u/BuckerooBonzai42

Actually looking for more in the Charlotte/Vergennes area for an area to rollerski but willing to drive a ways.

Any relatively low traffic, paved roads/large parking areas where anyone rollerskis that anyone knows of?

Thanks!

Just saw their opening set for Sierra Ferrell!

My god they are soooo great!

My wife and I bought our tickets just to see them!

Sierra Ferrell will just be icing on the cake!

Starting a thread on the course currently taking place in NJ.

Curious as to the thoughts of anyone here in Reddit that is taking it with me.

I'm finally doing it and attempting to get my 3rd Class.

I've many thoughts after the first day and will update as I go but wondering if anyone here is taking it with me and your thoughts so far.

Title pretty much sums up my question.

Are there any scopes for the range that are not a fortune that will work well with zero'ing and checking shots at the 50 meter range?

I hoping to stay under $500 but I'm not even sure that is possible.

Thanks all!

Edit to add: Just saw this one. "Vanguard Endeavor HD 82A". Anyone have any experience with it?

This last weekend I participated in my first and second biathlon races ever.

A little background: I'm mid-50's living in the USA and grew up Nordic skiing/cycling/running and racing in all of those sports starting at age 14 in northern New England and have continued to compete in those sports my whole life.

I also grew up hunting and shooting with .22's since I was a kid and have been in the military for the last 31 years so I am no stranger to rifles and weapons and shooting but I had never shot competitively.

I had always wanted to try biathlon since I was a kid and saw it on TV at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.

I finally bought a biathlon rifle from Lost Nation in Vermont this spring (awesome place and awesome experience) and this was the first race on the schedule within 5 hours for me since acquiring my rifle.

Saturday's race was a mass start sprint at the multi-Olympian's Curt Schreiner and Deb Nordyke's place in Hadley, NY, the Saratoga Biathlon Club, of which I am a member. Ten people competed and it was a BLAST. Unbelievably everything I had thought it would be.

So hard but so so much fun. We all ran a 1.5 K loop and then came into the range and fired 5 prone shots. We had to run a short penality loop for every missed shot and then another 1.5 K loop and then into the range for the standing shoot, then penalty laps and the final loop.

First impressions: MAN, it is SOOOOOO HARD to shoot with a heart rate in the 170's! I actually managed to hit 3 out of 5 on the prone but on the standing I missed every shot! So I learned that I shot a 2-5 (because you list how many you miss on each shooting stage--I had not known this), 30%. Uhhg. My overall heart rate for the race was an average of 171 and a max of 182 using a chest strap and it took me 22:37 for the race, distance 2.44 miles total with penalties. I have not hit those HR numbers in years!

I've watched tons of the 25/26 WC races now while riding my bike trainer in the basement and, of course, the pro's make it look so easy but I had no idea just HOW GOOD they are! It was soooo much harder than I imagined that it would be.

But, just an insanely great day.

Then on Sunday we did a reverse pursuit where the last place finsher from Saturday started first and we set off in pursuit by how much we'd beat them the day before. Really fun format. But the race course was way hillier and although it was only a 1.2 K loop, we did it 5 times with two prone and two standing. I shot horribly in prone but my standing was surprisingly a little better. I did learn to pace myself better from Saturday but still only shot 30% overall with a 4-4-3-3. Brother, it is soooo hard! HR was 165 ave and 179 max for 3.97 miles total in 38:33.

So, conclusions: Even though I knew it was going to be hard to shoot during the race, I had NO CONCEPT of just how hard it was going to be, not even close! Curt and Deb (Saratoga Biathlon Club owners) are just the most humble and amazing people (with 4 Olympics between them in their careers) and the whole NY Biathlon community was so incredible and welcoming and encouraging. They welcomed me in and were so nice and incredibly helpful and kind. And lastly I am soooo hooked! This is the greatest sport and I cannot wait to get better and keep trying to improve! I'll be doing my third race on this upcoming Sunday in Craftsbury, VT. Cannot wait to give it a go again!

Sorry for the long post, Run/Bike/Ski Fast and Shoot Straight!

I'll be doing the Gatineau Loppet this year in Classic Technique and I'm thinking of doing it on Fischer Twin Skin Race skis.

I've done other marathons on my wax classic skis but I'm wondering if anyone has any experience in the marathon distance on Twin Skis (or other brands).

I'm not "racing" it but doing it for pleasure. I"ll try to do a decent time but would give up minutes for the ease of not having to mess with the wax, if others have had a good experience on similar skin skis in the marathon distance.

(of note, my technique is "average". I've been skiing and racing for 40 years since starting in junior high in high school).

Thanks.

Edit to clarify question: I know that I have to re-zero with new ammo, and I'd zero before the race anyways, I'm curious what changes to expect with going from a lower quality ammo to a higher quality ammo. Thanks! (End of edit)

I'm getting ready for my first ever race weekend in three weeks where I'll be trail running a loop x five and with four shooting stages. Around 6 k total distance.

I have been training with CCI SV rounds (the "cheapest" that my biathlon friend said to use in training) and have shoot close to 700 rounds in my new rifle over the past two months and I get decent groupings.

I have a brick of RWS Target ammo, which is supposedly a step up from the CCI, and he said to use it for competetions.

I sighted my rifle in with the CCI and can group with rounds grouping within an inch when shooting on a block.

I am curious as to how much you often have to re-zero with a different type of ammo.

Is it usually just a few clicks up/down and right/left or is it really large changes, all things being equal on an indoor range with climate control (I know that wind, humidity, heat/cold can make changes in between days even with the same ammo).

Thanks in advance for any helpful information from your experience.

I'm thinking of going to the Gatineau Loppet in 2027 and I'm just starting to pursue my Gold Masters passport and I see that the Gatineau race has a 50K Classic and a 50K Freestyle as well as a 100k combined version. I'd like to do the 50K freestyle race but would I have to do the 100K version to qualify for the stamp for the Gold Masters from that event?

Thanks for any helpful information and Ski On!