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Emelie Forsberg

Skimo News – Mar 20, 2018: New 24h World Record, Pierra Menta News, Upcoming Pan American Skimo Champs, and more…

March 20, 2018 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

Last couple of days have been the busiest and the most exciting for the skimo world in all of this season. Let’s not waist screen space and dive right into it…

Upcoming Pan American Ski Mountaineering Championships – Mar 23-25

We want to bring your attention again to the upcoming Championships that will take place over three days in the beautiful Lake Louise Ski Resort in Alberta, Canada.
The event will features three different races – vertical on Friday, sprint on Saturday, individual on Sunday – and is expected to attract the fastest athletes from US, Canada and maybe even Mexico and South America.
The prizes are plenty, there is quite a bit of new snow at the venue, and athletes of all levels are welcome to line up along National team members either on the same courses or shortened versions.
For all event’s details and for registration please go here.

Mike Foote Sets a New 24h Record!

On the morning of March 17, after months of training and preparation, Mike Foote started to climb his first of the 60 laps in an attempt to set a new 24 hour world record in the most vertical climbed and skied. The next morning, he would become the new world record holder with a total of 61,200 vertical feet or 18,654 metres climbed!
As our friend, we cannot be more proud and happy for him! Yeaaah! 🙂

Mike set his record on a fairly short 310m climb at his "home" resort in Whitefish, Montana which happens to be one of our favourite places as well.
Mike set his record on a fairly short 310m climb at his “home” resort in Whitefish, Montana which happens to be one of our favourite places as well.
For many, Mike might be unknown but in the endurance trail running world he has achieved some incredible results over the years such as a podium at the famed Ultra-Trail Du Mont Blanc and 3x second place at Hardrock 100. Mike is also The North Face Athlete, member of the US National Ski Mountaineering Team, raced Pierra Menta in 2017 and placed 26th in a vertical race at the 2017 World Skimo Championships.
We will have more details coming about Mike’s training and his record attempt in an interview in the next couple of days.

2018 Pierra Menta: Joy and Sorrows of Champions

Mid-March is traditionally reserved for the iconic 4-day stage race in the beautiful mountains surrounding Beaufort and Areches villages in France.
United States fielded arguably their strongest team ever – John Gaston (previously 15th at this race) and Tom Goth – who ultimately placed in the top 10 overall to set a new men’s North American historical benchmark at PM.
> Overall results are here our day-by-day recap below will provide the full story.

Men’s race recap:

While last year’s supreme winners, Italy’s Damiano Lenzi and Matteo Eydalin, were the biggest favourites on paper there were other three teams that could seriously thinking about winning.

While the unfortunate accident took out Kilian Jornet nothing should be taken away from Michele Boscacci winning his first Pierra Menta with his father Graziano, a winner of the 2002 Pierra Menta, watching from the sidelines. A truly grand family achievement! (Pierra Menta photo)
While the unfortunate accident took out Kilian Jornet nothing should be taken away from Michele Boscacci winning his first Pierra Menta with his father Graziano, a winner of the 2002 Pierra Menta, watching from the sidelines. A truly grand family achievement! (Pierra Menta photo)
The first day went super well for a local French team, William Bon Mardion and Xavier Gachet, who were the underdogs coming into the race, as they took the win by a couple of seconds ahead of Italians Robert Antonioli and Michele Boscacci. Only a minute behind, third place went to the famous Spaniard Kilian Jornert and his new teams race partner Jakob Herrmann from Austria. Time gaps were very small between the top three teams. Lenzi and Eydalin struggled to fourth place with almost five minutes down on the victors.
> John Gaston and Tom Goth eased into the race to place 16th.
On day 2, traditionally hosting the longest stage, things started to get really interesting when Jornet and Herrmann forced the pace most of the day to take the win. Lenzi and Eydalin abandoned the race as they didn’t feel up to the task. Boscacci and Antonioli battled the whole way but ultimately finished second again, yet loosing only 4 seconds to the winning team. The French team conceded over 4 minutes and it was safe to assume they fell out of contention for the overall win.
> John Gaston and Tom Goth delivered a great performance to claim 10th in the stage and moved up to 12th overall.
Boscacci and Antonioli started the day 3 in “pole position”, leading Jornet and Herrmann by about a minute in the overall. However, thanks to Jornet’s experience and motivation of his teammate they pushed the pace in grand fashion to win the stage by over 3 minutes ahead of the Italians, and claiming the overall lead by about 2 minutes. Gachet and Bon Mardion finished safely in 3rd.
> Gaston and Goth continued with their measured effort to place 11th in the stage and staying 12th overall.
The final day brought the biggest disappointment in skimo’s recent history and a bag of mixed emotions. As Jornet and Herrmann were on a mission once again, the Spaniard suffered a fall in a descent mid-stage and broke his lower leg. He is fine otherwise. Heavy wet snow was coming down since the morning to make conditions really challenging. Behind them an amazing battle for the stage win unleashed as Bon Mardion and Gachet found their legs from day one. At the end, they beat the Italian team by only 12 seconds with Boscacci and Antonioli collapsing in the finish to claim the surprising overall title.
> The US Team rallied into 8th place in the stage and jumping to 10th overall.

Women’s race recap:

The women’s race was a little less exciting but it did bring a surprise. The strongest team on paper, French Laetitia Roux with Sweden’s Emelie Forsberg, uncharacteristically struggled to even match the duo of Axelle Mollaret (FRA) and Katia Tomatis (ITA), and kept loosing minutes in the first three stages. Only on the last day did they prevail to claim at least one stage. On the other hand, Mollaret and Tomatis delivered a spectacular performance to win three stages and the overall title by 11 minutes over Roux and Forsberg.

Katia Tomatis and Axelle Mollaret full of joy. (Pierra Menta photo)
Katia Tomatis and Axelle Mollaret full of joy. (Pierra Menta photo)
Third place was never really contested as Spanish team of Mireia Miro and Marta Garcia put in a solid effort every day to always place 3rd.
Of note, is the fourth place of a purely Swedish team consisting of Ida Nilsson and Fanny Borgstrom.

