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Flood and Blizzard: Ultimate Players Cope with Capricious St. Petersburg Weather
2008, February 9 - 19:44 — jlr
After the cold but sunny and calm weather in Nizhny Novgorod, the Winter Ultimate League moved to St. Petersburg for its final stage. Conditions there were just the opposite, warm and stormy. This proved to be more of an organizational challenge than normal winter conditions, but in the end the weather was not an obstacle to an enjoyable tournament.
The first day of the tournament was held on a football field, which was covered with ice instead of snow. Unusually warm temperatures (+2C) created a thin layer of water, making conditions more suitable for ice skating than running. Fortunately there were no serious injuries, and the level of play was surprisingly high.
On Sunday the action moved to a frozen lake, and the weather conditions intensified. Temperatures dropped below freezing (-2C), with gale force winds and occasional blizzard conditions (causing the Neva River to flood). Determined ultimate players found a relatively sheltered spot on the far side of the lake, where conditions where remarkably favorable.
Sugrob 2008 Tournament A Rousing Success
2008, January 5 - 19:25 — jlr
Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia, January 3-4 2008. The Sugrob winter frisbee tournament drew eight teams from around Russia, proving that temperatures near 0 F (-18 C ) are no obstacle to determined ultimate players.Sunny skies and lack of wind helped to compensate for the low temperatures. Field conditions were excellent, with plenty of snow and painless layouts. Some photos can be found here. A video also appeared.
Julia Mukina, leading scorer for the Pickup team, summed up the feelings of many participants: "Thank you, comrades! For the excellent mood, for the entertaining games, and when all is said and done, for the courage -- not everyone decides when the temperature is -20 (C) to go out and play ultimate".
Season Opens at Moscow State University
2008, January 5 - 17:31 — jlr
December 22-23, 2007. The Winter Ultimate season opened this weekend on the athletic fields of Moscow State University. Under clear blue skies eight teams competed in the first full season of the snow frisbee league.Some photos are here and here.
Weather conditions were normal, with light to moderate winds, temperature around -5C.
The playing field was hard packed snow, which was slippery in some places.
Tournaments
2007, October 15 - 10:44 — adminSnow provides a fine surface for ultimate frisbee, and winter tournaments are easy to organize because there is (usually) snow everywhere.
Many events are "Hat Tournaments", with Russian and international players of all skill levels welcome. On other events there is always a pick-up team that you can join.
Winter is a great time to visit Russia. Airfares are at their lowest, and tournament organizers can often help you to find a cheap or free place to live.
Here you can see the tournament schedule.
NY Times Encourages Cold Weather Exercise
2008, January 20 - 17:13 — jlrJanuary 17 2008. The New York Times confirms the health benefits of exercise in cold weather. The conclusion — that extreme cold can be safe for exercisers — runs contrary to conventional wisdom.
One real danger made clear in the article is frostbite.
Top 10 Advantages of Snow Frisbee
2008, January 5 - 19:29 — jlrDuring the winter months northern latitude ultimate players traditionally move indoors. But more and more people are becoming convinced that low temperatures are not an obstacle to excellent frisbee.
Here are our top reasons for preferring outdoor ultimate:
- Fresh air. Outside air quality is generally better in the winter than in hot weather, while the air inside of gymnasiums can be stagnant and dusty.
Snow tournament "Sugrob 2008" / Nizhny Novgorod
2007, December 6 - 15:42 — jlrSnow tournament "Sugrob 2008"
Dear friends!
We are happy to invite you to the Second Annual outdoor SNOW Tournament "Sugrob 2008".
When: January 5-6, 2008
Where: Nizhny Novgorod city, Russia
( 450 km from Moscow takes 5 hours to get by train or 1 hour to fly.
Also you can take a fly directly to Nizhny Novgorod (GOJ) from most european airports)
Rules : BULA rules, 5 x 5 (playing bare-feet is NOT recommended :) )
Team fee: 50 Euro or less, more info soon.
Player fee: none
Very cheap accomodation (or free places to stay)
Forum
2007, October 15 - 11:45 — adminEach tournament will have it's own English Language forum. This gives international players the chance to ask questions and get to know their Russian colleagues better, and gives Russian players a chance to practice their English skills.
You can find the English forums here.
Pickup Games
2007, October 13 - 18:56 — jlrPick up games are easy to organize in the winter, because ultimate fields can be set up almost anywhere.
For now we have pickup information only in Russian, but English language pick-up information will be added later.
Clothing
2007, October 13 - 15:17 — adminThe right clothing is a key element of winter frisbee. It should control both temperature and moisture. This site describes the problem well.
Special attention should be placed on keeping your hands warm. Good quality leather gloves (sold in department stores) allow throwing and catching without great loss of precision. During the warm-up period it's a good idea to wear ski mittens outside the leather gloves until your body temperature is high enough.
