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March 1-2 Weekend Skimo Racing Roundup

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World Cup

2WC2This weekend marked the second to last World Cup race of the season at Les Diablerets in Switzerland, dominated by Spaniard Kilian Jornet and Latetia Roux of France. The weekend started with an individual race covering 1850 vertical meters for the men and 1650m for the women. Kilian (ESP) broke away early in the race, chased by Damiano Lenzi (ITA) and William Bon Mardion (FRA).  Unfortunately, while attempting to pass Bon Mardion, the Italian crashed with a tree and was unable to regain 2nd position. Roux (FRA) finished the women’s race solo with Maude Mathys (SUI) and Emily Forsberg (SWE) chasing minutes behind.
2WC1The final vertical event of the World Cup season took place on Sunday and again Jornet and Roux took the top of the podium.  The race climbed 560 vertical meters and was completed in 22min 51sec by Jornet with Roux only requiring an additional 3min. Damiano Lenzi  (as well as Roux) solidified his World Cup win in the vertical specialty with a 5th place finish.
This weekend’s results put Jornet in the leaders position of the overall World Cup but he could still be surpassed in the event of a poor race in the World Cup finals in Tromso, Norway. Jornet had this to say about his weekend:

TODAY’S RACE WAS HARD FOUGHT AND DIFFERENCES WERE MINIMAL. MY ASSESSMENT OF THE WEEKEND IS VERY GOOD AND I ALSO MANAGED TO PUT MYSELF IN TOP POSITION OF THE WORLD CUP RANKINGS. NONETHELESS, THE SCORE DIFFERENCE IS NOT VERY HIGH SO I’LL HAVE TO GIVE EVERYTHING OF MYSELF IN THE FINAL ROUND, WHICH WILL DECIDE THE CHAMPIONSHIP.
-Kilian Jornet to Atomic.com

Again this weekend, no North Americans competed in World Cup events. The final World Cup is scheduled for April in Tromso. Stay tuned!

North America

2P41In the West, all eyes were on the Audi Power of Four race in Aspen, Colorado. Racers in teams of two competed on a 26 mile course, covering 12,000 feet of elevation gain (3000m) in 5hrs 20min for the fastest pair. The race featured a 6:30am start time and 3 to 10 inches of fresh snow on course for the leaders to break through. High winds and low visibility made for difficult conditions to deal with but most of the teams persevered.
Locals John Gaston and Max Taam teamed up to take on the rest of the competitors and Gaston had the following to say about their preparations going into race day:

We knew the wet weather and new snow would definitely play a big factor, and that the race would be effectively neutralized until Highland Bowl. With that in mind, our main goal was to be the first team into Congo trail. A lot of time can be gained or lost there, and there’s absolutely nowhere to pass if someone’s holding you up in front. Then it was just a matter of keeping it pinned up Midnight and really focusing on not blowing up. And of course not breaking any equipment!

Gaston also had the following to say about the course itself:

The course is great. The Highland Bowl/Congo trail descents, as well as the finale down Ajax, are some of the best skiing of any race on the calendar, and really require strong ability. It’s a lot easier to make up two minutes on a descent than two minutes on a climb when they’re that long. The climbs are certainly not the most interesting out there, with a lot of groomers and cat tracks. This is something the Aspen SkiCo is working on every year though and is getter better at. It’s just logistically really tough to route 26 miles of skin tracks. Hopefully in the future the volunteer staff can grow and they’ll be able to work on this.

