It has been amazing couple of days at the Rogers Pass – no wind, good snow, and lots of blue skies.
In general, travel is pretty fast (also thanks to lots of up tracks and no snowing), however, some precipitation would be welcome as runs are getting pretty tracked out. But if one searches, one still finds.
Here are couple of photos from last two days during which the light was playing with imagination. They were taken from areas of Asulkan Glacier and Little Sifton. We did 2100m and 3 runs yesterday, and one big 1500m run with some bushwhacking at the bottom today.
One thing to keep in mind, which I keep forgetting, that it’s only November and despite the good coverage above 1900m these are still early season conditions – holes, boulder fields and alder get in the way. Not a single core shot though since the start!
Archives for November 2012
First ski day in 2012/13 season: Video Peak and 8812, Rogers Pass
Today I finally got to ski for the first time this season. Weather was spectacular, snow as well.
Rogers Pass is starting to fill in but for now the skiing is quite limited to the alpine and high trees, and this is the case only up couple of drainages (spots)!
The day turned out a bit longer than I anticipated but we really didn’t have any specific plan. And 2260m/7400f doesn’t feel that much when the downs are so good, and a friend “in great shape Igor” breaks most of the trail for you 😉
We skied the Video Peak twice, then headed up Bruins Pass and skied out the 8812 bowl. All fresh tracks except the second time down Video.
Today’s lesson: We were only a group of three but didn’t manage communication quite well today. In hindsight, it’s not a surprise as each one of us had somewhat different expectation from the day but no one communicated theirs. So always make sure all are on the same page, if not, figure out group options. Plus, looks like the nice weather and lots of other keen groups affect anyone quite a bit.
2012 MEC Vert180 on Dec 1st: Canada's skimo season opener
This will be the 3rd edition of the Vert180 which serves as the Canadian skimo racing season opener the last 3 years.
As one of a kind North American night event the MEC Vert180 is traditionally hosted right in the heart of a big city – at Calgary’s Canadian Olympic Park.
Easy course suits novice racers as an introduction while elite skimo racers test their early season speed. All this in great atmosphere – both relay teams and solo racers are cheered on equally.
» Check out the last year’s MEC Vert180 2011 report
Quick facts
Name: MEC Vert180 Ski Mountaineering Race
Date: December 1st, 2012 (Saturday)
Event detailed schedule: http://vert180.blogspot.ca/p/schedule.html
Location: Canada Olympic Park (or COP) in Calgary, AB
Format: max. number of laps in 180min raced as individual or as a team relay
Course: a loop with about 100m vertical ascent, then 100m descent, and small boot-pack to mix it up
Difficulty and Skills required:
- great for first timers and youth but national caliber athletes compete here as well
- great for practicing all essential skimo racing skills (all transitions, skinning, boot-pack, fast skiing)
Categories: solo, teams of 2 and 3-4 people, men, women, teen, youth
Event website: http://vert180.blogspot.com
Online registration: http://eventsonline.ca/events/mec_vert180/
Vert180 2011 video
Win a pair of 680g La Sportiva RSR skis!
Skintrack has partnered with La Sportiva North America on this amazing contest – with a prize value at $1200 it is likely the biggest one the skimo online world has ever seen!
Thank you for participating and La Sportiva for such a great prize and support of skimo racing.
» See all specs and details for La Sportiva RSR skis.
How to enter:
Step 1:
Visit Skintrack’s new Facebook page and become a fan – http://www.facebook.com/skintrack
Step 2:
Come back here, read the rules and answer all questions in our La Sportiva skimo quiz below.
Contest rules:
- To enter, you have to complete the above 2 steps before midnight Friday, November 30, 2012.
- Send your answers only once. In case we receive more entries only the first one will be accepted.
- The winner and correct answers will be posted on this page by December 10, 2012.
- Contest is open to anyone outside of US and Canada but the skis can be shipped only to a US or a Canadian address.
- Should there be a tie the person that sent us their answers earlier than the others involved in the tie will win.
La Sportiva skimo racing quiz:
» All fields must be filled in.
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Luke Nelson interview: father of two, mountain runner, and the 2012 US ski mountaineering champion
A father of two, Luke Nelson is the reigning US ski mountaineering champion. On top of that (or before that) he is an accomplished mountain runner. Luke lives in Pocatello, Idaho and tries to pay the bills by working as a Physician Assistant.
