SkinTrack

Melanie Bernier

Game Changers 3-article series: Interesting ski tourers answer "Who is the one person that changed or influenced your ski adventures?"

By 3 Comments

Here are answers to the 2nd question of the Game Changer article series. I was able to put together a very representative group (in terms of their main skills and passions) of ski mountaineers to answer these questions to make for a great read, and include my answers at the end.
Person that influenced your ski adventures or racing.
» To read answers to the 1st question in this series see: What is the one piece of gear that changed or influenced your ski adventures?

Who is answering?

In short:

  • Greg Hill
  • Melanie Bernier
  • John Baldwin
  • Christina Lusti
  • Stano Faban

For more details about these ski mountaineers see the first article of the Game Changer series.

2nd question: Who is the one person that changed or influenced your ski adventures (whether that be touring or racing)?

I would like to hear who influenced YOUR ski adventures. You can do so via comments section at the end of this article.
Greg Hill says (http://www.greghill.ca):
I am not someone who likes to place people on pedestals, I feel that we are all unique and usually deserved of respect but most likely not so great that we should be idolized.
I respect anyone who pushes themselves to be their personal best in whatever avenue they choose. But of course there have been people who have stood out in the past.
Alex Lowe was a champion of men and having seen what he could do and how he progressed mountaineering was impressive. He chose his path and went after it with wild determination. His technical climbing, exuberant character and his style were standards to be sought.  Sadly enough he died doing what he loved.

Andrew McLean
Andrew McLean staring down one of his many first descents.
Andrew McLean was someone who influenced me early on in my ski mountaineering career. What Andrew has done, in terms of firsts, is huge, his list of accomplishments hard to conceive. As a young mountain boy I was blown away by the potential that Andrew demonstrated, how much he could explore and have fun while doing it.
Initially, in the rando races, Andrew was the big name. So while I ran up and down mountains I trained to beat him and also dreamed of befriending him and going on some cool adventures with him. Both those came true and we have been friends ever since.
But he truly showed me the potential of fitness and passion in the mountains and how endless it really is.  He was someone who helped me realize my huge days in the mountains by being humble and psyched about what we do.
Melanie Bernier says (http://inthetrails.blogspot.ca):
The person that influenced me the most for ski adventures and skimo racing is Kilian Jornet (standing skimo world champ).
I remember when I was just starting to race, part of the Spanish skimo racing team came to Canada to race the Spearhead Passage race in Whistler. The sport was very young in NA back then, and I remember while gaining Russet Lake, Kilian had already reached the top of Whirlwind and was on his way back. He nicely cheered me on and kept going. I remember being really impressed and could not believe how fast he could move on his skis.
From competing in more events where he was also racing, I got to learn about his philosophy about the sport of skimo but also running. He also has a great personality and is very humble in all that he does, which is a great quality for an athlete of his level.
Looking at all that he does and how fast he is makes me not only want to train harder but push the boundaries and explore always a bit further.
John Baldwin says:
I have definitely been influenced a lot by the collective sport of ski mountaineering – whether it be new ideas for kinds of trips, new gear, new avalanche skills. It’s always inspiring to see what other people are doing.
I was definitely inspired by such as Whistler’s local Karl Ricker pioneering the Spearhead Traverse, or Chic Scott‘s long trips in the Rockies, or Galen Rowell‘s ski trips in Alaska.
I’ve been inspired by ski descents and skimo racing. I have also learned tons from different friends about things ranging from ski technique to how to know where the snow drifts in light and deep or many other things.
But it is hard to single out one person.
I suppose the biggest influence was the person that got me into backcountry skiing in the first place. It was Hans Fenz, my high school French teacher. I was never any good at French but on weekends he would take a few students backcountry skiing. Trips to Diamond Head and eventually the summit of Mt Baker opened up this magical world for me.
Christina Lusti says (http://christinalusti.wordpress.com):
pet lustenbergerMy Dad has been the biggest influence of my skiing career.
It must have started when I was a baby in his back-pack skiing around the local ski hill. Teaching me how to tune my skis, driving us to ski races, helping out on the race course. . . and of course free skiing all over the mountain as a family.
Supporting me through a ski racing career and then up a new path of ski guiding, he has helped me create a life and career around my passion!
My dad loves to ski, watch skiing, talk about skiing!
He grew up on a mountain in Switzerland so skiing was a way of transportation . . . ski racing at a young age, moving to Canada and working for CMH, to running Lusti’s Ski Shop at Panorama Resort.
I think that his passion has been passed over to me. . . I look up to him and how he has formed his life around the greatest sport I know!
Stano Faban (Skintrack.com):
I guess, one never realizes how hard it is to answer a seemingly simple question until he asks the same himself :). So I totally agree – it is hard to single out only one person that influenced us the most.
As I think about it, by looking at a bigger picture, I was always amazed with human powered speed. That means that racing or “racing-like” efforts inspired me the most.
To some, climbing North Face of Eiger in less than 3h (Ueli Steck) is a suicide mission, or to run a sub 30min 10k in an olympic distance triathlon is just that – running 10k in 30min.
To me, the final time of such an effort is an extraordinary summary (even though a very brief one) of what came before. It is a result of a long journey that starts with wanting slowly being transformed to believing. The more obvious things follow such as planning, commitment, determination. But even each of those include tremendous details that have to come together, on a daily basis, 365 days a year!
And because speed comes and goes as we age my biggest inspirers have changed too over periods of time:
Firstly, it would be Miguel Indurain (5-time Tour de France winner) but then reading about Reinhold Messner’s and Hans Kammerlander’s missions in the Himalayas showed me how speed can blend with adventure and mountain environments.
The biggest inspiration in my triathlon “career” came from Jan Rehula and Simon Whitfield after seeing them duke it out for gold at the first triathlon at Olympics in Sydney 2000. I knew Jan since about 1997 and all he could talk about was that race. Then seeing him getting bronze was amazing.
Finally, once I turned to mountain sports fully Ueli Steck (the speed with adventure), Stephane Brosse (completeness and consistency) who recently died, and Peter Svatojansky (determination and sheer will) inspired me the most. These days it is mostly Reiner Thoni and above answering Melanie Bernier.

