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

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

Upcoming Pan American Ski Mountaineering Championships – Mar 23-25

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

Mike Foote Sets a New 24h Record!

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

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

2018 Pierra Menta: Joy and Sorrows of Champions

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

Men’s race recap:

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

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

Women’s race recap:

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

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

USA and Canada Race News

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

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

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

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

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

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

East Coast races:

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

Upcoming Events

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

2017 Skimo World Cup Calendar, World Championships, La Grand Course + Update on IOC recognition of ISMF/Skimo

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mondole-skimo-world-cup-5
Recent International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) annual meeting brought many important decisions and updates regarding our sport. The meeting took place last week in Albufeira, Portugal.

Update on IOC recognition of ISMF

ISMF President  Armando Mariotta presented that “…the full recognition of ISMF as an Olympic Federation will be taken at the beginning of August, during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games opening   working session.”
Should IOC recognize ISMF as an Olympic Federation then this would be a major step for skimo racing to be included in the Olympic Games at some point in the future, perhaps even in the next few years.

2017 World Cup calendar and new La Grande Course (long course) arrangement

A new format is being designed  between ISMF  World Cup  and LGC circuit. This should be an important development for all serious (international level) skimo racers.
The ISMF vice president, Lluis Lopez said: “We believe in keeping the link strong, but we don’t want to impose any format. The aim is to share the same path in the sake of ski mountaineering and the desire to continue collaborating has been the priority from both sides”. Pierre Dupont, representing the French Federation, has been in charge of conducting the new arrangement and added that “the Grande Course will no longer be a part of the World Cup, but will remain under the spirit of ISMF.”

2017 ISMF World Cup and La Grande Course calendar:

ismf-logo-300x120WC = World Cup
LGC = La Grande Course (under ISMF)
grande-course-logo-300x210
January 14-15: Suggested dates for countries for their National Championships
January 21-22: Font Blanca WC (Andorra)
– individual (day 1)
– vertical (day 2)
January 28-29: Alp d’Huez WC (France)
– individual (day 1)
– sprint (day 2)
February 11-12: Turkey WC (Turkey)
– individual (day 1)
– sprint (day 2)
February 23 – March 2: ISMF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – Transcavallo (Italy)
– exact race schedule is yet to be determined
March 8-11: Pierra Menta LGC (France)
– 4-day stage race
– Wednesday to Saturday
– total climbing close to 10,000 m
March 24-26: Mondole Ski Alp WC (Italy)
– vertical (day 1)
– individual (day 2)
– sprint (day 3)
April 2: Adamello LGC (Italy)
Most likely courses:
– for men: 4000m ascent, 4380m descent
– for women: 3100m ascent, 4380m descent
April 8-9: Val d’Aran WC (Catalonia, Spain)
– individual (day 1)
– vertical (day 2)
April 16: Easter weekend (no international racing)
April 23: Mezzalama LGC (Italy)
– classic route from Breuil-Cervinia to Gressoney
– alternative dates in case of cancellation are April 29, 30 and May 1

New way of ranking

There will be a World Cup winner which will be, year by year, the best performer in the ISMF World Cup races, according to the three disciplines – individual, vertical and sprint. Furthermore, there will be a World Ranking, rolling up on yearly basis, which will take into account the athletes’ points earned from the ISMF World Cup, the Champs(World and Continental), the LGC and the ISMF series.
“By doingso, we want to stress the importance of all the races, including the ISMF series which will become more appealing also for top level athletes”, says  Marco Mosso, vice president, marketing   & communications.

March 1-14 Skimo Racing News Shorts: Powder Keg, Five Peaks, Pierra Menta, Skimo East

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It was a busy two weeks of racing in North America and Europe! Read on to if you have missed anything.
» For previous weekend’s racing news see here.

