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Reiner Thoni

Photos, Results, Report from Dogtooth Dash – 2014 BUFF Canadian SkiMo Championships

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The results and lots of photos were posted through Facebook and Twitter within few hours after the Dogtooth Dash race party, however, I want to apologize that I slacked with writing up a nice race report for you. Here it is.
Secondly, one more big shout out to all 26 volunteers that came out to help marshal the race course on Saturday!
Thirdly, big Thanks to main sponsors goes to Kicking Horse Mountain Resort for their unwavering support, BUFF Headwear for keeping the Dash going for another year, Live Out There store for superb enthusiasm, and Clif Bar and Hammer Nutrition for fueling the participants and volunteers.
»For reference here’s the original 2014 Dogtooth Dash event page

Friday’s vertical: Thight margins

The new addition to the Dogtooth Dash was an 800 m (2625 feet) vertical race that featured a steep 200 m section sandwiched between rolling and flat terrain.

Marg Fedyna on her winning path.
Marg Fedyna on her winning path.
Gun went off just after 5pm and 24 racers charged from the start line. I was standing at the beginning of the steep section to cheer and brief everyone of what was to come. All racers were grinding and grimacing but everyone appeared to have good times.
In the men’s race, everything was kept very tight all the way up to the finish. At the end, Reiner Thoni managed to get a small gap to secure his vertical national title (in 35:52), but behind him there was an Olympic-like diving finish for second between Nick Elson and Pascal Egli (from Switzerland). After some discussion, even 3 pairs of sharp eyes could not pick one over the other and so we had two second place finishers! Fourth went to a great Canadian trail runner, Adam Campbell, who was trying his luck in skimo this past season. My SkinTrack’s co-author, Eric Carter, finished fifth.
The women’s race started to take shape much earlier as Marg Fedyna used her known climbing abilities well. Mid-way through the steep section she already started to establish a nice gap. Eventually, she took the vertical national title ahead of Lizanne Bussieres and Michelle Roberts who were separated by only 35 sec after a 53 min of climbing! Fourth went to a young Katarina Kuba and fifth to Jean Ann Berkenpas.

Saturday’s individual: Full on ski mountaineering

After taking over the Dogtooth Dash, from the very competent hands of Ian Gale, Eric and I knew the expectations will be high yet we decided to raise the bar for course setting even higher.

The unstoppable train, Reiner Thoni, collected his 5th Canadian individual race title.
The unstoppable train, Reiner Thoni, collected his 5th Canadian individual race title.
With the main 1890 m (6200 feet) course consisting of 6 downhills and 6 climbs – featuring 4 steep descents, 4 boot packs, and about 100 switchbacks – there was no question that technical skills will play as big of a role as conditioning.
With such a course, the single biggest challenge for us organizers was to keep all skin tracks and boot packs well set and marked. At the end we managed to pull it off!
With the traditional downhill start and not very long first climb the men’s race stayed quite close. Gaps started to appear on the second climb (the biggest of the day) when Reiner Thoni began to turn the screws and Nick Elson started to find himself in no-man’s land between Reiner and a group consisting of Eric Carter, Ben Parsons and trailing Travis Brown and Pascal Egli.
Very similar scenario was playing out in the women’s race as well when none of the girls were establishing significant gaps. This started to change on the third (and the most technical) climb where by the top Michelle Roberts was leading Katarina Kuba (only 19 years old) by about 4 min who managed to establish the same gap to Kylee Ohler by this point.
As all the top racers managed to take good care of their skins and fueling the order didn’t change. However, Ben and Eric had a great sprint battle with the later eventually snatching the third – a nice reward for all the organizational work.
On the Enduro course (about 800 m or 2625 f), the race for junior’s national title (under 20) played out with Brinton Wolever (16) taking the gold just in front of Tyler Gillson (19). Brinton’s brother Riley Wolever (16) took bronze a bit further behind the two. All three are new to skimo so we hope they like it and will stick around.

Full results

Below is a PDF with results, however, for an unexplained reason, the times from the vertical race are missing “1h”, thus, affecting all times that were more than 1h.
» 2014 DTD Official Results

Photo gallery

All individual race photos by Malcolm Taylor – thank you!
 
