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Kilian Jornet

Stage 1 – 2015 Pierra Menta: Carter & Elson 20th, Bernier 7th, plus others

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Nick Elson with Eric Carter today at Pierra Menta. Photo by Andrea Kuba.
Nick Elson with Eric Carter today at Pierra Menta. Photo by Andrea Kuba.
Today was the first day of the 2015 Pierra Menta. Usually, the PM starts on a Thursday but because this is the 30th edition the organizers shuffled things around to accommodate the festivities.

Stage 1

The stage was unusually short so something big must be awaiting the racers in the next few days to make up for the average of 2500m per day.
Domination of the Italian duo, Damiano Lenzi & Matteo Eydalin, continues! After winning everything there was to win last year, they won the teams title at last month’s World Championships, and today they won the first stage.

Lenzi and Eydalin are continuing the rish Italian history of super strong skimo teams.
Lenzi and Eydalin are continuing the rish Italian history of super strong skimo teams. Photo by Andrea Kuba.
In women’s category, the super tight battle is starting to shape up. Two strong teams, Laetitia Roux (FRA) with Mireia Miro (SPA) and Emelie Forsberg (SWE) with Axelle Mollaret (FRA), went through the whole stage together. At the end, Emelie & Axelle took the win by mere 10 seconds!
The top two women's teams were neck and neck today.
The top two women’s teams were neck and neck today. Photo by Andrea Kuba.

North Americans

There are couple of North American teams competing this year.
The top men’s team, consisting of Eric Carter (USA) and Nick Elson (CAN), started the big race well and came in at 20th place, thus, nicely positioning themselves for tomorrow.
Among women, Melanie Bernier (CAN) paired up this year with Malene Blikken (NOR) and they also had a good start to Pierra Menta, coming in at 7th.
» Here’s a quick interview with Melanie from just few days ago.

Melanie Bernier approaching a transition.
Melanie Bernier approaching a transition. Photo by Andrea Kuba.
As for the rest, I am only aware of these North American teams racing the PM this year:

  • The team of Eric Bunce and Nicolas Francis (both USA) came in at 133rd place. BTW, Nicolas is the USSMA president!
  • At 151st today, came in Crowley Jon and Kilcoyne Jamie.

» Full results – stage 1

Kilian Jornet races with Marc Pinsach this year.
Kilian Jornet races with Marc Pinsach this year. They placed 7th today. Photo by Andrea Kuba.
Michele Boscacci with Robert Antonioli came in 4th today. Photo by Andrea Kuba.
Michele Boscacci with Robert Antonioli came in 4th today. Photo by Andrea Kuba.
 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Individual Race

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

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

Upcoming races

Wasatch Powder Keg and US Skimo Nationals

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

East Coast

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

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

Pierra Menta (Mar 11-14, 2015)

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

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

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

Karl Egloff interview

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

30 questions for Karl Egloff: The new Aconcagua speed climb record holder

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karl-egloff-aconcagua-main-pic
Today, I am very pleased to bring you an interview with Karl Egloff, the new Aconcagua speed climb record holder with a time of 11h 52min! He kindly agreed to do it for SkinTrack readers.
Mountaineering and trail running community knows Aconcagua (6,962 m or 22,837 ft) very well, however, many learnt about it only in December last year. Kilian Jornet, the famed Catalan runner and ski mountaineer, set a new speed record for ascent and descent on the mountain.
Jornet demolished the previous record by about one hour and set the new mark at 12 hours 49 minutes following the normal route, with a start and finish in Horcones that sits at altitude of 2850m and about 30km away from the summit. Pretty much all of us thought the record would stand for at least couple of years but fast-forward to Feb 19, 2014 – only two months later – and Karl Egloff broke Jornet’s record by a whopping 57 minutes!
Without further due, let’s learn as much as we can about a man that was flying low under the radar for very long time.

Karl Egloff interview

Q: Karl, first of all, big congratulations on your amazing performance! What did you feel in the last hour as you were running back to Horcones?
Thank you so much Stano and SkinTrack! I was feeling many emotions during the record.  I knew all the time that I had one hour of advantage so I tried to stay focused and enjoy coming back to where I started.
For me the return from Plaza de Mulas down to Horcones, were the most difficult kilometers (23 km) because the weather changed and it started to snow with heavy wind and temperature dropped down. I was cold and my legs were tired.