Let’s find out what’s beyond the “stats” for this great endurance athlete.
» Make sure to also check out Luke’s blog
Q: In August, you came 32nd at the 168km long and prestigious Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. How was it?
Well the race was shortened to 110k due to snow, rain and very cold temps. I was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to run the whole course, but was completely amazed with the mountains, terrain and the support for ultra-mountain racing.
I will definitely be going back, I need to run the whole course!
Q: What is your main competition sport – skimo or mountain running? Do you favour one over the other?
I would say that both skimo and mountain running are equally important to me. They both require a significant amount of training and dedication, but they complement each other nicely.
I find that switching sports in the fall and spring brings a new found motivation and excitement for the change in pace. In the winter I feel like my body gets a break from the impact of running trails all summer, without losing the fitness that I work so hard at maintaining.
Q: Do you need to specialize a lot once a specific season starts?
I tend to do longer races during the running season so there are some subtle changes to the training program that help switch the pacing gears a little.
I do spend a fair bit of time practicing transitions early in the skimo training cycle, but that would be the only thing that is very different between the two.
Q: When have you started and what made you try ski mountaineering racing?
I started skimo racing 6 years ago. I joke that I didn’t find skimo racing, but rather it found me. It is kind of a long story how I evolved from a semi-pro snowboarder, to ski guide.
The winter I was working as a guide I spent a lot of time touring and the more I toured with other folks I found that I was moving at a different pace. One day some friends mentioned that there was a “rando-race” coming up and that I should go to see how I measure up against the “mutants”. I didn’t think twice before signing up. The race was the US Skimo Champs in Jackson Hole, I think I placed 14th on pretty heavy touring gear. I was completely hooked after that one race.
Q: What is your sporting background? And what other activities do you like?
I grew up in a very outdoorsy house. I started climbing and hiking when I was really little, I actually climbed competitively for several years, mostly at indoor gym comps. I played soccer from when I was about 8 until just after my 15th birthday.
Mountain sports took the priority from there on and I spent the next several years climbing, kayaking, and snowboarding. On a whim I ran cross-country my senior year of high school, mostly because the coach, my biology teacher, invited me to try out. I ran OK, but didn’t have the depth I needed to be very competitive.
After high school I had a stint as a semi-pro snowboarder, during which I spent a lot of time also climbing and kayaking. I graduated with a degree in Outdoor Education and transitioned into guiding.
During my first season working as a guide the company I was working with asked if I could guide on skis instead of a snowboard. So I spent the next couple of weeks learning how to ski when I wasn’t guiding. I finished off the season guiding on two boards instead of one. That was the same season I tried skimo for the first time.
Ironically, I decided to train for skimo racing that following summer by trail running. It turned out that I was a pretty solid runner and by the end of that summer I won the first 50k ultra race that I entered. Since then I have continued to run and race skimo, both of which I now do at a very competitive level.
I still enjoy climbing, and snowboarding. I don’t kayak much anymore because of too many close calls.
Nowadays I spend more time hiking with my two daughters, as well as taking them climbing and skiing.
Q: How do you manage being a father, husband, athlete and work?
Sometimes I ask myself the same question. I think the most important part is how supportive my amazing wife is. Tanae really helps me find the time I need to train and puts up with a lot.
I think that managing time is really important and making the most of training time. Cut the junk and train at a quality level whenever you are out. Sometimes training becomes a family activity. Both of my daughters have spent countless hours being pulled or pushed in our Chariot. I have ran, skied, roller skied, biked, and hiked with them. They seem to enjoy the adventure as much as I enjoy the added challenge to the workout.
Q: Do you have a coach?
I now have a couple of folks involved in developing my training programs to make sure I am getting the most bang for the buck. Adam St. Pierre from Boulder Performance Medicine is working with me to plan out my skimo and ultra-training and I am supplementing that with an awesome strength training program from Rob Shaul at Mountain Athlete in Jackson Hole.
Adding Adam and Rob into the equation was difficult at first because I had done all of my own training up until the summer, but I am already seeing the benefits of their additional focus.
Q: Do you have any sponsors to help with the expenses?