Once again, thank you everyone for coming!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Report and Results: Castle Mountain SkiMo Race – Jan 11th, 2014

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castle-mountain-mapWith the cancellation of COP’s Vert 180, Castle Mountain Resort took the place of the first Canadian skimo race of the season. With significant avalanche danger, the race course was on very limited terrain but given the conditions, organizers were able to pull off a race that satisfied all.
New snow and high winds meant much of the mountain was closed for avalanche control leading the organizers to delay the start to 11:00am, and run the course up the cat track to Haig Ridge and back down to the start again. Competitive class racers completed two laps with recreational racers completing one. Warm temperatures and blowing snow at the base area quickly soaked racers before they climbed into extreme winds high on the ridge (nothing recreational about this race for anyone!).
2014-castle-skimo-race-start

How it all went down

The men’s field was deep with most of the usual suspects in attendance but also some new faces including several accomplished distance racers from the Calgary area as well as several of our neighbours to the South from Montana. Given the remoteness of the ski area, attendance was spectacular. Starting up the low angle groomers, the pace was high until hitting steeper un-groomed snow where Reiner Thoni pulled away only to be seen again when doubling back each lap. The race was on for the remainder of podium spots with several racers struggling with balling skins in the warm weather. As the racers strung out behind, it came down to personal battles with the wind and steep climbs.
My own race went well despite switching skins midway through the first climb. I managed to ski well on the descents, despite blowing snow and stay ahead of Nick Elson giving a good chase, and finished second behind Reiner.
The female race was extremely tight with Marg Fedyna pulling away from the field to take the win. The remaining podium spots were only separated by seconds in an exciting finish as the second through fourth ladies raced the final descent together.
» Full results: 2014 Castle Mountain Race Results
A few racers opted to brave the wind and coastal temperatures and ride the lifts after the race while most headed for warm showers and back to race HQ for food and prizes. Organizers provided a good spread of snacks and beer and gave out a big stack of prizes from sponsors.
Also of note was the Castle Mountain Lodge. Our group from the Coast teamed up for a room but a few racers who didn’t reserve space ahead of time were turned away from a full house. While it feels like the middle of nowhere, the hostel was full so next year make sure to book a room ahead of time. The rooms were tight but clean and comfortable and situated 30 seconds from the race start line. The hostel was quiet in the evening, had a decent kitchen, and best of all showers that we were allowed to use after the race.

2014-castle-skimo-race-podium
Left to right: men’s podium – Eric Carter, Reiner Thoni, Nick Elson, and women’s – Kate Kuba, Marg Fedyna, Kylee Ohler.

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

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

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

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

2. Mount Rainier FKT – by Jason and Andy Dorais

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

3. Steep descents in Coast Mountains – by Tevor Hunt

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eye candy

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

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

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

North Americans win the Atomic Waymaker 2013: Interview about their experience with this new format of ski mountaineering racing

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Big congrats to a team of three North Americans that won the first ever Atomic Waymaker challenge that took place over the weekend of April 6-7, 2013.
Reiner Thoni, Andrew McNab (both Canada), and Mark Smiley (US) named their team The United States of Canada  and went to take on nasty weather and other seven teams.

Reiner, Mark and Andrew with the big cheque!
Reiner, Mark and Andrew with the big cheque!

Atomic Waymaker – atomic what?

Before we dive into the interview let’s define what the Waymaker did and what it didn’t aimed to be.
“The aim of the Waymaker is a perfect ski touring day” – claimed the official website. The format was refreshingly new.
It was a two day backcountry ski touring competition very different to any skimo race before.
Eight teams of three were let to tour freely within a predefined area. Each team submitted their own route plan, which they were expected to stick to, unless unpredictable conditions would render the route too dangerous.
The winning team was determined by a jury that assessed each team’s performance based on the following criteria:

  • Skiing – descent
  • Touring – ascent
  • Mountaineering – climbing
  • Data
  • Overall route

» For more details on how the Waymaker worked see this document – Atomic Waymaker 2013 rules and regulations (PDF).
And what Waymaker wasn’t?
The Waymaker was not a timed mass start race where the first guy/team across the line won. The route was not marked and there really were no check-points.

