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Europe

Useful Tips for Traveling: Skimo Racing and Ski Touring in Europe

October 16, 2016 By Stano Faban 1 Comment

Racing in Europe is awesome. Hopefully this post helps smooth out some of the bumps for a first time visitor!
Racing in Europe is awesome. Hopefully this post helps smooth out some of the bumps for a first time visitor!
For North Americans, skimo racing in Europe is not only a humbling and awesome sporting experience but also an adventure into different cultures, customs and rules. While most of that is very pleasant, there are times that the language barriers make it challenging to figure things out.
In this article, we are going to share some tips and our general observations to help you navigate the foreign waters. They are mostly based on Eric’s experience from racing most of the 2014/15 World Cup circuit while staying in Chamonix for few months, with Stano adding a couple of useful bits as well (after all he grew up in Europe).

Registering for races

Make sure to research sign-up opening and deadline at least 5-6 months ahead of the event as many races (specifically Pierra Menta, Mezzalama and Patrouille de Glaciers) tend to sell out in a matter of few weeks. In general, the registration fees (calculated per day) are comparable to North American events but obviously vary from race to race, and the value of services depends on the organizers but usually it’s pretty high. The current system uses a central registrations system through the Grande Course website which should be the first stop to investigate.
Make sure you have all your information sorted before reg including your National and ISMF license.
Another thing to keep in mind, when signing up, are potential requirements which don’t exist in North America. From special gear (rope, ice axe, etc) to doctor’s note proving you are healthy to race, make sure to study each race’s rules. Doctor’s notes are much easier to get in North America ahead of time than at the last minute in a foreign country. The French Alpine Federation FFME has a form that can be downloaded and filled out.
» Here’s the 2017 Skimo World Cup calendar

Cities to fly into for popular race locations

Given the travel distances to most European races and convenient flight connections from US and Canada we believe these are some of the best cities to fly into:
Geneva, Switzerland:
– very central location with Western Europe
– 1.5h to Chamonix
– 2h to Pierra Menta location
Milan, Italy:
– still quite central location
– 3-4h to 2017 World Champ venues
– 3-4h to most other races
Turin, Italy:
– more difficult with connections but it’s close to many cool races in France and Italy
Zurich and Bern, Switzerland:
– still in the center of things
Barcelona, Spain (Catalonia):
– close to Andorra and Pyrenees
– many cool races within 3-4h, including some 2017 World Cups
– great city to hang out in
Paris, France and Rome, Italy:
– a bit further from the mountains but easy to get connections to
– sightseeing at its best
Below is a Google map with the above cities and some most important/popular races. If you don’t see it then click here to display it on Google Maps.

 

Trains in Europe are rad and get you all over the place!
Trains in Europe are rad and get you all over the place!

Transportation – Cars and Trains/Shuttles

For standard ski touring and climbing trips, depending on trains and shuttles is fine. For travelling to races a car is necessary as most are at out-of-the-way locations.
Many car rental companies require a deposit for twice the rental price of the car be put on your card so be sure you have enough of a limit to allow this. Also, most rental cars will have standard transmission unless you pay significantly extra for an automatic. There is nothing like learning to drive a stick in a rental car parking lot in a small town in France 🙂
Also, it is important to be explicit that you require winter tires as driving to some of the ski areas can be treacherous – tiny roads, lots of snow, steep hills. Tire chains can be purchased relatively cheap so better just to buy them rather than rent from the car company. Even if it feels like summer in the valley in which you rent, it may be VERY wintery up at the race venue!
Be prepared as tolls on major freeways in France, Italy, and elsewhere can be significant – it is definitely best to carpool if possible. If you are driving in Switzerland, Germany and other countries you will require an annual or multi-month toll pass sticker (buy it at any bigger gas station).
Places are closer than they are in North America but still require some planning and travel but it’s worth it. One of Eric’s favourite races of his “Euro” season was a last second decision to go to Poland for a teams race. Chamonix to Poland is 1500km (1000 miles) of driving!

