Refuge Notebook

Peninsula Clarion Article
Dated 10 December 1999

Friends Group Hosts First Potluck Ski Party and Wax Clinic

by Amy George

Mark your calendars for Saturday, December 11 and join Friends of Kenai National Wildlife Refuge at their first Potluck Ski Party and Wax Clinic. Before the first snowflake began to fall this year, members of the Friends group and local youth from Soldotna High School worked with Refuge staff to clear and prepare the ski trails for the winter. For those of you who have used the trails, you know how difficult it can be to ski over the logs and through the alders after a good dump of snow. Hopefully the alder problem has been removed, and the Friends will be putting together a maintenance schedule to keep the trails clear of downed trees and brush throughout the season.

The highlight of this Ski Party and Wax Clinic is welcoming former U.S. Ski Team biathlete Gustave Hanson from Anchorage. Gus now works as a Swix representative, and will be kind enough to give a free wax clinic this Saturday at the Refuge Visitor Center. (And for those folks new to cross-country skiing, now might be a good time to get some great tips from a pro!) In addition to Gus' clinic, Walter Ward, owner of Wilderness Way will be here with a skid automatic hot waxing machine. For a $5.00 donation to Friends of Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, he will hot wax your skis with Swix racing glide wax, prepping you for a relaxing day on the ski trails and showing you what it's like to ski with properly waxed skis. (If you want Walter to wax your skis, please remember to bring them clean and dry!)

Once you've had your skis waxed and are ready to go, join us on the newly cleared trails for an afternoon of skiing and socializing in our beautiful winter wonderland, weather permitting, of course! Meet at the Refuge Visitor Center at 10:00 a.m., bring a potluck dish to share and warm up with after a day of skiing, and plan to have fun in the snow! Please call Amy at 260-6163 for more information.