Interview with the winning team – Reiner, Mark and Andrew

Q: Only eight teams were going to be accepted to participate in this first ever Waymaker. How did you guys get in?
We applied with a short resume about our skimo racing and general ski mountaineering experience, as well as why we felt we would be good for the event.
Q: Where did this first edition take place? How big was the area where all teams were let to roam freely?
It was in the Dachstein region of Austria.  The area of the competition for day 1 went from the Odensee Lake in the east, then across the Dachstein Plateau to the Krippenstein Lodge.
Day 2 went from the Lodge into the peaks of the Dachstein and then out to Gosausee Lake to the west.
atomic-waymaker-fixed-rope
Q: It was a two day event. Were you sleeping in the backcountry or in a village?
On the night of day 1 we stayed at the Krippenstein Lodge at 2100m. The other nights we stayed at the sports complex in Obertarun.
Q: Did each team submit two routes (one for each day) or more?
One for each day with the ability to change the route depending on conditions.
On the Friday before the race we had to submit our plans for both days, but were able to change them in the field if we felt the conditions were not safe or if we did not think we were going to make it in time.
Q: Could your planned route be as gnarly as you wanted or the organizer had some input in that?
We could plan as gnarly of a route as we wanted, but points would be docked for taking excessive risks beyond a teams ability levels.  So it was not in your favour to go for anything too ridiculous.
On the Friday, we had to submit our route plans to the judges/organizers for review, if they felt that things were too risky they could say so and suggest changes.
waymaker-on-the-ridge
Q: Did you choose your route only based on a map or did you get to know the area before?
For the few weeks leading up to the event we spent sometime looking at the area on Goggle Earth, as well on a topo map, which gave us a general idea of what the area looked like.
We came over to Austria on the Monday before the event and then spent the 3 days leading up to the event exploring the area as best as we could.
For the first 2 days we had very poor weather and could not see very much. But we gathered as much intelligence as we could and were able to come up with a pretty good game plan for day one, which was in the mellow terrain of the Dachstein Plateau.
We got lucky on our third day of recon. We had blue bird conditions and were able to get out into the Dachstein Peaks, which was awesome!  That really made the difference for us because we were able to find some really sweet lines and able to put together a good plan for the second day.
Q: What did you feel were your strengths compare to other teams?
We felt that between the 3 of us we had a very diverse skill set.  From strong being skimo racers to strong alpinists, all with solid endurance and good photography/story telling skills, and great passion for adventuring in the mountains.
We also spent a lot of time leading up to the event studying all the documents the organization had sent us, so that when it came time for us to do recon we knew what were looking for in terms of meeting all the outline judges’ criteria.
Q: What gear did you choose to complete your planned route with? Skimo race gear or other?
There was a mandatory gear list. We also then chose gear that we felt would make our team the most efficient at accomplishing the criteria the judges were looking for, as well as for moving the most efficiently through the mountains.
Mark and Reiner were on race skis to gain the advantage of efficient travel. Andrew was on a wider ski which worked well for trail breaking and for being able to ski strong which helped for photos.
Overall we tried to run as lite as we could and split the team gear the most efficiently to get the job done.
Q: Did organizers equip you with any other gear or tracking devices?
Yes, the organizations gave us:

  • 2 radios
  • 2 SPOT transmitters for emergency use
  • 2 Android phones with GPS tracking apps running which transmitted out location to the live tracking software
  • 1 Sony smart phone for taking pictures that was also linked to the GPS tracking app, so that we could up load our photos while we were racing to the live GPS tracking system

The photos that we took were used by the judges to evaluate our route and the lines that we choose, i.e. looking at the snow conditions and technical skills used.
The photos were a very important part of the competition for they are what told our story of the day.  The more creative and better the photos were the easier it was for the judges to understand our idea of what our “ideal” day of skiing touring was.
On day 1 we were also given 3 Go-Pro cameras and on day 2 we had 2 Go-Pro cameras.  They were for capturing images for the film crew to use in the video that they are going to make of the event.
We were also all give a Sunnto Ambit GPS watch, which was also used to track our movements in the mountains.