Previous and Next questions:

Who influenced you?

Share who was/is The most influential person for your ski adventures, backcountry or racing.
And thank you for enjoying the read!

Game Changers 3-article series: Interesting ski tourers answer "What is the one piece of gear that changed or influenced your ski adventures?"

By 3 Comments

I like to learn from people and about people because we are all unique characters. With some we have lots in common, with others only few things. But there is always something to learn.
gear that changed your touringSo I had an idea – let’s ask couple of interesting people 3 simple questions and see what comes out of it.
Since answers came in longer and deeper than expected I decided to spread them over three articles than jam everything together.
» To read answers, from the same people, to the 2nd question of the Game Changers series see – The person that influenced or changed your ski adventures.

Who is answering?

I reached out to couple of people that would represent the ski touring pool in every aspect – from exploring, adventurous skiing, to rando ski mountaineering racing:
Greg Hill – the 2 Million Man trail breaking machine, Dynafit Stoke ski features his name
(http://www.greghill.ca)
Melanie Bernier – 5th at World Ski Mountaineering Champs 2011, triple Canadian Skimo Champ, also very successful MTB rider
(http://inthetrails.blogspot.ca)
John Baldwin – Canadian West Coast ski mountaineering explorer and author of “Exploring the Coast Mountains on Skis”
(http://www.johnbaldwin.ca)
Christina Lusti – 2006 alpine Olympic skier metamorphosed into a backcountry skier and ACMG Assistant Ski Guide
(http://christinalusti.wordpress.com)
Stano Faban – this is me. I wanted 5 people to answer these and since I couldn’t get hold of Andrew McLean I humbly decided to take his place. Hopefully, I can fill in his answers later.

1st question: What is the one piece of gear that changed or influenced your ski adventures (whether that be touring or racing)?

Before you dive in, I want ask you to share the piece of gear that changed YOUR ski adventures. You can do so via comments section at the end of this article. It is always interesting to see what influences others.
Greg Hill says:
Google Earth changed the way I approach adventures! It increased the amount of terrain I could explore from home, which expanded what I could do out in the mountains.
I remember the moment I started using Google Earth, in 2006, it was getting information for the Bugs Rogers traverse [Bugaboos to Rogers Pass]. We were planning on doing some variations from thee normal route and we spotted this 4500 foot avalanche path into the Duncan creek. Weeks later when we rolled into the line it looked exactly like on Google Earth, and we skied it top to bottom completely relaxed, knowing the line was cliff free to the valley bottom.
Up until that moment all our information came from maps – vague 100 foot contours hinting at the terrain that was out there. Huge cliffs could hide in the middle of lines, a line pondered and penciled in at home could turn out to be un-skiable.
It was harder to truly daydream a line, you could see the potential but there was always a huge amount of unknown. With Google Earth you can view lines from all angles, tilt them and look down them. Check out approach, spot hazards from home and then go out with so much more information.
You can spot a line from 100 km away, go home and view it close up, mark it “Cool Peak”. Dream about it for a few months and then go and ski it, feeling like you have already been there.  It’s unbelievable!
Melanie Bernier says:
Ski touring bindings.
Growing up, there was a cross-country trail just across the street from my parent’s house. Getting lost in the forest with our cross-country skis was what we would do after school.
At 8, I put the free heal equipment aside when I discovered a new passion for downhill skiing.  After learning the skills and racing moguls for years, I would have never thought this amazing sport could get any better until the day I moved to the West Coast and discovered touring bindings.
The purchase of my first pair changed my perspective forever. It totally made sense tying in the cross-country skiing roots, which were still present in my heart and the ever-growing passion of downhill skiing. It offered not only a way to fulfill my desire for exploring beyond the boundaries but also the love for carving turns in the white fluffy stuff.
It allows for freedom of the destination, the length of the journey and the type experience. In a rando ski mountaineering racing perspective, the type of binding and their evolving technology allows now not only to discover new terrain but also cover the distance with speed and confidence.
As simple as it sounds, the piece of equipment that charged my perspective in ski touring and racing is the piece that rests between my boots and my ski.
John Baldwin says:
Stano, that’s a tough question. I’ve been skiing for 40 years and have used a lot of different equipment over the years.
I don’t feel that old but I do remember leather downhill ski boots, jackets that had cotton in them before there was Gore-tex, clip on skins, and sat phones and GPS hadn’t been invented.  Most of the gear we use has generally gotten way better and we have some pretty amazing gear nowadays. As a package all of it has influenced my ski adventures.
To single out one piece of gear is hard! But if I had to pick one thing I think it would be maps.
I started backcountry skiing in the 1970s. Back then there was no Coquihalla Highway (BC, Canada), no winter access to Duffey Lake (BC, Canada), and far fewer logging roads. There were areas that didn’t have 1:50,000 scale maps. Many of the detailed maps of the Coast Mountains were not completed until the mid 1970s.
I remember going on a trip to the Manatee Range in 1979. Hardly anyone had ever gone in there skiing. Access was from logging roads that were still under construction. What really influenced my ski adventures was the map that we had. It was a new 1:50,000 scale map of the area.
Half of the map showed the Lillooet Icefield which is just north of the Manatee Range. I remember staring at the map. It showed huge glaciers and I was so curious to see what those large blue areas on the map looked like. In a way it was that map that got me started on going to all these wild incredible places in the Coast Mountains.
Christina Lusti says:
All of my amazing Arcteryx clothing!
I love spending as many days skiing as I can. . . So being suited with Arcteryx’s finest makes my days in the mountains comfortable.
Stano says:
As John pointed out, it is difficult to single out one piece of gear and I definitely agree with any of the choices above. But I wanted only one, so here is mine.
The game changers for me were a pair of Dynafit Classic bindings. I think it was in the winter of 1999/2000 when Peter Svatojansky (an upcoming top Euro skimo racer at the time) recommended that I switch from Silvretta to Dynafit even though I was not seriously racing skimo back then. To this day I am grateful my father spend the money to let me have a pair of quite light Dynastar skis mounted with the Classics.
These bindings have not only let me enjoy mountains more and feel less sore for next day’s triathlon workouts but they showed me that if you buy a quality product you never have to buy again. To this day I remount them from skis to skis. They are 12 seasons old and I never serviced them once!