USA and Canada Race News

Marmot’s Revenge – Jasper, AB – Mar 17, 2018:

The Canadian Cup came together for the third weekend in a row at Marmot Basin in Jasper, AB for the very first time of this event. Fresh snow day prior to the race made for soft conditions along with warm temperatures. The Canadian Rockies snow-pack is deep at the moment and with a mid-mountain start, racers were treated to excellent skiing. Unfortunately, dense fog rolled onto the course making for challenging race conditions. Racers in the elite course covered five ascents and descents totaling approximately 1800 meters of climbing.
Peter Knight, the devious course designer, broke trail up the first climb. After the first descent, Nick Elson, feeling strong after two recent wins at Panorama and Squamish, pushed off the front with only Eric Carter following his track. The two swapped the lead through the remaining race until Elson opened a gap on the final boot-pack and transition, skiing into the finish with a 10 second lead.

As a "revenge", for designing such a tough course, Peter Knight was left to break trail on the first climb. All in good spirits ;) Marmot Basin photo.
As a “revenge”, for designing such a tough course, Peter Knight was left to break trail on the first climb. All in good spirits 😉 Marmot Basin photo.
Kylee Ohler remains the undisputed women’s leader and won, also taking 5th overall, with more than 30min gap over second place Marg Fedyna. The third step on the podium went to Courtney Post.
> Full results

Shedhorn Race – Big Sky Montana – Mar 17, 2018:

With arguably the scariest course on the North American skimo circuit this race is no joke! The big terrain of this unique resort provides a spectacular setting for a proper ski mountaineering event.

Big Sky ski patrollers always put on a great course! Photo by COSMIC (Joe Risi).
Big Sky ski patrollers always put on a great course! Photo by COSMIC (Joe Risi).
While we don’t have the backstory from this race we will mention the winners on the elite course and you can find out the rest in the results below. First place in the men’s category went to Max Taam, who is US Skimo Team member and one of the best skimo athletes on the continent when it comes to technical courses. In the women’s category the top prize went to Sierra Anderson from Breckenridge, CO.
> Full results

East Coast races:

We don’t have any reports from that side of the country this week.

Upcoming Events

Grand Traverse
Those not attending Continental Championships in Canada will likely be competing at the Elk Mountain Grand Traverse from Aspen to Crested Butte. It’s a bit too early to make any predictions about weather conditions but we do suspect that repeat champions, John Gaston and Max Taam will be tough to beat, even with John likely tired from his amazing performance at Pierra Menta. Or is Max coming to race in Lake Louise? Who do you think will put up the best fight? What do you expect to see from the women’s teams? Let us know what you think!

Filed Under: News Shorts, Reports & Results Tagged With: Axelle Mollaret, Emelie Forsberg, Eric Carter, Jakob Herrmann, Kilian Jornet, Laetitia Roux, Michele Boscacci, Mike Foote, Nick Elson, Pierra Menta, Robert Antonioli

Recap for Stage 1 of 2017 Pierra Menta: Smiley & Young 4th in women, Carter & Elson 17th in men, Lenzi & Eydallin and Fiechter & Pont Combe win

March 8, 2017 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

Janelle Smiley leading Jessie Young on their way to 4th place today!
Janelle Smiley leading Jessie Young on their way to 4th place today!
With almost a metre of fresh snow on the ground, local organizers had to revise their plans for stage 1 due to high avalanche danger. Thankfully, the stunning mountains and meadows surrounding Areches-Beaufort offer endless options for big long race courses no matter what mother nature decide to do.
Therefore, today’s stage still covered over 2200m of climbing spread over multiple ascents, including two big ones – 700m and 900m, for a total of 2200m. Skiing was as good as it gets, although, it was less fun for racers than spectators on fatter skis 😉

News from the Lead Pack

Men

There was no surprise with the first place as the race’s big favourites – Damiano Lenzi and Matteo Eydallin (both ITA) – started to set the pace from the beginning. They continued increasing their lead by a small margin on every climb and ultimately stretched the gap to 3min 30sec by the finish.
Second across the line was a young Italian duo of Nadir Maguet and Michelle Boscacci who deserve lots of respect for their performance today! They managed to hold of the famed Kilian Jornet (SPA) and his new partner Alexis Sevennec (FRA) who jumped into this team to replace an illness-stuck Matteo Jacquemound.
Fourth went to locals William Bon Mardion and Xavier Gachet (both FRA) who are probably still looking for their best form this season. Fifth across the finish were Anton Palzer (GER) and young Remy Bonnet (SWI).
Race for the podium is wide open with only 4min 30sec separating 2nd from 5th!

William Bon Mardion on the first big climb. La Plannay ski resort behind him.
William Bon Mardion on the first big climb. La Plannay ski resort behind him.

Women

Arguably, this Pierra Menta will bring the closest race ever as all three teams were within 30sec on the day’s last big climb! At that point, Laetitia Roux (FRA) was vigorously pulling her teammate Emelie Forsberg (SWE) while still in the first position.
By the finish, the order shuffled with two experienced Swiss athletes – Severine Pont Combe and Jennifer Fiechter – taking the win by about 1min ahead of Roux/Forsberg. Third place went to a young French team of Axelle Mollaret and Lorna Bonnel, only 15sec further back.
The news of the day for North America was a fourth place by Jessie Young and Janelle Smiley (both USA)! Although, they finished 7min behind the 3rd team it’s refreshing to see a strong women’s North American team at Pierra Menta once again.