karl-egloff-aconcagua-5
Emotions take over once back in Horcones.
Q: You are quite unknown compared to other mountain speed goats such as Jornet or Ueli Steck. Can you tell us where did you grew up and what sports did you participated in?
My mother was Ecuadorian (unfortunately, she passed away when she was 49 and I was only 16), my father is Swiss.
In Ecuador football is not a sport, it is a religion. I stared at an early age to play football. When I was 17, I moved to Switzerland and my father wanted me to study before focusing in any sport career. I tried to play football in my spare time. When 26 I returned to Ecuador and finally tried to get professional in football but I was too old and I had a serious injury in my abductors, so my doctor asked my to use the bicycle for recovery. This is how I started in mountain biking and immediately fell in love with the sport.
A few months later, I started competing in local races. I was an elite mountain biker from 2008 through 2014, earned 70 gold medals for Ecuador, traveled worldwide to compete in mountain bike events.
In the meantime I never stopped working on my true passion, being a mountain guide. I guided local and international expeditions to Peru, Nepal and Tanzania. At the time my clients rested and in order to keep in shape, I went out for a run in the altitude. That is when I realized my strength in this activity. In 2014 I traveled to Kilimanjaro for the 4th time as part of a commercial trekking tour I was hired to lead, and I tried the Kilimanjaro speed record. After I achieved this incredible record I slowly switched from mountain biking to the world of trail running, speed climbing and strengthening my mountaineering.
Q: When did you realize you wanted to go up and down mountains really fast?
karl-egloff-aconcagua-6On December 12, 2012 I was invited to climb Cotopaxi fast with a friend of mine. I broke the speed record and since then I started to see how amazing this sport could be after guiding almost 16 years.
Q: How old are you?
33
Q: What other sports do you actively do?
I do rock climbing from time to time.
Q: In running, compared to others, do you feel like you excel in going up or down? Which one do you like more?
Both, I love to climb definitely but technical descents are also very exciting for me.
Q: Do you do many races or you race only occasionally? I haven’t seen you in any results before, but of course, I do not follow all races.
I started with trail events last year. I participated in three races in 2014 and won all three. This year I have some more in planning and I hope to do one or two also in Europe.
Q: Our readers are very active and many are competitive mountain athletes, so they would like to know more about your training and preparation. How did you train for Aconcagua in the last 2-3 months, did you do lots of high intensity intervals or lots of volume?
Two months of biking training after Kilimanjaro record, then two months of altitude training with a lot of nights over 3500m, and some interval training over 5000m. Then three weeks before travelling to Argentina I focused on trail running events to train my heart to maintain rhythm.
Looking up the valley towards Aconcagua.
Looking up the valley towards Aconcagua.
Q: How did you acclimatize for Aconcagua? What did you do in the last 3-4 weeks?
I climbed Aconcagua and reached summit three times in eight days. I slept three nights in a row at 5500m, and did intensity training at over 6000m.
Before travelling I  did a lot of acclimatization in Ecuador, the greatest country to do trail and mountaineering in the Andes. We have quite a lot of mountains and altitudes for training: 4000m, some 5000 and even a 6000m mountain.
Training with his running partner on Aconcagua.
Training with his running partner on Aconcagua.
Q: Did you use an altitude sleeping tent in your preparation/training?
No, there are none here in Ecuador. I went to the mountains and slept over 5000m with the best natural view to enjoy!
Q: Why did you choose end of February for your speed attempt?
Because it is cheaper to enter the national park, and because my clients had carnival holidays and could travel. Then because the weather is ok, colder and much more windy but not so many tourists. This trip was planned a year ago.
More training on Aconcagua.
More training in high winds on Aconcagua.
Q: What and how much did you eat and drink during your Aconcagua speed record? If you could include breakfast and dinner the night before that would be awesome.
Dinner was pasta, breakfast just fresh fruits and carbs drink. During the record a lot of electrolytes, gums, sugar, chocolate and hot tea.
Q: Where did you have your support people positioned on the mountain? What did they provide and what did you carry?
At 7km at Confluencia, César Alvarado for support in low camp. At 23km (base camp) Nicolas Miranda, expert Ecuadorian mountain guide and adventure athlete was waiting for me – I changed shoes, ate something and he joined me to the summit. Ivan Herrera was waiting at the cave at 6700m before the last climb with hot tea, clothes and some food. The way down, from the summit to the gate I went all by myself.
Karl's support team consists of family and good friends.
Karl’s support team consists of family and good friends.
Q: Did you use the same shoes and socks on the whole route or did you change?
I changed shoes on Plaza de Mulas on the way up and changed socks and shoes on the way back at Plaza de Mulas.
Q: Running 12h alone is a long time, what did you think about during all that time?
I was thinking 80% of the running time about the record time, making calculations. When I was feeling weak I started to think about the main reason why I was there for – my girlfriend, my family, my friends and all the people who were supporting me.
I raced in adventure races over 3 or 4 days. During those races, you sometimes don’t thing about anything, it’s like a blanco moment, but during the Aconcagua record I was very focused all the time.
Q: You beat Kilian’s record on Kilimanjaro in 2014 by about 30 minutes. Based on that, how much did you think you could go faster on Aconcagua?
Yes, by 32 min in 2014, my time was 6h 56min. For Kilimanjaro I trained good but didn’t feel that I was at my best shape. When I came back, and with the experience in Africa, I knew how to get well prepared and focused on Aconcagua. We knew we had a chance so we trained for it really hard.
Karl on the summit of Aconcagua.
Karl on the summit of Aconcagua.
Q: You work as a mountain guide. How do you balance that with training since guiding can be quite demanding? What are your recovery techniques – massages, nutrition…?
I’m sponsored by a sports medicine company were I get all the massages and health check-ups, but as a guide during the high season (Nov-Dec-Jan) I’m more on the mountains than at home so I recover on the mountains at the base camps.
It is demanding so sometimes when I’m guiding and come back home the only thing I do is intensity training to keep fit and avoid injuries.
» Visit Karl’s guiding company website – Cumbre Tours – if you are planning trips to South America or around the world.
Q: What is your favourite testing mountain or a climb? Is it steep, technical, or not so much?
I live just 10 min away from a steep hill where I train every day. It is technical, it is steep and it is almost at 3000m – a great hill just in front of my door.
Q: Any other bigger mountains?
Cotopaxi volcano (5,897m) and its national park is probably the best scenery for me for training. It is just 1 hour away by car and you have amazing landscapes at 4000m altitude to trail above the giant glacier.
Q: At what altitude do you live most of the year?
2800m
Q: Who inspires you the most and why?
Roger Federer because he is a gentlemen and a great sportsman. Kilian Jornet because he is an incredible athlete and has broken the traditional rule of “not to run on the mountains”. Reinhold Messner because he made what impossible things possible.
And my mother, she was fighting years against cancer and prepared us during her sickness for life.
Q: Are you going after Kilian Jornet’s records or are you just going after the same summits but he happened to start his project sooner?
I’m going for the 7 summits because they are commercial, they have records, they are in books and people know all of them. The Himalayas is far away for me economically right now, but I hope one day we can have a chance to go for it. I also want to cross the Antarctica, which I dream about since I was a kid.
"Starting line" at Horcones.
“Starting line” at Horcones.
Q: What other mountains or trails do you want to go climb or run fast?
All emblematic and symbolic mountains in South America, Europe and Himalayas if I have the health, the team and the money.
Q: Would you consider attempting the Matterhorn record? Or do you think to go faster there requires too much risk taking?
I have never climbed Matterhorn. My sister got married in Zermatt but we did not have time to climb it. I hope I will get the chance and then I will talk about a record.
Q: Do you have any sponsors? What running shoes and clothing do you use?
I’m sponsored by Mammut gear in Ecuador so I use Mammut shoes. Compressport is also sponsoring me internationally. I have also several other sponsors in Ecuador.
Q: Do you follow any special diet – vegetarian, vegan, paleo…?
No, I’m a big meat lover. I eat whatever I want and have never had a diet. Life is too short for diets but I eat healthy.
Q: Do you use energy gels in your training, or just in racing and speed attempts?
Just in racing and speed attempts, never in training because I have from time to time stomach problems.
Q: Do you drink beer or wine? Which are your favourites?
I drink some wine, I love cabernet sauvignon or a good merlot. Argentinian, Spanish and Chilean wines are great. I drink beer from little local brands.
Q: What is your favourite place to visit?
So far, Rome was amazing. I hope that one day I can travel more around New Zealand and around Asia as well.
Q: What is your favourite music or band?
Nickelback, Marc Antony, Latin Music and English 80-ties.
Karl celebrating right after the great performance with his father and friends.
Karl celebrating right after the great performance with his father and friends.

