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Stano Faban

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

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

The race the strongest man won

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

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

Full results

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

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

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

Randonnee Rally quick facts

Schedule:

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

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

Alpental VertFest 2012 skimo race report

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This is a very nicely written personal race report from only a junior racer Katarina Kuba – she regularly races the Canadian series and decided to check out Alpental this year.
Before you dive in I want to say that Alpental’s skimo race is a great one to attend. It was my first race in North America and I visited couple of times but couldn’t make the schedule work in the past few. Since then it grew into a festival style event with demos and clinics. The attendance swell to 160 last Saturday!
Full results: 2012 VertFest results

Alpental skimo race: Katarina’s experience

The Outdoor Research VertFest skimo race held at Alpental, Washington last Saturday drew in about 160 people! With snow at our face we lined up in rows of four, and began the untracked ascent with roughly half a meter of fresh snow for a few hundred meters.
I started off in the second row, unfortunately after a few glides my ski fell off leaving me to be the leftover of the herd. Then I managed to put myself somewhere in the middle of the crowd where I remained too comfortably for the entire duration of the ascent.
Soon after the frantic start run the race merged to a single track which I found to be too soon, not allowing the crowd to spread out gradually. We would actually stop as people worked at their switchbacks and transitions.
Footholds for the boot pack’s held well and I did not find any trouble with it, except for the fear that skis carried on the shoulders of some skiers would fall on me. There were double tracks at times to pass but not enough if you are within the crowd for you would have to merge back in again.
The downhill was better, not nearly as crowded but a bit tricky. Wind blew the snow off the moguls exposing ice on one side and leaving a meter of snow on other, but mostly great conditions. On the descent, the flagging was clear enough and the cheery volunteers were directing us on the hard turns.
The race was great overall but I need much more deep snow skiing practice and aggressiveness to budge through the crowd 😉
It was a great experience and I enjoyed this race a lot. Now, I want to come back with a lesson learned – You gotta give it all you got at the start to not be able to pose for pictures.
Photos are published with a permission from Martin Carnogursky, a junior skimo racer himself.

At the start. Can you count 320 legs? 😉
Merging into the track after the frantic run off the start.

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

First skimo racing clinic took place in Nelson on Feb 4-5, 2012

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Last weekend saw a go at the first ski mountaineering racing clinic organized in Nelson by skimo enthusiast Scott Jeffery. All involved had great time and learnt something new. (I was supposed to be part of it as well – as an instructor – but a nasty virus put in me in bed for couple of days just as I wanted to leave for Nelson.)

The skimo clinic

The skimo clinic took place on two days, Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.
There were 9 people at the discussion on Saturday night where Scott presented on the history of skimo and gave a background into the North American recreational racing scene. There was also Cam Shute, binding engineer for G3, to present on Tech bindings and equipment, as well as Rob Stojanowski, ROAM shop owner, talked about the latest offerings from Dynafit.
“Sunday afternoon skills session saw 4 skiers join me in perfect bluebird conditions for group laps of a 500 vertical foot, 1.5 km loop in the Upper Powder Keg area of Whitewater,” reported Scott and continued:”The skiing on the Northeast aspect was deep and perfect!”
The clinic saw attend a 14 year old Owen Thurston who had a great time and didn’t even hesitated to climb up 50 degree boot pack. This is truly great to see that Nelson, and Canada, have such skimo enthusiastic youth.
Here are couple of great photos from the training session snapped by Scott Jeffery:
ski mountaineering racing clinic in Nelson
skimo racing clinic in Nelson
ski mountaineering racing clinic in Nelson

Dogtooth Dash and Canadian rando skimo racing champs – Feb 11-12, 2012

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This year, Canada’s finest skimo racing event – the Dogtooth Dash – was moved to earlier dates on the calendar compared to previous three years.

$50 entry fee gives you for 2 days of racing and lift tickets!

The racing and fun will spread over two days and will visit every corner of the Kicking Horse Mountain Resort (KHMR) – located about 20min drive from Golden, BC.