USA and Canadian Teams News

Beyond Jessie’s and Janelle’s 4th place there were other well performing North American teams in this first stage.
Canadian ladies – Kylee Ohler and Michelle Roberts – managed their energy well today in order to dig deeper in the coming days. They finished 15th in the women’s category and about 35min behind the strong US female duo.
ohler-roberts
Eric Carter (USA) traditionally pairs up with Nick Elson (CAN) for big teams races as the two often train together and live within one mile of each other. Today, Eric and Nick finished in 17th place, about 23min off the winners. They probably wished for a higher placing, however, they looked pretty good on the last big ascent and are poised to climb higher in the standings over the next 3 days. They finished 15th overall in 2015.
nick-eric
Second NA men’s team (both USA) didn’t have their best going today as Max Taam was visibly struggling to find his legs while John Gaston was looking pretty comfortable – they finished 26th and about 8min behind Carter/Elson as Gaston broke a ski on the final descent. However, this is an experienced team and definitely not a one to give up, so expect to see them fighting for higher places tomorrow and beyond.
max-taam
A very solid performance came from Tom Goth and Teague Holmes (both USA) who crossed the line in 30th and only 2min behind Gaston/Taam. Both are great descenders but Tom had to do a bit of pulling as Teague was digging deep to keep up.
goth-holmes
Kudos for today need to go to Jon Brown and Rory Kelly (both USA) who both have strong engines but are looking for experience at such a big race. They finished a respectable 58th but only 12min behind the Wasatch shredders Goth/Holmes.
Due to multiple issues with failing skins, the Canadian/USA duo of ultra-runners – Rob Krar and Mike Foote – cannot be satisfied with their 94th place today. They can definitely go into the top 50th in the coming days as long as their gear management improves. Otherwise, both looked pretty fresh in the finish.
rob-krar
Another Canadian/USA pairing – Steve Sellers and Scott Archer – raced well within their limits today in order to easy into this big race as they don’t have much experience with skimo stage racing yet. Placing 164th will put them at the back of the start line tomorrow so they are likely to dig deeper on day 2 to avoid a clog in the coming days.

Scott enjoying his debut at Pierra Menta.
Scott enjoying his debut at Pierra Menta.
Full results are only available as Facebook post right now:

Tomorrow’s stage

The athletes’ briefing will begin in about 1h so we don’t know the details yet, however, it is likely to stay within tree line and on meadows as we all wait for the avalanche conditions to improve.

John Gaston on the first big climb signalling he was feeling well.
John Gaston on the first big climb signalling he was feeling well.
Florent Perrier, a skimo legend and a local cheesemaker, is arguably the most favourite racer with Areches - Beaufort locals as he is still going string past 40. Today his team finished 12th!
Florent Perrier, a skimo legend and a local cheesemaker, is arguably the most favourite racer with Areches – Beaufort locals as he is still going string past 40. Today his team finished 12th!
 

Filed Under: Reports & Results Tagged With: Damiano Lenzi, Emelie Forsberg, Eric Carter, Janelle Smiley, Jessie Young, John Gaston, Kilian Jornet, Laetitia Roux, Matteo Eydallin, Max Taam, Mike Foote, Nick Elson, Rob Krar, Tom Goth

Vertical Race – 2017 Skimo Worlds – Mar 1: Kilian Jornet and Andrea Mayr claim gold, John Gaston 11th and Kristi Knecht 15th for North America

March 1, 2017 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

Today, most of us were waiting whether Kilian Jornet and Emelie Forsberg can pull off a double as a couple, or whether it will be Damiano’s Lenzi third gold medal of these World Championships. At the end, neither scenario came to fruition as Austria’s Andrea Mayr (former Olympic marathon runner) basically just showed up for a day and won the women’s title, and Lenzi claimed silver behind Jornet.
» Click here for previous day: Sprint Race – 2017 Skimo Worlds – Feb 28

John Gaston moving up the field after a cautions start. Photo by Matt Reid.
John Gaston moving up the field after a cautious start. Photo by Matt Reid.

Vertical Race – Men (Senior & Espoir)

Today’s race was always going to be contested between this season’s fastest four skimo athletes – Jornet, Lenzi, Palzer and Werner. Kilian Jornet (SPA) had a 12sec gap over Damiano Lenzi (ITA) in the finish, with Werner (SWI) further 20sec back, and Palzer (GER) another 15. Jornet and Lenzi established themselves early on and then just extended their gap. Top espoir was Remi Bonnet (SWI) in 6th.
It is worth noting that today’s vertical was one of the most competitive ones in recent history due to many top guns sitting out yesterday’s sprint because of the rain and opted to focus on the vert instead.

Eric Carter with Mike Foote slightly behind him on the right. Photo by Matt Reid.
Eric Carter with Mike Foote slightly behind him on the right. Photo by Matt Reid.
USA and Canadian men:
Given such top competition, John Gaston’s 11th place – only 1sec behind 10th – is even more impressive than if it occurred in a “regular” World Cup race. Mike Foote and Eric Carter perhaps started a little too fast and faded slightly by the end, yet still finishing in 26th and 27th respectively – a great result. Tom Goth wasn’t too far behind Mike and Eric to place 36th. An espoir Cameron Smith finished very respectable 43rd.
Best Canadian placing came from Peter Knight who had a great personal performance to claim 38th. Nick Elson and Rob Krar were couple of seconds behind after not having their best day, finishing 42nd and 46th. As for myself, I hopped for better than 57th although short non-technical races are exact opposite to my strengths.
» Full results – men’s vertical
Peter Knight and Stano Faban - same painful grin couple of minutes apart. Photo by Matt Reid.
Peter Knight and Stano Faban – same painful grin couple of minutes apart. Photo by Matt Reid.

Vertical Race – Women (Senior & Espoir)

As for men, today’s women’s vertical was going to be one of the most competitive ones in recent history since there are many female athletes in their best form at these Championships. Furthermore, absence of Laetitia Roux suggested that the race will be wide open.
Emelie Forsberg (SWE) and Axelle Mollaret (FRA) were the likely two favourites but at the end it was a seasoned mountain and road runner – Andrea Mayr (AUT) – who surprised them all to take the win in a convincing fashion, more than 30sec ahead of Forsberg.