Gaston and Taam relied on their ability to work as a team, watching over one another’s fuelling and hydration throughout the race.
Scott Simmons and Marshall Thompson pulled into the finish ~13min after Gaston and Taam despite a binding issue, with Brian Smith and Bryan Wickenhauser just  5 min behind them.
» Results HERE
The East Coast contingent competed at Mt. Greylock. Jonathan Shefftz sent us this recap of the racing:
Mount Greylock, in the northwestern corner of Massachusetts, was the site of the first-ever 100-percent backcountry Eastern rando race featuring almost 6,200 feet of vertical for the full course, spread out over three ascents and challenging ski descents on March 2nd.
All three descents included the core of the historical Thunderbolt ski trail plus the Bucket Trail, but the first descent also included the aptly named “Chute” and a ski-friendly portion of the Appalachian Trail (i.e., coming off the summit).  The final descent included a maze of trails back to the trailhead.
This was a separate event from the March 1 Thunderbolt race, a revival of the original 1930s “down mountain” race, although both were supported by the Thunderbolt Ski Runners club and Thunderbolt Ski Patrol.  The March 1 race was essentially a time trial version (i.e., ascent and descent timed separately, as opposed to continuously) of the first lap of the March 2 rando race, so an excellent opportunity to warm up for the rando race and become familiar with the terrain.  Plus although the focus for most participants is the descent, separate prizes are awarded for the fastest ascent and the King and Queen of the Mountain for fastest combined time.
Chris Busch at finishFor the March 1 “down mountain” race, your faithful correspondent was the defending King from 2011, and also the record holder since the 2012 and 2013 races were cancelled.  However, I focused exclusively this year on serving as a member of the Thunderbolt Ski Patrol on race day, so Jerimy Arnold snatched the win.
For the March 2 rando race, Jerimy Arnold once again dominated, although Josh Flanagan surprisingly was fairly close behind.  Surprisingly because Josh had competed the prior day in the Aspen Power of Four, then after logging 12,000 vertical in that race, drove to Denver, slept three or four hours on the plane, and drove two-and-a-half hours the next morning from Boston to Greylock just barely in time for the time.  I filled out the podium for the Eastern Team Hagan.
Nina Silitch was, as always, the fastest woman, and also finished fifth overall despite missing the final turn in the aforementioned maze, resulting in a descent below the finish, and a final skin ascent.
» Results HERE: Results, Greylock 2014

Upcoming Races

The major upcoming race this weekend is the Wasatch Powder Keg at Brighton resort in Utah. One of the jewels on the USSMA calendar, the PowKeg features three days of racing, starting with a Friday night sprint race where racers complete a qualifying round and then the fastest racers continue on to head-to-head rounds. Saturday is a individual distance race followed by a technical teams race on Sunday where racers must compete with a partner and use a harness and equipment to cover technical terrain.
Race Director Chad Brackelsberg is predicting snow throughout this week, ending on Friday when a high pressure ridge should move through the region with the likelihood of sun throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday. It is still up for debate if the sprint race on Friday will be in heavy snowfall or clear weather. Brackelsberg provided the following links to obsess over:

Brackelsberg also asked us to remind all racers that officials will be checking everyone at the race start and finish for mandatory gear. Gear lists can be reviewed on the race website here. Finally, Brackelsberg offered the following predictions for the race outcome:

I predict an extremely tough fight for the Saturday podium.  I think it could be Tom G, Jason D, Reiner T, John G, Max T or anyone from several others.  My top 3 in any order will be Reiner, Tom, and John, but I have no idea in what order.

-Wasatch Powder Keg Race Director Chad Brackelsberg
There will be a strong Canadian contingent in attendance at the Powder Keg including top racer Reiner Thoni. Thoni will be paired with Andrew McNab for the Teams race. As a team Thoni and McNab have raced together on numerous occasions at the Pierra Menta, World Championships and at last year’s Atomic Waymaker event. While Thoni expects to have to work for placing, he is hoping their strong descent skills will work to their advantage.

This year I think both of us have been doing much more powder skiing than racing so the longer race might be better suited to us.  It will be interesting to see how it all plays out, the US guys are looking strong.
-Reiner Thoni

When asked about racing at altitude, Thoni offered the following advice:

The altitude adds to the challenge but with most racing being below 12,000 feet I feel it’s still in a reasonable range from what I’m accustomed to.  I live at 2000 feet but spend a lot of time skiing around 5000-9000 feet so from where I do most of my skiing it doesn’t feel like a huge adjustment.  It seems some times ignorance is a bliss, maybe I will just eat a lot of brussel sprouts 😉

-Reiner Thoni
Stano Faban will be racing with Tim Zander, and Eric Carter and Nick Elson will be teaming up. John Gaston will again pair up with Max Taam and Gaston had this to say about race predictions:

I think it’s going to be a real battle either way, and weather/conditions/powder could play a big role. I see a big battle with a lot of players. Reiner and McNab, Tom, Jason, Marshall, Max. Everyone’s going real well right now.
-John Gaston

It is safe to assume that altitude, duration, weather, and technical ascent and descent skills will all play a major role in the outcome of this race. The women’s race is tough to predict but Canada’s Melanie Bernier will be gunning for a top spot on the sprint podium. In the teams race, Mel will be paired with Lyndsey Meyer and should be expected to compete strongly with Sari Anderson and Stevie Kremer. Mel had this to say about the competition between the Canadian and American women:

I think the US have a good up of strong women. The ranking should be similar to the Jackson Hole Race earlier this year.
-Melanie Bernier

