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Skimo News Jan 13-15: 2nd USA Team Qualifier, Mountain Attack, Upcoming Races and World Cups…

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Last weekend was very busy for racing in Colorado while Canada took a break. In Europe, 18th edition of Mountain Attack in Austria served its traditional 3000m around Saalbach. Our previous skimo news can be found here.
We attend some of the Colorado races and went through the multi-day marathon outdoor gear show in Salt Lake City – we will be writting about the new gear starting this weekend! Overall, we drove over 5000km in 9 days and ate way too much “gas station food” 😉

Close to 130 athletes lined up for individual race at Sunlight Mountain, Colorado.
Close to 130 athletes lined up for individual race at Sunlight Mountain, Colorado.

USA Race News

The Heathen Challenge – USA Team Qualifier – Jan 14-15

The first qualification race from a month ago was still very alive in some athletes minds as they failed to secure their spots for their desired disciplines on the USA Team that will represent at the upcoming World Championships. Tom Goth and Max Taam were the two big names that had something to prove at Sunlight mountain last weekend.
Saturday’s night Sprint Race:
After a smart qualification and semi-final rounds, Max Taam was leaving the very top transition in the sprint finals about 6-7 seconds behind Eric Carter, who looked in control. While Eric was trying to avoid any crashes Max went full gas, passed him 2 gates from the finish line and won. Third and fourth went to Rory Kelly and Scott Archer respectively, who also secured their spots for the sprint race at Worlds (top 4 qualified).
In the women’s race, Jessie Young went mostly unchallenged and won while the battle behind her was more competitive. In the finals, Najeeby Quinn took close second in front of Nikki Larochelle. Fourth and final spot on the sprint team went to Michela Adrian.
Of note, were the men’s and women’s junior and youth racers. All were racing strong and were pulling off smooth transitions every time they came by me – I was a referee at the very top sprint transition. Quinn Simmons won the finals and can be a medal hopeful in Europe!
» Sprint race results – scroll through photo results on Facebook
Sunday’s Individual Race:
Sunday’s race was a qualifier for the fourth and final spot on the individual team, and was also a qualifier for the teams race spots – top 8 would secure those.
Tom Goth showed tremendous desire to secure the final spot on the individual race team after coming short a month ago. He took it out from the line and followed John Gaston (who already qualified) as long as he could to finish second in the race. John won once again and continues to dominate the North American skimo racing scene in big style. Third went to Max Taam who was trying hard to catch Goth but failed by about one minute.

From left: Quinn Simmons (15) and Scott Simmons (45) are going to represent US at Worlds. Jon Brown, right off them, is also going to Worlds after qualifying for teams race.
From left: Father and son, Quinn Simmons (15) and Scott Simmons (45), are going to represent US at 2017 Worlds. Jon Brown, right off them, is also going to Worlds after qualifying for the teams race.
In the women’s race, Jessie Young repeated her great performance from the day before and went on to win over Janelle Smiley. Nikki Larochelle raced well too to round out the podium in front of Lindsay Plant. Just like in the men’s race, the top 8 secured their teams race spots but we are yet to see which women will choose to travel to Europe at the end.
Junior boy’s podium went to Quinn Simmons, Henry Boyd, Henry Hanes. The girls race was won by Morgan Fortin.
» Individual race results

The Grand Mesa Grind at Powderhorn – Jan 14

Athletes that weren’t much interested in the sprint at Sunlight went to race an individual race at Powderhorn.
The podiums went to Jon Brown, Ram Mikulas (new USSMA president) and Matthias Messner in men’s category. Women’s went to Janelle Smiley and Amber Leach.
» Grand Mesa results

International Race News

18th edition of Mountain Attack in Austria delivered some very fast times over its massive 3000m course (10,000 ft). Although the race route is entirely in a ski resort athletes complete the course during evening/night hours with headlamps.
The talented Anton Palzer (GER) went on to win in 2h 21min! He was followed home by Christian Hoffmann (AUT) and Tadei Pivk (ITA). Jennifer Fiechter (SWI) won the women’s marathon course in 3h 3min in front of Italian Team members Katia Tomatis and Martina Valmassoi.
» Results for 2017 Mountain Attack

Upcoming Races

World Cups:
After sharing a long drive back to Canada from Colorado, I wished “Good Luck” to Eric Carter who jumped on the plane to Europe to race in Andorra WC (Jan 21-22) and Cambre d’Aze WC in France (Jan 28).
USA and Canada:
Check out our full calendar but the highlight events for next 2 weeks are here:
Jan 20-23 – Griggs Skimo Camp, CO
Jan 21 – Fernie Skimo Race, BC
Jan 21 – Berkshire East, MA
Jan 21 – La course du Festival, QC
Jan 28 – CROWBAR SkiMo race, UT
Jan 29 – Skin to Win Race At Bridger Bowl, MT
Feb 3-5 – US Nationals, NM
Feb 4-5 – Panorama Steep Dreams Skimo Race, BC

Skimo News Jan 7/8: Canadian Team Trials, COSMIC Racing, and National Championships in Italy, Switzerland, and Catalonia

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Wolf Creek Men's Podium
Wolf Creek Men’s Podium
With a break from racing over the Christmas holiday, action resumed in all the usual places over the weekend of January 7th and 8th. The current storm hitting much of the West Coast, Utah and parts of Colorado are certainly going to make things look nice for next weekend’s racing!
While not exactly racing news, many of us are aware of the tragic death of Ben Parsons in an avalanche. Please consider donating to the Go Fund Me campaign set up to support his young family: Go Fund Me

USA Race News

Wolf Creek Skimo Race – Jan 7

First we go to the US where the COSMIC series continued at Wolf Creek Ski Area. Paul Hamilton topped the podium with 2015 National Team members Scott Simmons and Billy Laird. The women’s race was not well attended but attracted the highly talented mountain runner Najeeby Quinn who took the win over Madeleine Carey of Santa Fe.
Results

Canada Race News

Castle Mountain/Canadian National Team Trials – Jan 7/8

The fourth annual Castle Mountain Skimo Race – also serving as the Canadian National Team Trials – was held over the weekend in Pincher Creek, Alberta. Castle always attracts a decent crowd with it’s proximity to Calgary and small-town hill feel.
Saturday’s sprint was held adhering as close to the World Cup format as possible with a qualifying round and then quarter, semi, and final rounds contested in heats of four. Essentially serving as a practice event for athletes competing at the upcoming World Championships, it was a good reminder of some of the basics with a few exciting heats! Eric Carter stayed ahead of the men’s field while Kylee Ohler absolutely dominated the women’s. Special mention should go to Tom Stephens, a junior athlete, who managed to snag a spot in the men’s finals!

Castle Mtn. Individual Start
Castle Mtn. Individual Start (Glenda Zamzow Photo)
Despite dire weather predictions, a skiff of new snow and reasonable temperatures with low wind made Sunday’s individual race very reasonable. Racers tackled two big climbs through the ski area with excellent side-country descents. Nick Elson and Eric Carter took turns breaking trail on the first ascent before turing up the speed on the second groomed ascent where Carter broke away for the win with Travis Brown and Peter Knight rounding out third and fourth place. In the women’s race, Kylee Toth Ohler continued to ski well ahead of Michelle Katchur-Roberts and Lori-Anne Donald. A notable new face was Gary Robbins, Coastal ultra-runner and race organizer who placed a very respectable fifth in his first serious stab at skimo racing.
Glenda Zamzow Photos
Results

Snow Trail Vertical – Dec 17/Jan 7

Skimo East Photo
Skimo East Photo
The first two of three Vertical races organized in preparation for the Orford Snow Trail event held on March 18th in Quebec. These races feature a unique format allowing athletes to use whatever mode of human powered travel they prefer to compete to the top including by foot, snowshoe, or ski. The first even was well attended by youth athletes including two 11-year old ladies. The women’s event was won by local MTB legend Isabelle Bernier and the men’s by Mathieu Ladouceur.
The second event featured a well groomed course and despite cold temperatures, was well attended. The men’s category was won by Roger Girard while the women’s race was upset by local skimo champ, Lyne Bessette.
The winners overall of the series of 3 races will win a free registration for the Snow Trail 2017. The organization team of the Snow Trail will have a value of more than 6,000$ in prized to give to the participants during the winter. At the cost of 20$ (including a beer for after the race), there is no good reason not to take part of the preparatory series and enjoy the mountain! For more details, please visit the Endurance Aventure Website.