Forsberg fending off Maude Mathys and Axella Mollaret. Photo by Matt Reid.
Forsberg fending off Maude Mathys and Axella Mollaret. Photo by Matt Reid.
USA and Canadian women:
Along Gaston’s, another notable US performance came from Kristi Knecht who finished in a fantastic 15th place, and only about 30sec from top ten! Janelle Smiley came in 20th while Jessie Young finished 25th – probably feeling a bit tired by now considering, that she entered all events so far.
Not far behind Jessie, for North America, was a Canadian Kylee Ohler with a great performance in her least favourite discipline to finish 27th. Nikki Larochelle finished one down on Kylee with the rest of Canadian team behind her – Michelle Roberts in 40th and Caroline Reid in 41st.
» Full results – women’s vertical race
Kylee Ohler enroute to another top 30 finish with Caroline Reid in her first World Champs. Photo by Matt Reid.
Kylee Ohler enroute to another top 30 finish with Caroline Reid in her first World Champs. Photo by Matt Reid.

Vertical Race – Men (Junior & Cadet)

Racing on the same course as seniors, a 19-years old junior Davide Magnini (ITA) threw down a truly impressive gold performance which would have saw him place 13th if he raced with the senior men! After wining the individual few days ago, he now has two world titles. Second junior, Stefan Knopf (GER), was 40sec behind but still would have placed within top 20 in men’s race. Bronze medal went to Maximilien Drion du Chapois (BEL) who claimed bronze in yesterday’s sprint race as well.
In cadets, racing on a shorter course, it was time for Swiss athletes to dominate with Leo Besson and Aurelien Gay (who won sprint yesterday) taking two top podium spots. Matteo Sostizzo of Italy claimed bronze.
USA and Canadian men:
Ian Clarke was the only junior racing for North America and placed respectable 22nd.
US Team cadets trio – Quinn Simmons, Henry Boyd and Henry Hanes – were racing again. Many eyes were on Quinn to see whether he can repeat yesterday’s bronze sprint race run. Although, he was with the top guns for some time he faded a little later on to finish 9th. Boyd and Hanes gave their all, finishing few minutes behind, in 17th and 18th respectively.
» Full results – juniors and cadets

Quinn Simmons (cadet) and Ian Clarke (junior) - both very talented cyclists trying their hand in skimo in the winter. Photo by Matt Reid.
Quinn Simmons (cadet) and Ian Clarke (junior) – both very talented cyclists trying their hand in skimo in the winter. Photo by Matt Reid.

Vertical Race – Women (Junior & Cadet)

In junior category, adding to her medal collection (now two gold and one silver), it was Russia’s Ekaterina Osichkina to claim the win with an impressive 1min 15sec lead on the second Guilia Murada (ITA) – who also now has one gold and two silver medals. Third place went to Malaurie Mattana (FRA).
In cadets, the order shuffled a bit compared to previous days, with Italy’s Samatha Bertolina winning gold. French Justine Tonso had to settle for second this time around, with bronze going to Caroline Ulrich of Switzerland.
USA and Canadian women:
The only women competing in youth categories was a cadet Morgan Fortin (USA) who continues to gain experience, finishing 8th today.
» Full results – juniors and cadets

Tomorrow

The last day of these Championships will see athletes competing in relay races – in teams of four and three, depending on the age category and gender.

Filed Under: Reports & Results Tagged With: Anton Palzer, Axelle Mollaret, Damiano Lenzi, Davide Magnini, Emelie Forsberg, Eric Carter, Janelle Smiley, John Gaston, Kilian Jornet, Kylee Ohler, Marti Werner, Mike Foote, Nick Elson, Peter Knight, Rob Krar, Stano Faban

Sprint Race – 2017 Skimo Worlds – Feb 28: Quinn Simmons claims bronze for USA, Arnold and Galicia win senior titles

March 1, 2017 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

I apologize for the delay with a report from yesterday’s sprints. I was scouting the vertical course, waxing some skis for our athletes, cheering, and helping Eric with skins after he qualified in the rainy weather. Today, I raced the vertical race. But here it comes…

Quinn Simmons sprinting to historical bronze medal! Photo by Mark Smiley.
Quinn Simmons sprinting to historical bronze medal! Photo by Mark Smiley.
After a day off (Monday) that included a transfer from Tambre to Piancavallo (about 1.5h) the whole skimo circus was moved to a ski resort for the final 3 days of competitions – sprint, vertical and relay races. A bit of a dĂ©jĂ  vu  for me as Piancavallo also hosted the same 3 disciplines during the 2011 Skimo Worlds.
Yesterday (Tuesday) was best suited for the explosive types while the rest of us got a chance to spectate this highly unpredictable skimo discipline, and the one most likely to make it to Olympics first. It was pouring rain out there the whole day which made for very challenging conditions in terms of staying warm and gear management (mainly skins) as organizer had only two small tents for the athletes.
» Click here for previous day: Team Race – 2017 Skimo Worlds – Feb 26

Sprint Race – Men (Senior & Espoir)

There were a couple of surprises as Robert Antonioli (ITA), the 2015 Sprint World Champ, failed to qualify for the finals and the comeback of a sprint specialist Josef Rotmosser (GER) after two years of no World Cup racing, however, he did not qualify for finals as well.
With two big names out of the picture it was Iwan Arnold (SWI) stepping up to the task and claiming gold with a fantastic final run. Anton Palzer (GER) looked very smooth and at easy through all the heats but at the end didn’t have enough in the tank and took silver. Bronze went, a bit surprisingly, to a still young and an upcoming skimo star Oriol Cardona (SPA) – who effectively won the espoir category with that performance.

