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Mar 15-28 Skimo Racing News Shorts: World Cup, Grand Traverse, Canadian Nationals

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Canadian Rockies showing all their beauty during the Canadian Nationals. Photo by Osmosis Photography.
Canadian Rockies showing all their beauty during the Canadian Nationals. Photo by Osmosis Photography.
The past two weeks were full of skimo racing in North America and Europe! Here is our recap of what happened in the skin tracks.
» For previous weekend’s racing news see here.

USA West

Elk Mountain Grand Traverse – March 26, 2016

To a mix of both disappointment and relief, the race organizers made a last-minute decision to modify the 2016 Grand Traverse into an out and back course from Crested Butte rather than continuing to Aspen. A risk of skiing in high country during early spring, as large storm had deposited significant amounts of snow, was causing major concerns for the organizers and athletes.
As expected, John Gaston and Max Taam continued their team winning streak and comfortably won ahead of Rob Krar and Marshall Thompson who crossed the line 10min behind. One of the most impressive performances was of Ben and Nils Koons, who took third using Nordic ski gear!
Another noteworthy performance came from Lindsay Plant and Jessie Young who won the women’s event and finished 7th overall, however, only 3 min behind was another ladies duo of Larochelle – Hagen at 8th overall!
» Full results are HERE
Want to see more coverage of women’s racing? We need a female correspondent! Send us an email if you’d like to contribute!

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

Next up on the COSMIC schedule is Cody’s Challenge in Steamboat Springs, CO on April 2nd.
Also make sure to save the date on April 9th for the Big Sky Shedhorn Skimo race. This promises to be an exciting one, with crampons, ice axe and whippet on the mandatory gear list! Check out their Facebook Page for more info and updates as well as registration.

USA East

Bolton 24 Hour, Sugarbush, Pico

Whoops, all three of these Vermont venues were cancelled in their inaugural season in this “historical” New England ski season. The Bolton Valley 24 race lost all the backcountry snow required for its daytime ascent route. Sugarbush still claimed an impressive trail count but unfortunately continued its prior attitude toward skimo from when it co-hosted a race with neighbor Mad River Glen. Pico would have been closed for two weeks by the time of the scheduled race date yet retained plenty of snow cover: the outside organizer was still 100% all set to go, but resort management wouldn’t allow the race to be held. 🙁

Bromley VT – March 19, 2016

All three cancellations further north left Bromley in southern Vermont as the last traditional race of the season on March 19. The upper mountain had been closed during the week but reopened for one final weekend after a major snow moving effort by the resort groomers on Friday. Jerimy Arnold took the win despite a hundred-foot slide on one descent past about half as many visiting ski patrollers for a training event. Brian MacIlvain finished only several seconds behind, slowed down somewhat by responsibly checking that Jerimy was somehow still okay. Alex Nichols eventually broke free from what was initially a tight pack of six racers to claim his first skimo podium.
» Results and Photos HERE

Bolton Citizen Skimo Series & Stowe Topsy Turvy Derby

As mentioned in previous news round-ups, this season the Catamount Trail Association (“CTA”) debuted a weeknight citizen series of hour-long crit-style races at Bolton Valley, VT. Attendance was strong for most of the season with participation averaging around 40 racers per night, peaking at over 80. Each week of “winter” brought new challenges in piecing together sections of skinable and skiable terrain into a race course layout that resort management would approve. Not once did participants compete on the courses originally planned by organizers at the onset of the series! But the CTA and Bolton always came up with something, and the really fun – albeit short – courses provided a lot of transition practice.
Then on March 26, the CTA closed out the Eastern U.S. skimo season with the evening Topsy Turvy Derby, the first time any skimo event has ever been held at Stowe, VT. Conditions were challenging on the 700’ vertical criterium-style course with icy moguls and refrozen corn. QT2 Systems triathlon coach John Spinney won with five laps commenced within the 55-minute cut-off.

2017 Preview:

Perhaps eager to forget the 2015-16 “winter” even as it still sputters to a close, several race directors have already started hashing out a schedule for the 2016-17 season. The Catamount Trail Association will continue the Bolton weeknight criterium-style races, and also hopes to offer several Saturday night races at both Sugarbush and Stowe. Discussions are already underway with potentially promising venues in both VT and NH. Check back at the link above (clicking through to future months in the Google calendar) for updates on other races as we move closer to the 2016-17 season and as the forgettable 2015-16 season is hopefully forgotten.
Submitted by Eastern correspondents Jonathan Shefftz (NE Rando Race Series) and Greg Maino (Catamount Trail Association)

Canada

Ken Jones Classic and Canadian Skimo National Championships – March 19, 2016:

Held at Lake Louise Ski Area, this year’s edition of KJC was one of the most competitive Canadian skimo events in recent history!
Organizers prepared a great race course with the race starting up a groomer climb to the top of the ski area before descending to the back wilder side. There awaited one beautiful switchbacks climb and one long and steep boot-pack climb, both followed by steeper couloir descents. From here, racers sped down a groomer for the final long climb and a big descent to the resort base with a long skating second section.
After an initial sprint off the line by Peter Knight, Nick Elson took the lead and set a strong pace up the 1st climb with Eric Carter in tow while Rob Krar, the ultra-runner, was chasing close behind. Nick and Eric skied together most of the race until a bottom section on the final climb where Eric pulled away for the win. Rob Krar took third with Ben Parsons chasing hard but missing out on the podium at the very end.
On the women’s side, Kylee Toth-Ohler easily skied away from the field, winning handily with Michelle Katchur-Roberts in second and Katarina Kuba in third.
Nick Elson and Kylee Toth-Ohler were named National Champions and Canadian-only podiums were presented in addition to overall race podiums. This wraps up the Canadian race calendar for 2016!
» Full results are HERE
Thanks to OsmosisPhotography.com for great images from the race:

Europe

Mondole Ski Alp World Cup – March 18-20, 2016:

At risk of sounding like a broken record, Kilian Jornet again dominated the World Cup Vertical and Individual races at the Prato Nevoso ski area in Italy. Laetitia Roux was the first to cross the line in both races as well but was given a 15min penalty in the individual race due to skis that did not meet the ISMF weight requirement so the victory was awarded to Swiss Jennifer Fiechter. In the sprint race, Robert Antonioli and Roux won, clinching their season sprint titles.
USA had one athlete competing in Mondole – Rory Kelly from Colorado raced to 27th in the vertical race, 28th in the individual, and 35th in the sprint.
» All results can be found here
All photos by ISMF:

Upcoming:

All that remains are Long Distance World Cup races. The next to come is the bi-annual Tour du Rutor in Italy at the beginning of April followed by the Patrouille De Glaciers on April 22-23rd.
ISMF Racing News
Check out our big 2015/16 skimo calendar for upcoming events this week and into the future.

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!

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