USA West

Wasatch Powder Keg – March 4-6, 2016

The Wasatch Powder Keg and North American Ski Mountaineering Championships held at Brighton Ski Resort brought together some stiff competition for the racers and big challenges for the race organization.
The Friday night sprint race was a big success with Tom Goth from Salt Lake City and Kylee Toth Ohler of Calgary taking home the North American Sprint Championship titles. The sprint race course was a 107 meter (353 feet) climb with a flat start, several switch backs, a boot-pack, and another short climb followed by an 8 downhill gates descent. The fastest men’s time for any lap was Tom Goth’s 3:18 winning lap. The fastest women’s time was a tie between Kylee’s winning lap and Gemma Arro’s qualification lap in 4:08.

The individual race was held on Saturday in beautiful spring conditions. Tom Goth again took the North American Individual Championship title while Stevie Kremer of Crested Butte drove late into the night to race and win the Women’s title. The winning times were 2h 13min for Tom and 2h 35min for Stevie.
The 2016 Powder Keg individual race was held on a new course that utilized less in-bounds terrain and was enjoyed by all racers. The course conditions were challenging with a hard refreeze on Friday night leading to some very hard and icy climbs early in the day. We were excited to have our largest junior showing to date with 6 male and 3 female athletes ranging in age from 9 to 16.

Why the teams race was cancelled!
Why the teams race was cancelled!
The race organization had been watching the weather closely all week and were anticipating a Sunday morning storm. Contingency course plans were set in motion on Saturday afternoon, however, Sunday morning brought a much stronger storm than expected. The organizers and volunteers headed out on the course and 5 minutes prior to the race start made a difficult decision to cancel the event. Snow was falling at more than an inch per hour, ridge top winds were sustained at over 35 mph and gusting to 75 mph, making snow-pack stability quickly deteriorating. While disappointed, all racers were supportive of the decision and most made the best of it with their own in-bounds team vertical to the top of the Millicent Express Lift.
Results HERE
Thanks to Mike Foote, Chad Brackelsberg and Nick Francis for their contribution!

The Five Peaks – March 12, 2016:

Breckenridge Resort held the annual Five Peaks teams race despite somewhat sparse snow conditions. Marshall Thomson and Rory Kelly went relatively unchallenged on the men’s side while Stevie Kremer and Lindsay Plant stayed almost 10min ahead of Jessie Young and Jari Hiatt.
The Five Peaks RESULTS
The Five Peaks Photos

Jessie Young and Photo: Climbbetty.com
Jessie Young and Jari Hiatt on one of the boot-packs. Photo: Climbbetty.com
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.
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

Jay Peak – March 5, 2016:

Photo: Stephenie Cote
Photo: Stephenie Cote
The longest-running skimo venue in New England since 2005, the Jay Peak race was totally revamped two seasons ago by Quebec Dynafit rep Jeff Rivest, now co-director of Skimo East. Although entirely in-bounds, racers were appropriately challenged by difficult boot-packs and steep descents, sometimes even in tight glades. And unlike the rest of New England during this “historic” “winter” season, Jay Peak actually had lots of snow! Long-time Quebec champion and former professional cyclist, George Visser took the win, followed by Northern NH trail runner Andrew Drummond in his skimo season debut, and Boston-area Brian MacIlvain in his first major podium. Skimo East co-director and former Canadian Olympic cyclist Lyne Bessette was the top woman and also finished fifth overall, only several seconds off the podium.

Owl’s Head – March 6, 2016:

Although various Presidential candidates might object that Owl’s Head is on the other side of any pending border wall, this Quebec stop in the Skimo East series the following day was combined with Jay Peak for the weekend standings. George Visser and Andrew Drummond once again took the top two spots, but Northern NH famed mountain man Tristan Williams made the podium in only his third skimo race. Lyne Bessette dominated the female field as always, placed fifth overall in only a little over a minute off the podium, and took third overall for the combined weekend results. In the combined weekend’s highly unofficial Nations Cup, the United States avenged its split decision against Canada over a month earlier at Burke by winning on all four conceivable measures.
Photos by David Moore

Magic Mountain – March 12, 2016:

Although the nation moved the clocks ahead a mere hour on the weekend, New England seemed to skip a month ahead with the final weekend of operations for many ski resorts. Fortunately, Magic in Southern VT had just enough remaining snow for long efficient skin tracks and some decent skiing. As for the boot-pack, who needs snow for that, right? Jerimy Arnold took the win followed by Josh Flanagan, with QT2 Systems triathlon coach John Spinney on his first podium in his skimo season debut.
Skimo East Results HERE

Photo: Stephenie Cote
Photo: Stephenie Cote

Upcoming:

Pending ski resort closures and dwindling terrain options have led to a game of musical chairs for the remaining races. The disappearance of the Northern VT backcountry snowpack has cancelled the Bolton Valley 24-hour race and the Sugarbush traditional race, so the Southern VT Bromley race has been moved ahead to March 19 to take advantage of the resulting opportunity in the schedule and the remaining snow. The Northern VT Stowe evening crit-style race on still on for March 26, as is the Central VT Pico race for March 27 even though the resort will have been closed for two weeks by then.
Thanks to our Skimo East SkinTrack.com correspondent Jonathan Shefftz for the write-up!

Canada

No racing took place in Western Canada since our last update (good for the Coastal guys who have been enjoying lots of powder lately) but we are looking forward to Canadian National Championships – the Ken Jones Classic in Lake Louise, AB. This is shaping up to be potentially one of the most competitive skimo races in Western Canada in recent history. A strong contingent of skiers from the Coast will be looking to challenge the Rockies locals but registrations are coming in from the US as well.
Nick Elson will be trying to take his second and consecutive National Championship title but will have a couple of serious challengers. There are the usual suspects like Peter Knight, Travis Brown, Stano Faban… but Rob Krar, an ultra-running champion, will be looking to see where he stacks up among the Canadians if he plans to make a National Team bid for next season. On the women’s side, Kylee Toth Ohler is skiing very strong at the moment but with Melanie Bernier back on this side of the Atlantic, the two will most likely fight it out.
If you are looking for a reason to visit the gem of Rockies, book a ticket to Calgary, come race at Lake Louise and then shred pow in Rogers Pass the rest of the week!
Registration is LIVE

Europe

Photo: Pierra Menta Facebook Page
The classic ridge climb to the summit of the Grand Mont. Photo: Pierra Menta Facebook Page

Pierra Menta – March 9-12, 2016:

It’s the mythical Pierra Menta – four days of racing in beautiful Areches-Beaufort, France. We would have written separate articles for each stage if we had a correspondent in attendance (like last year) but here’s a quick summary:
Killian Jornet and Matheo Jacquemond dominated by winning three of the four stage and by 10 min lead over 10 hours of racing. The Italian favourites (last year’s champions) dropped out with an ear infection while the other Italian team – Michelle Boscacci and Robert Antonioli – skied to a strong 3rd place overall finish. They were bested to second place by the French team and hometown favourite cheese maker William Bon Mardion and Xavier Gachet.
For the women, the ‘Queen’ of skimo Laetitia Roux paired with her young French phenom teammate Axelle Mollaret and really dominated the race, winning the overall by 50 min over 13 hours of racing!  This must have been a bit of a pill to swallow for Roux’s long time Pierra Menta teammate Mireia Miro who was competing with her Spanish teammate Claudia Galicia and finishing in second. The Italian team of Katia Tomatis and Martina Valmassoi rounded out the podium.

Pierra Menta 2016 Champions. I just don't understand how that is not the skin suit of the Canadian National Team - flannel and jeans!?
Pierra Menta 2016 Champions. We don’t understand how that is not the official skin suit of the Canadian National Team, flannel and jeans, eh? 🙂
While the Canadians didn’t field any teams this year, USA sent the Colorado dream team of John Gaston and Max Taam as well as Scott Simmons and Paul Hamilton (making his debut on the European skimo circuit). Gaston and Taam raced well the entire week, maintaining a steady position, and finished in 15th, tying the previous best men’s North American finish. Simmons and Hamilton went very well the first three days but botched the last day. Yet they still finished with a very respectable 41st place.
Videos and Results HERE

Upcoming:

The ISMF calendar continues with a vertical, individual, and sprint event in Mondole, Italy at the Prato Nevoso ski area. Hurting badly for snow earlier in the year, Prato Nevoso is looking good to go. Don’t expect Kilian Jornet to slow down and Laetitia Roux will likely continue to dominate with the loss of several top women to injury.
The next Grande Course race to come is the bi-annual Tour du Rutor in Italy at the beginning of April.
ISMF Racing News
Check out our big 2015/16 skimo calendar for upcoming events this week and into the future. Still lots of racing left this season!
 