Dec 1-7 News Shorts: US Skimo Team qualifiers, Vert180 in Canada, Bernier's big November, Jornet readying for Aconcagua

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With a new season under way, we are going to continue the weekly roundups that you got used to last winter but we are going away from the “Skimo Racing Roundup” name and will be calling it “News Shorts” as there are often other ski mountaineering related items worth including besides just skimo racing. We believe you will enjoy this format even more!

US Skimo Team qualifiers: Gaston continues winning

One of several huge snowcats used to shuttle racers to and from the Irwin Lodge race venue.
One of several huge snowcats used to shuttle racers to and from the Irwin Lodge race venue.
Skimo World Championships take place every second year and this means the US skimo athletes continue to train harder than ever before. To qualify, and to have a choice at which events each athlete wants to race at the 2015 Skimo Worlds in Verbier (Feb 6-12), he or she first needs to prove the speed. The first two qualifying races took place last weekend (Dec 6-7) in Crested Butte, Colorado. Saturday’s individual race, at Irwin Guides, is known for great backcountry terrain and skiing. The Irwin race is a unique experience for skimo racers with the entire event taking place in the backcountry. Racers are required to take a 45-minute snowmobile or snowcat ride to the venue deep in the Elk Mountains.
Utah vs. Colorado after the vertical event.
Utah vs. Colorado after the vertical event.
Scott Simons (2nd place), a father of two and always improving, took off strong from the start and charged around the first lap at a blistering pace along with Marshall Thompson (3rd place). The two reached the first descent together with John Gaston close behind. Gaston, showing his perennial strength at descending, closed the gap and by the third lap, had a manageable lead on the two to win the race. Max Taam raced hard from 10th position to 4th by the finish and Jason Dorais battled illness to finish a strong 5th.
In the women’s race, Lindsay Plant (2014 NA Teams Race Champion with Janelle Smiley) stayed in the lead throughout the race with seemingly little competition. Sari Anderson and Jessie Young (new to the skimo circuit but quickly improving) equalled each other on the first climb. Anderson dropped out of the race and Young chased hard forcing Plant to increase her pace to maintain her lead. Nikki LaRochelle finished in third.
For more Irwin photos by Crested Butte Photography see a link further below.
For more Irwin photos by Crested Butte Photography see a link further below.
Lindsay Plant shortly after crossing the line in first at the Crested Butte vertical race.
Lindsay Plant shortly after crossing the line in first at the Crested Butte vertical race.
Sunday was a vertical race (also a team qualifier) hosted at the CB resort. The results changed a bit but not dramatically. Gaston dominated the men’s field again with Marshall Thompson taking a close 2nd. Local star, Brian Smith charged from behind, sitting at the back of the pack early in the climb and moving up to 3rd by the finish. The women’s race went again decisively to Lindsay Plant who was followed by Nikki LaRochelle and McKenna Douglas.
SkinTrack’s Eric Carter, who is trying to qualify for the US Worlds Team, placed 9th on Saturday and 5th on Sunday. Eric was happy with the results despite seeing room for improvement. His altitude acclimatization program seemed to work (he lives at 14 m in Squamish, Canada) and all the hard dry land training is paying off.
» Weekend results from both races – https://www.facebook.com/USSkimo/posts/795269280519181
» Great weekend race photos can be found here.
» Qualifying criteria and process can be found on USSMA website here.

Vert180 opens season in Canada

In Canada, the Vert180 in Calgary opened the skimo racing season with its unusual format once again. The winner of the men’s category, trail runner and skimo racer Travis Brown, climbed a little less than 3000 m in 180 minutes of racing. Second and third went to Peter Knight and Ryan Burlingame respectively. The women’s category win went to Kylee Toth, who is coming back strongly after having two kids in the last several years! Michelle Roberts and Marg Fedyna finished second and third.
» Vert180 results are here.

Melanie Bernier’s big November

Melanie Bernier is the only Canadian, and only the second North American, to place on a skimo World Cup podium and as part of her preparations for the World Championship season she went on to do a massive month of training. She  accumulated over 70,000 vertical meters during November in the mountains around Revelstoke and in Rogers Pass. Once again, Melanie will travel to Europe for an extensive period of time this winter and we can’t wait to see what exciting performances she will be up to this season.

