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Skimo Racing

Introducing the lightest ski mountaineering boots

October 26, 2009 By Stano Faban 17 Comments

Trend towards lighter gear in any mountain and outdoor sport is obvious. It was, is, and will be going on at every stage of gear development.
Light gear in many sports starts its development inside racing environment where every second counts. This is how it is happening in ski mountaineering world too.
pigSkimo (rando) racing is the ultimate force behind the evolution of the lightest equipment where skis, bindings and boots are dropping not grams but pounds almost every two years or so…and there are string$ attached.
Light gear has clear advantages for going uphill but what about going down?
While there is a compromise in quality of skiing it is not as much as you would think. This is mostly due to materials such as carbon that is very light yet very stiff, and due to clever designs and engineering solutions.
Today, we are going to take a look at ski mountaineering boots that are used almost exclusively for skimo racing, however, they are slowly finding their way into everyday use for vertical junkies and speed obsessed crazies.
Also, we will briefly introduce/compare another four models that are very light yet they are more affordable and durable for everyday touring.

Lightest ski mountaineering boots

For the 2010 season there are four manufacturers that can offer sub-kilo (sub 1kg) models:

  • Scarpa and Dynafit are well established brands on the market.
  • LaSportiva is also a well-known brand but not for ski mountaineering boots, they are famous for their mountaineering and climbing shoes.
  • Then there is the ultimate craftsman Pierre Gignoux from France.

It seems that big brands have their hands somewhat tide with their already established images of quality that prevents them to go for more aggressive approach. And since they are designing for a wider range of users their products are not as impressive light-wise as from the smaller companies.

Pierre-Gignoux-XP-444 La-Sportiva-Stratos
Pierre Gignoux XP 444 La Sportiva Stratos
weight: 590g / boot (size 27.5)
price: 1300€ (about $2055)
more info: Pierre Gignoux
weight: 640g / boot (size 26)
price: unknown
more info: La Sportiva
Scarpa-F1-Carbon Dynafit-DyNA-TF
Scarpa F1 Carbon Dynafit Dy.N.A. TF
weight: 840g / boot (size 27)
price: about $1400-1600
more info: Scarpa
weight: 920g / boot (size 27.5)
price: about $1400-1600
more info: Dynafit

The differences between the boot models  in terms of weight are quite astounding considering all of them are very light already. The price tags are impressive as well 😉
The XP 444 is a newer version of XP 500 which was Pierre’s first widely sold model. The XP 500 was used by the fastest skimo racers on the world cup circuit past 2-3 seasons and XP 444 is likely to follow suit.
Weight differences make also difference in durability as it was reported numerous times that the rivets and some other parts needed replacement after few races on the XP 500. This didn’t seem to be the case with Scarpa’s and Dynafit’s older racing models. But weight is king and light is everything, so XP 444 will do well.
To read about personal experiences with the above boots and opinions about their advantages/disadvantages go to the comments section of an article about Vertical climbing speed where conversation was hijacked towards this light weight boots topic.

More affordable light skimo boots

The second tier of the lightest boots are more affordable. Yes they are heavier than the above, never the less, they make for very fast skinning too.
The most popular model between a wide range of skimo racers and weight conscious backcountry skiers is Scarpa F1 Race model. This boot was preceeded by Scarpa F1 and the two mainly differ in two ways: F1 Race doesn’t have a tongue and is “missing” the middle part of the vibram sole. These adjustments make it much lighter.
Dynafit’s Zzero 3 and Scarpa’s F3 models are very close with their weight and their price tags match the ones of more regular touring boots.

Scarpa-F1-Race Scarpa-F1 Scarpa-F3 Dynafit-Zzero3-C-TF
Scarpa F1 Race Scarpa F1 Scarpa F3 Dynafit Zzero 3
weight: 1120g / boot
(size 27)
price: about $800
Essentially F1 boot but without a tongue and mid-sole. Improved and lighter locking system.
Reviews and more infos here.
weight: 1350g / boot
(size 27)
price: about $700
Boot that started the F1 series and took over skimo racing scene by storm couple of years ago.
Reviews and more infos here.
weight: 1470g / boot
(size 27)
price: about $650
Hybrid boot between F1 and Laser models. Uses F1-like bellows but it’s taller with a Laser-like cuff.
Reviews and more infos here.
weight: 1450g / boot
(size 27.5)
price: about $550
Very light weight for a boot that has 3 solid buckles. Features a stiff sole unlike the Scarpa models.
Reviews and more infos here.