International Race News

Early January is designated by the ISMF as the period for National Championships to be held so throughout Europe, athletes were racing for their respective countries titles.
In Switzerland, the Individual and Sprint National Championships were held with Werner Marti and Maude Mathys (recently returning from an anti-doping violation and subsequent ban) taking the respective wins in the Individual. Super-espoir Remi Bonnet finished fifth. The Swiss king-sprinter Yannick Eccour only managed fifth in the sprint event with Iwan Arnold and Deborah Chiarello leading the podium.
Over in Italy, Roberto Antonioli and Katy Neve won the Individual National Championships with Alba De Silvestro moving into the senior Women’s ranking and taking a respectable podium position. Michelle Boscocci was the only name notably absent from the men’s race but is sure to be on top form for worlds.
Over in the Pyrenees, power-couple Emelie Forsberg and Kilian Jornet dominated the Catalonian National Champs with Mark Pinch and Claudia Galicia Cortina comfortably taking second position.
The next bout of European racing comes on January 21st and 22nd when the World Cup commences at the wonderful Font Blanca venue in Andorra!

Italian Championships
Italian Championships

Upcoming Races

The skimo season is back in full swing in North America with races throughout the US and Canada on both sides of the divide. Find your closest event and get after it! Likely the biggest turnout will be at the Sunlight Heathen Challenge where US athletes will be competing for spots on the World Championships Team. The Sprint and Team’s race  teams will be determined but also up in the air is the coveted fourth and final spot for both the men’s and women’s individual event.
Cosmic Series – Powderhorn Grand Mesa Grind – Jan 14
Cosmic Series – Sunlight Mountain Heathen Challenge – Jan 14/15
Skimo East Series – Trail de nuit de Stoneham – Jan 14
North East Rando Series – Berkshire East – Jan 21
Canadian Cup – Fernie Lizard Skinner Skimo Race – Jan 21

Want to contribute to SkinTrack?

We are looking for brief race report submissions from Colorado and Utah athletes, and from the East Coast as well.
Also, we would be very happy to provide more exposure to women’s races and so we are asking you ladies to submit your race reports.
Get in touch via email or comments below!

Skimo News Dec 1-19: US Worlds Team Qualifier Races, French Vertical Champs, and more

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The last two weeks have seen big storms dumping snow all over North America and kicking the skimo race season into a full swing.
The first North American event of the year was the Vert 180 at the Calgary Olympic Park, part of the Canadian series. Local race series at Aspen, A-Basin, and Brighton already held their first uphill events and have also started up for the season.

USA Race News

COSMIC Eldora Rando Return – Dec 3

With the popularity of racing in Colorado, and specifically in Denver/Boulder area, it was only a matter of time when a race would be born closer to the Front Range. Eldora resort opened their doors and put on a classic Colorado style event with steep up-tracks and fast groomer skiing!
Max Taam and Rory Kelly battled since the start, with Max maintaining a half a minute lead at the finish. Meanwhile, Jessie Young dominated the women’s race, more than five minutes ahead of Annie Gonzalez in second.
Photos: http://www.cosmicski.com/race-photos/eldorarandoreturn16
Results: https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=87912

COSMIC Irwin Guides Race – Dec 10

Irwin is one of the more unique races – situated above the town of Crested Butte, the race starts at and climbs above 3000 meters (10,000 ft), giving much to complain about even for the most acclimatized racers. Irwin also stands alone, entirely outside of a ski area boundary but within the Irwin Guides tenure and is one of very few true backcountry races in North America. Racers are required to arrive at the start line by a snowcat or a sled!

Photo by Kevin Krill & Eleven Experience.
Max Taam leading a pack of chasers. Photo by Kevin Krill & Eleven Experience.
John Gaston showed up for his first domestic win of the season while Crested Butte veteran Brian Smith battled to a tight finish for second just ahead of Max Taam, and about a minute and a half behind Gaston. The top two positions on the women’s podium remained unchanged from the previous weekend with Jessie Young and Annie Gonzales taking first and second but the third spot was taken by Breckenridge’s Nicki Larochelle.
Photos: http://www.cosmicski.com/race-photos/irwin2016
Results: https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=88408

USSMA Northwest Passage – US Team Qualifier – Dec 17-18

The first of two weekends used as US Team Trials for the upcoming 2017 World Championships, the Northwest Passage Race in McCall, Idaho was shaping up to be very competitive. Despite being a first time event, and dealing with a foot of new snow the day before and extreme cold on race day, the races went off with barely a hitch.
Friday featured a vertical event over a 500 vertical metres course. The new snow meant the race went up an ungroomed ski run that both the organizers and USSMA leadership desperately tried to maintain a skin track on. Soft conditions and lots of kick turns favoured technically strong athletes.  The top four finishers would qualify for the US Worlds Team in a vertical race.
John Gaston took an early lead and put on a clinic on uphill skiing while Mike Foote, Tom Goth, and SkinTrack’s Eric Carter swapped for the next three qualifying spots and ultimately finishing in that order. A major note is U23 racer Cam Smith from Gunnison who finished barely a minute off the lead group. Expect big things from this guy competing against his peers at Worlds!
Janelle Smiley made her fantastic return to racing following a multi-year break due to a hip injury and dethroned Jessie Young. Veronika Mayerhoffer, an Austrian XC skier attending university in Utah, finished 3rd, with the final two US Team qualifying spots going to the athletes in 4th and 5th – Kristi Knecht and Jaime Brede.
» Vertical results – Northwest_Passage_Vertical-Results-2016
Saturday’s individual event was looking grim with extremely cold temps in the forecast. Luckily, things were a bit warmer (only about -15 deg F) and with no wind making it quite bearable. A Le mans style running start was a fun way to warm up followed by a single climb on a groomed run, after which the race was entirely out of the ski area boundary until the final descent to the finish. The race featured great fall-line skiing on powder slopes and nice, low-angle skin tracks (that were doubled!) with plenty of kick turns. The cold made for difficult skins management and some racers struggled with blown skins.

Janelle Smiley racing to first place. Photo by Eric Hoff.
Janelle Smiley racing to first place. Photo by Eric Hoff.
The men’s race was very competitive, the only notable name missing was Jason Dorais. John Gaston took the lead early in the race and stayed away from his chasers. Eric Carter maintained second place throughout while Mike Foote and Tom Goth battled hard for third place (top three finishers would qualify for Worlds Team while the 4th will be determined at the upcoming Sunlight Race). Mike and Tom hit the final skins-off transition together and raced down the final descent to the finish before Tom broke a pole and lost ground with Mike taking the qualifying spot.
Janelle Smiley skied away from Jessie Young early in the race and maintained a solid gap throughout. Nikki Larochelle again showed her strength as a legitimate contender, finishing third with Meredith Edwards in fourth!
» Individual race results – Northwest_Passage_Individual-Results-2016
Photos: Gallery 1, Gallery 2

Europe Race News

French Vertical Champs in Tignes – Dec 17:

Women:

  1. Axelle Mollaret
  2. Laetitia Roux
  3. Mireia Miro (Spain)
  4. Lorna Bonnel

Men:

  1. Xavier Gachet
  2. Remi Bonnet (Swiss)
  3. Matheo Jacquemoud
  4. Alexis Sevennec

» All categories results here

Upcoming Events

COSMIC Wolf Creek Rando Race – Jan 7

One last tune up for the Colorado athletes before the following weekend’s US Team qualifying race, Wolf Creek provides a great course and venue!
Event Page

SMCC Castle Mountain Canadian Team Qualifiers – Jan 7/8

The sprint and individual races at Castle Mountain are part of the selection process that will determine the Canadian World Championship Team.
Expect Nick Elson to be going for the top position while several others will be competing for the podium spots including Peter Knight, Joel Desgraniers, Matt Reid and Travis Brown. Long distance runner Rob Krar is expected to attend in order to try to qualify for the Canadian Worlds Team as well. On the women’s side, Kylee Ohler is a favourite while her training partner Michelle Katchur Roberts will surely be going strong as well.
Event Page

COSMIC Grand Mesa Powderhorn – Jan 14

The day before the Heathen Challenge, this race may see lower turnout due to the draw of the US Team Qualifier. Who has the guts to race all three days? Teague Holmes?
Event Page