The best places to stay have skiing right out the back door.
The best places to stay have skiing right out the back door.

Housing and Accommodation

Staying long-term can be tricky if you don’t have a connection with a place to stay. The best chance to find an apartment is if you have a friend who can help.
When travelling to races, ask the race organizers where to stay – they usually have designated athletes lodging with board. This tends to be a simpler option if you are unfamiliar with the area and it allows you to focus on your goals.
Hotels can be expensive and in smaller towns and are a little different than what we expect from North American hotels – usually they are smaller and run fairly minimally, you won’t find a Holiday Inn at Transcavello.

Lifts are all over the place and go to amazing places. Mt. Gele, Switzerland.
Lifts are all over the place and go to amazing places. Mt. Gele, Switzerland.

Equipment

If you are going to Europe specifically to race, just bring skinny skis. Most of the time I was on-piste or in the high mountains on stable days. I never used my fat skis once in the four months I was in Europe – that being said, I was there to race and climb, not ski pow or the resorts.
Bring one pair of race skis and one pair of training skis. Mid-winter, the skinny skins were nice but when spring rolled around and things started to melt-freeze regularly, it was key to have wider ones.
Things can get boney so don’t be surprised if you break some equipment. Luckily, most of the equipment manufacturers are located in the Alps so if you break a boot or binding, they are usually pretty helpful. I had very good luck with both Plum and Gignoux promptly fixing broken equipment. The Plum factory in particular was a treat to visit as they refurbished my bindings free of charge on the spot.
Bring sufficient skins (or be prepared to purchase) as a season full of racing will seriously take life out of skins. Ski crampons are critical for spring touring as well.
Crevasses in the alps are serious, much more like the Rockies – actually pretty scary. We carried crevasse rescue equipment most of the time and I was happy to have it. Picking up a short glacier rope when you arrive is relatively cheap (Technique Extreme in Chamonix, View Au Campeur elsewhere in France). For climbing, we usually used a 60m half rope for easier routes and also had a 60m single for harder stuff. This really depends on trip goals (skiing vs. climbing).
I think an axe/tool hybrid like the Petzl Sum’tec is a good option. A light axe is nice for snow but it was handy to have the pick of a tool on the occasion that we encountered a bit of ice. We had tools as well for real climbing and that was worth it.
It’s usually pretty warm in central Europe. I had a down jacket that I used rarely and a thin synthetic puffy that I used ALL the time. A sleeveless shirt to wear under the skin suit was also invaluable in warm weather races.

Be prepared for the occasional off day. Guidebooks and maps can be easily found in most outdoor stores. The kindle was awesome to have.
Be prepared for the occasional off day. Guidebooks and maps can be easily found in most outdoor stores. The kindle was awesome to have.

Power

Check all your appliances and see if you need a power transformer or just a converter. Everything I brought with me required just a basic plug converter except for my boot dryer which I didn’t check because everything else worked fine. I plugged it in and it went into turbo drive and then started smoking… 🙂

Food

Gels, energy food, etc. are expensive in Europe so bring as much as you can from home. Stuff your ski boots with gels. Bring specialty foods (chia, hemp hearts,…) if you eat them as they are harder to a get hold of in many places.
Remember, grocery stores in Europe are smaller and operate in much more limited hours. Most small towns won’t have a superstore type grocery but just a small family run store. There is frequently a lunch/afternooon break when the store is closed and it can be almost impossible to find groceries in a small town on a Sunday. Plan ahead or be prepared to be eating bread and Nutella for dinner 🙂

Most resorts are pretty uphill friendly. Ask a local but it is much less restrictive than North America.
Most resorts are pretty uphill friendly. Ask a local but it is much less restrictive than North America.