Kilian Jornet ready for Aconcagua speed attempt

If you haven’t caught the news yet then next couple of weeks will  bring another speed record attempt by Kilian Jornet. Like Melanie, he also did lot’s of training in November and, only few days ago, left France for South America. None of such records are guaranteed but if the weather on Aconcagua is at least somewhat cooperative, then Jornet should be able to set the bar very high for anyone that will come after him.

Wolf Creek skimo race on Nov 22

The first race on the USSMA calendar went down two weeks ago at the Wolf Creek ski area in Colorado. Men’s category top 3 were: Scott Simmons, Jon Brown, Pete Swenson. In women’s race category, the win went to Lindsay Plant, followed by Sarah Stubbe and Christena Ward.
» Full results are here.

Teaser video for 2015 Ski Mountaineering World Championships in Verbier

Feb 8-9 Weekend Skimo Racing Roundup

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World Cup

Big, big congrats goes to Melanie Bernier (CAN) for her bronze medal from the skimo World Cup Pitturina Ski Race which is the first ever podium placing on a World Cup level for a Canadian skimo athlete!
pitturina-womens-podium
After the Italian Pitturina race got postponed by a week, due to a big snow storm that rolled over the Dolomites on Feb 1st, Melanie felt that the extra days between her races will only do her good. Here’s an update on Melanie’s Euro campaign she sent us last week.
On Friday, Feb 7, Melanie captured the first ever Canadian medal by finishing third in the sprint event, behind women’s World Cup dominating Laetitia Roux (FRA) and Maude Mathys (SWI). Meredith Edwards (USA) continued to collect valuable World Cup experience and finished 16th.
In men’s sprint race, first went to current sprint World Champion Josef Rottmoser, and second to his German teammate Anton Palzer who actually still belongs to the espoir (under 23) category! Third went to current individual World Champion William Bon Mardion of France.
» Sprint race results – All categories (PDF)
Here’s a short video of the sprint race. You can see Melanie on the podium at 1:32.

The next day at Pitturina race, Kilian Jornet (ESP) took over and comfortably captured his second individual race win of this season. He was followed by every week improving William Bon Mardion (FRA) for second and Damiano Lenzi (ITA) for third.
In women’s category the first two podium spots were captured by the same athletes as in the sprint – Laetitia Roux (FRA) took first while Maude Mathys (SWI) took second. Third went to Sophie Dusautoir from Andorra! Melanie Bernier had a good race and finished sixth, and only by 1 sec behind fifth and 20 sec behind fourth. Meredith Edwards placed 15th.
» Individual race results – All categories (PDF)

North America

After the cancellation of the Ken Jones Classic race at Lake Louise, AB no racing took place in Canada this weekend. But there was plenty of action in the US.
There is a new skimo centre growing in the US and this time in New Mexico! And the past weekend saw two races taking place there – Saturday in Santa Fe ski area and on Sunday in Taos Ski Valley.
UPDATE – Feb 11: Disregard the comments section at the bottom of this article as there was confusion with the results. The following is now correct.

Santa Fe Fireball Rando:
1. Jon Brown
2. Bryan Wickenhauser
3. Scott Archer
1. Stevie Kremer
2. Lindsay Plant
3. Kate Zander
[end-column]
Rio Hondo Rando Raid:
1. Jon Brown
2. Bryan Wickenhauser
3. Brian Edmiston
1. Stevie Kremer
2. Lindsay Plant
3. Kate Zander
[end-column]
Combined 2 days
1. Jon Brown
2. Bryan Wickenhauser
3. Scott Archer
1. Stevie Kremer
2. Lindsay Plant
3. Kate Zander
[end-column] The below results (reflecting overall ranking) were put together from photos sent in by Tim Zander. Thank you very much Tim.
new-mexico-cup-2014-results
Burke Mountain skimo race:
We had a race on the other side of the country, in Vermont, happening last weekend as well. There will be more juicy details from Jonathan Shefftz coming for this one but here are at least some stats for now. Main men’s race was won by George Visser, second went to Phillipe Deguire, and third to Josh Flanagan. In women’s race category Danielle Deguire took first, Isabelle Marcotte second, and Karina Lewis third.
» Results Burke 2014 (PDF)

Upcoming Races – Feb 15-16 weekend

There will be a break on the World Cup scene this weekend because there will be lots of big racing going on in Andorra that will host the 2014 European SkiMo Racing Championships between Feb 14 and Feb 16. The Euro Champs alternate every second year with the Worlds taking place on odd years.
In the United States there will be two races taking place on Saturday, Feb 15:

No racing in Canada this weekend but coming back on Feb 22.

Feb 1-2 Weekend Skimo Racing Roundup and Upcoming Races

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WORLD CUP

A quiet weekend to report on in the skimo race world with the Pitturina World Cup being postponed due to too much snow! I feel terrible for these guys forced to ski pow and not be able to race.

NORTH AMERICA

Our friends in Montana were the only ones in North America to get out for a race. The annual Bridger Bowl Skin-to-Win Randonnee Rally was held on Feb 2nd (also postponed by a day due to weather). Ben Parsons was hungry for a win after the previous week and skied alone in front the entire race. Brian Story placed second, after whittling away at a group of five to eventually build a comfortable gap over third. A small field meant lots of prizes distributed throughout the group!