2015 Pierra Menta In-Depth Race Report by Eric Carter

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This is an in-depth report from Eric about his and Nick Elson’s amazing journey to 15th place at Pierra Menta few weeks ago.
I have had a few people ask if the Pierra Menta is what I expected. The honest answer is partly yes. Stories from Stano, Melanie, and Reiner certainly prepared me for what to expect and the 30th anniversary of the race lived up to every expectation.

Nick and I running in the alpine at Pierra Menta.
Nick and I running in the alpine at Pierra Menta.
For those not intimately knowledgeable about the European ski mountaineering race calendar, the Pierra Menta is generally regarded as the premier event of the season. Certainly, the World Cup events host a high caliber of athletes at every race. The World Championships bring in athletes from many countries. However, the Pierra Menta is one of the longest running skimo races on the circuit.
Being a ‘Grande Course’ race, it is longer and more technical than a standard World Cup. Athletes compete in teams of two over four days with a total of ~10,000 meters of elevation gain. You can take a look at the exact stats for each stage and a map from each below.

With about 200 teams racing, the event is quite a show. It was easily the biggest competition that I have ever taken part of, in terms of athletes, organization, and spectators.

Pretty spectacular spot and lots of teams to enjoy it!
Pretty spectacular spot and lots of teams to enjoy it!
We arrived at the race in good time thanks to Emelie Forsberg who kindly loaned us her car. The race essentially takes over the town of Areches (mainly composed of cheese making cooperatives). Racers check in at the community centre and are assigned to a room in one of the many hotels throughout the area taken over by the race. Nick and I were assigned to a hotel near the start/finish line along with Melanie Bernier and her teammate from Norway – Malene, and Nick Francis and Eric Bunce (from Utah). It was quite nice to be able to ski two minutes out of our door to the start line but it was a bit of a tradeoff as we were a 10min drive to the race briefing every evening.
Race briefings were invariably drawn out affairs in a room filled with people far beyond what would be acceptable to North American fire codes. Race information was presented in French, Italian, and English so the process was slow. French and Italian were usually long multi-sentence instructions while the English translation was usually just a few words. We were continually wondering if we were missing out on any crucial information.

Stage 1

» Stano’s report of Day 1 at 2015 Pierra Menta
Waking up on Day 1, it was hard not to be excited. So much training led us here and after a few weeks of tapering we were quite full of energy. To avoid the chaos of a mass start, the organizers planned an individual start time trial. Having never raced Pierra Menta before, Nick and I were ranked somewhere in the middle or back 3/4 of the field. We started and immediately passed a few teams (starting at 15 second intervals). It was a short stage with just two climbs but we continually passed teams. The biggest shock of the day were the descents, either steep and icy or steep and icy through alder – a theme that would persist through the week. We finished in 20th and were quite happy with ourselves. It was a good enough placing to be seeded in the front row of the next days start line and with a handful of places only seconds away.

Stage 2

» Stano’s report of Day 2 at 2015 Pierra Menta
Because the first stage was so short (~1400m), we still felt pretty energetic when we woke up on Day 2. The second stage was much longer (~2800m) and we knew it would be a tough one. Nick made sure to keep reminding me to take it easy on the start. With a 1000m climb off the line, it shouldn’t have been hard to keep the pace in check. Running off the line with 200 other teams, however, is a different story and it’s easy to red-line it immediately.
The race tackled a long boot pack and then was in the alpine. We hit another boot pack up a rocky ridge with awesome exposure on either side. Later, we found out that our British roommates, already battling the time cut-off had a disaster here when one of their pairs of skis detached from their pack and rocketed down the mountain into another valley. They had to be helicoptered back to the start area.
The first descent of the day we were warned was icy and had cliffs. We dived in behind another team and started descending above the cliffs. We saw Kilian Jornet and his partner Mark Pinsach (ESP) clinging to the icy slope trying to get crampons on. We traversed above the cliffs and into a couloir before opening it up into the faster descent and passing one of Mark’s skis laying at the bottom of the descent.