Training

European resorts are much more tolerant of uphill skiers on-piste than resorts in North America but still rules can be quite variable. Some resorts have specific off-piste access routes while others allow skinning anywhere on-piste at any time. For example, Grand Montets in Chamonix allows you to skin up the ski-out run outside of operating hours and has an off-piste access route for during hours.
In the spring however, the access route was melted out so we skinned up the run. Patrollers were rare but warned us that we were breaking the rules skinning during operating hours but never explicitly asked us to ski down. Verbier on the other hand was a free for all. The best strategy is probably to talk with a local racer or check in at the local touring store to find out the ideal place to train.

Huts are all over the place and much more well equipped! Argentiere, France.
Huts are all over the place and much more well equipped! Argentiere, France.

Other useful tips

A data plan was super handy – finding hotels and race venues we used GPS and email a ton. It is easy to buy a cheap phone when you arrive and can be nice for in-country calls or emergencies but may not work everywhere. I’ll spend the extra money on a worldwide data plan next time. (Note: even a really good data plan may not work everywhere – ahem – Andorra…)
Wifi is much less reliable. Cafes frequently have wifi but expect to buy something and it’s pretty slow. Finding free, fast wifi to do work-related things was much more difficult than in North America. Uploading batches of photos was nearly impossible. Hotels frequently advertise wifi but only offer it in the lobby (and it is slow). McDonald’s was the most reliable.
Make sure you know the local emergency number. We were the first on scene of a climbing accident and were only able to call the rescue because I had randomly downloaded an app with their number on it to my phone. Without that, we would have had no idea who to call.
I joked that if I ever was to get injured, it should be while I was on this trip because it was the most well insured I’ve ever been in my life. I had travel insurance through my employer, accident/rescue insurance through the American Alpine Club, and because I was racing in Switzerland, I had to purchase rescue service/insurance from REGA. All of this was relatively painless with a bit of research.
Lift tickets work differently and usually better. If you are uploading only once to mid station, it is likely considerably less expensive than a day pass. Downloading only tickets are even less. It’s not like spending $120 just to think about riding a lift at a resort in North America.

What are your tips and observations?

Share your Euro tricks with us in the comments below so we can all have a smoother trip the next time we go 🙂
Thank you!

Filed Under: Skimo Racing, Training, Tricks & Tips Tagged With: Chamonix, Eric Carter, Europe, Travel, Verbier

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

March 4, 2016 By Stano Faban 3 Comments

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!
 

Filed Under: Events & Races, News Shorts Tagged With: Canada, Crested Butte, Eric Carter, Europe, Janelle Smiley, John Gaston, Kilian Jornet, Max Taam, National Championships, Skimo, Stevie Kremer, The Power of Four, USA, Whitewater ski resort

Jan 10-11 News Shorts: Skimo racing weekend all over the World

January 12, 2016 By Stano Faban Leave a Comment

This past weekend was the first big racing weekend of the season with events happening all over North America and several National Championships in Europe.

The field takes off at Outdoor Retailer skimo event. Myke Hermsmeyer photo.
The field takes off at Outdoor Retailer skimo event. Myke Hermsmeyer photo.

USA

On Thursday, part of the huge Outdoor Retailer event in Salt Lake City (stay tuned for new gear news tomorrow), there was a skimo demo event held at Solitude Resort, Utah. Racers completed four laps for a total ascent of just over 700m. Tom Goth pulled away early and held on for the win. Marshall Thompson and Pete Swenson rounded out the podium. The women’s event looks to have been won by Janelle Smiley with Jax Koudele on the podium (though we are waiting for result confirmation!).
Western US racers will reconvene next at Sunlight Resort for the Heathen Challenge.