The skin tracks back up the ridge were unrelenting in their steepness as they always are.  But, realizing we were all in the same boat and it was better than breaking trail, I just adjusted speed and stride and enjoyed the rare occurrence of leading a race with a slightly comfortable cushion.
-Ben Parsons

» Ben Parsons Race Report
» Brian Story Race Report
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9spsWNG-qE (only the beginning of the video covers the race)
Without any other race videos to watch this week, check out this one which is a little more appropriate for the conditions we have had on the Coast. And two minutes in watch very applicable technique for skimo racing on hard snow 😉

UPCOMING RACES – February 8-9 weekend

laetitia-roux
Laetitia Roux. ISMF photo.
The Pitturina World Cup race was postponed to February 7th and 8th. The race will begin with a sprint race on Friday followed by the full individual race on Saturday. North America will be represented by Melanie Bernier (CAN). She managed to postpone a flight back to North America (good for all you guys worried about getting chicked at Lake Louise!) and will be road tripping to Italy with USA’s Meredith Edwards. Melanie had this to say about this weekend’s racing:

I am really looking forward to the sprint to start with as I love how fast the event is plus I am well prepared…. I think… As for the individual course, if they did not have to change it because of all the snow they received, it should be a fairly flat but long course. Really nice and dramatic landscape of the dolomite mountains around. We ski down to Austria and back up to Italy which should be pretty fun!
-Melanie Bernier

In the Men’s race, it will be interesting to see if Killian Jornet (ESP) can come back on form from last weekend’s illness but there will likely be heated competition from the strong French and Italian teams. On the Women’s side, it is likely that Laetitia Roux will continue her dominance but Melanie had this to say:

Laetitia is in great shape this year and have been showing how prepared she is at all events I had to race in. She is really impressive and an inspiration to us all. Maude Mathis (SUI) is chasing her all the time but Laetitia seems to consistently and comfortably distance the crowd.
-Melanie Bernier

Canadian Cup racing action returns to Lake Louise, AB on February 8th at the Ken Jones Classic. One of Canada’s popular events, the Ken Jones Classic will be expected to have a highly competitive field due to its central location. A large contingent from the Coast will be making the trip with good representation from the Rockies’ racers expected and the possibility of some Montana racers making the trip up as well.

The new course is going to be mega – with lots of steep, technical work on
the backside of Whitehorn for the Elite Racers. The low snow situation at LL
is actually opening up some cool new possibilities at the same time as it is
closing off parts of last year’s route. Recreational ‘Enduro’ course will be
only slightly different from previous editions. Really good thoughts and
suggestions from Craig Sheppard of Lake Louise Snow Safety on this one.
– Dave Dornian SMCC

SF FireBall Race Map
SF FireBall Race Map
Also on February 8th, a new race, will start off for a double-header skimo weekend in New Mexico! The Saturday’s Santa Fe Fireball promises 4,200 ft of climbing over 5 ascents and 4 descents. The ascent includes an interesting looking boot pack through a cliff band with a fixed rope. Then on Sunday, February 9th, the racers will tackle 5000 ft or so at the Taos Rio Hondo Rando Raid.
And finally, on February 9th, our East Coast friends will be racing at Burke Mountain on what Jonathan Shefftz describes as a short course with a really solid layout. No other details at the moment but keep an eye on the NE Rando Series Facebook page for more info.

Jan 25-26 Weekend Skimo Racing Roundup: World and North America

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WORLD CUP

Courchevel Individual race boot pack. ISMF Photo.
Courchevel Individual race boot pack. ISMF Photo.
World Cup racing action moved to Courchevel France last Saturday. The weekend began with a 1,700m vertical ascent individual race including 6 climbs with two boot packs and a technical via-ferrata section. The Italian men began a strong weekend with three athletes in the top group. Robert Antonioli (ITA) took the win with a strong final descent while the 2nd – 4th finished all within a minute of each other. Killian Jornet (SPA), normally a dominant racer did not finish due to stomach troubles.

In my side I try to start the race, but after 50m I was without energy…need to try to eat and recover.
-Killian Jornet Facebook

Laetitia Roux (FRA) dominated the women’s race, taking control early on and skiing into the finish with a comfortable cushion over Sophie Dusautoir Bertrand (AND). Will Roux be threatened at all this season? Melanie Bernier (CAN) finished in an impressive 6th place overall (4th among senior women) and had this to say about her race:

I had a good race, trying to stay as consistent as possible throughout and focusing on energy management. Only did I start to loose momentum at the end of the last long climb but it was to be expected. I crossed the finish line in 6th place which I was pretty happy about, closing the gap on some of fast ladies.
-Melanie Bernier

» Individual Race Results
Here’s a great video from the Courchevel skimo World Cup weekend. Vertical-only video is further below.

Start of Courchevel Vertical Race. ISMF Photo.
Start of Courchevel Vertical Race. ISMF Photo.
The low-angled vertical course (540m ascent) allowed for some exceptionally fast skiing. The start is crazy fast – see the guy double poling at 0:41sec in the video below and at 1:16 it is hard to tell the difference from a Nordic ski race! Amazing. In the senior men’s race, Matheo Jacquemoud  (FRA) set the pace from the outset but Damiano Lenzi (ITA) pulled out all the stops and passed Jacquemoud near the finish to win in a time just shy of the course record.
In the senior women’s race, Mathys Maude (SWI) pushed the pace hard but could not hold on when Laetitia Roux accelerated, eventually taking the lead with a twenty second gap at the finish. The lone North American, Canada’s Melanie Bernier finished 10th overall, just under four minutes behind Roux. Meredith Edwards (USA) did not start.

Knowing the course was a must since it was full out from start to finish. I had a great race, keeping my eyes on the lady ahead of me the whole race and passing right at the end. I’m happy with a 9th place considering I am not much of a vert racer! Next stop, Italia!