Choosing a light ski mountaineering boot

The good thing about this light weight boot revolution is that it provides us with more variety to choose from. The “bad” thing are the price tags that come with it but don’t worry – more competition should bring the prices down a bit.
For pure racing
If you are shooting to place at podiums at skimo racing events then you should be considering investing in the very lightest boots possible. However in North America it is much easier to get your hands on Scarpa F1 Carbon and Dynafit DyNA boots than on XP444 or LaSportiva Stratos. Ask Scarpa and Dynafit reps for ordering these models if you won’t find a store that sells them.
For everyday use
To get the best weight-to-price ratio you should consider the more affordable models.
Scarpa F1 is a proven everyday rando boot, and it’s lighter F1 Race version is very solid too. It doesn’t like fat skis though as the bending bellows somewhat “give in” under certain conditions.
The Dynafit DyNA seems to be suited for more than just racing, however, the price is a bit too high for everyday use for many. So the lightest Dynafit alternative would be the Zzero 3 model that is a very solid downhill performer.

Your boots

Share your reasons and opinion in the comments section below. Here are some questions:

  • Do you currently own a pair of light boots?
  • Which model?
  • Do you like them?
  • Which boot would like to have and why?

Any questions on this topic? Again, you can ask in the comments window below.

Filed Under: Gear, Tech & Food, Skimo Racing Tagged With: Dynafit DyNA, Dynafit Zzero 3, La Sportiva Stratos, Pierre Gignoux, Scarpa F1, Scarpa F1 Carbon, Scarpa F1 Race, Scarpa F3, XP 444, XP 500

Vertical climbing speed: Ski mountaineering vs Uphill running vs Slope angle (vs Gear weight)

October 7, 2009 By Stano Faban 23 Comments

How does vertical speed compare between different mountain sports?
And how does slope angle affect that speed?

vertical-speed-ilustrationThese are very interesting questions to which no one has an absolute answer for. I am going to take a shot at it while relying on my knowledge and experience in both ski mountaineering (skimo) and uphill running.

Here is a summary of conclusions from my “study”, but if you have 20min then read on, it’s worth it. Also, share your opinion in the comments below, thus we can all learn even more.

The most efficient angle for:

  • skinning for guided clients is believed to be 12 degrees.

  • skinning for trained athletes is 13-16 degrees.

  • skimo and uphill running isn’t the same.

  • skinning is lower than the one for uphill running.

Why this topic? Why now?

Kilian Jornet Burgada
Kilian Jornet Burgada
I was always interested about this topic and what made me to research it now even more is that, these days, we are fortunate to have a single athlete who is arguably the best in the world at both disciplines. This fact makes things easier as we can “forget” about some variables that are very different between individuals such as body weight, years of training, etc..

The athlete’s name is Kilian Jornet Burgada. He is a 21-year-old phenomenon from Catalonia (Spain) that wins races over any distance, from 30min bursts to 30h mountain marathons, whether on skis or in running shoes. If he is a new name for you then check out his results on Wikipedia – Kilian Jornet Burgada.

The second athlete I will be talking about is Sebastian Selas. I will introduce him further down.

Comparison data – raw race facts

The races (performances) I am going to use for my comparison are:

  • 2009 vertical race at European Ski Mountaineering Championships (Italy)

  • 2007 1km vertical uphill running race (Switzerland)

  • 2009 Grouse Grind Mountain Run (Canada)

The conclusions I am going to draw (or not) in this article come from pure facts I could find and know about these races and athletes, and from my personal experience.

I chose the three races/two athletes for couple of reasons:

  • two of the races were raced by the same athlete in two different disciplines

  • all three races are of very similar vertical gain

  • times at two races stand as course records

  • all three races take place at an arguably low altitude (not going over 2000m)

  • both athletes seem to be quite gifted in terms of vertical racing

  • both athletes are about the same age, 21 and 22

Vertical race at European Ski Mountaineering Championships 2009 (Feb 20, 2009 – Alepago, Italy)

Elevation gain: 835m
Distance: 3800m

Course altitude: 980m – 1815m
Time: 35min 51sec
Winner: Kilian Jornet Burgada
Website: Alpago 2009

“Vertical kilometre” race 2007 (Oct 27, 2007 – Fully, Switzerland)