COSMIC/USSMA Sunlight Heathen Challenge – Jan 15/16

The second US Team qualifying event, expect some serious competition. First, the sprint race will be a chance for athletes to compete for four spots on the US Worlds Team. It’s possible that some of the individual race contenders may sit this one out to save their energy, leaving places open to other athletes.
The big show, however, will be at 7:30am on Sunday morning when racers will compete for eight spots for the Teams Event at Worlds and, most importantly, for the fourth and final Individual spot on the team. Expect Tom Goth to be back with a vengeance but Max Taam will have a home field advantage. Hopefully we will also see Jason Dorais jump back into the mix as well.
On the women’s side, Meredith Edwards appears to have the fourth spot in her grasp but it is difficult to predict!
There are also 10-12 guys who all pose a legitimate threat for the top eight team spots. In addition to those above, we expect to see World’s veterans Teague Holmes, Rory Kelly, and Jon Brown in the mix!
Event Page

2016 Mount Marathon race: Interview with 2nd Place Nick Elson

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Nick is a La Sportiva athlete based in Squamish, BC. (Eric Carter Photo)
Nick is a La Sportiva athlete based in Squamish, BC. (Eric Carter Photo)
The Mount Marathon Race is one of the most storied of North American mountain running races. It is one of the oldest races in NA (first ran in 1915) and also incredibly dangerous with athletes frequently becoming injured, maimed, or altogether disappearing. Often confused with a race of the marathon distance, the Mount Marathon Race in Seward, Alaska is a total of five kilometres in distance featuring a 921m of elevation gain (3022 ft). For a little more about the race and the atmosphere surrounding it, check out the recent documentary 3022.
Last year on July 4th, La Sportiva athlete Nick Elson (living in Squamish, BC) lined up alongside multi-year winner Erik Strabel (AK), Salomon athlete Rickey Gates (CO), and the man who needs no introduction, Kilian Jornet (ESP). Much debate ensued over weather a non-Alaskan with little course experience could possibly compare to the Alaska hard-man with his intimate mountain knowledge. It seemed that the Alaskans underestimated Kilian, who ran home to a new course record. Meanwhile, the Canadian snuck across the line in 5th position with little fanfare – the announcers didn’t even mention Nick’s name.

The 2016 race rundown

Fast-forward to July 4th, 2016 and the race is wide open. Kilian opts not to return and no clear favourites emerge. Strabel and Gates aren’t quite showing the form they’d had in successful years and newcomers, David Norris and Scott Patterson (nordic skiers from APU) promise to be quick.
A spotlight is shone on the event when Salomon releases their Salomon Running TV episode focusing on the 2015 event.

Nick leading at the Canadian Mountain Running Championships (Squamish Valley Photography Club Photo)
Nick leading at the Canadian Mountain Running Championships (Squamish Valley Photography Club Photo)
Meanwhile, Nick has come off a successful season of ski mountaineering, competing both domestically and internationally on the World Cup and finishing the season as the Canadian National Champion and leader of the national ranking list. Spring rolled around and he increased his running after finishing his first year of law school. Nick capped off his pre-MMR training block by showing a glimpse of his form, comfortably winning the Canadian National Mountain Running Championships in Squamish, BC.
Race day arrives and David and Scott set a hard pace off the line with Nick and Ricky right on their heels. Because the race has no defined course aside from the start, top of the mountain, and finish, several decision points exist. At the end of the road, the APU skiers veer left to ‘the Cliffs’, a steep rocky section, while Nick and Rickey veer right to ‘the Roots’. Completely separated, the two groups can’t see each other and both probably worry that the other is moving faster. The trails come back together and emerge on the upper flanks of the mountain with the skiers ahead and Nick and Ricky trailing. David is looking strong and has a serious gap over Scott, with Nick not far behind. On the upper mountain, racers paddle up loose rocky scree, alternating between running and a power-hike with hands on their knees.
Start of the 2016 MMR (Todd List Photo)
Start of the 2016 MMR (Todd List Photo)
Passing the turn-around point at the summit, each racer takes a slightly different tack to descend the first portion, a large snowfield, remnant from the winter. All of the contenders end up in a nearly out of control butt-slide, jumping up at the last second before plowing into rocks at the bottom. From here it takes just minutes to descend the scree, a creek-bed portion of the mountain called ‘the Gut’ and then ‘the Cliffs’  and a short sprint down the road to the finish line. David holds his lead with a strong finish and a new course record. Nick passes Scott shortly after the snowfield and finishes second (with the third fastest time in history!) while Erik Strabel makes a come from behind attack on the descent to finish third.
For more insight into the race, we asked Nick a few questions. His answers are about as understated as they get. Also, for our American readers, bum is polite Canadian for butt.

The Interview

How was the pace off the line?
Nick: Because the race is so short and intense, everyone including myself seems to be pretty nervous and jumpy off the line. However, after the initial excitement, we settled into a pretty reasonable pace and I was able to cruise along behind Rickey and enjoy all the cheering as we ran to the base of the mountain.
Why did you choose to follow Ricky up the roots vs going with the David & Scott and do you wish you had chosen to go with them in hindsight?
Nick: I don’t think there’s much difference between the roots and the cliff – in fact I still think the roots are slightly more direct if you don’t mind using your hands a bit more. However, I think David and Scott really hammered once they hit the base of the mountain so they had a gap on us by the two routes met up. I followed Ricky because he’s a really strong climber and I hoped he’d have a strong race and I’d be able to hang on behind him. I do wonder whether I might have been able to climb a bit faster had I tried to go with Scott and David, but I think there’s also a good chance I would have blown up.
Where and how did you pass Scott?
Nick: I passed Scott just before where the descent route crosses the climbing route. I actually passed him by taking a better and more direct trail, but he was descending pretty carefully as I think he had some ankle issues. He had 15 starts on the FIS XC skiing world cup last year so I think his priority was probably not to jeopardize his ski season.

The butt-slide (Gregg Brown Photo)
The butt-slide (Gregg Brown Photo)
Did you intend to butt-slide the snow? Got any scars?
Nick: Yeah, we checked out the snow before the race. It would have been better style to boot ski it, but bum sliding seemed faster and less tiring. The snow dropped off pretty steeply right before turning to scree so I had to dig in my heels and my fingers pretty hard to slow down. I got some road rash on my bum and my palms were numb and tingling for a few hours after the race.
How important do you think course and previous race experience is?
Nick: I think it’s definitely helpful to know the course – certainly it would be a mistake to run it without spending some time figuring out the best way to go in each section. However, I don’t think the minute details matter as much as some people think. I think the experience from last year helped me, but mostly to understand the unique demands of the race and how to best prepare for it.
How was your keg stand?
Nick: I was lame and passed out by 3am before the keg stands really got going. However, for some reason some of the guys decided to bring the keg inside the house. The next morning a hungover Rickey Gates was apologetically scrubbing footprints off the ceiling.
Nick on a 'non-traditional' training run on his home peak the Chief (Eric Carter Photo)
Nick on a ‘non-traditional’ training run on his home peak the Chief (Eric Carter Photo)
How did you prepare leading into the race?
Nick: After the ski season I took a pretty unstructured approach to training for a while. However, in the two months leading up to the race, I tried to make sure that I had a bit of a plan for getting in consistent hard workouts. I also spent a couple weeks in Canmore a month before the race which turned out to be a great place to train with lots of steep terrain right above town. After last year, I realized that running the downhill well would require a bit more specific preparation so I actually did some downhill intervals which was a first for me.
What was your favourite workout?
Nick: I didn’t race much this spring or early summer and since most of my workouts are time-based and uphill, it was hard to get a concrete sense of where my fitness was and so I decided to do a time-trial up the first peak of the Chief (a 500m climb near Nick’s house) a month and a half out. I wasn’t too well rested but I managed to run a solid time for me (17:42) which was a good confidence boost. It’s not something I would do very often, but it gave me an idea of what I needed to work on in the lead up to the race.
Nick climbing in the 2016 MMR (Philipp Reiter Photo)
Nick climbing in the 2016 MMR (Philipp Reiter Photo)
Will you be back to try for a win?
Nick: It’s a pretty awesome race and I feel like I still have some room for improvement so I’d like to go back. I’ve got a guaranteed spot for next year which is a valuable commodity – the top bid in the auction this year was $4500!
What’s next?
Nick: The plan for the next little while is to focus on some more technical objectives in the mountains. I also plan to run an ultra or two later in the year.
Keep your eye on Nick, easily the best mountain runner in Canada.
Congratulations Nick and we can’t wait to see you on top of the podium next year!