-Melanie Bernier

» Vertical Race Results
Vertical race video:

NORTH AMERICA

Ben Parsons leading Eric Carter in the Whitefish Whiteout. Myke Hermsmeyer Photo.
Ben Parsons leading Eric Carter in the Whitefish Whiteout. Myke Hermsmeyer Photo.
Two races on the North American calendar happened this past weekend. The Whitefish Whiteout in Whitefish Montana lived up to its name with thick fog blanketing the course throughout race day. An impressive number of racers turned out for both the race and recreational divisions despite the dreary weather. The race division took off at a civilized pace with a line of racers stretching out under the ski lifts. With cash on the line for the fastest ascent up the first climb, local Ben Parsons (USA) surged at the halfway point. Eric Carter (USA) and Peter Knight (CAN) tried to match the pace and Carter skied in to the  lead by the top. Carter and Parsons traded positions throughout the race and sprinted to the finish with Carter taking the win.
» Whitefish Results

The New England Rando series visited Berkshire East for a three lap race including a ~1,050 vertical foot backcountry ascent and ~400 foot boot pack. Team Hagan, led by race winner Jerimy Arnold (USA) dominated the race but was threatened by US National Team athlete Nina Silitch who finished fourth overall to win the women’s division. See Jonathan Shefftz’s full race report on SkinTrack (including results).

The Berkshire East course was more challenging this year with a longer bootpack (repeated each circuit) located in the woods just of of the descent trail giving one the opportunity to see how close other competitors were. Natural snow was thin, adding to the challenge, stepping on lots of downed trees, rocks, and leaves in the booter.
-Jerimy Arnold
Jerimy Arnold en route to win Berkshire East. Photo: Steve Sauve
Jerimy Arnold en route to win Berkshire East. Photo: Steve Sauve

UPCOMING RACES – February 1-2 weekend

The World Cup is headed to Italy with the much anticipated Pitturina Ski Race. There will be a sprint on Friday afternoon and Sunday morning an individual race along the Pitturina route.
No racing in North America this weekend with the postponement of the Mad River Valley ski race in New England but there are local race series taking place during the week in Colorado and Salt Lake City. With the weekend off, the racers will be getting ready for a slew of races available throughout NA on February 8th and 9th!
dogtooth-dash-280x210You can also put on your calendar this year’s Dogtooth Dash at Kicking Horse Mountain near Golden BC. With SkinTrack crew involved in organizing, expect a full weekend of skimo action March 21st – 23rd.
Registration is about to open so follow the event on Facebook and keep an eye on the info page to stay up to date with the latest information!

Jan 18-19 Weekend Skimo Racing Roundup and next weekend's teaser

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Start of the individual World Cup Race. (ISMF Photo)
Start of the individual World Cup Race in Verbier. (ISMF Photo)

WORLD CUP

This last weekend (Jan 18-19) marked the first World Cup skimo race of the 2014 season. The race was held in Verbier, Switzerland, the site of next year’s World Championships. On Saturday, in the individual race, Killian Jornet (ESP) took to the front early on and by the end of the first climb, already had the lead that he would hold to the finish. Laetitia Roux (FRA) dominated the women’s field and Canada’s Melanie Bernier finished 7th overall. Mel gave us some insight on the race courses to keep in mind for next season.  The only other North American in attendance, Meredith Edwards (USA) finished 17th.

1700 m, 4 climbs and 2 bootpacks. We all did agree that the skin tracks were way too steep and the steps for the bootpacks were way to high one from the other. Besides from that the terrain and course is pretty nice. We go twice at the top of 6 Blancs so it’s super spectator friendly.
-Melanie Bernier

Killian and Matheo racing to the finish of the World Cup Vertical Race in Verbier. (ISMF Photo)
Killian and Matheo racing to the finish of the World Cup Vertical Race in Verbier. (ISMF Photo)
The vertical race ascended 755 meters of ascent passing at one point through a village. The big story of the day was a sprint finish to the line between Killian Jornet and Matheo Jaquemond (FRA). Jornet, having skin issues, removed his skis and ran to the finish, lunging ahead of Jaquemond. Despite crossing first, he was relegated to third place after a 15sec time penalty for crossing the finish line on foot. In the Women’s race, Laetitia Roux continued to perform well, finishing 47 seconds ahead of the next racer. Melanie Bernier finished in 14th. Meredith Edwards finished 28th.

Really long for a vert (848m) but the race goes through verbier which is awesome! There’s a lot of flat sections that allows for good glide but the end is pretty steep so you need to keep some gas in the tank to finish things off..!
-Melanie Bernier

Melanie Bernier during the Vertical World Cup Race in Verbier. (Melanie Bernier Twitter)
Melanie Bernier during the Vertical World Cup Race in Verbier. (Melanie Bernier Twitter)
Melanie was coming off racing the French Ntnl. Champs and had the following to say about her races this weekend:

The French Championships were great. I really wanted to get at least a couple of races under my belt before the World Cup. The second day (sprint) was great and it went super well. I had built the confidence I needed for the 1st World Cup. I was quite tired going into the Individual race in Verbier this weekend but still managed to do well. The following day, I knew the vertical race was going to be a little hard. It’s not my specialty but it was still an amazing and excruciating experience!
I am excited to race in Courchevel next weekend. It’s going to be fun to race near a really nice resort. I raced on the vertical course last Wednesday night at the Courchevel Dynafit Climb. It’s going to be a great race but fast compared to last weekend.  I am getting a bit more rest this week, recovering from the weekend and getting ready for the next so I hope to feel recharged on my skis for both events!

NORTH AMERICA

A quiet weekend on the North American Circuit with only one race, the Divine Incline at Powderhorn in Colorado. Primarily a battle between Coloradoans, the Incline featured 4346 ft vertical ascent with two climbs and two descents. On the men’s side, Brian Smith finished with 19 seconds over Marshall Thompson. Scott Simons rounded out the podium. For the women, Stevie Kremer put in a solid effort, besting Sari Anderson by  almost four minutes!