Elevation gain: 1000m
Distance: 1920m
Course altitude: 500m – 1500m
Time: 31min 52sec (course record – unofficial world record for one vertical km)
Winner: Kilian Jornet Burgada
Website: Team La Trace

Grouse Grind race 2009 (Sep 20, 2009 – Vancouver, BC, Canada)

Elevation gain: 853m
Distance: 2900m
Course altitude: 270m – 1120m
Time: 25min 24sec (course record)
Winner: Sebastian Selas

Website: Grouse Grind

Ski mountaineering vs uphill running

Since we have the same athlete winning in both disciplines we will go straight to differences between the two mountain sports.

Obvious disadvantage in skimo racing versus trail running is gear weight, especially the weight an athlete carries on his feet as that restricts his leg speed (frequency) the most. Of course, we can compare the clothing and pack weight as well, but I am not going to do it as I don’t believe that weight (about 1.5-2kg difference in this case) affects us as much as what’s on our feet.

Here, just out of curiosity, are the weights per foot:

  • super light running shoe is about 200g

  • super light ski, bidding and a ski boot combination is about 1350g

  • a difference of 1100g

  • pole weight doesn’t matter since Kilian used poles at both races

Skimo vertical race analysis

Based on the raw race facts Kilian’s average vertical speed for the vertical European Skimo Championships was:

23.29 m/m (metres per minute) = 1397.4 m/h (metres per hour)

Click on the image to see a bigger version.
Click on the image to see a bigger version.
The skimo race course contained a boot-pack section where racers attach their skis to their packs and hike up a preset boot-pack track. This section was only 95m vertical according to organizers.

A super fast boot-pack bottom transition takes around 15-20s and the top one about the same.

According to summary articles of that race Kilian had troubles with his boot-pack bottom transition, so it took him longer than usual, and almost lost a race there.

Kilian’s winning time over the 835m was 35min 51sec but after deducting transitions times I feel comfortable at settling with a time of 35min flat.

That would mean his actual average vertical speed when he was moving was:

23.86 m/m (metres per minute) = 1431.4 m/h (metres per hour)

1. This means it would take him 41min 55sec to skin up 1000m (vertical) if the course would continue and he would keep the same speed.

2. Kilian’s pace in this race was 9min 13sec per kilometre. This is a pace road runners calculate, so it is not a vertical kilometre but a normal one.

Since the 23.86 m/m is the “unbiased” speed (without transitions) we can compare it with his running race as there are no transitions in that discipline.

Uphill running 1km vertical race analysis

Again, based on the raw race facts Kilian’s average vertical speed for the vertical kilometre race in Switzerland was:

31.38 m/m (metres per minute) = 1882.8 m/h (metres per hour)

Click on the image to see a bigger version.
Click on the image to see a bigger version.
1. Since the race was over 1 vertical kilometre, his time to climb 1000m – 31min 52sec – was the same as his overall time.

2. Kilian’s pace in this race was 16min 35sec per kilometre which is much slower than in the skimo race.

In the race, he had to pass a couple of slower competitors, but I don’t think this affects the comparison of the two disciplines too much.

The uphill run was done as a time trial and the skimo vertical race had a mass start. So passing few racers versus fighting in the mass start cancels the factors out.

Comparison – vertical skimo and uphill running races

Here is a conclusion to the first question, “How does vertical speed compare between different mountain sports?”:

We can clearly see that Kilian’s vertical uphill running speed is way faster than the one reached at a ski mountaineering race. This should be no surprise as equipment weight plays an important role. Therefore, of course, this is a bit of comparing apples to oranges, yet it is still interesting to see the numbers.

Also, there is a fact of two years between the two races. In that time Kilian got faster for sure as he proved it at many ski mountaineering races. However, he is running virtually the same time over the vertical kilometer race (at the same venue) past three years, between 2006 and 2008.

Therefore, I consider his record the best time in the world over one vertical kilometre that is not getting any faster at the moment. The vertical kilometre race is still due this year, so we shall see (Oct 24, 2009).

Another factor to consider and compare is the slope angle, which we will get a better comparison lower down when comparing running with running:

The skimo vertical race gained 835m over 3800m which means a slope of 12.69 degrees or 22.52%. Compare this to the uphill run and a 1000m gain over 1920m which means a slope of 31.39 degrees or 61.01%.