Next question: Who is the one person that changed or influenced your ski adventures (whether that be touring or racing)?

To read answers to the 2nd question of the Game Changers series see – The person that influenced or changed your ski adventures.
» Signup for our newsletter (top right of this page) or follow us on Twitter and will let you know when any new article is up.

What piece of gear was your game changer?

Share what was The piece of gear that changed your ski adventures, be it backcountry or racing.
And thank you for enjoying the read!

Ken Jones Classic 2012 report & results – Lake Louise skimo challenge

By 2 Comments

On Saturday 24, 2012 the Lake Louise Ski Area hosted its second Ken Jones Classic Ski Mountaineering Challenge:

  • Reiner Thoni wins the men’s category on the elite course
  • Melanie Bernier does the same in women’s category
  • 16-year old junior Martin Carnogursky completes the whole elite course
  • Another junior wins overall in women’s category on the shorter Enduro course
  • Joel Bartley wins men’s category over the Enduro course

» Full results: Ken Jones Classic 2012 results (in PDF)

Junior racer conquers the whole Elite course!

“Only through challenging myself can I know how much I can handle, and improve from there.”

The following report was submitted by Martin Canorgursky, a 16-year old junior racer, who went on to complete the full length elite course! I took Martin to his first race in 2011 and he liked it instantly. For the 2011/12 season he prepared with some experience under his belt – mostly by practicing karate 😉 In the coming years living somewhere else than Surrey, BC can surely help.

Lake Louise skimo race 2012
Photos from Martin's head-cam nicely show the racing experience of any skimo racer. (Martin Carnogursky, from Ken Jones Classic at Lake Louise)
The Ken Jones Classic marked the end of the ski-mountaineering racing season for me this year. For those who aren’t familiar with the event, it is held in Lake Louise and this year was the second annual race.
Racers were divided into two categories: “Elite” and “Enduro”. The “Enduro” race featured three climbing segments, three descents, and one bootpacking section, adding up to approximately 1000m of climbing. The “Elite” race had all of the climbs and descents of the “Enduro”, with an additional climb bringing the total vertical gain to around 1700m.
For this race, I decided to challenge myself and undertake the “Elite” course. As a junior racer and the youngest competitor, I usually compete under the “Enduro” category, but after a successful race at Alpental Vert Fest I felt confident I could handle the longer course.
I was a little misinformed about the length of the “Elite” course, thinking it to be 1500m of climbing, only a few more than at Alpental. And with permission from the course marshal, I signed up for the “Elite” race. 🙂
On Saturday, the day of the race, we woke to a clear morning hinting of a bluebird day to come. Panoramic view of the surrounding mountains greeted us at the starting line. It was a crisp -12 degrees, but the sun lessened the cold.
At 8:30, we started off on the first ascent. Halfway up, I paused to take a drink from my hydration pack, only to find a frozen tube! I had made a classic amateur mistake, and unknowingly left my water tube to freeze over. I continued to climb, but the hydration pack was my only water and it was inaccessible.
For the first downhill, we skied one of the backside chutes, where I encountered another setback. For this race, I had a shorter and narrower pair of skis which I had not skied steep runs on before. In the chute, I skied a little too aggressively, trying to link longer turns as I would with my larger skis.
I hit a small burl and started to tumble. I slid down 40 or so metres, until I finally regained control and stopped. Fortunately, my bindings had released, but my skis were a long ways uphill from me. A helpful racer above me passed me my skis, and I was off again. I finished the descent and started on the second climb.
By this time, I was starting to feel the thirst. I had to stop for ten minutes and put my water reservoir along with the tubing inside my jacket, so it would unfreeze. Although this wasted precious time, I couldn’t simply not drink for the next two hours. After that problem was solved the rest of the race went smoothly.
Once the bootpack was over with, the course took me to another section of the Lake Louise ski area. This was the last long climb, in the Larch area. The previous three climbs had worn me out, so I had to slow down the pace. During the last stretch, I was very tired and continued at a snail’s pace, forging on uphill. Finally, I reached the top.
The last descent was a long one, starting on a nice run and finishing with a flat cat-track exit with plenty of skating. After over four hours, I finally finished the race. 🙂
I’m glad that I finished the longer course but it definitely pushed me to the limits. I know for next year that I’ll have to train a lot more to better handle a longer course like this one. Nevertheless, I feel it was necessary for me to do the “Elite” race, because only through challenging myself can I know how much I can handle, and improve from there.