I am very fortunate to have a handful of outstanding sponsors. For trail running I represent Patagonia, First Endurance and Ultraspire. I am a Ski Ambassador for La Sportiva in the winter.
I do receive help with travel, and lots of help with product needs. I am very thankful for their support.
I think it is interesting that in a 9th grade high school career planning class we were asked to write what we wanted to do when we “grew-up” and I wrote that I wanted to be a climber for Patagonia and travel the world climbing so I could have my picture in the catalogue. Funny how it turns out that I am doing what I dreamt of. 🙂
Q: In 2011, you went to skimo World Champs in Italy. What was the experience like for you?
Intimidating.
I had been training super hard and I knew that I would finish mid-pack at best. It was so amazing to be lining up at the same start of the guys who I really look up to in the sport; Kilian, Manfred, Stephane, and many others. I spent as much time as I could learning about the sport from them, mostly by watching.
I was lucky enough to be adopted by a few of the Canadian Team members early on, which also gave me the opportunity to learn quite a lot from them.
Q: Are you going to race in Europe this year? And what are your goals?
My biggest goal of the season is to qualify for the US team so I can go to race at the World Championships in France.
I would love to defend the US national title, but there are so many strong racers in the US right now, that is going to be very difficult. I am also planning on racing the North American Champs at Kicking Horse Resort (Golden, BC), as well as heading to the three day Powder Keg event in the Wasatch.
The more I compete in skimo and mountain running the more I enjoy the training for the events. So apart for doing well in races I would say a very big goal for me is to enjoy the journey towards the big events.
Q: If you are racing World Champs, which discipline is your favourite and why?
I think that is a tie between the teams race and the individual event. I like that both of them are longer races and tend to be more technical.
I really enjoyed the Teams race in Italy, when I got the privilege of being paired with Pete Swenson. So much of ski mountaineering (outside skimo) is being with a partner, having a partner in the teams race makes it more real to me.
Q: According to you, who are five US guys to watch for this skimo season?
Jason and Andy Dorais, Marshall Thomson, Scott Simmons, and either one of the Graston brothers from Aspen are all going to be very strong. There are a handful more that will also be in the mix. It will be the most competitive season I have seen here in the US.
Q: A curiosity question: As someone working in the field of medicine you have great knowledge of human body. Can you describe from a physiology perspective what is going on in an athlete’s body when they hit the wall (by pushing hard)?
I haven’t studied a ton on the physiology of the “wall” but I think there are multiple variables that come into play. I think there is a lot of credibility to the Central Governor Theory presented by Tim Noakes, which in a nutshell describes that the brain creates a barrier that is designed to protect you from yourself.
My addition to that would be that the harder and more consistently one trains, that barrier can be moved allowing the athlete to break barriers and go faster and further than before.
Certainly there are many biochemical reactions that come into play including the clearance of lactic acid and muscle breakdown, but those can also be trained and made to be more efficient.
Q: Do you do any specific skimo racing session? What do you think prepares one best for demands of skimo racing?
I generally make a transition from run training to skimo around the end of September. This year I took a couple of weeks off after UTMB and then spent a few weeks just strength training.
Now I am working on a skimo specific training plan that includes trail running, roller-skiing and a few other top-secret activities. As with any sport skimo racing is the best prep for skimo racing, but since we all can’t race all the time like the Euros, you have to train like you would race!
Q: What is your nutrition like? Do you follow any diet?
I try to eat pretty healthy and have recently been dabbling some with the Paleo eating philosophies. I try not to get too caught up in any one thing. I realized this summer that what I eat is what fuels me, and it does make a big difference if you are eating well. That being said, I still have a weakness for the occasional Wendy’s Hamburger.
Q: What skimo racing gear will you be on this season?
I will be head to toe in La Sportiva. They are introducing some new clothing and a new race suit.
For boots I have been racing in the Stratos boot for two seasons now and I am very excited to be in the latest version of that boot. I will be on the RSR skis and RSR bindings with the Sportiva Race skin.
I have been working on a new skimo race pack with the folks at UltraSpire so that will be what I will use to carry the rest of my kit around this season.
Q: I asked this while interviewing Janelle Smiley, now wonder about men’s perspective: How does it feel to be surrounded by a sea of men in tight, full-body spandex suits at the start of skimo races?