The skintrack.com photo team,
The SkinTrack.com photo team,
The next climb took us to another summit and another steep, icy descent. This one was steep enough for fixed ropes to be in place. A Catalonian team took off from the transition just ahead of us and one of their skis went immediately flying into oblivion but the racer skied on with just a single ski without slowing. Nick made relatively cautious jump turns while I grabbed the fixed rope and power slid. The final series of climbs was all skins on in the mid-day sun with big groups of spectators until we hit the last descent and shot back through the woods to the finish.

Stage 3

» Stano’s report of Day 3 at 2015 Pierra Menta
Day three was looking to be a big one but it also had a few exciting sections that we were looking forward to. The race started with a short (~50m) climb and then a longer (~150m) skins-on descent. We chose our fastest skins and strategically applied them to one side of our skis hoping for a bit more glide on the descent.
The race started fast as always and we stayed in a reasonable position of the line but as soon as we started descending, big groups of racers started whizzzing past us like they didn’t have skins on! We realized that these guys must have planned ahead and were using 1/3 or 1/4 width skins with excellent glide. Oh well.
After a longer skins-off descent into Areches, we put our skis on our packs and start the run through town. I was actually surprised how few spectators there were as we ran up the main street of town but it was quite early and I think most of the town was already up on the mountain! The run was about 15 minutes and we wound our way up to the top of town and into a farmers field where we put skis back on. From here we skied up into the alpine and past the much celebrated Pierra Menta – a very distinct peak – before descending again and back up to Mt. Coin. There were lots of spectators on these peaks and Andrea and Jennie – our biggest cheerleaders – were given a lift to the top of Mt. Coin on the press helicopter as SkinTrack.com photographers!
The final climb took us to the top of the ski resort that was packed with spectators. Earlier in the day, we had passed Kilian and his partner who was not looking so great. Now, as we came into the mass of spectators, Kilian caught back up to us skiing solo after leaving his partner behind. We got huge cheers from the crowd but they were clearly more excited about Kilian than team Squamish. The final descent was a bizarre rally through steep gullies, trees, and much dirt back to the finish line. We skied with Kilian throughout the descent and managed to limit the damage to our skis. Crossing the line, we were pretty stoked to find out that we had moved into 16th place overall.
We gorged on food and had our nightly massage and were feeling pretty worked. The three days of racing were definitely catching up with us now. I was feeling a bit worried about the next day which had been talked up as a pretty serious one.

Stage 4

» Stano’s report of Day 4 at 2015 Pierra Menta
We woke the next morning pretty wiped out still. It was hard to get in a big breakfast and we dragged ourselves down to the start just before we needed to be in the corral. No need to warm up much at this point.
Rather than a short climb and immediate descent, the final day had a long climb into the alpine right off the bat. We moved into position with the top 20 and were cruising along feeling pretty good. The first summit was covered with a huge crowd of people as we skinned along a rolling ridge. The crowd pushed so close that the track was only wide enough for one skier and gave us little boosts as we went. We did a short descent and then started up the big climb to Grand Mont. Steep icy switchbacks led to a boot pack. The switchbacks were dead in the sun and had very little track exposed. I was feeling the last few days and was only thinking about how much I wanted a drink of cold coke.