Anton Palzer leading Iwan Arnold into the boot-pack in the finals. ISMF photo.
Anton Palzer leading Iwan Arnold into the boot-pack in the finals. ISMF photo.
USA and Canadian men:
The best North American result went to Eric Carter (USA) who first qualified into the quarter-finals and the had a great run in his heat but got quite held up by Antonioli in the steep switchbacks, ultimately finishing 4th in his heat (top two move through) and 19th overall – his best result in these Championships. Second best, in 32nd place, went to only an espoir Cameron Smith (USA).
Top Canadian performance went to Nick Elson, placing 33rd and only three spots off the qualifying quota. Second best was Peter Knight in 37th. Both respectable runs given the lack of sprint races in Canada.
For the rest see results link below.
» Full results – men’s sprint race

Sprint Race – Women (Senior & Espoir)

With Laetitia Roux missing, the sprint world title was up for grabs. Claudia Galicia (SPA), silver medalist from teams race, took the opportunity and claimed gold after a close skating finish with Emelie Forsberg (SWE). Third place went to only an espoir Marianne Fatton (SWI).

Emelie Forsberg and Claudia Galicia in the bottom boot-pack transition during women's final. Photo Matt Reid.
Emelie Forsberg and Claudia Galicia in the bottom boot-pack transition during women’s final. Photo Matt Reid.
USA and Canadian women:
Four North American women qualified for the quarter-finals, an accomplishment on its own, but ultimately suffered some set backs to move through. Jessie Young (USA) had the best run and finished 22nd and Michela Adrian (USA) coming in only two spots behind her. Kylee Ohler had the best Canadian performance finishing 26th, however, who knows what would have happened if she didn’t loose a skin only a couple of strides into her quarter-finals heat. Michelle Roberts (CAN) missed qualifying only by one spot and at the end finished 31st overall.
For the rest see results link below.
» Full results – women’s sprint race

Sprint Race – Men (Junior & Cadet)

A historical moment for the US and North American skimo came in the cadet’s category with Quinn Simmons (son of Scott Simmons) claiming bronze medal – the very first medal for NA continent in the youth categories! And it could have been even as he was leading the finals about half-way through. Gold, in the cadet’s category, went to Aurelien Gay (SWI) who most likely has tremendous amount of experience passed onto him from older Swiss sprint specialists. Alessandro Rossi (ITA) claimed silver and his second medal in these Championships.
Junior title went to Ernesto Canclini (ITA), silver to Arno Lietha (SWI) and bronze to Maximilien Drion (BEL).
USA and Canadian men:
In cadet’s, besides already mentioned Quinn Simmons, Henry Boyd and Henry Hanes (both USA) placed 13th and 20th respectively.
Ian Clarke was the only junior for Team USA and in his first ever sprint placed 22nd.
» Full results – cadets and juniors

Sprint Race – Women (Junior & Cadet)

After claiming silver in the junior’s individual, Ekaterina Osichkina (RUS) won the sprint in front of her rivals from the individual – Guilia Murada (ITA) claiming silver and Julia Casanovas (SPA) bronze.
In cadet’s category, Justine Tonso (FRA) repeated her winning run from the individual race and won. In fact, the top three spots went to the same athletes with Samatha Bertolina (ITA) taking silver medal and Caroline Ulrich (SWI) bronze.
USA and Canadian women:
There were no North American racers in the junior’s category.
Morgan Fortin (USA) came to gain precious experience and placed 8th in the cadets but didn’t qualify.
» Full results – juniors and cadets

Tomorrow

Tomorrow’s race was today (since I this sprint report is delayed) and we raced a vertical – please go o to the home page to read that report.

Filed Under: Reports & Results Tagged With: Emelie Forsberg, Eric Carter, Jessie Young, Kylee Ohler, Nick Elson, Peter Knight, Quinn Simmons, Robert Antonioli

Skimo News Jan 21-22: Carter racing in Andorra WC, Canada and East Coast races, Upcoming events

January 25, 2017 By Stano Faban 2 Comments

With World Championships quickly approaching (Eric and Stano will be attenting as well) the athletes are entering their final preparations. Besides the west side of US, there were races happening in all corners of NA and Europe.
To read our previous Skimo News go here – Skimo News Jan 13-15: 2nd USA Team Qualifier, Mountain Attack, Upcoming Races and World Cups

USA Race News

We are waiting for more details from some east coast races that happened last weekend. We will update here as soon as we receive them.

Berkshire East – Massachusetts – Jan 21

With little over 5,600 feet of vertical gain, including five boot-pack segments and 25 transitions, the Berkshire East skimo race tested the local athletes once again athletes from six states – New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire. (Edit as per suggestions in a comment at the bottom of the article.)
The win in the men’s category on the main course went to Ed Warren who managed to build a 4min lead by the finish line. In the women’s category the title went to Jennifer Downing.
» Full results for the competitive category
berkshire-east-race-1

Canada Race News

Lizard Skinner – Fernie, BC – Jan 21

The following recap was submitted by Travis Brown, a fellow Canadian Ski Mountaineering Team teammate.
The second running of the Fernie Lizard Skinner was an exciting and hard fought battle on all fronts. The non technical course is a mix of steep groomer skinning, and flat hardpack with a distinct Nordic feel. Because all climbs involve a mix of these conditions, skin choice is key in having a fast race.
fernie-race-1
As always, in the men’s race Peter Knight took the race out hard from the gun, with Travis Brown chasing close behind. Peter built up a sizeable lead in the first third of the race, and Travis was unable to close the gap, finishing 4 minutes back. Master’s competitor Steve Sellers crashed out of the 2016 iteration of the race with a badly dislocated shoulder, but returned this year as strong as always, and managed a great 4th place finish, being passed on the last descent by eastern transplant Joel Desgreniers.
In the women’s race, Kylee Ohler was dominant from the start, building up a considerable lead over the rest of the women very early in the race. Kylee would finish 5th overall, giving Steve and Joel a run for their money. Fellow national team members Michelle Katchur-Roberts and Lori Anne Donald rounded out the podium positions.
Marcus Zamzow was the only junior racing, and came in first in the recreational category, followed by Martha Burley, a former Canadian team member returning to racing after having a baby and taking a few seasons off.
» Full results Lizard Skinner

International Race News

Font Blanca World Cup – Andorra – Jan 21-22

Last weekend saw the first World Cup of the season. Like very year, the always friendly and enthusiastic Andorrans put on a show with individual on Saturday and a vertical race on Sunday.
Eric Carter toed the start line after a busy travel schedule (Colorado to home in Squamish, BC to Andorra in a span of 4 days) and not surprisingly he performed less than he wished for. However, this will serve him as a good warm up before another World Cup this weekend, and the upcoming World Championships in February. He finished 48th in the individual and 46th in the vertical.