Two interesting facts to compare are Kilian’s vertical speeds and his paces per kilometre as they go in the opposite dirrection – smaller vertical speed with faster pace versus  higher vertical speed with slower pace.

Skimo race:

  • vertical speed is 1431.4 m/h

  • pace is 9min 13sec / normal kilometre

Uphill run:

  • vertical speed is 1882.8 m/h

  • pace is 16min 35sec / normal kilometre

Vertical speed and slope angle – running vs running

To answer the second question, “How does slope angle affect vertical speed?”, I didn’t use the same athlete as I couldn’t find enough facts about other Kilian’s vertical races. Instead, I opted to use a race that I know the course of very well; therefore, allowing me for somewhat “accurate conclusions”.

Also, the follow up question should be: “Which incline angle is the most efficient and the fastest to climb at?”. I’ll take a stab at this too, for now lets go back to the second uphill running race.

Photo cropped from The Province photo.
Sebastian Selas. (Cropped from The Province photo.)

The Grouse Grind Mountain Run in North Vancouver in BC, Canada is a very popular uphill race that is regularly attended by very strong athletes; however, no European speedsters have came to check it out yet.

This year (2009) the record was set to an incredible 25min 24sec for gaining 853m over 2900m.

The winner was a 22-year-old local Vancouverite, Sebastian Selas, who is an amateur triathlete and cyclist. Judging by his time, I believe Sebastian would be a serious match to Kilian’s climbing abilities.

But lets look at some numbers, to see how a different angle affects the vertical speed and pace.

Sebastian’s average vertical speed when climbing Grouse Grind trail was:

33.58 m/m (metres per minute) = 2014.8 m/h (metres per hour)

Sebastian’s pace in this race was 8min 46sec per kilometre which is 27sec faster than Kilian’s skimo race pace and 8min faster than his vertical kilometre race pace.

The Grouse Grind race starts in waves that are seeded based on runners’ honest expected time estimates. It starts and finishes with a bit of a flat, around 150-200m in total which should account for about 25-30sec in total. So if we subtract 24sec (which gives us a time of 25min flat) we arrive at an average vertical speeds of:

34.12 m/m (metres per minute) = 2047.2 m/h (metres per hour)

1. Based on the second speed, it would take Sebastian 29min 19sec to run up 1000m (vertical) if the Grouse Grind trail (race course) would continue and he would keep the same speed.

2. Sebastian’s pace in this race was 8min 46sec per kilometre. Using 2.9km here and not sub-subtracting the 150-200m since I am calculating runners pace.

Even though we are not comparing the two athletes on those two specific courses, I think, it is very safe to assume that they are both world class uphill runners for efforts of up to 30-35min, and likely even longer.

Now, lets take a look at the slope angles of the two uphill running races:

Kilian’s vertical kilometer race average slope angle was 31.39 degrees (61.01%), compared to the Grouse Grind’s trail average angle of 18.07 degrees (32.63%) – instead of 2900m, I used 2750m as the actual course length due to the flat start (even downhill) and finish sections to calculate the angle.

The Swiss 1km vertical kilometer race is run straight up, doesn’t let up a bit; whereas the Grind has some switchbacks with low angle incline that allow for some recovery, or at least allow to pick up leg speed again.

One last thing to note here is that Sebastian did not use poles for his run and Kilian did. I believe, both knew what they were doing and picked the right tools for the slope angle they were facing or technique they are using.

Conclusion and an example – slope angles, speed and efficiency

Based on this “study” of mountain uphill running and skimo climbing, and my experience in both disciplines, I am comfortable to say that steeper doesn’t mean faster. However, the more important question is: “Which incline angle is the most efficient and the fastest to climb at?”

To answer that, I can only speculate based on my experience, as would most likely anyone else based on his. But we can clearly see that Sebastian was able to produce an average vertical speed of about 150 m/h (metres per hour) higher than Kilian in his race. This is about 8-9% faster than Kilian’s vertical running speed.

Also, Sebastian’s pace (time per kilometre) values are much more faster than Kilian’s. Sebastian was doing 8min 46sec per KM versus Kilian’s 16min 35sec per KM; that is almost 90% faster pace.

That leads me to say that Grouse Grind’s slope angle is more efficient (18.07 degrees) than the one in Switzerland (31.39 degrees). And that the most efficient angle is somewhere in between the angles of the two courses, while personally leaning more towards the incline values of the Grouse Grind.