Running through the streets of Areches.
Running through the streets of Areches.
We were happy not to have any other teams around us when we hit the via ferrata section and clipped into the fixed rope. The ridge was definitely exposed. Considering the other sections of the race that didn’t even have ropes, you can imagine why the organizers decided was necessary to have us clip in! We cruised up with one of our tethers in our hand and the other on the rope and then topped out with another big crowd in front of us.
The top of Grand Mont was the main spectating spot and it was crazy. Spectators were taking over the entire summit and pushed back to the very edge of the cliff. We ran into the transition. I had a smooth one and finished before Nick. As I waited, a french volunteer appeared in front of me holding a two-tier bottle of Coke. I heard the crack and hiss as he opened the bottle. We looked each other in the eye and I stuck my hands out. He passed me the bottle and I chugged away. I turned and passed the bottle to Nick who did the same and then we were off.
I felt supercharged and bombed down the descent from Grand Mont. We passed another team and I ripped downhill faster than I had all week. I was keeping up with Nick! It didn’t hurt that the snow here was the best of the week as well, soft with no crust! I caught an edge and went down hard on my back but everything stayed attached. In a high speed turtle slide, I spun around and managed to flip back onto my skis without stopping or even losing much ground to Nick who didn’t realize I had crashed!
We started the last climb – 100m of skinning, and then 200m of boot packing and managed to hold off the team close behind us while passing a few junior teams before cresting one last spectator filled summit and descending one last icy slope down to the finish.

Finish at last!

Done with 4 days of racing!
Done with 4 days of racing!
After four days of racing, it felt a bit strange not to have a race the next day. We were just getting into the rhythm and then it was done. All along, our mantra was ‘there is still lots of racing left’ and then all of a sudden there wasn’t! So we packed up our room and headed into Beaufort for the dinner and party.
Because of the 30th anniversary, the organizers went all out. First, there was a movie about the history of the Pierra Menta. It was cool to see the evolution of gear and styles (our skimo suits look pretty tame in comparison) even though the movie was in French. After that, wine and crackers while they set out big tables. While we waited for dinner, the entertainment arrived putting on quite the show singing and dancing. Finally, awards started and it took forever as they called up every category (there were many) and quite deep. Nick and I got called up being in the top 33 of the men’s race. After the final awards for the top senior men, we hustled out of there and passed out though it sounds like the party lasted well into the morning.
Cheese-mania on the summit of Grand Mont
Cheese-mania on the summit of Grand Mont
The Pierra Menta was an awesome experience! It had a high level of competition, the most amazing terrain I have ever raced on, incredible organization, and loads of spectators. It is definitely the race I most want to go back and do again. I definitely suggest it to anyone interested in checking out a European race.

Videos from 2015 Pierra Menta

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I thought it would be great to have videos from all four stages of the 30th Pierra Menta archived on one page so here they are.
They might be loading slower than you are used to so just be little patient and enjoy 😉

Stage 1

Time-trial style stage when teams departed in 30 second intervals. A shorter stage than usual.
» Report & photos for stage 1

La 30eme Pierra Menta – Jour 1 by lapierramenta

Stage 2

Usual Pierra Menta stage high up in the mountains with about 2800m of climbing.
» Report & photos for stage 2

LA 30ème Pierra Menta – Le clip de la deuxième… by lapierramenta

Stage 3

This stage goes right under the Pierra Menta mountain/peak which is the icon of the region and lends its name to the race. There is also lots of running on foot during the early minutes of this stage. Traditionally, this is the longest stage during the race but usually scheduled for the second day, not third.
» Report & photos for stage 3

LA 30ème Pierra Menta – Le clip de la 3ème étape by lapierramenta

Stage 4

This stage usually happens on the third day of the race but since this year everything was shuffled one day forward the mythical Grant Mont was visited on the last day. Watch out for the big crowds!
» Report & photos for stage 4

Pierra Menta La 30eme – Etape du Grand Mont by lapierramenta

News Shorts: Powder Keg, US Nationals, Pierra Menta

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The last two weekends were full of skimo racing action on both sides of the Atlantic. While many of the best US racers fought during 3-day long back-to-back racing weekends a couple of their colleagues and Canadians took Pierra Menta by the horns.