Waymaker jury closely following each team in real time.
Waymaker jury closely following each team in real time.
Q: Did speed matter as well for the overall rankings or the jury wasn’t taking that into account much?
Distance and elevation gain was one of the 5 points that the judges looked at, but was not the most important aspect.

Day 1

Q: How was the start? All teams together but each running in their own direction?
The start was done in 1 min intervals. 6 teams went a similar way, up the first climb. We went a different route, up through the trees, but all ending up at the same first high point, and then we all went off into different directions again.

Team United States of Canada climbing strong on day 1.
Team United States of Canada climbing strong on day 1.
Q: After couple of sunny days some nasty weather came in for the first day of the Waymaker. How was your navigation? Did you have a designated navigator or all of you were involved?
We were all involved in the navigating and the route planning.  We had 2 GPSes of our own (one of which was a Google Earth based system) as well as a 1:25,000 topo map of the area.
At times the navigating was very challenging because the terrain was rather rolling and undulating, with lots of little gullies and large winded features. Trying to navigate through this terrain with anywhere from 5 to 50 feet visibility was very challenging and rather draining.
Q: Approximately, how many kilometers and vertical metres did you travel on day 1?
About 30 km and 3100 m in 8.5 hours.
Q: How many ascents and descents did you do? Any steep or technical passages?
Five main descents and 6 climbs.  The second last climb was done up a fixed rope section on the Damuelkogel Peak, every team had to do this route in their day.
Mark on the fixed rope climb.
Mark on the fixed rope climb.
Q: What were the biggest challenges you faced during day 1?
Whiteout navigation. All the rest went pretty smooth.

Day 2

Q: Due to bad weather the Waymaker got terminated after few hours into day two. What were the weather and snow conditions like?
The race was cancelled after 6 hours of racing because on the final descent the visibility was approx. 1 metre and the snow was getting too warm and unsafe.
Q: How far did you get on your route that day?
We got over half way through our planned route.  We had attained our main objective, and were en-route to climb the main peak of the region when we were turned around 200 m from the summit.
Q: How did the termination work out with 8 teams out there? Were you picked up or they told you were to go?
We were told by radio that the race was over and that we were to return to the Krippenstein Lodge, where we had started that morning.

What did you think of the Waymaker?

Q: You pulled off a massive feat by winning it. Did you think you will be in the mix or was it a complete surprise?
We went into the event with the plan to have a good time and give it our all, with no real expectations or personal pressure.
Being that it is a judged event and a brand new format in a mountain region that we were not that familiar with it was pretty hard to tell, really, how it was going to all pan out.
Q: Going through it all (pre-race meeting, route planning, going out there…), what do you think of the Waymaker format and overall experience?
It’s a good format and worthy of replicating.  It felt like a good nature progression of the sport.
Q: Would you return?
For sure!
waymaker-team-climbing
Q: Obviously, the free use of terrain is very exciting; however, that severely restricts the number of participants. Because of that, do you think this format of “racing” is tough to grow? What is the real goal of the Waymaker?
By being a restricted entry it makes for a more elite field of competition, so that will help it grow.
Part of the reason for the Waymaker was to help bring the Atomic brand more into the backcounrty touring market and to create a new way to showcase the sport of ski mountaineering/backcountry skiing.  It has a lot more potential for media growth and exposure than a typical skimo race.
Q: Was there a sign-up fee or the big sponsors paid the bill?
Sponsors paid the bill.  Everything was covered. It was awesome; they took really good care of us, with great food and accommodation.  All the organizers were super friendly and welcoming.
Q: North America has amazing terrain for such event. Do you think the Euros might bring it here? Or should we attempt something similar on our own?
The organizers have dreams to hold this event again and would like to have it in different locations each year.  North America definitely has the terrain for such an event but it might be a lot more of a challenge to have it in NA due to litigation issues.
As well there is a lot more infrastructure in the mountains of Europe, which makes hosting of such an event a lot easier.
Q: Can’t end this without asking about Kilian Jornet who participated in one of the teams. He is The face for a lot of Atomic and Suunto advertising, two big sponsors of the Waymaker. Do you know, was it his idea for such an event?
The original idea for the event came from Heli Putz, whom was the head judge/chief organizer, as well as from Patrick Tritscher, who is the main man of marketing for Atomic.