Juniors, parents – don’t hold back

For any juniors or parents thinking about their teenagers participating in skimo racing – don’t hold back, try it. As you see, it doesn’t matter where you live because you never know how the experience will form your future passions and weekend activities.

How to choose the right length (and kind) of skimo racing poles for you

By 10 Comments

Some time ago someone posted a question on Skintrack about ski poles for skimo/rando racing. It never got fully addressed.
Recently, @peteyknight asked about skimo racing ski poles length during our live Twitter interview with Reiner Thoni. And I bet you are asking the same, so I decided to share some personal experience and discuss the topic more.

ski mountaineering racing world championships
Top 3 from vertical race at 2010 World Champs: in blue Dennis Brunod (he seems about 170-175cm tall), Florent Perrier in red/blue (about 180cm tall), behind Kilian Jornet was about to pass them, more on him below.
Feel free to share your experience and thoughts in the comments below. It will open more opportunities to benefit yourself in finding the most suitable poles for you.

Previous personal experience with racing poles

As anyone I started skimo racing with normal ski poles with full baskets, don’t remember the exact length though. There is nothing wrong with that as during this time you should be evaluating other aspects of your experience more, such as: “Do you like this type of racing? What turns you on to come back?”
After getting inspired by super-fast Euros I decided to put more energy into skimo racing. I noticed that their poles were longer than usual backcountry ski poles and that they were actually cross-country ski poles (smaller baskets too).
To shorten the story, I ended up with 140cm cross-country poles. I am 186cm (6’ 1.2”) tall so it seemed appropriate until I noticed that my shoulders and arms were getting quite tired even mid-way through each race. But still stuck with them.
Few years later a friend from a Spanish skimo team gave me his 130cm Ski Trab poles, he was about 170cm (5’ 7”). Sure, 130cm felt a bit short but was more comfortable on the steeps, in the switchbacks and on the downhills. I stuck with these for few seasons (they were free, eh) until I lost one. Then the dilemma began again. What length?

My racing poles now

In the last three seasons I use 135cm cross-country ski poles and find that length the most suitable overall. As I mentioned above, I am 186cm. My arm span (Wikipedia on arm span) is 186cm too which gives me about an average height to arm span ratio (this ratio is different for women). I am providing this info since I believe it is important to consider also your arm span, not just your height, when choosing your poles.

Some thoughts and examples

Perhaps, a super ideal length for my skimo race poles lies somewhere between 135 and 140cm. However, it is very difficult to objectively select the right one, so by relying on my feelings I am leaning towards 135-138cm, and only maybe 140cm for a flat vertical race.
This leads me to believe that some of the most advanced skimo racers would use, and train to effectively use, two different lengths. In the same time I believe it is very individual.
What length other people use:
Reiner Thoni at cca 188cm (6′ 2″) – 140cm poles (NA and Canada’s skimo champ).  You can read our interview by following Skintrack on Twitter and diggind in our history. The transcript is coming here soon.
Peter Svatojansky at 186cm (6′ 1″) – 138cm poles (podiums at Pierra Menta, World and Euro Champs). Read an older interview with Peter where he provided his ski poles info.
Melanie Bernier at 175cm (5′ 9″) – 130cm poles (3 x Canadian champ and a 5th place from a sprint race at World Champs 2011).
Kilian Jornet at 171cm (5′ 7″) – (best of the best last 3 years) from photos Kilian seems to be using quite long poles for his height, I would guess around 135cm. I also guess that he would be the one to use two different lengths – for individual race and for a vertical.
This video does a good job of showing how long poles the best use (in proportion). Not the best quality but you will get the idea:

How to choose your skimo (randonnee) racing poles?

Since all competitive skimo racers use cross-country (xc) style poles I suggest you consider them as well. Just be careful to pick the ones where hand straps can be easily removed.
Length:
Consider that the poles length should be suitable for all aspects of skimo racing – skinning, bootpack, and downhill.
Since most of xc poles can be cut to adjust length I would  suggest this formula:

  • if you are 190cm+ tall (6’ 3” +) buy 145cm and you can either cut them or keep as is
  • if you are 180-190cm (5’ 11” to 6’ 3”) buy 140cm, cut or keep
  • 170-180cm (5’ 7” to 5’ 11”) buy 135cm, cut or keep
  • 160-170cm (5’ 3” to 5’ 7”) buy 130cm, cut or keep
  • 160cm and less (less than 5’ 3”) probably buy 130cm, then cut or keep

Material and weight:
You have couple of choices:

  • Carbon is very strong and very light but most expensive. Need to be careful not to fall on them because it breaks, does not bend.
  • Aluminum is less expensive, strong but heavier than carbon or composite. Makes for a good beginner or training poles. Usually bends when you fall on it – you can still finish the race. Cheap aluminum poles bend way too much when you put lots of your weight on it, they are too soft.
  • Composite poles are a mix of materials. Price, weight and performance varies quite a bit. Similar qualities as carbon.
  • Fiberglass probably comes only with composites these days. I find it a bit too “bendy” when loaded.