Forsberg overtaking Mollaret and Orgue in the vertical.
Forsberg overtaking Mollaret and Orgue in the vertical.
Individual:
Anton Palzer (GER) took the win after battling Damiano Lenzi (ITA) for the entire race. The Italian even crossed the finish line in first but was awarded a penalty and moved to second. Third place went to Xavier Gachet (FRA). Kilian Jornet (SPA) finished sixth.
In the women’s race, the domination of Laetitia Roux (FRA) on the World Cup scene continued and she won without much trouble. Second went to her young French teammate Axelle Mollaret with ultra-runner Emelie Forsberg (SWE) coming in third.
Vertical:
The men’s podium completely reshuffled from the day before and with close gaps this was one hell of a competitive race. Swiss vertical specialist Werner Marti won gold by 9 seconds  in front of Kilian Jornet who was another 13 seconds ahead of, still only an espoir, Remi Bonnet (SWI). Lenzi and Palzer came in 4th and 5th respectively.
Women’s race was no less exciting! Emelie Forsberg crossed the finish line first only by 4 seconds in front of  Axelle Mollaret. Spain’s vertical specialist and mountain runner Laura Orgue claimed bronze only another 19 seconds further back. Laetitia Roux didn’t start the race.
» Full results for all Andorra races (you will need to click few links to drill down)
Werner Marti leading Jornet and Bonnet to the finish line.
Werner Marti leading Jornet and Bonnet to the finish line.
 

Upcoming Races

World Cups:
This weekend, Eric Carter will join the world elite athletes at a World Cup at Cambre d’Aze in France. Individual race goes on Saturday followed by a sprint on Sunday.
USA and Canada:
» See our preview of Steep Dreams event at Panorama Resort, BC that will take place on Feb 4-5 (individual on Saturday and vertical on Sunday).
» Check out our skimo racing calendar
Over the next two weekends you can participate in one of these:
Jan 28 – CROWBAR SkiMo race, UT
Jan 28 – DĂ©fi des montagnes, QC
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
Feb 5 – Burke Backcountry Adventure, VT

Filed Under: News Shorts, Reports & Results Tagged With: Anton Palzer, Axelle Mollaret, Emelie Forsberg, Eric Carter, Kilian Jornet, Kylee Ohler Toth, Laetitia Roux, Peter Knight, Travis Brown

Jan 16-17 News Shorts: John Gaston races a World Cup while others battle back home, Kilian Jornet wins twice

January 19, 2016 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

Max Taam leads the 2016 COSMIC Sunlight Dynafit Heathen Challenge. Myke Hermsmeyer Photo.
Max Taam leads the 2016 COSMIC Sunlight Dynafit Heathen Challenge. Myke Hermsmeyer Photo.
Another full weekend of racing in the US and Europe while the Canadian Series takes a break. Read on for more news from last week in skimo!

USA

Heathen Challenge
Racers convened at Sunlight Resort in Colorado for the Dynafit Heathen Challenge. The race featured beautiful weather and a full course with 4500+ feet of climbing. Max Taam put together a solid performance throughout with a small group of chasers to push the pace. Paul Hamilton, Teague Holmes, and Brian Smith all fought to round out the podium with Hamilton and Holmes edging out Smith.
Jessie Young continued her domination of the women’s scene finishing one minute ahead of Lindsay Plant and two minutes ahead of Sari Anderson!
» See full results HERE
Whitefish Whiteout

Peter Knight skiing to victory at the Whitefish Whiteout. Peter Knight Instagram.
Peter Knight skiing to victory at the Whitefish Whiteout. Peter Knight Instagram.
The Whiteout’s eight edition, traditionally held at Whitefish Resort in Montana, delivered deep powder as it usually does! A large contingent of Canadians traveled south for the race to take on a strong group of Montanans. Peter Knight (CAN) took off hard from the line with his eyes on the the hill climb prime. After waiting for the chase pack, the group stayed close together before the fresh snow started to take its toll on racers and their skins. Several athletes blew skins before arriving at the final cat track climb to the finish. Knight attacked Mike Foote, an accomplished distance runner, for the win with a local legend Ben Parsons coming from behind to take 3rd place.
Women’s race recap from Ben Parsons: “Adrian from Bozeman took it. Najeeby, an ultra-runner from Alaska, was hot to the top for the climb prime but missed a critical turn on the third descent and lost positions. Michelle Roberts (CAN) was a solid second and Katie French brought home third for locals glory!
» See full results HERE

Canada

Racing resumes next week in both the East and Western series. The next race in Western Canada is the new Lizard Skinner event in Fernie, BC on Jan 23rd. The next Skimo East event will be at Berkshire East on Jan 23.