Kilian Jornet with his teammates on day 1 of Waymaker.
Kilian Jornet with his teammates on day 1 of Waymaker.
Q: Another big sponsors were Artic Cat and Red Bull. Did they make you ride sleds and drink vodka fueled Red Bulls?
No sled rides but as many Red Bulls as you could handle.
Q: Do you think that such a format requires a much bigger organizational undertaking than a skimo race?
The overall costs of an event such as the Waymaker (therefore the organization of sponsorship and funding sources) are probably larger than a typical skimo race.
The organization of the event itself is probably at the same level of a skimo race. Because in a skimo race you need to have people setting a track and out on course to ensure that racers are staying on a course.  In the Waymaker, the only real reason that there were people on course was for media i.e. photo/cinematographers.

Would you try the Waymaker format?

Thank you for making it all the way here.
And what do you think of this new “racing” format for ski mountaineering / ski touring competition? Leave your opinion in the comments below.

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

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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!

Transcript from a live Twitter interview with Reiner Thoni (North American ski mountaineering champion)

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The following is a transcript from a live interview we did (@Skintrack) with Reiner Thoni (@ReinerThoni) on February 20, 2012 using Twitter. It was a great 2h session with about 20 people listening in.
Couple of questions came also from our audience (Skintrack’s Twitter followers) by which they qualified for a draw to win two light avalanche shovels. The winners were announced a day later, see at the very bottom of this page.
Reiner Thoni interviewHow to read the interview:
1. Text in bold are questions either from Skintrack or posted by us that people wanted us to ask.
2. Reiner’s answers are all in normal text, sometimes preceded with @ReinerThoni (his Twitter handle).
3. Italic text are our comments or additions to Reiner’s answers. They are sometimes preceded with @Skintrack (our Twitter handle).

Background questions

Q: You are 27, when did you start backcountry skiing?
I have early childhood memories of touring into huts. However it wasn’t until after adolescents that it became a regular part of my life.
Q: At what age did you start ski mountaineering racing?
At the age of 21 Mr. Ian Gale introduced me to the inaugural Sunshine 5000. Life hasn’t been the same since… 😉
Mr. Ian Gale is @goldenskimo – http://goldenskimo.wordpress.com
Q: What were your first racing experiences like? What did you think of the sport?
Moving through the mountains fast was exhilarating it was the fuel. @greghill2mil handed me race skis + inspiration that was the spark.
Greg Hill is @greghill2mil – http://www.greghill.ca

Reiner Thoni racing in Andorra skimo World Champs 2010.
Only learning yet already strong. Racing the vertical at World Champs in Andorra 2010.
Q: Did you compete in any other sport before skimo racing?
Growing up in Jasper National park we didn’t have many organized sports, just racing each other through the bush and building forts. 🙂
Q: Which race in last 2-3 years challenged you the most or who? And why?
Depends on the day but Brendon French (former American skimo champion) has put on the most hurt. @slukenelson and Andrew McNab are also guilty of that. The Pierra Menta in 2011.
Luke Nelson (American skimo team member) is @slukenelson.
Q: You greatly listen to your body and mind. Do you follow any training plans?
I let my body and mind dictate my plan. I have written things down in the past but no more. Learning to eliminate unnecessary stress is key!
@Skintrack: I like that a lot 🙂