UPCOMING RACES – Jan 25-26 weekend

World Cup action continues this weekend with races in Courchevel France. January 25th will feature a vertical race with an individual race on the 26th. In North America on Saturday, the pressure will be on the locals at the Whitefish Whiteout in Montana, with visiting Canadians hoping put the heat on. Hopefully some of the Colorado/Utah crowd will be making there way up to stir the pot as well. With a $50 prize on the line for the first racer to the top of the first climb, nothing less than a drag race should be expected. Last year featured a battle between local Ben Parsons and Stano Faban (CAN) with Parsons out-sprinting Faban in the final 2 min as the race finishes with an ascent rather than a downhill.
On the East Coast, the Berkshire East Race will be held Jan 26th. A major effort by Jonathan Shefftz was put in to polish up the course. Pending details, the latest announcement was the course would be a “Vert 120” event with athletes trying to complete as many  laps as possible in two hours. Up the Exhibition under the quad chair, and down Hemlock. Laps will be approx ~600′ vertical ascent. Latest note from Shefftz’s Facebook is below. Sounds like as much as we are complaining about a lack of snow on the West Coast, these guys really know how to work with not much white stuff.

The race is definitely on! After the work session this afternoon, the backcountry skintrack is already in race condition, with more snowfall on the way, and temperatures won’t even get out of the teens until Saturday.
-Jonathan Shefftz

Best 6 Ski Mountaineering Reported Trips of 2012-2013 "season"

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The other day, on Twitter, Carl (@CarlKohnstamm) asked me for my opinion on “What are the top 5 ski mountaineering trip (reports) of 2012-13”? (It was worded a bit differently but after clarification that is what he meant.)
That is a one damn great question – fun to answer but by no means it’s easy. Here I am going to attempt to best express my opinion while approaching the question from a wider perspective, and obviously taking into account only trips that I know of.
Note: FKT stands for “fastest known time”

1. Matterhorn FKT (2h 52min) – by Kilian Jornet

Kilian somewhere high on Matterhorn. (Uknown photo credit.)
Kilian somewhere high on Matterhorn. (Uknown photo credit.)
I know this was done running and not on skis but to me this is The Mountain Performance of 2013!
Why I included it? Because it was realized by arguably the best skimo racer ever. Kilian “ran” from Cervinia, Italy (around 2,050 m) to the top of Matterhorn (4,478 m) in 1h 56min, which was an ascent speed of 1,256 m per hour!
He descented back in 56min which was a descent speed of 2601 m/h – that is almost like skiing!
» One of the various reports from this “trip” can be found on Climbing.com – http://www.climbing.com/news/kilian-jornet-shatters-matterhorn-speed-record/

2. Mount Rainier FKT – by Jason and Andy Dorais

Uber happy Andy and Jason Dorais after setting the FKT on Rainier. (Photo from Jason's blog.)
Uber happy Andy and Jason Dorais after setting the FKT on Rainier. (Photo from Jason’s blog.)
In my opinion, their time of 3h 57min raised the standard of North American speed ski mountaineering to the next level. It’s not out of this world but they were the first to push it under 4h.
Besides, Mt Rainer is almost 4,400 m high (14,411 feet) and the route up it definitely includes enough hazard negotiation that one cannot just go without thinking. Skiing it down fast is also quite dangerous.
This is also the one performance of 2013 that pisses me off the most as Dorais brothers stole the record from our team only about 10 days after Eric Carter and Nick Elson pushed their old one down to 4h 19min. 🙂
» Report by Jason from their attempt – http://jasondorais.blogspot.ca/2013/06/mt-rainier-speed-run-35755.html
» Report from our trip – http://www.skintrack.com/trip-reports-conditions/mount-rainier-record-4h-19min-12sec/

3. Steep descents in Coast Mountains – by Tevor Hunt

To see tracks on the full face visit Trevor's blog. (Photo from Trevor's blog.)
To see tracks on the full face visit Trevor’s blog.
While searching for things to put on this list Eric pointed me back to something I read months earlier.
This is a superb read of a solo descent of a steep face on an undisclosed peak not too far from civilization in the Coast Mountains of BC.
But this one is only one of many under-the-radar (1st) descents of the little known steeps hunter Trevor Hunt.
(Interview with Trevor coming soon!)
» Read “Full Commitment” here http://www.coaststeepskier.com/wphome/?p=21242 

4. Tantalus Traverse in a day (FKT) – by Skyler Des Roches, Christian Veenstra

Crossing the Rumbling Glacier – Christian Veenstra photo.
Crossing the Rumbling Glacier – Christian Veenstra photo.
Speed is cool but if adventurous aspect of the objective comes first then it’s even cooler. The Tantalus Range can be easily seen from a comfort of your car but to get there and out isn’t a piece of cake, and never mind navigating some big broken up glaciers.
A fitting quote from their day:
“Crossing above above a nunatak, then literally sprinting below a fierce cracked serac cave, we made our way along another bench between crevasses until we reached a notch on the south shoulder of Dione.”
» Here’s the full account of this 17h day – http://runoutoffroute.wordpress.com/2013/05/22/tantalus-traverse-in-a-day/

5. Spearhead Traverse  2 x FKT – by Eric Carter, Nick Elson, Brad Schalles

Spearhead Traverse has been testing grounds for Coastal speedy ski mountaineers for a long time. The tradition was likely started by no other than Greg Hill back in 2004 or so on the classic version (Blackcomb to Whistler Village via Singing Pass).