Europe

Men's Font Blanca Individual World Cup Podium. ISMF Photo
Men’s Font Blanca Individual World Cup Podium. ISMF Photo
The World Cup circuit met for the first time this season at Font Blanca in Andorra for an individual and a vertical race. Last year, the race was plagued by severe weather causing chaos for the organizers to decide on a course in touchy avalanche conditions. This time around, despite a lack of snow in the alps, the Pyrenees were again hit with a major winter storm. The organizers were under immense pressure to put on a well run event and by all accounts seem to have succeeded. The individual was shortened to about 1300m and its start was delayed several hours due to severe weather and ran on a smaller circuit on-piste.
In the individual, to no-ones surprise, Kilian Jornet (SPA) took the win, however, a young Michelle Boscacci (ITA) finished close behind, pushing Jornet throughout the whole race. Werner Marti (SWI) also surprised with a podium position as he is known more for his vertical race abilities. The rest of the Italian team seems to have had a difficult race, finishing lower on the results sheet. The lack of off-piste descents may have played in favour of the less technically skilled descenders in the field while the usual downhill rockets were kept at bay – William Bon Mardion (FRA) and Robert Antonioli (ITA).
While there were only 25 senior women competing in the individual race the sharp end of the field was very strong. Emelie Forsberg (SWE) won only by 20 seconds in front of Spaniards Claudia Galicia and Laura Orgue (previously only considered a threat in vertical events) who rounded out the podium. The previously super-dominant Laetitia Roux finished fifth, one of her lowest results in recent memory, while she is still recovering from a surgery couple of months ago.
In the vertical race, Jornet repeated his win, with a Swiss Espoir Remi Bonnet upsetting the rest of the field to place second, and Michele Boscacci taking third. The women’s race (39 took to the start line) was handily won by Laura Orgue as was mostly expected since she has a strong nordic skiing history. Second went to Emelie Forsberg and third to Victoria Kreuzer of Switzelrand.
The lone North American competitor, John Gaston (USA) finished 30th in the individual and 32nd in the vertical. John had this to say about the races:

Andorra went pretty well.
Like everyone, I was bummed to see Saturday’s individual course changed. The 4 lap alternate was about as far out of my warehouse as it could have been. Loads of long flat skinning sections that put a premium on glide and technique, and zero technical or hard skiing to make back some time. Still, I felt pretty good and finished strong, so that’s all I could have asked for.
Sunday’s vertical was exact same as last year – I tried to go out harder and stick with their pace for longer – a strategy I knew in advance wasn’t totally smart. Still, these Euros have such amazing speed compared to anything we see in NA, so you’ve got to give it a go. I actually made up a few spots in the last half of the race which was a good confidence boost, but got crushed trying to sprint past that Spanish dude Marc Pinsach at the finish, and as a result got beaten on the line by some sneaky German kid lurking behind me, ready to pounce after I tried my move on Mr. Spanish. Haha, good times. Definitely the highest avg HR I’ve ever maintained in any race/sport, ever.
Kilian was incredible to watch and he’s obviously incredibly fit right now. He was just so patient at the starts and so calculated when and how he’d make his attacks. His vertical was ridiculous – like 30s faster than last year or something. He literally started jogging on that long straight upper part (not usually something Euros do, since they glide so well). He looked so casual about it.

» See full results HERE
ISMF Individual Race Video:

ISMF Vertical Race Video:

Thanks to Peter Knight and Ben Parsons for words, and Myke Hermsmeyer and ISMF Skimo for photos.
 

Filed Under: Reports & Results Tagged With: Emelie Forsberg, Font Blanca, Jessie Young, John Gaston, Kilian Jornet, Laura Orgue, Max Taam, Peter Knight, skimo racing, skimo World Cup, Sunlight Mountain Heathen Challenge, Whitefish Whiteout

Mount Marathon 2015 Race Preview

July 2, 2015 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

Mount Marathon course information from seward.com
Mount Marathon course information from seward.com
While the Mount Marathon Race in Seward Alaska is relatively unknown to most of the US and the world, it is a pillar of mountain running in Alaska. With a 80+ year history, it is one of (if not the) oldest mountain running races in North America. In recent years, as the race becomes more competitive, it is quickly becoming an event that is looked on seriously by racers worldwide.
In 2013, the Mount Marathon garnered significant attention as the course record, set by Bill Spencer 32 years prior, was smashed by Alaska local Eric Strabel. Strabel, the head Nordic Ski Coach at APU, trained specifically for the race, both in terms of his fitness and sussing out the best possible course. Unique to the Mount Marathon are the course rules which essentially state that, aside from starting and finishing at the line, you must just run around the rock at the top of the course, choosing your own line as you go. With racers picking their own line through small cliff bands and down scree, this absolutely has an effect on the outcome of the race, especially on the descent.
Also of note in 2013 was the second place finisher, American ultra runner Rickey Gates. Gates actually led the race by a small margin until Strabel was able to overtake him on the descent (during which Gates fell and dislocated his shoulder see video linked at the bottom). Strabel out sprinted Gates who finished 2nd, also ahead of Spencer’s 1981 course record.
In 2014 both Gates and Strabel returned to the race for a rematch. Strabel again won with Gates finishing in 4th. As the notoriety of the race increases, bigger names will continue to show up and with the 2015 running, Seward will have the biggest name of all in attendance – Kilian Jornet! Jornet (ESP) is widely considered the best mountain runner in the world and is sure to do well at the Mount Marathon. Not only does he have one of the best engines in the world – routinely on top of skimo and sky running podiums – but also with a fantastic ability to run technical descents, a critical component of the Mount Marathon (See this shot of Jornet descending the Matterhorn – not 100% applicable but impressive nonetheless). The big question is: can Jornet knock Strabel off the top of the podium and set a new record time?
First looking at the uphill. The ascent requires approximately 33 minutes for the 880 meters of elevation gain. This is comparable time-wise to a vertical kilometre but is obviously less gain. It also includes a section of flat road at the beginning (for a total distance of 2.49 kilometres). The approximate grade of the climbing portion of the race is a fairly steep 35%! I’ll compare this to the vertical kilometre course in Chamonix which has an average grade of 26% for 1000 meters of gain. An interesting side note: the VK world record set in Fully, Switzerland by Urban Zemmer, is an amazing 1960 VAM! Fully is considered to be the most ideal VK course in the world with a direct ascent at a steady (and ideal) grade. VK racers also frequently use poles to ascend even faster.
Strabel’s fastest Mount Marathon ascent was 33.7 minutes. Because times between events like this are difficult to compare, it is easier to use a metric borrowed from cycling called VAM which is an estimation of ascent speed. Note the units are not m/sec but and arbitrary unit (VAM). Strabel’s ascent was at a mean VAM of 1567. Compare this to Jornet’s time of 34.9 minutes on the Chamonix VK climbing at a mean VAM of 1720. Significantly faster and with 120 additional meters of elevation gain. One thing to consider however is that the footing of most VK races (including in Chamonix) is significantly better than that of the Mount Marathon. Ascending well defined and groomed footpaths is much easier than loose scree. This certainly accounts for some loss in climbing speed.