But since the techniques of climbing (due to terrain and equipment) in ski mountaineering and uphill running are quite different we should not assume that the most efficient angle for both disciplines is the same.

Based on my experience, I would speculate that the most efficient and the fastest angle for skinning is lower than the one for uphill running.

I believe that in uphill running you can sustain your most efficient leg speed on a steeper slope over a longer period of time than while climbing on skis. This has very much to do with equipment weight and leg speed (and technique).

In fact, you can see this if we compare the paces per KM and vertical speeds:

Kilian went at a slower pace (9min 13sec / KM) and at a slower vertical speed (1431.4 m/h) on a lower angle course (12.69 degrees) when compared to Sebastian’s 8min 46sec / KM, 2047.2 m/h speed, and 18.07 degrees angle slope.

To demonstrate this without calculations here is an example:

Imagine running on a flat ground wearing a 400g pair of shoes (200g per foot). You run for 1km flat-out and record your time and you count your steps.

Now you do the same with a 2700g pair of shoes (1350g per foot). Your time will be slower and you will most likely (absolutely sure about this) do more steps. If you manage to keep the same number of steps you will be even slower.

Without going in more detail about step frequency (because it’s a very individual thing) the example demonstrates you had a lower average speed while running with heavier shoes.

Translating this onto a 20 or 30 degree slope would show at least the same difference. Running with heavier shoes at the same vertical speed, with the same leg turn-over (leg speed) would tire you way faster than lighter shoes.

Subsequently, if you would want to keep the same vertical speed on the same incline you would have to change something – and that is either a faster leg turn-over or have lighter shoes (equipment).

If you don’t trust my example, go and try it out, but before you run around your house in ski boots make sure your neighbors know about the experiment, otherwise they might call for help 😉 and hopefully you don’t think I am crazy for writing all this 🙂

As for ski mountaineering skin track angles, mountain guides are thought to set about 12 degree tracks for their clients, so it must be believed by the experienced ones this angle to be the most efficient angle for most of the clients. The slope angle of Kilian’s skimo vertical race was just over 12 degrees as well.

However, I believe that trained athletes have their most efficient and the fastest skinning angle a bit steeper than average Joe. I would estimated it at about 13-16 degrees.

Now, what’s left to do is to either get Kilian run the Grouse Grind next year or get Sebastian to go to Switzerland for this years race (Oct 24, 2009), so we can truly compare the two machines and have more consistent data.

I hope you enjoyed this article and you are welcome to share your opinion on this topic in the comments below.

Filed Under: Skimo Racing, Training, Tricks & Tips Tagged With: Grouse Grind, Kilian Jornet, Sebastian Selas, slope angle, vertical speed

World Cup 2010 racing calendar: Canadians compete

October 1, 2009 By Stano Faban 1 Comment

World Cup ski mountaineering racing calendar for 2009/2010 season made it out couple of weeks ago. Highlight of the season will definitely be Ski Mountaineering World Championships 2010 in Andorra that will that place during the first week of March.
See or download the complete World Cup 2010 calendar.
andorra-logo-worldsSkimo World Championships are organized every two years and 2010 racing program will be as follows:

  • Mar 2 – 3 – Individual races
  • Mar 4 – Vertical race
  • Mar 5 – Teams race
  • Mar 6 – Relays

Another notable event on the calendar, Patrouille des Glaciers in Switzerland, is already a long time classic on the European skimo racing circuit. This three-member teams race covers 53 km and climbs 3994 m vertical. It is scheduled for April 24th, 2010.
However, Pierra Menta, one of the most prestigous skimo races, is not on the World Cup calendar this season. This four day stage race is a Tour de France of skimo racing, but the World Cup rules left organizers with a tough decision, and so they most likely didn’t even apply for a World Cup status this year. The race will take place between March 10 – 14th, 2010 in Areches Beaufort, France.
For Canada, this season is already shaping up to be the “biggest”. National team that will be sent to Andorra will most likely have at least 10 athletes compeeting in all disciplines. Some of those athletes will compete in Pierra Menta and some other World Cup events as well. More on the national team racing in a future article.