Baskets:
Some xc poles come with very small baskets. You don’t want those. You need something smaller than backcountry skiing pole baskets but still big enough to provide some support when the snow is deep.
Figuring out the length:
See the length formula above before buying. Then it will take some time (maybe even few seasons) to find your ideal.
How about figuring this out with a length-adjustable mountaineering pole?
This only works if you manage to restrict how much of the tip sinks into the snow. Usually, tips on mountaineering telescopic poles can go as deep as 5-6cm. You want to restrict your test poles that only up to 1cm punches in, and then you can use this length as a reference.

What poles do you use? Questions, thoughts?

Share what poles you use and how tall you are. Or if you have any questions use the comments below to ask.

Face shots at ROAM Randonnee Rally – ski mountaineering race at Whitewater (Nelson, BC)

By 2 Comments

With Whitewater’s excellent ski resort terrain, backcountry and an original vibe it is only logical that it hosts an event from Canada’s skimo racing calendar. The race is also one of many events that take place over the weekend-long annual Cold Smoke Powder Fest.
And why ROAM? Simply, ROAM (Rivers, Oceans and Mountains) is a great store with the best outdoor equipment in the center of Nelson, BC.  It is one of the main forces behind the whole festival and the skimo race, to which the store lends its name.

The race the strongest man won

After about 30h of snowfall, combined with a newer (longer) course, the race was set to be a “skins’ glue game” and a great endurance challenge. These conditions also meant that the pack of front hounds was kept somewhat together until the second to last descent.

ROAM randonnee rally race course 1
This shows the first loop of the course dominated by a long traverse on a wide ridge leading over the top of White Queen. The descent (marked red) under the big alpine basin brought racers back to the ski area.
From the very start Andrew McNab took it by the horns. Only on few occasions I (Stano Faban) was able to bridge up to him and break the trail. Others were always very close; among them Canada’s fastest girl Melanie Bernier.
First climb was a short 3min sprint up a cat track road. Then a quick treed descent onto cross country trails for about 5min of on-and-off skating. After that a long climb (500m) in the trees took us up on the shoulder. We followed it up and down (about 200m) for another 20+ minutes. Then finally a proper descent with lots of face shots brought us to the heart of the ski area.
Andrew left this bottom transition with 1-2 minute lead with another 5 of us closely together. From here on he marched like a man possessed. I managed to keep his lead in check and shed the others but only by following in his tracks. This climb (about 350m) was split with a tough boot-pack and delivered us on top of a great powder run called Elevator Shaft.
ROAM randonnee rally skimo race course 2
The start/finish are was just below the skins-on transition Andrew left with some lead. Course lead up Mother Load, boot-packed to the ridge, ski down Elevator Shaft and the drainage below. Then back over the long ridge, ski down through the saddle and Mother Load to the finish.
Throughout the whole race, especially on the last climb (about 500m), Andrew did huge amounts of work and even though I caught him before the top I was totally happy to let him ski for glory from this last top transition. And that is not to say that he needs any head start when it comes to skiing 😉
Behind us, over the last hour of racing, positions were exchanged regularly until the very end. Peter Knight bested Melanie Bernier and Nick Elson to the line and rounded the men’s podium while Melanie took the women’s top prize in front of Julie Matteau and Alexandra Dubois.
The race was long (new snow and 1610m of climbing in total) with Andrew winning in 2h 47min and the rest of us trickling in behind him in about 1-2min intervals.

Full results

» Men’s Race course
» Women’s Race course
» Men’s Rec course
» Women’s Rec course

ROAM Randonnee Rally: Nelson's rando skimo race on Feb 25, 2012

By Leave a Comment

ROAM Randonnee Rally ski mountaineering race (6th annual) is only one of many events and festivities taking place during the annual Kootenay Coldsmoke Powder Fest.
The festival starts on Friday, Feb 24 and goes on until Sunday, Feb 26. It is a great mix of clinics, demos, comps, fun and parting on the slopes of Nelson’s, BC Whitewater ski resort.

Randonnee Rally quick facts

Schedule:

  • Race Meeting: Friday, February 24 – 5:00 PM – ROAM Shop – 639 Baker Street Nelson, BC.
  • Race Sign-on: Saturday, February 25 – 8:00 am Whitewater Ski Resort
  • Race Start Time: Saturday, February 25 – 9:00 am by the bag piper at Whitewater Ski Resort

Two race courses: Open course (about 4500 ft of climbing) and Rec course (about 2000 ft of climbing)
Categories: Men, Women, Vet 50+ can choose to race as Race, Recreational and Splitboard Rec
Entry fee: $35
» More info and registration: online or on site
» First timers might want to check out this article: 6 tips to get you ready for your first skimo race
See why you should check out Whitewater:

Canadian Ski Mountaineering Racing Championships – Golden, BC

By 3 Comments

Over the weekend Golden’s Kicking Horse Mountain Resort hosted the Canadian Ski Mountaineering National Championships for a fourth time.
Saturday saw the championship race over the 6000 ft course while most of the participants battled on the Enduro’s 4000 ft route. On Sunday, in a cozy atmosphere, elite racers helped the new guys with some skills tips and both raced on a short but a very technical course relay style.

Katarina Kuba and Eric Carter finishing their relay races on Sunday.
The facts of the weekend were:

  • great overall turnout despite missing some regular racers
  • 14 racers were women
  • and, the previous champions are king and queen once again

How it happened

This video captures the atmosphere, write up below provides more details. Enjoy.