Eric and Nick handsomely posing after their Spearhead FKT. (Photo from Eric's blog.)
Eric and Nick handsomely posing after their Spearhead FKT. (Photo from Eric’s blog.)
Then in 2006 and 2009 I personally took stabs at both versions with really valuing my 2009 effort on the full traverse (Village – Blackcomb – Singing Pass – Whistler Peak – Village) of 8h 11min over 4230m and about 50km.
This spring three of my good friends took on these records with great success:
First, Eric and Nick lowered Greg Hill’s classic version of the traverse record from 4h to 3h 10min
http://coastmountainskiing.com/race-spearhead-traverse-fkt/
Then couple of weeks later, Brad Schalles called me to investigate the route I took in 2009 on the long version to make sure he stayed on it as close as possible. He pushed the time down to 6h 47min! No report but Brad’s blog is here – http://westcoastskimo.blogspot.ca/

6. Steep skiing on Mount Robson – by Reiner Thoni and Jeff Colvin

reiner-skiing-robsonReiner and Jeff are my good friends from which I have learnt a great deal whether about mountains or just life in general. I was happy to see that after over a year of not seeing each other they were able to hook up for such an adventure this summer.
By now, Reiner knows Robson very intimately – summitted it about 5 times and skied it twice in last 2 years – yet this must have been a highly rated trip up a familiar mountain.
For those that don’t know Reiner – he is consistently highest placed North American at skimo world champs and placed 15th at Pierra Menta last March. But his big heart mostly beats for things outside of racing.

Eye candy

I left videos out of the above list on purpose. Because if you are like me then I didn’t want you to get caught up in a spectacle and forget about priorities. And you are welcome 🙂
Here’s a short clip of Kilian’s record on Matterhorn.

Reiner’s and Jeff’s skimo adventure on Robson.

Honorable mention
This didn’t make it to the list as it has nothing to do with ski mountaineering but what a performance and inspiration – Ueli Steck speed soloing South Face on Annapurna this October. More at Alpinist – http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web13f/newswire-ueli-steck-south-face-annapurna

"Bread and butter" summer training for rando racing and speedier ski mountaineering: Endurance and Activity variety

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I would never believe that my first thought would be about training when waking up today, then closely followed by thoughts exclusively only about bread and butter. Perhaps because I was waking up after a successful Iron Maiden show. Then somehow the brain quickly connected the two and here we go 😉
Ski mountaineer's summer.An old cycling wisdom says: “Tour de France is won in the winter!” It’s an interesting statement since the Tour is ridden in the heat of July.
It means that if you are not building your endurance engine sufficiently  long time before your goal event then you will have trouble reaching your potential that year, and consistently improving over long periods of time.
So what does this mean in rando racing and ski mountaineering terms?
Feel free to let me know in comments below if you want me to expand on any concepts introduced here. I am keeping this article simple for everyone to understand as too much detail can be overwhelming and difficult to act upon.

Endurance capacity should be your “bread and butter” in the summer

Basic principle:

All endurance performances (sports lasting longer than 2-3 minutes) are the most effectively improved (long term) via consistently improving ones endurance capacity (low heart-rate intensity).
The biggest reason for this is that improvements to your more intensive (higher heart-rate) capacities rely heavily on your low intensity endurance base. Simply, if you stop improving your body’s efficiency at low intensities you will have very hard time improving its efficiency (thus speed) at high intensities, also known as around and above lactate threshold.

What to do:

If you are planning to do (or improve upon from last year) couple of rando races in February and March  then July, August, September should serve you as your base endurance building months.
Personally, during this time I don’t follow any structured training plan. All I think about is “bread and butter” – I don’t worry about speed or sports specific workouts during this period because the single most important thing is building a big endurance base.
This “bread and butter” theory also allows for easier prioritization. Let’s say you want to improve in the winter and have time for 14 endurance sessions and 6 bouldering or fishing trips during August. If you miss 2 MTB rides because of bad weather by mid-August then without deep analysis you will know that you should replace 2 bouldering sessions in favour of 2 endurance building activities in the next 2-3 weeks.
Note: I am not saying climbing is not more fun and that you should sacrifice your pleasures. I am simply stating what is “bread and butter” during this time of the year if you really like to improve 6 months down the road.

Intensity:

The intensity could be easily measured with a heart rate monitor or jugged by your breathing comfort level – you should be able to talk fairly easily at any moment.

Activities: variety, agility and injury prevention

I strongly believe endurance base should be built through a variety of activities during this period of the year, and that summer is the best time to improve your agility.

Variety:

Variety is important as it allows your body to relax certain muscle groups while engaging new ones, and it is way more fun to alternate sports from day to day than just running all the time.
Also, 6-8 months from your goal you can afford not to focus on repeating sport specific movements at all times. You won’t be any worse because of that as long as you remember to eat your “bread and butter” regularly.
The most successfully used and easily accessible endurance building summer activities for ski mountaineering are:

  • Running
  • MTB biking
  • Road riding
  • Hiking
  • Running or hiking with poles
  • Swimming

These are great because they let you control your exercise intensity easily.
MTB biking could be an exception here but it depends on the terrain you ride and your skill level. For me, MTB is a bit too demanding until later in the summer when I get the hang of it, which I never fully do though 😉
Great skimo athletes such as Kilian Jornet, Melanie Bernier, Sari Anderson, Luke Nelson (too many to name) are also very successful endurance athletes in MTB, road cycling, trail running, or adventure racing. Variety serves them well.

Agility:

Agility comes from variety but is more effectively developed through different summer activities than the above endurance sports:

  • Climbing / mountaineering / bouldering
  • Soccer
  • Tennis
  • Football
  • Balance challenging strength training

Basically, anything requiring good hand-eye (foot-eye) coordination and balance develops your agility. This will help you with technical skiing, mountaineering, transitions, and injury prevention.
Personally, I spend lots of time playing tennis and soccer between June and August. Then I usually keep only playing soccer until I start regularly skiing (late November).
I don’t do them because I want better agility, I do them because I love the skill, strategy and have lots of friends that are very good at those. But I do notice that if I miss a summer doing them I kind of feel “off balance” once the sliding season starts.

What do you do in the summer?

Absolutely feel obligated to ask or comment below since you got all the way here.
Are there any activities you would recommend to try to accomplish the above goals of summer months?
And a tweet won’t be out of place either if you learned something new. Thank you.