Nose Hats
A Fairbanks scientist named Shalane Frost makes a bit of winter gear called a Nosehat. Shalane is a ski endurance racer and is, I am told, "wicked fast." I have worn a Nosehat in temperatures down to about -30*F on two different occasions: the first time on a 30-mile sled drag in Fairbanks and the second time in Hell's Gate during the ITI (winds were also pretty high, maybe 15 mph). I can't imaging needing anything else to protect my nose. In the event of an extreme temperature drop, I have been carrying a ruff for a bit of extra wind protection. But I would expect the nose hat to do the trick 95% of the time. If you are interested you can get one by searching for "Nosehat" on Facebook.
Sled drag to Yentna Station
Friday and Saturday I did a 62.5 mile Sled Drag from Deshka Landing to Yentna Station and back. About half of that is on the ITI route. I was on the move for about 16 and a half hours total and had a wonderful night at the lodge. It was a beautiful cold trip with great trail conditions--among the best conditions I have seen. The temperature was about -15*F when I started each morning (about 8:00am both days) and it warmed up slightly during the day, but I doubt it got over 5*F either day. Despite the cold weather there was still a bid of open water on the river, including one section very close to the trail about 8 miles up the Yentna. I did very little running. Mostly I kept up a brisk walk, but I felt great and had a wonderful time. If these conditions hold for the ITI, it'll be a great race.