43 people took part in racing on Saturday. This number could have been more than 50 if schedule conflicts or illness didn’t take out a   couple of regular participants. Large groups came from Calgary and Valemount, and challenging the size of the home crowd. Overall, it is a good sign of things to come because we saw lots of new faces.
In men’s elite category Reiner Thoni captured his 4th straight national title with a commanding performance. He completed the 6000 ft course in 1h 49min and shaved over 10min from his last year’s winning time! The podium was rounded by Andrew McNab and Steve Sellers.
Three new names –  Erich Peitzsch,  Eric Carter,  Nick Elson – and mixed with Peter Knight gave a good chase to the top three and only at late stages of the race Steve Sellers secured his 3rd place.
Women’s elite race went down less dramatically but with great performances from all. Third national title went to Melanie Bernier who is Canada’s most committed racer and is progressing dramatically every year. Her long time challenger,  Julie Matteau, came in second with  Billie Velisek taking third. It is also notable that Michelle Roberts was the 4th woman completing the whole challenging 6000 ft course and once gaining more experience she should become a force because 3.5h on such a course would put to shame a majority of strong ski touring men.
The 4000 ft Enduro course saw the biggest field and couple of great battles:
Igor Bernas won the men’s category ahead of Dominic Unterberger who is only a junior. Third place was decided after a fierce sprint to the finish line by two local ski patrolers –  Brad Lorrimar and Ken Macdiarmi. Fifth overall was the second in junior’s category, Martin Carnogursky, who was still leading Dominic after 3/4 of the race.
The women’s category top spot went to only a junior racer Katarina Kuba who lead with a good gap in front of the other women – Amber Steed, Sheena Johnson and Jana Skerlak.
Enduro course was also completed by four splitboarders where top honors went to Nigel Fisher and Nicole Walker.

Full results

» Saturday’s event – Canadian Ski Mountaineering Championships
» Sunday’s relay event

2012 North American Rando Ski Mountaineering Championships in Crested Butte

By Leave a Comment

This is article was submitted by Melanie Bernier – an elite skimo racer and a member of the Canadian National Ski Mountaineering Team. Read her previous article here – Grand Teton: adventures are essential for skimo training…
Last weekend (Jan 28-29, 2012) saw the biggest event of this winter on the North American skimo racing calendar. Six of us, part of the Canadian National Team, traveled to Crested Butte to compete in the first ever official North American Championships.
We arrived few days earlier to have a chance to get somewhat used to CB’s high elevation (CB is at 2,715 m) and explore the race routes. The “No Climbing Uphill Policy” at the ski hill got in the way of our course scoping but we were blessed with beautiful sunny days so we were able to at least have a great visual of the individual’s race course.

Sprint race – day 1

On Saturday morning, we woke up to a very brisk -30 C for the sprint race. The venue was mid-mountain near a beautiful restaurant where racers gathered to keep warm until the start.
The course started on a flat groomed sections changing quickly to switch-backs in the trees then flatter terrain before gaining the first transition to the first descent. Through gates, over moguls, racers had to zigzag back down for a second transition. Then to a short boot-pack and skin again to reach the final descent.
The women were the first out of the gate going at 30 seconds intervals. Sari Anderson was the first one to go, I was second, Janelle Smiley just after…
My race went very well as I closed the gap on Sari at the top of the second climb and completed the course in 5:39 which was enough to win the race.
Top 3, top North American and all Canadian women:
1. Mel Bernier (CAN)
2. Janelle Smile (USA)
3. Sari Anderson (USA)
6. Julie Matteau (CAN)
Our Canadian men did very well too! With a strong Italian presence, the Canuck boys rose to the challenge. Manfred Reichegger (Italy’s top racer) topped the podium as expected. Behind him, our unique “Reinerian” earned second ahead of Lorenzo Holzknecht (Italy) who was followed closely by our Andrew McNab. It was very impressive to see them all run and give all they had.
Top 3, top North Americans and all Canadian men:
1. Manfred Reichegger (ITA)
2. Reiner Thoni (CAN)
3. Lorenzo Holzknecht (ITA)
4. Andrew McNab (CAN)
5. Jan Koles (USA)
6. Travis Scheefer (USA)
12. Ian Gale (CAN)
27. Steve Sellers (CAN)
» Sprint race full results