About Reiner’s diet

Q: You are a lifelong vegan, looks like it suits you well. Is your family completely vegan too?
My dad and I are the diehards although we all like to eat a healthy balanced diet.
Q: What is your usual pre-race breakfast? I saw you eat a bowl of quinoa for breakfast when racing at World Champs in Italy last year.
Oatmeal or Quinoa with some fruit, peanut butter and hemp or Chia seeds. mmmmm POWER FOOD 🙂
Oatmeal is my usual though.
Q: Reiner, until about a year ago you did not drink or ate anything during races. How did you do it?
In my mind I would normally go without food or water for 3 hours so why any different on race day. Ignorance is bliss.
Q: Do you bring any drink or food now?
I went full circle from nothing to salad dressing jars full of date goop to now a gel of natural honey with 300-500ml water + rock salt.
Q: Have you ever used any food or sport supplements? Whether for racing or just skiing?
Mother Nature seems to work in harmony. Isolating things causes problems. The extra money on organic food is a much better option.
Fresh varieties of local organic fruits, veggies, seeds, grains, nuts, mixed with creativity and love are the corner stones to a healthy diet.
Q: You seem to have a lower maximum and racing heart rate than most. Could this be due to your diet? Or do you have a theory?
@Skintrack: Don’t be mistaken if it seems like Reiner attended some seminar on vegan diet and mind control, he lives this way since a small boy.
I feel the rate is genetically determined, however, the quality of what you are pumping makes a big difference in how the engine preforms.

Questions from our Twitter followers

@slukenelson asks: Does Reiner’s homebrew gel concoction contain some type of doping agent? 🙂 (I think that’s his secret to success)
@ReinerThoni: Not sure if the Euros would approve but date goop and honey seems legal enough 😉
@Skintrack: I think it is the love with which he prepares the 300ml of H2O with honey before each race :))
@JeremyRietmann asks: How does race time correlate to gear weight? If you drop 20% in gear weight, what % faster you expect to go?
@ReinerThoni: I have done experiments with different gear on a controlled hill. I found over a 40 min climb losing 400 gram per foot saved about 50 sec.
Articulation of the boot plays a role as well as steepness but moving from 1kg boots to a 0.5 kg PG I would expect around 2% improvement..
@Skintrack: Jeremy, there likely is a difference between dropping 400g from 3kg vs from 1.5kg.
Reiner, I would agree on those 2%, which is 1min 12 sec over an hour of climbing.
@NiallGCanada asks: What training tips do you recommend for guys that live in a city (Calgary) and have limited access to the mountains?
@ReinerThoni: When the environment doesn’t invite you to play I think it’s important to be creative and find something to motivate you. Challenges work!
See how fast you can make it up that hill or to that post. Bringing a dog helps change the perspective they find pleasure in the darkest places.
@Skintrack: Niall, doesn’t have to be specific (gym, run). Try to find every week a great challenge, after some time you will have a library of sessions.
@AndrewJPinfold asks: To win the NorthAm champs what kind of VAM/hr were you doing on the climbs?
@Skintrack: It likely was around1100m/hr. Hard to compare to cycling though because of very varied terrain (and quality of tracks) in skimo races.
The best (@kilianj) did 3000m race on groom-ish runs (controlled environment) in 2h17m. About 1h50m was for going up, so 3000m in 1h50m :))
If you wonder what VAM/hr is, then it’s what skimo world calls “vertical speed”.
For full Wikipedia definition see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velocity_Ascended,_Metres_per_hour