2016 full race videos

Men’s race:

Women’s race:

April 1-12 Skimo Racing News Shorts: Tour du Rutor, Shedhorn SkiMo, Ski Ecrins

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Our skimo racing recap from last two weekends here in North America and Europe!

USA

Shedhorn Race at Big Sky, Montana – April 9:

Over the last weekend, and for second year in a row, the Big Sky Resort in Montana hosted the Shedhorn SkiMo Race which is now arguably the most technical race in North America. Boasting serious steep descents, plenty of boot-packs and close to 3000m of vertical gain spread over 6 climbs it is shaping up to become a beast of an event going into the future.

High consequence boot-pack. Photo by Myke M
High consequence boot-pack. Photo by Myke Hermsmeyer.
In the men’s race, it was Eric Carter and Tom Goth who took it by the horns during the first big climb. Unfortunately, not long after Tom broke his boot and abandoned the race. From there on, Eric, was pretty much unchallenged and was able to enjoy the beautiful course set by the local ski patrol team and COSMIC series team. He won in 3h 52min with Teague Holmes and Ellio Barcikowski completing the podium.
In the women’s race, we are not sure how it exactly went down as we don’t have regular (or even occasional) correspondent, but overall everyone enjoyed the raced as well! Meredith Edwards took the win in 4h 58min and was followed home by Inge Perkins and Michela Adrian.
Here is what Eric Carter had to say after returning home from Big Sky and as he was just literally changing bags to jump on a flight to Europe to do Patrouille des Glaciers later this month:

It was definitely a super fun race over big terrain! The skiing was full on. I even stopped to pull out my ice axe after I dropped into the first descent. It was steep and long ways down should you fall
 Now, over to Euroland for PDG. We have a good team and some goals! Will see how it goes, will be in touch!

» Full results for Shedhorn Skimo race

Europe

Tour du Rutor stage race – Long Distance World Cup – April 1-3:

Just like the more famous Pierra Menta in France, Tour du Rutor is a cool multi-day skimo stage teams race. It takes place over three days every second year at the well-known Valle d’Aosta, a region in northwest Italy.

Matteo Eydallin during the second stage. Photo by Stefano Jeantet.
Matteo Eydallin during the second stage. Photo by Stefano Jeantet.
There were no surprises in the women’s race as the very strong French team of Laetitia Roux and Axelle Mollaret confirmed their domination by winning every stage. Overall, second place went to a Swiss team of Jennifer Fiechter and Severinne Pont Combe and third, after a bit of a rough first day, went to Italians Elena Nicolini with Laura Besseghini.
In the men’s race, there were multiple favourites but no team was really standing out as they were a mix of strong upcoming generation matched by experienced partners. In the end, the Italian team of Matteo Eydallin and Michele Boscacci delivered a flawless performance to win overall after winning first two days and finishing third on the last day. Our SkinTrack chips were on the “dark horse” Swiss duo as the well experienced Martin Athamatten teamed up with strong but still very young Remy Bonnet. They finished second but watch out for Bonnet to start winning World Cups by next year! Third place went to a team of great French skiers, a cheese maker William Bon Mardion and ski lifts electrician Xavier Gachet who’s father won the 3rd Pierra Menta.
» Overall and single day results can be found HERE
» Here you can watch couple of videos from the race.

Ski Ecrins stage race – ISMF series – April 9-10:

This is a two day French skimo stage teams race that Eric Carter and Pascal Egli (SWI) managed to win last year.
This year’s Ski Ecrins race saw wins of Gary Ozeray and Steven Blanc in men’s category and Laetitia  Roux and Tania Naville.

March 1-14 Skimo Racing News Shorts: Powder Keg, Five Peaks, Pierra Menta, Skimo East

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It was a busy two weeks of racing in North America and Europe! Read on to if you have missed anything.
» For previous weekend’s racing news see here.

USA West

Wasatch Powder Keg – March 4-6, 2016

The Wasatch Powder Keg and North American Ski Mountaineering Championships held at Brighton Ski Resort brought together some stiff competition for the racers and big challenges for the race organization.
The Friday night sprint race was a big success with Tom Goth from Salt Lake City and Kylee Toth Ohler of Calgary taking home the North American Sprint Championship titles. The sprint race course was a 107 meter (353 feet) climb with a flat start, several switch backs, a boot-pack, and another short climb followed by an 8 downhill gates descent. The fastest men’s time for any lap was Tom Goth’s 3:18 winning lap. The fastest women’s time was a tie between Kylee’s winning lap and Gemma Arro’s qualification lap in 4:08.

The individual race was held on Saturday in beautiful spring conditions. Tom Goth again took the North American Individual Championship title while Stevie Kremer of Crested Butte drove late into the night to race and win the Women’s title. The winning times were 2h 13min for Tom and 2h 35min for Stevie.
The 2016 Powder Keg individual race was held on a new course that utilized less in-bounds terrain and was enjoyed by all racers. The course conditions were challenging with a hard refreeze on Friday night leading to some very hard and icy climbs early in the day. We were excited to have our largest junior showing to date with 6 male and 3 female athletes ranging in age from 9 to 16.

Why the teams race was cancelled!
Why the teams race was cancelled!
The race organization had been watching the weather closely all week and were anticipating a Sunday morning storm. Contingency course plans were set in motion on Saturday afternoon, however, Sunday morning brought a much stronger storm than expected. The organizers and volunteers headed out on the course and 5 minutes prior to the race start made a difficult decision to cancel the event. Snow was falling at more than an inch per hour, ridge top winds were sustained at over 35 mph and gusting to 75 mph, making snow-pack stability quickly deteriorating. While disappointed, all racers were supportive of the decision and most made the best of it with their own in-bounds team vertical to the top of the Millicent Express Lift.
Results HERE
Thanks to Mike Foote, Chad Brackelsberg and Nick Francis for their contribution!

The Five Peaks – March 12, 2016:

Breckenridge Resort held the annual Five Peaks teams race despite somewhat sparse snow conditions. Marshall Thomson and Rory Kelly went relatively unchallenged on the men’s side while Stevie Kremer and Lindsay Plant stayed almost 10min ahead of Jessie Young and Jari Hiatt.
The Five Peaks RESULTS
The Five Peaks Photos

Jessie Young and Photo: Climbbetty.com
Jessie Young and Jari Hiatt on one of the boot-packs. Photo: Climbbetty.com
Want to see more coverage of women’s racing? We need a female correspondent! Send us an email if you’d like to contribute!

8e9db461-0ecd-40e8-b569-c009c6ba4284Upcoming:

Next up on the COSMIC schedule is Cody’s Challenge in Steamboat Springs, CO.
Also make sure to save the date on April 9th for the Big Sky Shedhorn Skimo race. This promises to be an exciting one, with crampons, ice axe and whippet on the mandatory gear list (!?). Check out their Facebook Page for more info and updates as well as registration.

USA East

Jay Peak – March 5, 2016:

Photo: Stephenie Cote
Photo: Stephenie Cote
The longest-running skimo venue in New England since 2005, the Jay Peak race was totally revamped two seasons ago by Quebec Dynafit rep Jeff Rivest, now co-director of Skimo East. Although entirely in-bounds, racers were appropriately challenged by difficult boot-packs and steep descents, sometimes even in tight glades. And unlike the rest of New England during this “historic” “winter” season, Jay Peak actually had lots of snow! Long-time Quebec champion and former professional cyclist, George Visser took the win, followed by Northern NH trail runner Andrew Drummond in his skimo season debut, and Boston-area Brian MacIlvain in his first major podium. Skimo East co-director and former Canadian Olympic cyclist Lyne Bessette was the top woman and also finished fifth overall, only several seconds off the podium.