Our East Coast friends have two race options this weekend. SkinTrack correspondent Jonathan Shefftz sent in this preview. The Jay Peak VT and Owl’s Head QC races have been rescheduled from their original January dates.  The Quebec Dynafit rep Jeff Rivest has reinvigorated the race with an entirely new layout for this year.  By contrast, the Owl’s Head is entirely new, and ascends via a new backcountry sector, so this will be a new venue for everyone.
The very strong Equipe Quebec is sure to attend in force, and Team Hagan’s Jerimy Arnold and Josh Flanagan might sally northward to meet them.  (Your faithful correspondent will be unable to attempt to repeat his 2008 win.)  Perhaps Jan Wellford can be convinced to emerge from his Adirondacks redoubt and take a weekend off from Mordic racing to repeat his dominating performance from the February 23 Mad River Valley VT race.
For the women, Nina Silitch is as always the favorite.  Danielle Deguire is probably a bit faster skinning, although still relatively new to skiing, and of course unable to match Nina’s sprint-specialist transitions.  Should be some interesting lead-changing among them, and with Nina fresh from her dozen years in Europe, some interesting French dialogue too!

Feb 15-16 & Feb 22-23 Weekends Skimo Racing Roundup

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It has been a busy couple of weeks at SkinTrack.com with Stano and I travelling to races. So while we missed the weekend roundup last week, here, we are bringing you two weekends worth of race reporting. Enjoy!

International

European Champ Latetia Roux
European Champ Latetia Roux
Start of the European Championships Individual Race
Start of the European Championships Individual Race
World Cup racing action took a break last weekend for the European Championships in Andorra. The weekend started with a vertical event and Robert Antonioli (ITA) and Laetitia Roux (FRA) are the new European Champions.
» Vertical results
Roux continued her domination in the individual race and William Bon Mardion (FRA) stepped up to take the men’s title. Throughout the race, Mardion was trailed by two Italians but he managed to keep ahead using his superior downhill skills on the technically demanding descents. The women’s race was well established in the lead with Roux occasionally looking back to keep an eye on improving Maude Mathys. But the real excitement was the race for bronze among three women, eventually won by Axelle Mollaret who also cinched the Espoir category (under 23).
» Individual results
Vertical race video – it would be great if they didn’t make such fast cuts and showed more long-shot footage.

Individual race:

North America – Feb 15-16 Weekend

Racers climbing the first ascent at Vertfest Alpental
Racers climbing the first ascent at Vertfest Alpental
Another weekend passed without any racing in Canada but a large contingent of Coastal skiers were able to attend the Subaru Vertfest at Alpental Resort in Washington. Marshall Thompson came from Colorado to represent Team Dynafit and won the Men’s race while Holly Davis of Seattle won the Women’s. Here you can read Stano’s more detailed report on the race.
» Alpental Results
Also, the same weekend was the CROWBAR race at Sink Hollow in Utah. The lead group (including Gemma Arro i Ribot leading until a binding breakage on the first descent) took off hard from the gun with Nick Francis taking charge. The race was on for the remainder of the podium places with Chad Brackelsberg powering away from his pursuers on the last climb. In the Women’s race, with Gemma out of the way, Sarah Cookler took the lead and let Emily Brackelsberg and Emily Sullivan battle for second, with Emily B eventually landing on top. Also of note was the 5 Junior racers (13-18 years old) who competed!
Winners of the 214 Crowbar Race
Winners of the 214 Crowbar Race
2nd Chad Brackelsberg had this to say about the race and the course:

The Crowbar is the only 100% backcountry races in the US that I know of.  The organizers decided to step up the race this year adding an additional 1000′ climbing and 2 booters. In the week prior to the race, Logan Canyon received 12″ of snow water equivalent. The course was their best one yet with gradual ridge climbs and moderate tree (often tight) descents.

» Crowbar Results

North America – Feb 22-23 Weekend

There were four big races over the weekend:

Men's and Women's Podium at the ROAM Rando Rally in Nelson
Men’s and Women’s Podium at the ROAM Rando Rally in Nelson
At the ROAM Rando Rally a full contingent of Canadians battled it out in Nelson for spots on the National team due to two race cancellations so far this season. Reiner Thoni – the usual favorite – set a strong pace off the start, not to be seen again until the finish. A major miscommunication between a course official on the second to last descent and a group of chasing racers sent a small group off course, adding extra vertical. Andrew McNab chased hard to get back on course and pulled in to a strong second, out-sprinting Travis Brown from Calgary and Stano Faban. Despite losing the course as well on the last descent, Melanie Bernier won the Women’s race with Michelle Roberts and Marg Fednya rounding out the podium.
L) Reiner Thoni wins the ROAM Rando Rally. R) Ben Parsons - Montana's skinniest fireman - places third in huge upset at fire building competition!
L) Reiner Thoni wins the ROAM Rando Rally. R) Ben Parsons – Montana’s skinniest fireman – places third in huge upset at fire building competition that was one of the festivals Backcountry Olympics.
Also of note is that Ben and Jen Parsons who went on to compete in the full Coldsmoke Powder Fest King of the Mountain competition, finishing 2nd and 4th overall!
» ROAM Rando Rally Results
For The Five Peaks race we received a short and sweet report from Tim Zander. Thank you!