Canada

Canadian Team women ready for sprint finals!
Canadian Team women ready for sprint finals!
In Canada, the Western contingent met at Castle Mountain Resort in Alberta for a double header. Saturday was the first ever sprint event held in Canada. Despite a relatively small turnout, the event was fast paced and featured a fun course. Racers had three rounds of sprinting and the Men’s event was won by Eric Carter (SkinTrack.com) with Travis Brown and Matt Reid rounding out the podium. With just three women racing, the ladies had a great chance to practice sprinting against each other. In the finals, Mel Bernier won handily with Kylee Ohler putting on a good fight to keep Bernier honest, with Michell Roberts completing the podium.
Sunday’s individual event featured two big climbs covering 1500m of vertical ascent. The race began with a very technical skin track to the very top of the resort where it followed a ridge that became more and more exposed to blasting winds as the race continued. The first descent of an in-bounds 700m chute was in good shape and made for a fast descent. The second climb began on groomed runs before turning out of the resort boundary and up a steep cat skiing road that made skinning very difficult. However, we were rewarded with an excellent descent down untouched cat ski terrain in nice powder to the finish line.
Men's Semi-Finals at Castle Mountain sprint race. Marc Gallup photo.
Men’s Semi-Finals at Castle Mountain sprint race. Marc Gallup photo.
Peter Knight took off hard from the gun but was quickly stripped of the lead by Nick Elson, clearly on a mission for redemption after falling in a semi-final heat and missing the chance for a top spot in the sprint. Elson took off up the technical skinning section and showed his skinning abilities, holding his lead over Eric Carter and Knight for the remainder of the race. The women mixed in with the men and spread out a bit, but kept the same finish order as the previous day – Bernier, Ohler, Roberts.
» 2016 Castle Mountain complete race results (PDF)
Western Canadian racers will be heading next weekend south of the border to race the Whitefish Whiteout before returning to the southern Canadian Rockies for the new Lizard Skinner event in Fernie, BC.
Meanwhile, at Mont Tremblant, the quickly growing Skimo East series contingent met for their first race of the season. Athletes had two hours to complete as many laps as possible of the course. Each loop featured 500m vertical gain and two booters with the leaders completing three. George Visser was challenged by newcomer Joel Desgreniers with Patrick Lussier rounding out the podium. Lyne Bessette the only female to complete three laps with Carmen Labbe and Isabelle Marcotte finishing 2nd and 3rd with two laps each. The next Skimo East event will be at Berkshire East on Jan 23.

Europe

While much of Europe has been in a drought for snow, several countries held their national championship events. The usual suspects took the majority of the top places though a surprise did come with Emelie Forsberg beating Latetia Roux in the French Champs at Maribel.
National Champions:

  • Switzerland: Martin Anthamatten & Jennifer Flichter
  • Austria: Christian Hoffman & ?
  • France: William Bon Mardion & Laetitia Roux
  • Italy: Michelle Boscacci & Roberta Pedranzini

Racers are now making their way towards Andorra for the first World Cup of the season:

Filed Under: Reports & Results Tagged With: Canada, Europe, National Championships, Outdoor Retailer, Racing Roundup, SKIMO EAST, Solitude, Tremblant, USA, World Cup

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  • Forest Skis: Innovative, Custom Build, For Backcountry Skiing and Freeride
  • Lighter and Completely Redesigned: New CAMP Ultralight Ski Mountaineering Ice Axes

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About SkinTrack

Travelling through snowy mountains on skis is like flying… and experiencing life at its core.

Gear reviews, interviews, adventures, contests, skills, skimo training, race reports – we connect you to all things related to self-propelled skiing.

SkinTrack.com, created by Stano Faban, was born out of passion for ski mountaineering and ski touring. Over the years, it has become one of the most popular ski mountaineering blogs in North America.

Recent Articles

  • Kilian Jornet Interview: About His New Foundation, His Own Environmental Impact, and How He Wants To Help Athletes and The Outdoor Industry To Protect Nature
  • How Fast Are Glaciers Really Melting? How Will This Affect Your Mountain Adventures? Interview with Pascal Egli
  • Book Review – Art of Freedom: The Life and Climbs of Voytek Kurtyka
  • Forest Skis: Innovative, Custom Build, For Backcountry Skiing and Freeride
  • Lighter and Completely Redesigned: New CAMP Ultralight Ski Mountaineering Ice Axes

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