Individual race – day 2

The following day, in friendlier temperatures, we gathered at the base of the mountain for the individual race. The course was not so impressive for its vertical but for its challenging route.
We climbed a groomed run for a thousand feet before getting into what seemed like 100 switch-backs with a single skin track. From there, it was skis and poles on the pack, jacket on, and via-ferrata and ascender on the rope – we climbed the “Guides Ridge” to the summit of Crested Butte at just over 12 000 feet.
From there, we ran down the other side of the peak, then skis on, we descended to the bottom of Paradise Bowl, from there we climbed 1000 through the trees and on the rocky ridge back to the top transition. We had to complete this same lower loop twice before going down a single track in trees, steep icy moguls to crazy fast groomer to moguls again and high speed rollers to finish with an excruciating skate ski.
My race – I guess my strategy was not quite right for this race. I was holding back at the start a bit too much and got stuck behind at the switch-backs. Then by the time I got to the ridge there was a big bottle neck.
Here the race got stopped twice because of rock falling and miss communication between the race marshals which resulted in an hour spent on the ridge getting cold and waiting to move forward at a turtle pace.
Fortunately, the view was pretty nice and people around me were friendly so it was quite pleasant and relaxing… but not much of a race at that point.
When finally at the summit, I literary sprinted down the bootpack and skied like mad to try to catch up. At the first lap up paradise bowl I left the transition way too fast and forgot that this was not a great idea while racing at such altitude – I burned myself solid for the second lap and I was barely hanging facing the “Bunk Wall”.
Finally at the top of the last climb, I knew I could gain some time and positions with a fast descent. Reaching the final section I completed the skate with below zero juice in the tank. It was a great learning experience as I have never (or not in a long time) reached such low energy levels while racing.
For few other Canadians the race went rather smoothly. Reiner Thoni and Andrew McNab escaped the bottle neck and had a fantastic race while the rest of us were still on the ridge those two were batteling for 3rd and 8th place respectively.
A big congratulation to our Continental Champs Reiner Thoni and Janelle Smiley.
Top 3, top North Americans and all Canadian women:
1. Janelle Smiley (USA)
2. Sari Andreson (USA)
3. Stevie Kremer (USA)
5. Melanie Bernier (CAN)
7. Julie Matteau (CAN)
Top 3, top North Americans and all Canadian men:
1. Manfred Reichegger (ITA)
2. Lorenzo Holzknecht (ITA)
3. Reiner Thoni (CAN)
4. Luke Nelson (USA)
5. Jason Dorais (USA)
8. Andrew McNab (CAN)
18. Ian Gale (CAN)
28. Steve Sellers (CAN)
» Individual race full results

Grand Teton: adventures are essential for skimo training… because every journey counts

By Leave a Comment

This is a second article submitted by Melanie Bernier – an elite skimo racer and a pillar member of the Canadian National Ski Mountaineering Team. Read her first article here – skimo racing experiences from Jackson Hole and Grand Targhee.
At 3am on January 14 two alarms went off in our host attic. After 8 nights of sleeping in our small camper we finally gave in to a short but restful night in a real bed, the reason being a grand ski plan for the day.
With a high-pressure system hitting the Tetons, our nice local tour guides and friends decided that it would be a good idea to climb the Grand Teton – one of the most dramatic mountains in the South Rockies.

Grand Teton winter sunrise, skinning in the morning.
The magic of the day begins.
Still sleeping, we literally jumped in our prepared clothes, swallowed our pre-cooked breakfast and jumped in Nathan’s big diesel truck. On the way we pick upped Zahan and headed to Teton National Park.
Armed with our headlamp, heavy backpacks but light race gear, we were skinning the sleeping forest just before 5am. We were making good time traversing the flats and zigzagging in the trees to gain the meadows.
Approaching the Grand.
At the break of dawn, we were standing just below the headwall looking up at both the Grand and the Middle Teton. The breathtaking dramatic scenery and multiple ski couloirs were highlighted by the ever so stunning sunrise.
As we gained a plateau, below the Lower Saddle, the winds started to pick up. They were only breezes compared to what was waiting for us higher up.
Winter scramble up Grand Teton.As we reached the col where climbing gear was waiting for us we found out that crampons were missing and so we had to do with what we had.
By that point, we were barely able to stand due to ever so increasing winds. We took a little break to plan and to put on all warm layers we had to keep warm.
We started our trek (without skis) along the ridge leading to Owen Spalding route. We had to use all of our strength to stay up right fighting consistent 75-100 miles/hour winds.
Then a simple walk on rocky ridge changed to scrambling and boot packing on supportive wind packed snow.
We gave ourselves a time limit to reach the Upper Saddle because we knew it would be very difficult to get any higher safely because of the winds.
At this point, both Nathan and Zahan, having climbed “The Grand” multiple times, admitted that they have never seen winds to this magnitude up there.
We finally turned back at the Balcony at around 13000 feet, just below the Upper Saddle. From there, we climbed down and fought the winds all the way to the Lower Saddle where we retrieved our skis. Thankfully, we anchored them good enough to find them there.
Winter sunset over Grand Teton.We skied down in very strong wind gusts but beautiful sunset. Back to the flats, we crossed the frozen lake and looked back at the only peak standing in the lowering sunlight: The Grand.
We may have not made it to the top that day but we sure discovered an area where we would like to return to. Some other day we will stand on the summit… today wasn’t it. In this case it was the journey that made the day incredibly special.
A big Thanks goes to Nathan and Zahan for such a great day!
This was one of the highlights of two weeks of exploring Jackson and its surrounding areas. Now back on the road, time for some Ski Mountaineering Racing in Colorado!
Andrew bootpacks up Grand Teton.

Two races down on our US rando skimo racing and touring road trip

By Leave a Comment

This article was submitted by Melanie Bernier – an elite skimo racer and a pillar member of the Canadian National Ski Mountaineering Team. She will be contributing to Skintrack’s pool of quality content with tips, race reports and her skimo trips.
Melanie is one of the most enthusiastic and hardworking skimo racers you can ever meet. With her on board Skintrack hopes to further inspire people to seek challenge whether in the backcountry or on “a race track”.
She is writing from a 3-week long road trip with her boyfriend Andrew McNab (also a Canadian Team member):

Melanie Bernier in Jackson Hole.
Andrew and Mel under the Jackson Hole tram.

Were the snow forgot to fall

Of all the events on the North American calendar, the Jackson Hole US Ski Mountaineering Championships and Grand Targhee Ski Mountaineering Classic races have been on my radar for a long time.
And having never skied in the States besides racing at Montana’s Whitefish Whiteout three years in a row, coming down to Wyoming and Idaho for these two events seemed like a great road trip idea.
We left Revelstoke where the snow was amazing to drive down south where it seems like mother nature forgot to leave a white present over the holidays.
It seems to be the case when we travel for racing – a similar thing happened last year when going to Claut, Italy for the World Championships.