The 5 Peaks race was a cold and windy affair, but not as bad as last year. The turnout was amazing with 132 racers in 66 teams competing. Last year saw 72 racers, over 80% growth. The course was quite enjoyable with three short bootpacks, some good switchback sections, fun descents and plenty of alpine wind exposure. Max Taam and John Gaston took first with an impressive time of 2:35:35. Marshal Thomson and Stevie Kremer came in 3rd overall and 1st for Coed Duo. Annie Gonzales and Jessie Young did quite well in the Womens Duo at 3:10:01.

» Five Peaks Results

Vertfest continued in Oregon at Mt. Bachelor. The race course was a bit unclear beforehand but it looks like the end result was three climbs and descents race with the final climb to the summit crater of Mt. Bachelor. Definitely an interesting race that I will consider in the future! The sun was out for the race, uncharacteristic of Vertfest events! Aaron Talbot and Brandon Kern were the local favourites battling each other to a close finish with Patrick Fink trailing behind to round out the Men’s podium. Molly Grove won the Women’s race with a healthy lead over Hailey Garside and Laurel Manville.
» Bachelor Results

Mad River Valley Rec Category.
Mad River Valley Rec Category.
Mad River Valley in Vermont sported an updated course with some challenging skiing restored on Mount Ellen (via a bootpack and subsequent ski of Upper FIS), and the pointless nordic skate skiing section eliminated at Lincoln Peak.  Total competitor-measured vertical was 4,722’ across 11.4 miles.
Jan Wellford repeated his 2009 and 2013 wins, by the largest margin ever recorded since the race first started in 2006 thanks apparently to a competitive focus on nordic ski racing. Competition  for the rest of the podium was fierce, with Jerimy Arnold battling a very strong Equipe Quebec seeking to repeat its dominance two weeks earlier at the Burke race. Daniele Poirier took third only 19 seconds behind Jerimy, with Philipe Deguire in fourth less than half a minute later.  George Visser (5th) would have been a favorite to win with his new Dynafit-rebranded Pierre Gignoux boots and bindings.  Unfortunately, the release pin broke on one of his toe units during the first ascent. Even with all that, Jerimy, Daniele, Philipe, and George all traded places multiple times in the final course segment, with Jerimy finally benefitting from his course familiarity.
On the women’s side, Manon St-Pierre took first, with Burke winner Danielle de Guire less than half a minute later.  We look forward to more of this strong international competition from our friends across the northern border in future races!
» Mad River Valley Results:
Results- MRV 2014, reformatted
(Thanks to Jonathan Shefftz for his East Coast submission)
Did you race at any of these events? Write a blog post about it or take some pictures? Post up in the comments so we can read your take!

Upcoming Races – Feb 22-23 Weekend

This weekend World Cup racing action resumes in Switzerland at Diablerets with an individual race on March 1st and a vertical race the following day. We have not received word of any North Americans on the start list but will be covering the race regardless.
March 1st marks the Audi Power of Four race in Aspen, Colorado. Expect big guns in attendance and a very challenging race course for all racers. The rest of the continent will be busy preparing for the Wasatch Powder Keg in Utah on March 7th-9th which we will be attending as well.

Feb 8-9 Weekend Skimo Racing Roundup

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World Cup

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

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

North America

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

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

Upcoming Races – Feb 15-16 weekend

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

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

Feb 1-2 Weekend Skimo Racing Roundup and Upcoming Races

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WORLD CUP

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

NORTH AMERICA

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

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

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

UPCOMING RACES – February 8-9 weekend

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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WORLD CUP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-Melanie Bernier

» Vertical Race Results
Vertical race video:

NORTH AMERICA

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

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

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

UPCOMING RACES – February 1-2 weekend

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

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

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

WORLD CUP

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

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

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

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

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

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

NORTH AMERICA

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

UPCOMING RACES – Jan 25-26 weekend

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

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