McCall Idaho Headline News

Weather conditions Saturday forced many skiers entered in the classic Nordic skiing races at the 2008 Masters World Cup to make last minute decisions about wax, but the event has progressed through the week with little controversy.

"Waxing was really hard today," Frank Feist, a German born resident of Boston said while waiting for a bus outside Manchester Ice & Event Centre Saturday.

Feist, 42, had just finished seventh in his 30 kilometer classic race held earlier at Ponderosa State Park. He is skiing for the German team and plans to race again today in the 45km classic race.

Saturday morning greeted the skiers with a snowstorm that made wax strategies challenging.

"All bets were off today," said Feist, who runs the US. operation of a German-based genetics analysis company in Boston. "In inclement weather you just got to find a way through it. With normal wax, you dial in for one type of condition."

Three Slovakian skiers who grew up in the High Tatras near the Slovak Republic border with Poland said they are used to the weather changing.

"We are boys from the mountains, so we are not surprised by the weather," Vladimir Bartko said through local interpreter Pavla Clouser Sunday. "We showed yesterday that we are very tough because we grew up on good quality meals. We are used to the bad conditions from where we are from, so it was fine."

The men worked in the timber industry in the forests and came prepared for anything.

Bartko, 63, even danced at Friday's opening ceremonies with the Nez Perce dancers after he was pushed on stage by his Slovakian teammates Miroslav Matejka and Bohuslav Valent, both 59.

Bartko liked the Nez Perce dancers for their "lively and healthy appearance" and
colorful costumes.

This is the third Masters World Cup in which they have the competed, but it is their first trip to the United States.

Quick Thinking on Wax
Kim Poole, 50, of Nelson, B.C., changed his skis out at the last minute from wax to no wax.

"It was pretty nutty," said Poole, who has been skiing for 25 years. "You race as much as you can and do the best you can."

"The organizers have done a great job," he said. "The track was challenging due to snow conditions, but everything is going smoothly."

Before the race, Poole and his Canadian teammates shared course information and waxed their skis.

"We're all competitive, but we know most of the Canadians," he said. "It is good fun."

Karl Kuffner, a representative for Holmenkol, the world's oldest ski wax company located in Stuttgart, Germany, was worried on Saturday. Kuffner feared many of the 30 skiers who stopped by to test his products would not return after the race.

"It was difficult on Saturday," he said. Of the 30 skiers who tried his wax, 28 returned satisfied with the performance in the conditions, he said.

Kuffner, who lives in Moscow, Russia, likes the fact that McCall is surrounded by nature.

"I like the Masters World Cup more than any Olympic games," Kuffner said. "It's a nice atmosphere here, and I appreciate it very much."

Cory Corbet, of McCall decided to return to competitive skiing at this week's event. On Sunday, Corbet finished in fourth place in the women's 15km race in her age division.

Corbet who competed in biathlon from 1990 to 1998, believed she had some home field advantage in that she knew the course, but her training included riding a snowmobile, sledding with her children, playing outside, and skiing at times.

Perhaps the biggest impression made at the event was from the spectators who came out in force to the opening ceremonies and the races over the weekend, event organizing committee President Ed Allen said. Sunday's good weather brought out more fans, Allen said.