Altitude realization

Still smiling about the whole situation, we got to Jackson on Thursday night before the race, had a great long night of sleep to get ready for a weekend full of action.
On Friday, we decided to go for a quick ski but since Jackson Hole ski hill does not allow uphill traffic we walked up Snow King and did a few intervals. By that point, it was clear to Andrew and me that racing in the following days would be quite challenging. Living at 500m and coming to race between 2000m-3000m would certainly add to the level of difficulty.

Jackson Hole race – Mel’s POW and 4th place finish

On Saturday morning it was great to see a lot of familiar faces. It really seemed like Europe out there with about 100 racers on light equipment and skin suits. Also, it was very encouraging to see the level of skimo popularity down here which makes me believe that there is a future for great ski mountaineering racing in Canada as well.
After warming up and getting in as much liquids as possible, we lined up at the base of Jackson Hole for the start of nothing less than 8000 feet of vertical climbing!

The first climb was really what set the pace to the whole race. We climbed for 900m over steep to moderate terrain to the first top transition. I kept looking at my watch to see where I was at, then tried to keep my head up and the amount of pain down but it was very obvious I was not getting enough oxygen.
The first descent was really rough going through moguls, rocks and ice. By that point, I was thinking to myself that I would race my own race and try to keep energy in the tank till the end no matter what the outcome would be.
I got to the bottom transition with Janelle Smiley just ahead and a couple of other girls just behind. Sari Anderson, Stevie Kremer and Gemma Arro Ribot were already ahead at that point.
The second climb was quite slippery on a single skin track. I picked a high glide skin set unfortunately so I was working extra hard to move forward. The climb brought us up to the first boot pack where I started to pick up a bit of momentum and pace.
At the top of the boot pack, we had to do a quick flat traverse then rip the skins and try to control our speed down a rather steep icy face. From there, we traversed towards the famous “Corbett” climb which we contoured and ended up boot packing on the ridge leading to the top of the tram.
From there, a 1000m descent on moguls, icy chunks and crusty conditions was waiting us. If our legs were not punched by this point then they were getting toasted here for sure!
The descent led us to our final climb which was nothing but the hardest. We zigzagged on an icy slope “American Style” – meaning as steep of a skin track as could be! I have never seen anything quite like it. 🙂
I kept on looking up and seeing Gemma just ahead and I tried as hard as I could to keep the momentum and close the gap. But by that point, I started to get leg cramping and just could not push as hard.
Finishing in 4th place, I had mix feelings about the race. I was for one really happy to be done and happy to had a chance to race in such a well-organized event but I was a bit disappointed to see the limitations of my body when it comes to quick elevation acclimatization. In hindsight, it’s something that I did not have control over and I’m just glad I gave it all I had at the time.
Andrew had a difficult race as well. In addition to the elevation factor, he brought from Canada a nice flue. While traveling, he tried to get better as much as possible. He was on the fence about racing until the last minute and decided to go with it since he was feeling slightly better on Saturday morning.
I could see him from the distance during the event and he did not have his strong McNab “go get her” look! Never the less, he did not abandon and finished the race in just over 3 hours. As for Niall Gleeson, also from Canada, he decided not to finish the race since he was really sick.
Congrats to Luke Nelson and Sari Anderson who both had pretty solid races and won the US National championships.

Onto the Grand Targhee Classic – Mel’s race and her 2nd place

Melanie Bernier second in Grand Targhee.
Mel came in 2nd at the Grand Targhee Classic - a reason to return.
After really generous award ceremony we met few friends for some stretching and hot and cold recovery at the pool. We then relaxed with a hot beverage before going out for some great food.
After dinner we decided to drive to Grand Targhee that night just to be able to sleep in a little more before another race on Sunday. We had an interesting night of sleep up at 2400m and woke up to foggy conditions for the race.
At 10:30am, racers crossed the start line to head up one of the steepest climbs I have ever done. No switch backs, straight up a groomed run for about 600m. As we got to the top, I gained a bit of mojo and started sprinting to get ahead of a few people. But this first climb just about killed me!
We skied down really gnarly conditions (mix of crust, ice and rocks) to the first transition. I managed to pass a couple of people here so I was thinking to myself: “I’m still in the race!”
Mens podium at Grand Targhee Ski Mountaineering Classic.
Luke Nelson 2nd, Jason Dorais 1st, Ben Parsons 3rd at Grand Targhee Classic.
Fortunately, the second climb was not as steep as the first one as we made our way up on a cat track leading to zigzags in trees. From there, a quick skins-on traverse brought us to the boot pack where I passed Amy, then gave it all on the descent to catch up to Sari.
I knew Gemma was far ahead so I kept my head down and crested the last ascent just behind my sweet heart Andrew. As we reached the top a nice shot brought us back down to the groomer for a fast rip to the start/finish area.
Andrew completed the event in just above 2 hours and I was a couple of minutes behind him to take the 2nd place in women’s category.
Congrats to Jason Dorais and Gemma Arro Ribot for the 1st place.

Road trippin’

Road tripping in the States and exploring what Teton Pass has to offer is on the menu for the weeks to come. Our aim is to get used to elevation in a hope that racing in Colorado at the end of the month will end up feeling normal again. 😉