the time and resources to shred a turn or two in New Zealand.

Cory Lance has chosen to pursue his dreams in the musical world. A keen and talented musician, Cory has spent over five years pursuing the outdoors with a
music life on the side. Cory will now put his outdoor pursuits on the backburner as he heads up the sales team at Uptown Music on George St. Cory will still be joining us in Utah to shred the finest powder on earth.

Kris Lew has been absent for a few months. He too is pursuing an old love(hate?). Before joining Wild Rock 5 years ago Kris worked for IBM as a tech. He has returned to his IT roots at Quaker. He can still be found on the sales floor at Wild Rock as he saves our buns if we are short staffed or have computer trouble. He is missed but is only a stone's throw away.

We have a number of new faces kicking around the rock as well.

Bart Spiewak joined us many months ago but has not had an official web welcome. Bart is an avid climber, camper and snowboarder. Just this fall he found a love
for cyclocross and can be found barreling around trails with lights on. Bart runs our rental program, is the buyer for camping gear and helps us out on the floor.

Shannon Edwards comes to us from the East. Shannon comes from the outdoor biz in Halifax and has come to Peterborough for school. We are very fortunate to
have an experienced snowboarder, camper and general outdoor enthusiast join our crew.

Katie Scott is a fiery bundle of energy we added to our sales floor. We were looking for someone with great merchandising experience and a better eye for
women's wear than Kieran, Dave, Jon or I had so we found Katie at The Gap. She brings certain flair to the floor and is pretty keen on taking up snowboarding this winter.

Jen Samuel has joined us and raised our inventory handling systems to a new level. She arrived in chaos and has brought us divine organization. Jen's
sense of humour has been a survival tool. Jen has taken up road riding and can be found rolling out on the roads on her fine Italian road bike.

Wayne Smith is a new face at Wild Rock. Wayne originates from the warm climate of Barbados. He came to Canada to pursue his education, of which he has much, and his love for the outdoors and sports. Wayne is an avid bike junkie and can be found commuting through blizzard and rain. Wayne has a huge amount of experience in outdoor and cycling retail having spent time at both Cyclepath on Bloor St. and Europe Bound in Toronto. At one point in Wayne’s past he was a “suit” selling insurance. We are very happy he has chosen to spend some time helping us out here in Peterborough.

Cheers,

Scott

Latest and Greatest in the World of Outdoor Gear

When I was an Outside-magazine-reading 16 year old my desires were limited to very few things. I had the racing bike of my dreams and fast skis but I still slept on a skinny blue mattress when my family went canoeing. I wanted (I mean really wanted!) the Thermarest I saw advertised in Outside magazine. I had never seen one in the flesh but I knew, as only a 16 year old can know, how much better my life would be if only I could get my hands on one. Well, a couple of years would pass before I was working in a gear shop that stocked Thermarest. Ohh that first trip was heaven! Although my first Thermarest has long since gone the way of the Dodo I have been camping, climbing and traveling using Thermarest mattresses for 21years. Take nothing away from the Thermarest of my youthful dreams but I just tried a product that knocked my socks off. Latest to the Mattress market is the Exped Downmat series. These have some serious oo-la-la factor! The Downmats are similar to a traditional air mattress except that the air channels are (you guessed it) down-filled. The idea is that you get a cushy, soft mattress with great insulation in a very compressible package. I recently spent three days backpacking with the flagship of the Exped line, the Downmat 9. I would usually backpack with a light1.5” mattress but Exped 9 took up only a little bit more space in my pack but kept me a glorious 3.5” off the ground. This was without a doubt the most comfortable I have ever been on a camping trip. Although the one I tried was the biggest in the series they do address the lightweight market with the remarkably small Downmat 7. Now, the Exped’s do have a couple of disadvantages in that you do need to inflate them more than a traditional self-inflating mattress (they do come with an ingenious pump/bag system) and they are a bit more expensive than a comparable Thermarest. Didn’t stop me, though! I came right back from that 3 day trip and ordered myself one as soon as I got back to work.

Bart and I were so excited about these that we ordered some up for stock as soon as they became available in Canada. As you are reading this they are waiting patiently on our racks!

Comfortably yours,
Kieran