Given Jornet’s fitness and the fact that he is regularly competing with and winning against the best athletes in the world, I would be hard pressed to bet against him being easily able to ascend the peak faster than anyone else. That being said, he may opt to race alongside the local athletes in order to follow their best line of descent back to the base and drop them once past any major technical difficulties. With such a short race however, (Strabel’s record descent is just over 11 minutes!) any small mistake could cause this strategy to backfire. A trip or fall like Ricky Gates’ in 2013 could jeopardize the race.
Penny Assman falling down 'the cliffs' in one of the more serious accidents in the history of the Mount Marathon. Photo by Carol Griswold.
Penny Assman falling down ‘the cliffs’ in one of the more serious accidents in the history of the Mount Marathon. Photo by Carol Griswold.
I suspect we will see Jornet recon the descent a few days prior to the race and then run ahead of the front runners to gain a healthy gap on the ascent and only increase that gap on the descent. I put Strabel in 2nd because of his history with the race but there may be several local athletes chasing his heels, waiting for a crack in the armour. Gates is returning as well and can’t be discounted for a good performance.
Besides SkinTrack’s general interest in mountain athletics, we are personally invested in this years Mount Marathon because one of the contenders is Squamish local and leader of the 2014-15 Canadian Ski Mountaineering National Team, Nick Elson! Nick applied for and was granted special permission to enter this year’s race and will be traveling to Seward shortly to start familiarizing himself with the course.
After chasing Jornet throughout the skimo season in Europe, Nick is familiar with his fitness and likely realizes that Jornet on top form will be unbeatable on the ascent. The top Alaskans however are certainly in Nick’s sights. If we look at the 2013 Grouse Grind race in which Nick placed third, the course tackles 853 meters of elevation with an average grade of 28% which is much closer to the Mount Marathon (by the numbers, the trace itself however is still very well defined- mostly stairs). Nick ran a mean VAM of 1786 – higher than Strabel’s 1567 VAM on Mount Marathon. We must also take into account the flat at the start of the Mount Marathon which reduces the VAM.
It is hard to compare performances on the descent as much of the Mount Marathon course features scree that can be almost skied down. Strabel’s amazing 11.01 minute descent has a VAM of -4795! Nick is well known as one of the strongest descenders in Canada and it will be interesting to see how he stacks up on the scree. In my opinion, Nick certainly has the potential to perform as one of the top three North Americans in the race. We caught up with Nick in the week leading up to the race.
Nick Elson winning the 2015 Sea to Summit race in Squamish BC. Photo: Squamish Valley Photo Association.
Nick Elson winning the 2015 Sea to Summit race in Squamish BC. Photo: Squamish Valley Photo Association.
Skintrack: What kind of specific training have you begun to prepare for Mount Marathon?
Nick: I’ve been trying to train as much as possible on the steepest trails around Squamish. To prepare for the climb, I’ve been doing some hard workouts on terrain where I’m forced to power-hike. For the descent, I’ve been doing some faster downhill running although I always try to stay in control enough that I don’t fall and hurt myself and also don’t get so sore that I can’t train the next day.
Skintrack: The descent is pretty daunting. Have you been training specifically for that and do you have any strategies?
Nick: I think that the descent is a big part of what makes the race so exciting. The upper portion is on loose scree which appears to allow you to reach pretty high speeds.
Lower down it gets more technical and there are a few options including “the cliffs” and “the falls”.
The fact that there are no course markings and you can choose your own route definitely adds an interesting tactical element to the race (and explains how a runner disappeared and was never found during the 2012 race). I’ll have three days prior to the race to preview the course and hopefully find the best route for me personally. I’m definitely a bit nervous because I know that to be competitive in such a strong field I’m going to have to take some chances on the descent.
Skintrack: What are you looking forward to most about the race and finally what plans do you have for racing the rest of the summer?
Nick: I’m looking forward to the whole scene surrounding the race. This will be my fifth time in Alaska so I think I have an idea of what to expect. However, I think the whole experience will be a little bit crazy. After the Mt. Marathon race, I plan on running the NACAC/Canadian Mountain Running Championships at Cypress on July 18th. Then I’ll try to shift my focus to longer distances in the lead-up to the Squamish 50.
Not to leave out the women, recent years have not seen heavy competition. The female course record was set in 1990 by Nancy Pease in a time of 50.5 minutes (which would have earned her 11th place in the 2014 mens race) and stands fairly uncontested. Olympian Holly Brooks gave several serious stabs at the record but struggled with difficulties in the heat. Something that could be a major factor in this year’s race. 2015 is likely to be dominated by sky and ultra running superstar Emelie Forsberg. Forsberg (SWE) is attending the race for the first time but routinely dominates anything she enters. My bets are hands down on Emelie for the win.
Follow the race live here!
Mt Marathon:
880m Ascent
35% Grade
33.68 min (Eric Strabel) 1567 VAM
Downhill: 11.01 min
Overal Record: 42.92
Female – Nancy Pease (1990) 50.5 min (11th place in 2014 Men’s Race)
Chamonix VK:
1000m
26%
34.88 min (Killian Jornet) 1720 VAM
VK RECORD:
Fully Switzerland
1000m
30.6 min (Urban Zemmer) 1960 VAM
Grouse Grind:
853m
28%
26.38 min (Joe Grey) 1940 VAM
28.6 min (Nick Elson) 1786 VAM
Calculations:
VAM = (vertical ascent in meters X 60) / minutes

Filed Under: General News & Articles Tagged With: Emelie Forsberg, Eric Strabel, Kilian Jornet, Mount Marathon, mountain running, Nick Elson, Preview, Race

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