It makes me very nervous! Mostly because if a racer is serious and bold enough to be rocking the spandex suit it means that they have been training hard and it will be a battle to beat them.
Plus who wouldn’t be nervous being surrounded by a bunch of “mutants” in skin tight unitards?
» Make sure to also check out Luke’s blog
Janelle Smiley: Interview with the 2012 North American Ski Mountaineering Champion
Janelle Smiley is someone I wanted to interview for a long time now.
She can’t be simply described as a skimo racer despite the fact she is the 2011 US Ski Mountaineering Champion and 2012 North American Ski Mountaineering Champion. She has a bit more going on than that.
I don’t think we ever officially introduced but I first met her at the 2011 Skimo World Championships in Claut, Italy:
First, someone told me she was a mountain runner. That made sense as she was very fast.
Then someone else said she was a climber. Well, that didn’t make sense since I saw her transition at the end of a via-ferrata section during individuals’ race earlier that day. She was super slow but her style of climbing is absent of a via-ferrata.
» Janelle’s website – Smiley’s Project.
Q: You emerged onto the North American (and World) skimo racing scene in full force in the 2010/11 season. Was that your first season racing skimo?
The COSMIC series had just started in Colorado in 2007 I think, and there was a telemark division. The only pair of skis I owned at the time were telemark skis, so I went for it. I really enjoyed the races and I think I did all 5 that year.
I do remember being totally smoked after the first race, but the people with the lightweight AT gear were finishing the race and then going back up the lifts for more skiing! I thought those people were freaks of nature and never thought I would ever be racing at their level.
After two years of recreational racing I got my first pair of comparably lightweight gear. I didn’t do too many races that year because I was always missing some piece of equipment.
The following year I had a full setup, still 5+ lbs heavier than the freaks, but I was excited to have a complete setup. Someone said I should go do the race in Jackson, WY and since my brother just moved there I went. Honestly, to my great surprise, I gave it my all and won the 2011 National Championship. At the finish line I couldn’t believe it.
Soon after, I met Jonathan the President of La Sportiva and that was the start of my racing.
Q: You grew up in Colorado, so playing outdoors must have been your routine since a little girl?
My parents always encouraged us to play outside and go on adventures. I started skiing when I was 3 and it was always a part of my life, except during those rebellious years in high school when I snowboarded… Oh, and those trendy years in college telemarking. But now I am back skiing for good.
Q: Where do you live now?
A: Depends on the week… currently in my van.
Q: What is your sporting background? And do you have any other racing going on besides skimo?
In college, I rowed crew then transferred colleges where I dabbled in Nordic racing. I was never very good. Probably because that was the first time I put on Nordic gear by my own choosing, opposed to being forced by my Mom. I have been know to jump into a running or Nordic race every once in a while.
Q: You are also a climber, or are you a climber first? Do you define yourself by any one of your activities?
Well, I skied first, then started climbing, then started ski racing, so I guess that makes me a “ski” – “mountaineering” – “racer”. Yeah, that’s my favourite, but it can also be broken up into individual words and they are also my favourite. Depends on what season it is.
Q: You have a big on-going project in the works – together with your husband, you are climbing the 50 classic climbs (based on a book Fifty Classic Climbs Of North America). How that idea did come about?
My Husband Mark is crazy and doesn’t want our marriage to get boring. He had a friend who did 20 of them in 20 days and thought it would be fun to do all 50. When we started we didn’t realize what was involved to climb all these peaks. He just thought it would be a fun adventure.
Q: When did you start? How many have you done now?
The project started in April of 2010.
We just spent our 6th anniversary 2500 feet up El Capitan in Yosemite, climbing the Salathé Route. That was #40 and we are really excited to be this far in the project after just 3 summers.
Q: Which ones so far were the most challenging? Any scary moments?
They all have their challenges, Mt Robson seemed to be the hardest one to get past the approach – it took us four tries to summit. The Petit Grepon is the hardest one to find (climbed the wrong tower), Mt Waddington was the most expensive so far and it was the scariest one too, many large loose blocks that wanted to take us out.
Mt Robson’s Wishbone Arête from Mark Smiley on Vimeo.
Q: Do you know any good climbing jokes?
How can you tell Santa is a climbing bum? He’s got a beard, always wears the same clothes, and only works one day a year.