Wasatch Powder Keg at Brighton, UT (Mar 6-8, 2015)

Personally, I was planning to make the trip to the Wasatch country and then head over to Colorado for the US Nationals but the snow conditions and weather played enough with me that I decided to cancel the trip and shuffle work schedule back into normal. Turns out I missed some good skiing at the end but heck, who knew?
As usual, the organizers, Chad Brackelsberg with his wife Emily, prepared three courses to challenge everyone over the three days.
Sprint on Friday:

  1. John Gaston (men) / Michela Adrian (women)
  2. Max Taam / Sarah Cookler
  3. Michael Barlow / Lauren Kuennen

Individual race on Saturday:

  1. John Gaston (men) / Stevie Kremer (women)
  2. Max Taam / Jari Kirkland
  3. Jon Brown / Lauren Kuennen

Teams race on Sunday:

  1. John Gaston & Max Taam / Stevie Kremer & Jari Kirkland
  2. Rory Kelly & Michael Barlow / Michela Adrian & Lauren Kuennen
  3. Jon Brown & William Laird / NA

» All results from Powder Keg 2015

US Skimo Nationals at Crested Butte, CO (Mar 13-15, 2015)

The three day racing weekend in Colorado had a similar format as the Powder Keg, except on Friday night it was time to race the vertical instead of a sprint.

Vertical results
Vertical results
Vertical on Friday:

  1. John Gaston (men) / Stevie Kremer (women)
  2. Rory Kelly / Lindsay Plant
  3. Joe Howdyshell / Megan Kimmel
Individual results
Individual results
Individual on Saturday:

  1. Max Taam / Jessie Young
  2. John Gaston / Stevie Kremer
  3. Jon Brown / Lindsay Plant
Teams race results
Teams race results
Teams race on Sunday:

  1. John Gaston & Max Taam / Lindsay Plant & Jessie Young
  2. Rory Kelly & Michael Barlow / Sarah Cookler & Ann Gonzales
  3. Brian Smith & Stig Somme / NA

Pierra Menta at Areches, France (Mar 11-14, 2015)

The 30th edition of Pierra Menta, the famous four-day stage skimo race, attracted a couple of the top North Americans this year.

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.
For the men’s race, my co-author on the Manual For Ski Mountaineering Racing e-book, Eric Carter (USA), partnered with our mutual friend Nick Elson (CAN), and the boys did superbly well! They finished 15th overall, thus, repeating the North American maximum in this race after Reiner Thoni & Andrew McNab (both CAN) finished at the same place in 2013.
A bit further down the results but with the same dedication and enthusiasm the USSMA had its president, Nick Francis, race to 135th place with Eric Bunce.
In the women’s race, Melanie Bernier (CAN), lined up for her 4th Pierra Menta with Malene Blikken (NOR) and the girls raced to a very nice 6th place overall! Historically, North American maximum, and Bernier’s as well, is 4th place overall for women.
» Full 2015 Pierra Menta results
For photos and to read our daily Pierra Menta coverage see these posts:

East Coast events

There were couple of races taking place on the other side of the continent but I have no reports or results from there.
If anyone from the East is reading, you can get in touch with me here.

Upcoming events

Mar 21 – Ken Jones Classic (Lake Louise, AB)
Mar 21 – Bromley Mountain Rando Race, VT
Mar 27-28 – Grand Traverse, CO
Mar 28 – Bear Valley Adventure Race Series, CA
April 4 – Cody’s Challenge, CO
May 2 – Ram’s Head Randonee, OR

Stage 3 – 2015 Pierra Menta: Carter & Elson 15th, Lenzi & Eydalin won again, Roux & Miro as well

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Today’s stage went around Pierra Menta, the peak, and is traditionally the longest stage of the race.

Nick and Eric raced super well today to finish at 15th.
Nick and Eric raced super well today to finish at 15th.