Filed Under: Skimo Racing Tagged With: Patrouille des Glaciers, Pierra Menta, Ski Mountaineering World Championships

Canadian champion wins in New Zealand

September 9, 2009 By Stano Faban 4 Comments

Current Canadian ski mountaineering champion, Reiner Thoni, won the Scarpa CraigieBurner skimo race in New Zealand over the past weekend.
Reiner travelled to NZ in mid-August to do some touring and racing there, and prepare for the upcoming winter.
According to a report submitted to skimo.org, Reiner won the race in a convincing fashion, by four minutes, ahead of Alexis Poilvert and Gena Sibaev.
Congrats!

Filed Under: Skimo Racing Tagged With: Reiner Thoni

Initial skimo racing calendars for 2010 season

September 8, 2009 By Stano Faban 7 Comments

Calendars for the North American ski mountaineering racing scene are taking shape, even though, the sun is still shining high.
hectic skimo race start
Canadian racing calendar will be getting polished within the next couple of weeks – clarifying all dates and venues.
The US calendar looks impressive already with plenty of races all over the country.
Skimo racing is clearly growing more popular every year in this part of the world, however, the act of growing won’t be finalized until we race on Hawaii 🙂

Canadian racing calendar as of Sep 8th, 2009

December
5th – Golden, BC (Tiki-Torch Dash at KHMR)
February
6th – Sunshine Village, AB (Sunshine 5000)
March
6th – Nelson, BC (ROAM Rando at WH2O)
April
3rd – Golden, BC (Dogtooth Dash at KHMR)
Late April – Whistler, BC (Ski & Snowboard Festival)

USA racing calendar as of Aug 14th, 2009

December
29th – Sugarloaf, ME (Holiday Hill Climb)
January
9th – Grand Targhee, WY
16th – Sunlight Mt., CO (The Heathen Challenge)
23rd – Whitefish Resort, MT (Whitefish Whiteout)
30th – Jay Peak, VT
30th – Crested Butte, CO (Crested Butte Rando)
30th – Bridger Bowl, MT (Skin to Win)
31st – Blue Hills, MA (Big Blue Relay Race)
February
7th – Mad River Valley, VT (Mountain Hardwear Ski Mountaineering Race)
20th – Monarch Mt.,CO (Race the Divide)
27th – Saddleback Mt., ME (Second Annual Saddleback Mountain Challenge)
March
6th – Magic Mt., VT (Magic Mt. Rando Race)
6th – Nelson, BC, Canada (Kootenay Coldsmoke Powderfest)
13th – Alta, UT (Wasatch Powder Keg)
20th – Jackson Hole, WY (USSMA National Championships)
April
10th – T.B.A., CO (COSMIC Race – two-person team event, 10,000ft. vertical)
17th – Molas Pass, CO (San Juans Rando)
24th – Arapahoe Basin, CO (Marmot Grind)
May
2nd – Mt. Bachelor, OR (King and Queen of the Cone)

Filed Under: Events & Races, Skimo Racing Tagged With: race calendar

Recap of the Canadian ski mountaineering racing season 2009

August 29, 2009 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

Canadian ski mountaineering racing series is growing bit by bit every year. The 2009 skimo racing season promised five event calendar, which meant one more than the previous year.
The new event that was added was a Dogtooth Dash at the Kicking Horse Alpine Resort in Golden, BC. And after some key sponsors pulled out of the Whistler’s race the Dogtooth Dash was announced the new venue for the Canadian National Ski Mountaineering Championships.
At the end the calendar looked like this:

  • Feb 7, 2009 – Sunshine 5000 Ski Mountaineering Race – Sunshine Village, AB
  • Feb 21, 2009 – ROAM Randonnee Rally – Nelson, BC
  • Mar 7, 2009 – Mountain Storm – Fernie, BC
  • Mar 28, 2009 – Dogtooth Dash – Golden, BC (National Champs)

Sunshine 5000 Ski Mountaineering Race

Feb 7, 2009 – Sunshine Village, AB
Blue sky and not too cold temperatures by Rocky Mountains standards made for a great opening to the new racing season. The Sunshine 5000 event is one of the “old timers” on the Canadian calendar and this year it welcomed about 60 racers on two courses. The long one was especially tough with the length of 18km and 1400m of climbing.
In the main men’s race, over the long course, two super fit Montana racers schooled the Canucks and showed how it is supposed to be done on skinny sticks. New prodigy of the US racing field, Ben Parsons, took first just ahead of Brandon French, who is American SkiMo Champ from 2008. The top three Canadians were Reiner Thoni, Stano Faban and Steve Sellers.
The women’s long course was stormed through by Julie Matteau who improves rapidly every season. Second place belonged to Kylee Toth and third to Laura Heffler. Reigning Canadian champion, Melanie Bernier, pulled out of the race in the morning due to a sickness.
Winners on the short course were Ron Worobec and Megan Dunn.
Complete results in a PDF: Sunshine 5000 – Feb 7, 2009

