Noque: Off-Season is the season for New Ideas

Noquemanon Ski Marathon

Mon, Aug  9, 2010 - By Noquemanon Trail Network

The off-season for skiing is the work season for the Noque planning committee! We’ve been very busy with the goal of making the 2011 Noquemanon the best ever!

One of the ideas that has come to us, and that seems feasible and fun, is the addition a new race category, a 50k relay where the first skier would ski classic from Al Quaal to 510, the skiers would exchange chips, and the second skier would skate from 510 to the dome. A final decision hasn’t been made, but this seems do-able.

We are also working on two new trail re-routes. The first one is a new route from the bottom of the first hill out of Al Quaal, heading northeast. This section will be wider, and straighter than the previous route, and adds a spectacular view of Teal Lake. It also avoids the 90 degree off-camber left turn about 1.5km into the race. It appears that it will only add about 200 meters additional distance. The re-routed section will be a major improvement to the first 2km of the marathon course, making it much more “novice” friendly.

The second re-route is a modification of the main NTN year-round trail near Forestville. The goal is to avoid the big drop into the ditch and onto the road after you pass the NTN pole barn at Forestville, again making the trail significantly easier to negotiate.

We are likely to move the award ceremony to the Dome for 2011, as a test, to see if it is more appealing to the masses. The Dome location allows for easier parking, more seating, and, we hope, better acoustics. For those that are worried, we will keep the bar open, but further in the back. We still anticipate having the post-race party at UpFront & Co.

That’s all for now…but there may be more changes in the works. Feel free to pass along any ideas to our committee, and definitely feel free to volunteer to help us reach our goal.

Click here for the new flashy brochure with more details.