Stage 3

Michele Boscacci finished 3rd today.
Michele Boscacci finished 3rd today.
Top 3 men finished in the same order as yesterday except the time gaps were much smaller. Damiano Lenzi & Matteo Eydalin won by less than a minute in front of the home favourites William Bon Mardion & Xavier Gachet. Third, like yesterday, were Robert Antonioli with Michele Boscacci.
Women’s top 3 was also the same as yesterday but only a minute was separating the second and third teams. Win went to Laetitia Roux & Mireia Miro, second to Emelie Forsberg & Axelle Mollaret, an third to Jennifer Flechter & Severine Pont Combe.
Tomorrow, is the last stage of this 30th edition of Pierra Menta.
» Full results – stage 3

North Americans:

I got super excited this morning as I read Eric’s email before the results were fully released. They, with Nick Elson, came in 15th in today’s stage which moved them to 16th overall! Read further below about their day.
Melanie Bernier with her Norwegian partner repeated their 6th place from yesterday and are 7th overall by only about 35 seconds.
Nick Francis and Nick Bunce improved today once again and crossed the line at 132nd. They are in 133rd position overall.
Quote from Eric:

Hard day today but amazing stage going by Pierra Menta!
First few huge climbs felt good and we got into a good position. Descents were less stressful than yesterday but still extremely icy and difficult. I struggled a bit descending, especially the big ones but Nick was strong and led us well. Sun came out on the final climb and really drained us but we held position. The last descent into town was nuts – super low snow, crazy steep tight gullies around rocks and traverses over patches of dirt. Lots of spectators today.
Tomorrow will be hard. Major recovery time now. Whew…

One of the super climbs today.
One of the super climbs today.

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.
 

4 Questions for Melanie Bernier before the 30th Edition of the Famous Pierra Menta

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With Pierra Menta, the famous four day skimo race, approaching swiftly I figured it would be great to catch up with Melanie Bernier as she is readying for the 4th Pierra Menta. Melanie finished in the Top 5 on two occasions with two different partners – Janelle Smiley (4th in 2014) and Valentine Fabre (5th in 2014).

Melanie Bernier interview

Q1: How was your racing this year up to now? How do you feel about it?

Melanie Bernier
Melanie Bernier. Photo Eric Carter.
This season is a slow progression for me. As you know, I did a lot of volume in November to raise money to be able to race on the World Cup circuit. I feel it was a great way to motivate myself to train hard and make some money along the way but it also made me do a lot of volume at lower pace and less intensity. As of December, I had very little time to transfer from long-and-slow to fast-and-snappy. I had the endurance but not the speed.
The first World Cup was a write off and I was jet-lagged, I was also fighting a virus and was racing at elevation for the 1st time. Then at the Andorra WC I started to feel better and more like myself.
The World Championships were hard but I feel like I had done a progression there again. Then at Val Martello WC two weekends ago I was feeling great while racing and felt like finally things are starting to be a little more normal. I’m hoping to carry the momentum and by training hard and racing hard over the few weeks to come, the last WC will be my strongest race.
Q2: Looks like the competition inside the women’s Top 10 increased. Is it younger racers coming in or just the older ones upped their game?
There’s a couple of new girls on the circuit this year but they are not in the top 10. Everyone has been working hard to be ready for the World Champs, so on those years the top 10 is always tighter.
I think some girls are having an amazing season, some others are building up just like me and while another ones are having a mellower season. Skimo is still a fairly young sport even in Europe, therefore, the level increases every year and so we just need to adjust our respective training to be able to follow the pace, but also gain that extra bit when possible.
Q3: Who are you partnering for Pierra Menta with and what are your goals?
This year, I am super excited to be racing with Malene Birken from Norway. She is very excited about the idea of doing the race and I think we will have a very good time together. She has never done the Pierra Menta before so she is in for a treat!
As for objectives, well there will be a lot of strong women’s teams this year. It will be interesting to see. The thing is, at the Pierra Menta, anything can happen and athletes that are strong on the shorter individual course are not necessarily the strongest at long races. I am hoping that Malene and I can be top 5 as I have been 4th with Janelle 2 years ago and 5th with Valentine last year.
Q4: What other races are you focusing on?
After the Pierra Menta, my favorite ski partner in the whole world is coming to meet me as we will live in Chamonix, so I will take a little break from racing to reset.
Then the biggest race left after that will be the last World Cup in Mondole, Italy. It should be a great event.

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!