Owl’s Head – March 6, 2016:

Although various Presidential candidates might object that Owl’s Head is on the other side of any pending border wall, this Quebec stop in the Skimo East series the following day was combined with Jay Peak for the weekend standings. George Visser and Andrew Drummond once again took the top two spots, but Northern NH famed mountain man Tristan Williams made the podium in only his third skimo race. Lyne Bessette dominated the female field as always, placed fifth overall in only a little over a minute off the podium, and took third overall for the combined weekend results. In the combined weekend’s highly unofficial Nations Cup, the United States avenged its split decision against Canada over a month earlier at Burke by winning on all four conceivable measures.
Photos by David Moore

Magic Mountain – March 12, 2016:

Although the nation moved the clocks ahead a mere hour on the weekend, New England seemed to skip a month ahead with the final weekend of operations for many ski resorts. Fortunately, Magic in Southern VT had just enough remaining snow for long efficient skin tracks and some decent skiing. As for the boot-pack, who needs snow for that, right? Jerimy Arnold took the win followed by Josh Flanagan, with QT2 Systems triathlon coach John Spinney on his first podium in his skimo season debut.
Skimo East Results HERE

Photo: Stephenie Cote
Photo: Stephenie Cote

Upcoming:

Pending ski resort closures and dwindling terrain options have led to a game of musical chairs for the remaining races. The disappearance of the Northern VT backcountry snowpack has cancelled the Bolton Valley 24-hour race and the Sugarbush traditional race, so the Southern VT Bromley race has been moved ahead to March 19 to take advantage of the resulting opportunity in the schedule and the remaining snow. The Northern VT Stowe evening crit-style race on still on for March 26, as is the Central VT Pico race for March 27 even though the resort will have been closed for two weeks by then.
Thanks to our Skimo East SkinTrack.com correspondent Jonathan Shefftz for the write-up!

Canada

No racing took place in Western Canada since our last update (good for the Coastal guys who have been enjoying lots of powder lately) but we are looking forward to Canadian National Championships – the Ken Jones Classic in Lake Louise, AB. This is shaping up to be potentially one of the most competitive skimo races in Western Canada in recent history. A strong contingent of skiers from the Coast will be looking to challenge the Rockies locals but registrations are coming in from the US as well.
Nick Elson will be trying to take his second and consecutive National Championship title but will have a couple of serious challengers. There are the usual suspects like Peter Knight, Travis Brown, Stano Faban… but Rob Krar, an ultra-running champion, will be looking to see where he stacks up among the Canadians if he plans to make a National Team bid for next season. On the women’s side, Kylee Toth Ohler is skiing very strong at the moment but with Melanie Bernier back on this side of the Atlantic, the two will most likely fight it out.
If you are looking for a reason to visit the gem of Rockies, book a ticket to Calgary, come race at Lake Louise and then shred pow in Rogers Pass the rest of the week!
Registration is LIVE

Europe

Photo: Pierra Menta Facebook Page
The classic ridge climb to the summit of the Grand Mont. Photo: Pierra Menta Facebook Page

Pierra Menta – March 9-12, 2016:

It’s the mythical Pierra Menta – four days of racing in beautiful Areches-Beaufort, France. We would have written separate articles for each stage if we had a correspondent in attendance (like last year) but here’s a quick summary:
Killian Jornet and Matheo Jacquemond dominated by winning three of the four stage and by 10 min lead over 10 hours of racing. The Italian favourites (last year’s champions) dropped out with an ear infection while the other Italian team – Michelle Boscacci and Robert Antonioli – skied to a strong 3rd place overall finish. They were bested to second place by the French team and hometown favourite cheese maker William Bon Mardion and Xavier Gachet.
For the women, the ‘Queen’ of skimo Laetitia Roux paired with her young French phenom teammate Axelle Mollaret and really dominated the race, winning the overall by 50 min over 13 hours of racing!  This must have been a bit of a pill to swallow for Roux’s long time Pierra Menta teammate Mireia Miro who was competing with her Spanish teammate Claudia Galicia and finishing in second. The Italian team of Katia Tomatis and Martina Valmassoi rounded out the podium.

Pierra Menta 2016 Champions. I just don't understand how that is not the skin suit of the Canadian National Team - flannel and jeans!?
Pierra Menta 2016 Champions. We don’t understand how that is not the official skin suit of the Canadian National Team, flannel and jeans, eh? 🙂
While the Canadians didn’t field any teams this year, USA sent the Colorado dream team of John Gaston and Max Taam as well as Scott Simmons and Paul Hamilton (making his debut on the European skimo circuit). Gaston and Taam raced well the entire week, maintaining a steady position, and finished in 15th, tying the previous best men’s North American finish. Simmons and Hamilton went very well the first three days but botched the last day. Yet they still finished with a very respectable 41st place.
Videos and Results HERE

Upcoming:

The ISMF calendar continues with a vertical, individual, and sprint event in Mondole, Italy at the Prato Nevoso ski area. Hurting badly for snow earlier in the year, Prato Nevoso is looking good to go. Don’t expect Kilian Jornet to slow down and Laetitia Roux will likely continue to dominate with the loss of several top women to injury.
The next Grande Course race to come is the bi-annual Tour du Rutor in Italy at the beginning of April.
ISMF Racing News
Check out our big 2015/16 skimo calendar for upcoming events this week and into the future. Still lots of racing left this season!
 

February News Shorts: Skimo racing in USA, Europe and Canada

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Tom Goth on Guide's Ridge at US National Championships. Grace Owens Photo.
Tom Goth on Guide’s Ridge at US National Championships. Grace Owens Photo.
We’ve been a bit behind with our news updates, mostly because we’ve been busy racing. See what has been happening in skimo racing over the last month!
» For previous weekend’s racing news see here.

USA West

Santa Fe Fireball:
In New Mexico, racers met at the Santa Fe ski area to compete in the COSMIC race Santa Fe Fireball.  The race is primarily inbounds with ~4000ft of climbing. More sparsely attended than some COSMIC events, the Fireball featured the veteran Pete Swenson who took the top step ahead of ultra-runner turned skimo racer Paul Hamilton. The women’s race was handily won by Stevie Kremer almost uncontested with Sarah Stubbe finishing in second and Kate Ferlic in third.
Results
US Nationals:
The focus of North American skimo turned to the town of Crested Butte in mid-February for the US National Championships event featuring a vertical race as well as an individual and teams race, both on the infamous Guide’s Ridge course. Conditions in CB were firm and sunny throughout the weekend with uncharacteristically warm temps for February in Colorado’s high country. With a starting elevation of ~10,000 feet, altitude was a major factor in all races.
In the Vertical, John Gaston and Rory Kelly pulled away from the field with local Marshal Thompson chasing strong. Megan Kimmel gave a strong performance on the all-groomer course with a healthy lead above Sara Kadlec and Stevie Kremer. SkinTrack’s Eric Carter came in 5th.
Vertical Results

The youngest competitor at US Nationals: 12 year old Max Kilcoyne racing the vertical. COSMIC Photo.
The youngest competitor at US Nationals: 12 year old Max Kilcoyne racing the vertical. COSMIC Photo.
Saturday’s Individual race featured a long, icy, mogul climb to start with (wouldn’t be racing in the US without at least one of these) and followed by several shorter descents and ascents leading towards the final boot-pack onto and up the Guide’s Ridge. The ridge is ~400 ft of granite rock steps with climbing rope fixed the entire way. Racers use both via ferrata and a handled ascender to scramble up the 4th class terrain. Most find this difficult in the least with some ending up fumbling with their gear or completely gripped. Tom Goth pushed the pace from the start but John Gaston showed his abilities quickly moving into the lead. Max Taam skied from ~10th place up to 2nd by the end of the final descent, with Goth rounded out the podium. In women’s race, Jessie Young stayed well ahead of the field with an almost four minute lead over once-again-strong Janelle Smiley and Stevie Kremer. Also of note is the U-23 and U-18 categories who had strong representation from local collegiate athletes!
Individual Results
The Teams event featured much of the same course as the individual with less climbing and more time on flat terrain but still finishing on the Guide’s Ridge. Marshall Thompson and Rob Krar took off hard from the start while John Gaston and Max Taam lurked behind until taking the lead on the second climb, continuing their unbeaten teams-race streak. Ultra-runners Mike Foote and Paul Hamilton had a strong performance, skiing well into second place! The women’s field had only three teams with the Meredith Edwards – Janelle Smiley duo ending up off the course and receiving a DQ. Jessie Young and Lindsay Plant took the women’s podium (finishing 13th overall).
Teams Results
Want more coverage of women’s racing? We need a female correspondent! Send us an email if you’d like to contribute!
Stevie Kremer and Lindsay Plant racing to victory at the Power of 4. Jeremy Swanson Photo.
Stevie Kremer and Lindsay Plant racing to victory at the Power of 4. Jeremy Swanson Photo.
Power of Four
The Power of Four is a classic Colorado COSMIC series event that brings top teams to Aspen-Snowmass. Racing in teams of two at high altitude, it is a relatively spectator friendly event with good resort access. Local heroes, John Gaston and Max Taam skied tactically, letting Paul Hamilton and Scott Simmons tag along until the final climb and descent before pulling away and smashing the previous course record. Mike Foote and Rob Krar put in a strong performance finishing in third. An unusually strong women’s field was topped by Lindsay Plant and Stevie Kremer finishing with time to spare, ahead of Sarah Kadlec and Lindsay Meyer.
Power of 4 Results
Upcoming in the Western US is this weekend’s Wasatch Powder Keg (and Continental Championships). A classic event at Brighton Resort in Utah that is expertly organized by Chad Bracklesberg and Nick Francis. They had this to say about the upcoming weekend:

We have worked hard on a new individual course this year, which features far more off piste skinning (not gnarly bumps, but good euro style skin tracks through Wasatch forest (Thank God – Ed.)), totalling 6800 feet of gain for the race division.  Race conditions all three days look to be spring-like, with warm temperatures and sunshine, which should make for a fast course.  Overall the course is in excellent condition, with supportable south aspects and some good chalky snow in the northern aspects.  Friday will feature our traditional sprint course, and Sunday is the excellent teams event, covering over 8K of vert through technical climbs and descents around the central Wasatch.
Our predictions are for Tom Goth to take the mens individual and sprint.  On the womens side, it will be a battle between Gemma Arro Ribot, Jessie Young, and Meredith Edwards for the individual and sprint.  The teams event is anyones guess, but will almost certainly feature some of the same fast folks from the individual.  With John Gaston, Max Taam, and Scott Simmons out of the country traveling to Pierra Menta, the leader board will certainly be different than the last few races.  Yet to be seen if some of the new racers from the ultra community will challenge Tom for the top spot, but this weekend will see how they fare…

The next COSMIC race is the Breckenridge 5-Peaks on March 12th.

USA East

Burke:
After the Northeastern U.S. skimo season kicked off on January 23, the action shifted to the very northern tip of Vermont at Burke Mountain, which also attracted a large Quebec contingent.  Snow conditions have been rather ungenerous to New England so far this season, but Burke still had enough snow (barely) to pull off all the ascents and descents on natural snow.  The ~5,400’ cumulative vertical included seventeen transitions with six separate bootpacks, with lots of especially tricky skinning on the first ascent up a narrow twisty hiking trail. Dynafit athlete Marshall Thompson, visiting family back East, took first, followed by Quebec leader (and former MTB pro) George Visser, and  Andrew Drummond (in his skimo debut).  Skimo East co-director and former Canadian Olympic cyclist Lyne Bessette was the top woman and also took fourth overall.

Jonathan Vass racing on the East Coast. Burke Mountain Photo.
Jonathan Vass racing on the East Coast. Burke Mountain Photo.
Berkshire East
The circuit took a hiatus for traditional races until February 27, when the Mount Greylock 100% backcountry race with 0% snowpack was moved to Berkshire East. Jerimy Arnold won the hour-long crit-style race and followed up with another win in the dual-elimination multiple-round sprint race. But the final event threw a monkey wrench into the overall standings with an equalized-teams relay race, as newcomer Mark Trahan took the win for the day, with Race Director Jonathan Shefftz as runner-up.
Wildcat
The following day, Wildcat Mountain, literally across the street from New Hampshire’s famed Mount Washington, held its inaugural race, with local Andrew Drummond taking the win. Fortunately our unfortunate snow conditions actually improved the course layout, forcing the race organizers to abandon their initial plan of driving racers to a nordic trail network for a flat ascent back to the downhill resort, instead using the resort’s very efficient dedicated uphill route. However, as he skied both descents with his climbing skins in his hands, and also relied on a passing skier to bring down a dropped skin without hiking back up all the way, clearly the ISMF-adjusted win belonged to British national team member Daniel Gay only four seconds behind. Brian MacIlvain rounded out the podium.
Upcoming:
The Catamount Trail Association’s weekly series continues each Wednesday night at Bolton Valley VT.  The first race – and the first of its kind anywhere in New England – attracted a field of 78 skiers, led by Middlebury College sophomore Peter Howe and QT2 Systems triathlete coach John Spinney.
Coming up on March 5 is a rematch with Equipe Quebec at Jay Peak, just barely on the U.S. side of the international border. The 2015 course layout was the most challenging in the East, and currently Jay is one of the few venues anywhere in New England with a decent snowpack. Some U.S. racers might also venture across the border the next day for a race at Owl’s Head that is combined with the Jay race for overall weekend results.
Results and Photos (NE Rando Race FB Page)
Many more Burke professional pictures at:
https://daimo.smugmug.com/SkimoEast-Burke-VT-2016/
Thanks to our Skimo East Skintrack.com Correspondent Jonathan Shefftz!
Men and Women's podium at ROAM Randonne Rally in Nelson, BC.
Men and Women’s podium at ROAM Randonne Rally in Nelson, BC.

Canada

ROAM Randonne Rally – Nelson BC:
February was quiet in Western Canada with the exception of the ROAM Rando Rally in Nelson, BC. Held at Whitewater Ski Area, the ROAM Rando Rally has the most reliably deep powder of any race in North America. The race features three ascents and descents in-bounds and in the Whitewater slack country. In typical Nelson fashion, soon after course officials finished placing wands and setting skin tracks, the clouds closed in and snow started falling. Racers woke Saturday morning to 20+cm of fresh snow blanketing the skis area and covering tracks. A strong contingent of Canadian athletes as well as racers from Montana started up the groomed runs and quickly encountered deep trail breaking on course. With no-one keen to break trail, the pace stayed mellow and a large group formed on the first untracked powder descent.
After trading trail-breaking duties, the lead pack arrived at the top of the ridge on the final climb where they found freshly broken trail and the race spread out with a sprint down the final descent between Eric Carter and Ben Parsons while Peter Knight skied into third. Michelle Katchur-Roberts handily won the women’s field with Katarina Kuba in second and newcomer Lori Anne Howard in third.
ROAM Recap and Results
Upcoming:
The next race in the Canadian Ski Mountaineering Cup Circuit is the Ken Jones Classic – serving as Canadian National Championships – in Lake Louise, AB.
Registration is LIVE