Stano: That is a good one, and I never heard it before. Thanks. 🙂
Q: Back to ski mountaineering. In 2011, you went to skimo World Champs in Italy and have done quite well for a novice at that level. What was your experience?
The competition was great, made me work hard for it, but it gives me something to aspire to. Really looking forward to going back this year.
Q: What are your racing plans for this winter? Do you have any specific goals?
Some here in the States, then off to Europe to compete with the top-dogs. I do have big goals, but the biggest is to embrace the experience and enjoy the adventure.
Q: If you are racing World Champs, which discipline is your favourite and why?
I like the teams race, its fun to push it with a friend, I really like that dynamic and I have had great experiences with them in the past. The individual race is always fun too, but for different reasons. All you have to do is go as fast as you can and not eat it.
Q: How stressed or relaxed are you for races?
I race because it gives me life and pure joy, when it stops doing that I’ll move on. It’s too stressful to get too serious.
Q: Do you do any specific skimo racing training? Or you subscribe more to a formula “training through adventure”?
Well, funny you ask, it has always been “training through adventure” and I really resisted formal training until this year. I now have a coach and work with Mountain Athlete. I do what he tells me to, and its working well. It makes it easier to know what to do each day. We will have to wait and see the results to see if it worked.
Q: What is your nutrition like? Do you follow any diet?
I love donuts, not just any donut but the donuts they make in Crested Butte. Cake with cinnamon, hmmm so good. But my stomach has been rebelling so now I go without dairy and wheat. Good thing I won’t be in CB this winter cause I would splurge for a donut.
I also really like Garden of Life products, they make me feel healthy.
Q: Any nutrition racing tips for others from your experience?
The key to success is to stay fueled and hydrated while racing. I put a gel in my water bottle that way I do both at the same time. I don’t have a dialed system, it is always evolving.
Q: How about gear. What will you ski on this season?
La Sportiva. Does anyone else make gear? Kidding, there are lots of great gear companies.
I use the La Sportiva Stratos boot, RSR binding, and RSR ski. It’s one sweet set up!
» Janelle might be one of the lucky athletes to test the new La Sportiva Stratos 3 Cube boot.
Q: Do you have any sponsors to support your adventurous life?
My entrepreneurial husband, La Sportiva, Gore-Tex, Nemo, Kaenon, Sterling Rope, Suunto, Garden of Life, Honey Stinger, Goal Zero, Rab, Family, and Feathered Friends.
Q: How would you motivate/inspire/engage more women to try skimo racing? Why the hell should one bother?
It is truly the best sport in the world, enough said. When this is all over, and I stop living in my van, I would like to start a junior team. I would love to see this sport grow. I think it is an empowering sport that builds discipline, strength and character.
Q: How does it feel to be surrounded by a sea of men in tight, full-body spandex suits at the start of races?
Like being in a can of sardines! 🙂
» For more info visit Janelle’s and Mark’s website – Smiley’s Project.
La Sportiva Stratos Cube – lightest skimo boot in the world!
A post about new La Sportiva Stratos³ Cube appeared here on Skintrack couple of weeks ago but had to be taken down on request from La Sportiva due to patent filing process. However, the info is back and much more detailed!
La Sportiva’s carbon lab is almost ready to reveal the Stratos³ Cube and here are some specs that should leave any light gear freak impressed.
La Sportiva Stratos³ Cube details and specs:
- Weight: 470g / boot at size 27 (without liner)
- There might be two liners available and the lighter one will weigh only 80g – Bikini Cube Liner
- Shell and Cuff material: 100% Carbon Kevlar
- Outsole: Vibram
- Range of motion: 76° (+53°, -23°)
- Forward lean: 5 positions from 5° to 19°
Combined – boot and liner – the weight comes to 550g per boot! This likely makes the Stratos³ Cube the lightest ski mountaineering boot in the world, surpasing Pierre Gignoux XP444 by few grams.
This 3rd generation of the Stratos boot will be ready for retail for Winter 2013/14, but there should be some top skimo racers testing it this season already.
» See this page for a full comparison of the current lightest ski mountaineering boots.
» And here is a video when the first Stratos boot was announced – New carbon ski boot: La Sportiva Stratos
La Sportiva Strato Cube photos
New Stratos Cube in action:
Stratos Cube Vibram sole: