Jackrabbit, an interesting short read

[turnfarmer]

His daughter authored his biography, well worth buying.

[bauerb]

what a great article. the name Jackrabbit rings a bell for me. I seem to have some very old memory of that name from the 70's. its possible that we had some of his ski wax, or maybe I skied an XC trail with his name, I'm not sure.

[Woodserson]

what a great article. the name Jackrabbit rings a bell for me. I seem to have some very old memory of that name from the 70's. its possible that we had some of his ski wax, or maybe I skied an XC trail with his name, I'm not sure.

You ever cross the border to the ADK when you were competing? Jackrabbit Trail runs from Paul Smith's to Keene, passing through SLK and LP

[fgd135]

The National Film Board has a short documentary on Jackrabbit that you can stream on their website. Always an inspirational watch at the beginning of ski season. What an incredible fella.
https://www.nfb.ca/film/jack_rabbit/

Thanks for the link to that old film, we watched it last night and it was very good.

In college and immediately afterwards, back in the late 1970's, I used only Jackrabbit waxes on my wood skis, and it worked quite well, esp in wet snow. A few years later I managed a nordic shop and we sold Jackrabbit wax--mostly for the nostalgia and for the great stories told by the older, mostly 2nd generation Scandinavian-Americans who still used it. We could buy it in a small display box with only a half dozen of each, (dry and wet waxes)which was about a season's worth.

[Woodserson]

I used only Jackrabbit waxes on my wood skis, and it worked quite well, esp in wet snow. A few years later I managed a nordic shop and we sold Jackrabbit wax--mostly for the nostalgia and for the great stories told by the older, mostly 2nd generation Scandinavian-Americans who still used it. We could buy it in a small display box with only a half dozen of each, which was about a season's worth.

What is your wet-snow wax of choice presently?

[bauerb]

in the 70s and 80s I would have been XC racing in VT, NH, Maine, NY. by later 70's I would have stopped using wooden skis. I am still traumatized by having only wooden downhill skis when I was little. I was always the slowest one in my group lesson and would have to use my poles like a madman to try and keep up...even going down the hills.

[fgd135]

What is your wet-snow wax of choice presently?

Depends on conditions! How wet? Really wet? Swix VM Universal klister. That stuff is great. Rode also makes a great universal klister--and even a black klister, which probably is very close to the old Jackrabbit wet snow wax, as it smells like pine tar...but I don't miss the JR wet wax enough to deal with that.

Really wet, and warm? Swix Red Extra Wet Klister. But if it is really warm enough to use Red Extra klister, should we not be drinking cold ones at the bar, instead?

I've not been afraid of using klister after learning to properly and easily clean it off bases by sprinkling it with talcum foot powder, or baby powder, or climbing chalk, all of which instantly transform klisters into an easily scrapeable non-sticky putty-like substance. I carry a little sample-size shaker of foot powder in my wax kit on warm days just for klister removal.

New wet snow, around freezing and slightly above? Hard waxes--I like Rode Violet, and sometimes Rode Extra Violet, which is way sticky in those conditions, sometimes too sticky but it works in weird right at freezing conditions. I have not tried Rode Super Weiss but it is a favorite of some of my racer acquaintances. Swix Red for me has always been problematic, either too sticky or too herky-jerky.

[trite]

I always wondered what organized crime would look like from this peninsula if it was dramatized on the tele.

Snabba Cash.

[Shintangle]

dhdaines, my wife and I did the TDL for 12-14 years from the early 1990's. Some of the best memories of my life on those trails. We became engaged in a blizzard on the hill above Lac Manitou in the middle of a 70km day. We skied the TDL again about 5 years ago but some of the longer days were a bit too much for us.
We had often skied down the south side from Pic Johannsen and down the North as well. Sad to hear of those changes.
It looks like a good plan for this year, just need the snow to come. Thanks for the work on the Maple Leaf!

[joeatomictoad]

I always wondered what organized crime would look like from this peninsula if it was dramatized on the tele.

Snabba Cash.

@trite
Good find. Thanks. Movie trailer doesn't seem to identify the movie much beyond mere organized crime, so guess I have to watch the movie to appreciate the cultural nuances.