Europe

Giulia Compagnoli (ITA) going face first into the cow pasture at Valtellina running to the finish line. (ISMF Photo)
Giulia Compagnoli (ITA) going face first into the cow pasture at Valtellina running to the finish line. (ISMF Photo)
Valtellina:
There was no instagram exaggeration for this one. There was literally no snow at the start line of the third World Cup event of the season. Racers sprinted uphill through a farmer’s pasture before skinning up an icy road. With only 40cm of snow on the ground at the high point of the race, coverage was sparse to say the least. Rocks were everywhere on descents waiting to bite and racers skinned over patches of grass throughout the race. Despite the conditions, the town of Valtellina Orobie rallied around their golden boy Michelle Boscacci and made it happen. With a sketchy run back down to the finish line on the steep farm field, Boscacci and Kilian Jornet decided mid-race not to contest the win and instead walk down hand in hand. Much to Kilian’s consternation, he was awarded the win over Boscacci according to ISMF rules that take finish order off chip time. North Americans in attendance were Nick Elson, Melanie Bernier, and Eric Carter.
Alpiniski/European Championships:
A three day race featuring Vertical, Individual, and Sprint events, the World Cup and European Championship races in Les Marecottes, Switzerland (very close to the site of last year’s World Championships) were a major departure from the preceding weekend. A dump of snow in the Rhone Valley transformed the venue into a winter wonderland. The Vertical event utilized a unusual time-trial start format due to low snow at the starting elevation, with racers starting alone, every 30 seconds. Kilian Jornet won the event, probably trying harder than usual because of being unaware of his placement until crossing the line.  Victoria Kreuzer won for the women.
Jornet and Palzer battle in Les Marecottes. Ski and Run Photo.
Jornet and Palzer battle in Les Marecottes. Ski and Run Photo.
Vertical Race Video
In the Individual, the race took advantage of the excellent terrain offered in the Les Marecottes ski area and the new snow. Skin tracks were soft but established and the course was slightly shortened due to avalanche danger at the high point. Racers started off hard as always and Kilian battled it out with Anton Palzer of Germany and the Italians. Sadly, Emelie Forsberg crashed out of the race with a knee injury.
The Sprint at Les Marecottes was dominated by Laetitia Roux and Robert Antonioli. Check out our analysis of their transitions here.
Sprint Race Video
Nick Elson and Eric Carter represented North America at the Alpiniski World Cup and Eric posted about his races here.
Roux and Antonioli are the European Sprint Champions! ISMF Photo.
Roux and Antonioli are the European Sprint Champions! ISMF Photo.
Transcavello:
Kilian pulling away from the field in Transcavello. Kilian FB Photo.
Kilian pulling away from the field in Transcavello. Kilian FB Photo.
With conditions pretty grim in much of Europe, it was not looking good for the World Cup held in the Italian Dolomites. Luckily a dump of snow arrived just in time and the races were confirmed. The Transcavello course is a test event for next season’s 2017 World Championships. As usual this season, the Men’s race was contested between Kilian Jornet, Anton Palzer and Michele Boscacci finishing in that order. Kilian took the lead early in the race and gradually build while the others chased hard. Similarly, Latetia Roux skied away from the field not to be seen again with a 5min gap over the second place women.
Individual Race Video
The sprint race was eerily similar to that of Alpiniski with Antonioli and Roux repeating as champion. This is the second to last event in the ISMF Sprint circuit which will conclude in Mondole, Italy in several weeks. Of note is the young Italian women Alba DeSilvestro taking the third spot on the podium.
Altitoy Teruna:
The first Grande Course (Long Distance World Cup) race of the season was held over the weekend in the Pyrenees despite heavy snowfall preceding the event. Two days of racing were dominated by the Spanish-French duo of Kilian Jornet and Matheo Jacquemod while the French wonder team of Latetia Roux and Axelle Mollaret won the women’s event ahead of the Spanish and Italian teams.
Jornet and Jaquemod running to the finish of Altitoy. Grande Course Photo.
Jornet and Jacquemod running to the finish of Altitoy. Grande Course Photo.
FINAL MEN:
1. Jornet – Jacquemod
2. Eydallin – Lenzi
3. Boscacci – Antonioli
FINAL WOMEN:
1. Roux – Mollaret
2. Miro – Farres
3. Valmassoi- Tomatis
Upcoming:
The ISMF Grand Course calendar is just getting wound up with the Pierra Menta and the Tour du Rotur just around the corner in March and April. Expect Jornet-Jacquemod to be a force to be reckoned with but don’t rule out any of the Italian combinations or the French team led by William Bon-Mardion. The US will be represented at the Pierra Menta by Gaston and Taam who will be looking to increase the top American finish benchmark of 15th place and hopefully keep things together to break into the top 10!
ISMF Racing News
Check out our big 2015/16 skimo calendar for upcoming events this week and into the future. Still lots of racing left this season!
 

News Shorts: Aspen's Power of Four, NA racers in Marmotta Trophy World Cup, Upcoming races

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Laetitia Roux going for another gold in World Cup last weekend.
Laetitia Roux going for another gold in World Cup last weekend.

Audi Power of Four, Aspen (Feb 28, 2015)

Quickly growing into the biggest skimo race in North America, the Power of Four is already a Colorado classic. With vertical gain totaling 11,600 feet and course spread over three peaks covering 25.3 miles in distance, this race’s proportions resemble some of the big European classics such as Mezzalama in Italy. The route is not as technical but the altitudes most likely make up for it.
This year, once again, it was the home team of Max Taam & John Gaston that took the win. However, this time around, they put in a big gap (23 min) between them and 2nd placed Jon Brown & William Laird who only narrowly beat (1 min) a team of Pete Swenson & Rory Kelly. In 4th, was a notable duo as the team consisted of well known ultra-runners Mike Foote & Rob Krar.
The women’s race for first was a much more exciting affair. The newly married, Stevie Kremer partnered with Lindsay Plant to take the win by less than 2 minutes, in front of Jessie Young & Annie Gonzales. All this after 6 hours of racing! Third went to Darcy Piceu & Petra Pirc.
» Overall results and results for various categories are here

Marmotta Trophy World Cup, Italy (Mar 1-2, 2015)

Recap and photos submitted by Eric Carter who raced as well. Edits by Stano.
Set deep in the Martello Valley of South Tirol, Italy, the Marmotta Trophy World Cup featured both an Individual race and Sprint. The weather was kind to the organizers and athletes, with fresh snow falling the week before the race – a contrast to the low-snow, spring conditions of the previous edition.

Canadian Team: Michelle Roberts, Travis Brown, Melanie Bernier, Nick Elson.
Canadian Team: Michelle Roberts, Travis Brown, Melanie Bernier, Nick Elson.

Individual Race

The course featured three major climbs and descents. A wide track at the start quickly funneled into a double skin track. The first climb ascended out of the shadowy valley to the sunny South facing slopes before talking a direct but steep and narrow descent on breakable crust. The second climb started with a long flat stretch before tackling steep switchbacks to a hut where the women descended. The men continued up innumerable but gentle switchbacks to the glacier below Cima Marmotta before descending wide open powder fields at high speed. A flat traverse at the bottom took racers to the base of climb three. The climb was primarily switchbacks split in half by a bootpack up a steep couloir that would have likely been a pleasure to ski. Descending another long powder field before entering a steeply walled couloir, racers were again spit back onto open slopes that led to a final luge track descent through the trees. The last skins on transition was within sight of the finish, athletes put skins on frantically for a 15-meter climb to the line.

Melanie Bernier.
Melanie Bernier.
The women’s race was dominated as usual by Laetetia Roux (FRA) who led the race essentially from start to finish. Axelle Mollaret (FRA) chased behind with Emelie Forsberg (SWE) keping the French espoir in view to round out the podium. Behind the leaders was a pack that battled throughout the race including couple of Italian and Spanish women.
Melanie Bernier (CAN) skied strong on the last descent to gain contact with the Spaniards and Italians and the five women arrived in a group to the final transition before sprinting to the line within seconds of each other. Melanie finished 8th, only 7 seconds behind 6th, which is her top WC Individual result this season. The only other North American women to race was Michelle Roberts (CAN) who finished 20th.
» Women’s full results are here
The men’s race was also a battle between France, Italy, and Spain. Killian Jornet (SPA) led much of the race only to be passed on the final descent by one of the finest skiers William Bon Mardion (FRA). Xavier Gachet (FRA) rounded out the Frenchman sandwich with Michelle Boscacci and Damiano Lenzi (both ITA) skiing strong but not well enough for the podium.
Nick Elson (CAN) led the North American men with a 35th place finish. Eric Carter (USA) was 43rd and Travis Brown (CAN) 45th. A notable absence was super-German espoir Anton Palzer, sidelined since the World Championship relay race with a knee injury. However, Palzer is expected to be back skiing just in time to attend the Pierra Menta.
» Men’s full results are here
Sprint Race
Sunday began cloudy with Junior athletes racing before the Seniors, allowing an extra bit of rest and recovery. The men qualified first with 30 athletes advancing on to quarter-finals. The women followed quickly after with only 12 advancing on to semi-finals. Nick Elson led the North American field, however, failed to qualify for the heats along with Travis Brown and Michelle Roberts.
Melanie Bernier qualified with a strong time in 5th position. Melanie raced an amazing semi-final, falling behind to fourth place in the boot-pack but ripping down the descent and skating into a photo finish, ultimately placing third in the heat and continuing on to the final. The women’s final was led throughout the race by Laetitia Roux with Melanie finishing in 5th.
In the men’s heats, the usual players worked their way ahead with the notable addition of Kilian Jornet, rarely seen in a sprint race, who placed 13th overall. The Italians fought hard along with the French and Swiss racers but the day was dominated by the German Josef Rottmoser who decisively led every heat and settled the final uncontested.
» Sprint results: Men and Women
Melanie Bernier (on the left) during her semi-final heat.
Melanie Bernier (on the left) during her semi-final heat.

Upcoming races

Wasatch Powder Keg and US Skimo Nationals

Over three days, March 6-8, the whole US skimo scene will move to Brighton Resort close to Salt Lake City for the famous Wasatch Powder Keg. It will begin with a sprint race on Friday night, then continue with individual race on Saturday, and technical teams race on Sunday.
The very next weekend, March 13-15, everything and everyone will move to Crested Butte, CO for the 2015 Gore-Tex US Skimo Nationals that will also feature three days of competition – vertical race on Friday, individual on Saturday, and concluding with a teams race on Sunday.