ROAM Randonnee Rally

Feb 21, 2009 – Nelson, BC
The second race on the calendar is traditionally a part of the Cold Smoke Powder Fest that takes place at the Whitewater Ski Resort near Nelson, BC.
The Randonnee Rally main course was a bit shorter than a usual ski mountaineering race. However, fun was everywhere mostly due to fairly tough snow conditions.
Men’s race, on the long course, was won by a German speedster, Benedikt Bohm, who posses a great deal of experience from the European racing circuit. Second and third belong to Brandon French and Ben Parsons from the States. Then the top three Canadians followed – Andrew McNab, Jeff Colvin, Alex Wigley.
The women’s category was once again dominated by Julie Matteau followed by last season’s no. 1, Melanie Bernier, and third belong to Kylee Toth. Again, the girls posted some fast times that even many men racers wouldn’t mind.
The short course winners were Daniel Klein and Jamee Beaupre.
Complete results in a PDF: ROAM Randonnee Rally – Feb 21, 2009

Mountain Storm

Mar 7, 2009 – Fernie, BC
A broken chairlift three days before the event and almost continuous snowing made for epic conditions. In the morning, the organizers almost wondered whether they should make fat skis mandatory as sinking waist deep was inevitable. Deep, deep powder was to be skied!
Big tumbles, face shots and good laughs characterized the atmosphere on the race course. The battle for the win was all the way to the line when the first four racers came in within one minute of each other. First belonged to Reiner Thoni, second to Andrew McNab, and the podium was completed by Jeff Colvin, all Canadians.
Speedy ladies had good times as well and nothing could stop another dominant performance of Julie Matteau, as she won her third race from three starts this season. Second belonged to Kylee Toth, followed by Linda Berg of Sweden.
Race over the short course was won by Matt Nerdig and Brenda Critchley.
Complete results in a PDF: Mountain Storm – Mar 7, 2009

Dogtooth Dash – Canadian Championships

Mar 28, 2009 – Golden, BC
This was the day many racers prepared for whole winter because medals were to be awarded. Despite the fact that this was the very first time the organizer put on a ski moutaineering race the course was designed perfectly and was the most technical one Canadian skimo racing scene ever saw (the same most likely applies for the whole North America).
Once the gun went off the fierce battle was on. Mid-way through the race, the field was led by a pack of four. The race leader and eventual winner, Scott Coldiron of US, was pulling slowly but surely away from three Canadians that stayed together until the very last moments. Reiner Thoni was crowned the new Canadian Champion as silver went to the revelation of the race, James Minifie, and third to Stano Faban.
The technical course with around 300m vertical of bootpacks made it a bit tough for ladies to follow since their steps are considerably shorter than those that male racers make. However, once more a fast time was set by Julie Matteau who became the new queen of Canadian skimo racing. Last year’s champion, Melanie Bernier, came second followed by Billie Velisek.
In the short course battle the fight was won by Jonah Job and Brenda Critchley.
Complete results in a PDF: Dogtooth Dash – Mar 28, 2009

Overall results – Canadian Ski Mountaineering Cup 2009

At each race, points based on finishing times were awarded to each participant, towards the overall Canadian skimo series. Three out of the best four results were calculated to establish the final national ranking.
Men’s overall series champion for the 2009 season was Brandon French of US. The top three Canadians were Reiner Thoni followed by Jeff Colvin and Andy Traslin.
In the women’s category an impressive sweep of all the races on the calendar gave Julie Matteau the overall series title. Followed by Melanie Bernier and Kylee Toth.
The season was arguably the most competitive in the history since many racers wanted to have a shot for a National Team for the next year’s World Championships.
Although, there is a considerable gap between the top ski mountaineering athletes from the United States and the Canadian ones, all the fast Canucks are determined to break the “curse” next winter. Lets see what happens in a year.

Filed Under: Reports & Results Tagged With: Dogtooth Dash, Mountain Storm, Sunshine 5000

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