Saturday – Feb 11

This is the day when the national champions will be decided by racing over the longest and most challenging course. If you want to easy into skimo racing on a less demanding course then you have another two to choose from:

  • Rec (2000 ft of vertical gain)
  • Enduro (4000 ft)
  • Elite (6000 ft) – the championship race
» First timers might want to check out this article – 6 tips to get you ready for your first skimo race.

Enthusiasm for skimo racing and its organization at KHMR is amazing so you are guaranteed to enjoy every minute of the event no matter what course you end up doing.

Sunday – Feb 12

This is a fun event raced in relay teams of 2, 3 or 4 people on a short loop course. But make no mistake, the course has all technical aspects of ski mountaineering racing in it but packed in about 12min 😉

Online registration and more info

» Online registration is waiting for you. Make sure to talk to your friends about it too.
» More details about the race courses and the event’s schedule can be found here – Dogtooth Dash website.

Last year’s Dogtooth Dash

2012 North American Rando Ski Mountaineering Championships in Crested Butte

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

Sprint race – day 1

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

Individual race – day 2

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

NA rando skimo racing is full-on the next 2 weeks

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Starting tomorrow there is some great skimo racing awaiting all North American athletes. With important upcoming races in NA and Europe the skimo season is in a full swing.
These are the 4 events to watch or join:

  • Jan 27-29 – NA Skimo Championships in Crested Butte, CO
  • Jan 28-29 – Two rounds of Austria Skitour Cup
  • Feb 5-9 – European Skimo Champs
  • Feb 11-12 – Canadian Skimo Champs in Golden, BC

North American Ski Mountaineering Championships

Jan 27-29 in Crested Butte, Colorado
Following the championship formats of Euro and World races the action will begin with a short sprint then continue on the next day with a very challenging individual course. Notably, two or three super fast Italians are coming over – Manfred Reichegger, Lorenzo Holzknecht…
Who’s coming
Beside the Italians there will be other very fast NA racers. For US, all fast guns should be there – Luke Nelson, Sari Anderson, Pete Swenson,  too many to name. Canadians will be represented by current NA champ Reiner Thoni, Melanie Bernier (check out her prep for this race), Ian Gale, Julie Matteau, Andrew McNab, Jeff Colvin and maybe some more.
More info: http://www.ussma.org/race/cosmic/2012-01-28/2012-ismf-north-american-championships

Austria Skitour Cup

Jan 28 in Gröbming, Jan 29 in Marria Luggau
These two races are about 200km apart but many racers attend both of them. Just like the Jackson Hole / Grand Targhee combo. Austrians have many great athletes in both men, women and junior categories, and their speed level is somewhere between NA and the lead world skimo nations.
Who’s going
Since I am currently in Europe and flying back to NA on Monday from Austria I decided to jump into these to gain some more experience in highly contested events.
More info: http://www.astc.at

European Ski Mountaineering Championships

Feb 5-9 in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France
In 2010 the ISMF (World Skimo Federation) have decided to alternate the World and Euro Champs every year to avoid a calendar conflict between Winter Olympic games and skimo Worlds. This year it is time for Euros to show off but Canadians managed to negotiate one entry to keep our best athlete in check 😉
Who’s going
Melanie Bernier belongs to a wider group of the World’s fastest skimo girls and so she will line up against the rest of them in the individual, vertical and sprint races. Note that she is competing in NA Champs, then flying out to France, then coming right back for the Canadian Champs. That is true dedication!
More info: http://www.ski-ecrins.com

Dogtooth Dash – Canadian National Ski Mountaineering Championships

Feb 11-12 in Golden, BC
Everyone is welcomed! The best race on the Canadian calendar hands down and likely in the top two for whole NA. On Saturday, you can choose from 3 courses that vary by length and level of difficulty. The 6000 feet one is the championship challenge. Reiner Thoni and Melanie Bernier are looking to defend their multiple titles but others will try to keep them a bit down from the skies 😉
Who’s coming
All Canadian fast and hearty skimo fans will be there. And hopefully the prizes can lure in some speedos from the States too.
More info: Dogtooth Dash and Canadian Champs 2012
Video from last year’s Dogtooth Dash:

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

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

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