Continuing after the readers’ questions

Reiner Thoni powder skiing.
Enjoying some great powder around his beloved Valemount, BC.
Q: You skied Mount Robson with your brother in September. Was this the 2nd descent of Robson? Was it the same route as the 1st descent?
There isn’t much record keeping but I know of 2 other occasions that it was skied from top to bottom. We did a similar descent as the 1st.
For more info see my blog –  http://theoutsideout.blogspot.com/2011/09/robson-skimountaineering.html
Q: You skied Robson on skimo racing Trab skis and Pierre Gignoux carbon racing boots. Did you question this light equipment choice at any point?
Originally, I was nervous but with a year of hard skiing on it I felt comfortable after double checking all the rivets and leavers.
Q: Back to racing questions: You (and I) recommend more people to try skimo racing. What good reasons can you provide?
It’s a gate way to moving light and fast in the mountains, inspiring you to train and learn the fastest possible way. Amazing people…
Q: You are a big competitor but friendly as hell 🙂 quite a happy guy no matter what. What is your philosophy that always keeps you smiling?
I try to keep things in perspective and not get caught up in small stuff. We are the creators of our thoughts and we have control over this.
Q: Besides bigger engines, what do you think North Americans are lacking to start placing in top 10 or top 20 at world level skimo races?
The major thing we lack is the support that the European nations get from both their communities and government. It’s like hockey over there!
@Skintrack: Well, we are building the community right now 🙂
Q: What mountain/sporting/athletic performance do you really dig? Or whom?
Tooshay 🙂
@Skintrack: Prince Albert steering the bobsleigh down the Salt Lake City track? :))
I dig what @kilianj is doing right now in both Ultra running and Skimo racing. Following his heart, I think that’s inspiration for us all.
Kilian Jornet (currently the fastest skimo racing athlete in the world) is @kilianj.
@DavidDornian asks: Is it productive to train transitions or is a little practice now and then enough?
You can even do it inside on cardboard if there isn’t any white stuff outside.
@Skintrack: At first, quantity helps to improve quality but later on occasional brushing should be
@Skintrack: I once read that “excellence is not a skill, but practicing one skill until becomes second nature is.”

Snow shovel winners

@Skintrack tweeted a day later:
Snow shovel winners from last night’s interview with @ReinerThoni are @JeremyRietmann and @AndrewJPinfold, will contact you for your shipping addresses.

Did you like the interview?

We got a great response on the interview from our Twitter followers.
What do you think? Should we do more of these? What questions you want us to ask in the future?

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

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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

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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.

Live Twitter interview with Reiner Thoni at 7pm Sunday, Feb 19

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Update (Feb 20):
Big thanks to everyone for following or participating in the interview with Reiner last night. A transcript of a shorter version from this session will be posted on Skintrack in couple of days.
Prize winners – the two guys that will get the light snow shovels for submitting a question are @JeremyRietmann and @AndrewJPinfold.
Listen in and learn with the fastest skimo man in North America.
+ Tweet us your questions and win a prize. See how to participate below.

Reiner Thoni racing in Andorra skimo World Champs 2010.
Only learning yet already strong. Racing the vertical at World Champs in Andorra 2010.
This will be a nontraditional interview taking place on Twitter – each question must fit within one tweet and be such that Reiner can answer within two tweets max 😉

When

On Twitter starting at 7pm PST on Sunday, Feb 19, 2012.
7pm Pacific Time => 8pm Mountain Time and 10pm Eastern Time.

Why you should definitely follow this

By following the tweet interview you will get some great tips and learn about Reiner as well.
Besides the fact that he is the fastest ski mountaineering racer in North America – won the Canadian and US Championships the last two years – he is a much more interesting character than that.
» Previous racing 101 with Reiner – Video ski mountaineering transitions.

Reiner Thoni powder skiing.
Enjoying great powder around his beloved Valemount, BC.
Now we will talk about:

  • being fast in the mountains
  • skimo racing
  • food and diet since Reiner is a life-long vegan
  • his interesting and sometimes amusing life style
  • some of his adventurous mountain missions

How can you participate + win a prize

  1. Sign up to follow Skintrack on Twitter now. Already a follower? Then just read below.

  2. Tweet us (@skintrack) your questions before Sunday 6pm – hour before we start.
    4 basic rules:
    – send in your tweet (question) with @skintrack at the beginning
    – each question must fit within one tweet which is actually no problem (140 characters long)
    – answers will be maximum two tweets long, be creative and ask questions that can be answered in 280 characters 😉
    – longer questions or those that require a longer response will be answered later on this page
  3. Win a prize – by following @skintrack on Twitter and tweeting us your questions two people will win a light snow shovel that is suitable for fast mountain missions and even fits in tiny skimo racing backpacks – Ortovox Economic I snow shovel.
    The winners will be chosen by Reiner and Skintrack based on the “most creative short and sweet question”.
Ortovox economic snow shovel
Two people will win one of these shovels. Shipping within continental North America is on us.

Canadian Ski Mountaineering Racing Championships – Golden, BC

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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