East Coast

Skimo racers on the East Coast will also have their work cut out for them and they will line up for:

  • Mar 7 – Jay Peak Rando Race, VT
  • Mar 8 – Owl’s Head Quebec Touring Challenge, Quebec
  • Mar 14 – Magic Mountain Rando Race, VT
  • Mar 14 – Mt Orford Skimo Race, Quebec

Pierra Menta (Mar 11-14, 2015)

There will be couple of North American’s lining up for the 30th edition of Pierra Menta. Melanie Bernier is set to race once again, after collecting couple of top 5 finishes, and her partner should be a Norwegian athlete.
For men, North American will have an international team consisting of two good friends from Squamish, BC – Eric Carter will race with Nick Elson. Here is what they set in today:
Q: How are you and Nick feeling for Pierra Menta? What is your goal and what are you most excited about?

It’s the biggest event in skimo period. We are mostly stoked to race and test out all the training and preparation we have done. We of course want to place well. Reiner and Andrew’s 15th place in 2013 is certainly in the back of our heads but looking at the 2014 results it is very competitive and seems to be getting more so every year. We’re going to try to race a smart race and see what happens.

I believe the boys are in good shape and can definitely crack the top 20, so the question should be by how much. Melanie will be going strong as well since long and technical races suit her well.

Karl Egloff interview

In case you haven’t checked it out yet, I had the pleasure to interview the new Aconcagua speed climb record holder as Karl Egloff beat Kilian Jornet’s time by almost 1 hour few weeks ago!

News Shorts: Opening Ceremonies at 2015 Skimo World Championships in Verbier

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Opening ceremonies today:
Athletes paraded through the main street of Verbier village – along the same route of the vertical course where they we’re greeted by the local marching band and horn players. The president of ISMF and the organizing committee gave speeches and Canada’s very own Melanie Bernier – the athletes representative to the ISMF – spoke as well.
Tomorrow, the sprint course features a slightly longer than normal climb with a steep and narrow descent including a small kicker! Expect big things from the Italian team but don’t discount the French and Swiss.
The hopes of the USA lie in Andy Dorias who placed first at the U.S. National team selection race at Jackson Hole. Melanie Bernier, Canada’s sprint specialist, has high hopes for a podium finish. After a rough start to the season, she is feeling stronger with several race starts under her belt.
Our daily coverage of the races starts tomorrow!

team-canada-2015-verbier-opening
Team Canada. Photo from Kylee Ohler.
Melanie Bernier speaks on behalf of all athletes. Photo from Eric Carter.
Melanie Bernier speaks on behalf of all athletes. Photo from Eric Carter.
Scott Simmons trying to convince the "first aid professional" to give up the schnapps :) Photo from ISMF.
Scott Simmons trying to convince the “first aid professional” to give up the schnapps 🙂 Photo from ISMF.
Team USA strolling the streets of Verbier during the opening ceremonies. Photo from Andy Dorais.
Team USA strolling the streets of Verbier during the opening ceremonies. Photo from Andy Dorais.

News Shorts: North Americans in Andorra World Cup, Torgon SkiAlpi race, Canadian Champs, CROWBAR, Berkshire East

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Jan 24-25: Skimo World Cup in Andorra

A couple of US and Canadian athletes took part in this 2nd round of the 2015 Skimo World Cup. The race weekend was a bit chaotic caused by weather and some organizational issues but at the end hopefully everyone understands that we are still volunteers in this sport and can be only grateful that the Andorrans keep up their enthusiasm and sponsorship high year after year.
Vertical race video:

Eric Carter (USA), SkinTrack’s contributor, had his Euro racing debut. Despite jet-lag Eric was going quite well in the individual race until after crossing “the finish line” where he was told he needs to do one more climb, during which he then bonked hard. The misunderstanding was due to lack of clear communication by the organizers but Eric was still happy to get his first Euro experience. Next day, vertical went better for him and he placed 46th.
John Gaston (USA) didn’t finish the individual race and placed 29th in the vertical, reasonable 2.5 min behind the winner, Kilian Jornet. John even beat Matteo Eydallin (ITA) and was only 5 sec behind Alexis Sevennec (FRA).
Melanie Bernier (CAN) placed 9th in the individual (results are showing 10th) and suffered in the vertical and finished 17th. However, by now, Melanie is getting over her health troubles since her arrival to Europe few weeks ago and should be in full strength for the Worlds starting this weekend (see below for more). In the women’s category, both races were won by the untouchable Laetitia Roux.
Katarina Kuba (CAN), only 20-years old, had an eye opening experience as she bravely threw herself right into a World Cup as her first ever Euro race. On one hand, this was great, but on the other, it was quite hard for her as she battled a flu bug for almost two months before her departure for Europe.
» Results are here – Andorra Skimo WC results

Jan 24: 2015 BUFF Canadian Skimo Championships, BC

For second year now, I took on the responsibility as a race director of the Canadian Skimo Champs that have been held at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort for the last 7 years. After three days of hard work and lots of help from volunteers we pulled off another great edition of the Dogtooth Dash.
» For full race report read here but in short Nick Elson and Kylee Ohler became the new Canadian Skimo Champions, while Philipp Schaedler (German National Team) won overall.

Nick Elson followed by Philipp Schaedler. Photo by Stano Faban.
Nick Elson followed by Philipp Schaedler. Photo by Stano Faban.

Jan 24: Berkshire East Rando Race, MA

Full race report (and an entertaining one) and race results from this East Coast classic can be found here.
Anyone that lives on (or travels to) the East Coast should check out the NE Rando Series facebook page for updates – https://www.facebook.com/NERandoRaceSeries

COSMIC races:

With events taking place each week it’s hard to keep up with the Colorado racing scene. This is equally frustrating as it is amazing 🙂 Keep up the good work guys!
Any summary reports from the COSMIC races would be welcome and properly credited.
» For now, for latest information visit Cosmic website

Jan 31: CROWBAR Backcountry Ski Race, UT

The CROWBAR skimo race is one of the very few on the North American continent that is happening entirely out of bounds. Close to 60 racers made it to the start line where beautiful weather welcomed them. Tom Diegel of Salt Lake City won the men’s race division with a commanding 11 min gap, while Meredith Edwards (member of US National Team) took the women’s race division top prize.
This year, we have contributed as sponsors by donating couple of free copies of the Manual for Ski Mountaineering Racing e-book as prizes for the junior and rec categories.
» Full results can be found here and the race’s facebook page here

Jan 31: Canadians racing Torgon SkiAlpi Race, Switzerland

Last weekend was the Torgon SkiAlpi race, a Swiss Cup event, and one of the last nearby races before the opening of the 2015 World Championships in Verbier. Team Canada had a strong turnout with Katarina Kuba, Martha Burley, Travis Brown, and Melanie Bernier participating.
Nearly 400 racers crowded the start line to cover either the Petite Course (1100m) or the Grand Course (1600m). Melanie placed 3rd just 2 min behind winner and Swiss Team member Maude Mathys. The men’s race was dominated by Didier Blanc (FRA) with Yannick Ecoeur (SUI) in 2nd. Martha and Travis placed well in the Grand Course despite both just jumping off flights from North America. Katarina placed 3rd overall in the Petite Course, feeling strong after racing her first World Cup event the previous weekend in Andorra. The race was an excellent pre-worlds tune-up for the Canadians and featured well set, smooth skin tracks, fun skiing in deep powder and a long boot pack.
All photos by Eric Carter who decided to rest before the Worlds.

Upcoming Races:

» With World Championships starting this Friday, athletes from the Canadian and U.S. Teams are arriving in Verbier and preparing to race. The event’s schedule will be as follows:

  • Friday, Feb 6 – Sprint race
  • Saturday, Feb 7 – Vertical race
  • Sunday, Feb 8 – Vertical for junior & cadet categories
  • Monday, Feb 9 – Individual race
  • Tuesday, Feb 10 – Individual for junior & cadet categories
  • Wednesday, Feb 11 – Teams race
  • Thursday, Feb 12 – Relay races

» In the United States, there are two races schedule this weekend in New Mexico:

  • Saturday, Feb 7 –  Santa Fe Fireball Rando Race
  • Sunday, Feb 8 – Rio Hondo Rando Raid, Taos

» Alpental Vertfest, WA has been postponed until March 21-22 due to lack of snow!
» No races are schedule in Canada for the next two weeks.