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No Ski Mountaineering Racing at 2022 Olympic Games? What about 2026?

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skimo_olympic_equation
With 2018 Winter Olympic Games in full swing in PyeongChang in South Korea let’s take a moment to evaluate where skimo racing stands in relation to the Olympic Games.
It has been over a decade since the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF), the world governing body for ski mountaineering racing, have started its formal efforts to push skimo into the Olympics. Such recognition is a big goal for any sport as it traditionally leads to more financial stability within the sport, more business opportunities and other new perks for its athletes and federations.

Latest News – February 2018

Last week, just before the 2018 Games have started, there was an official announcement made by interim International Olympic Committee (IOC) Beijing 2022 Coordination Commission chair Juan Antonio Samaranch, saying: “Beijing has not asked for any new sports on the programme… We are happy with that and will not be proposing any.”
Earlier that week, IOC Sports Director Kit McConnell commented: “I think the gap between popularity and participation and global audiences between the existing seven and any others probably makes that jump to new sports a little bit harder than in summer,” basically suggesting that it will be very difficult for any new sports being added to Winter Olympics while the IOC is definitely looking into adding new disciplines within existing sports.

Ski Mountaineering Racing at the 2020 Youth Olympic Games

One of the desired steps for including ski mountaineering racing in the Olympic Games was to have it appear at the Youth Olympic Games first. While skimo was successfully approved for the 2020 Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland it looks like that decision, for now, had no impact regarding the big Games.
Despite the positive development for skimo in the Youth Olympics, USA won’t be sending any young skimo athletes to the 2020 Games as its Olympic Committee expressed recently that it won’t select athletes in sports that are not already included in the “adult” Olympic Games. For Canadians, there is still a chance the country might send one female and one male skimo athlete to the 2020 Youth Games.

ISMF Recognition by the IOC

Last year, the IOC has officially recognized the ISMF federation which had been seen as particularly huge success by the ISMF as achieving another critical milestone in the whole process.

Skimo at 2026 Olympics?

The host city for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games will be decided in September 2019 while final decisions on new sport inclusions will take place few years later.
We believe that inclusion of ski mountaineering racing will be somewhat dependent on which country hosts the 2026 Games as this will define the extra resources that will need to be deployed by the organizers. Calgary, Canada and Schladming, Austria are among the bidding cities that have very suitable environmental conditions for skimo.
With all that said, we have to ask – Does ski mountaineering racing have a chance to be an Olympic sport by 2026? While the chance definitely exists there are significant headwinds to overcome.
Also, there is perhaps a more important question to answer – Is it good for skimo to become an Olympic sport? Four years after writing this highly debated piece – What if SkiMo becomes an Olympic sport? – I am personally still undecided on a clear answer one way or the other.
What are your thoughts?

Skimo News – Feb 14, 2018: No Skimo at 2022 Olympics, Mike Foote Wins in Whitefish, Kilian Jornet Winning Again

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Skiers in Colorado rejoice to the first snowfall of the season! Meanwhile, in the Canadian Interior, skiers are flocking to the ski areas due to high avi hazard in the backcountry. Us in the Pacific North West are emerging from another storm and frantically applying sunscreen and searching for the sunglasses we didn’t need since summer time.

2022 Olympics Without Ski Mountaineering

Last week, a little bit under the radar, an announcement has been made by the International Olympic Committee that no new sport will be added to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. Three federations that have been recognized by the IOC have been hoping to include some of their disciplines in Olympic Games, these include skimo’s ISMF and ice climbing’s UIAA.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) sports director Kit McConnell claimed innovation at the Winter Games has already been ensured by the addition of new events within existing sports on the program:
“When you look at the innovations we had in Vancouver and Sochi [2010 and 2014 Olympic Winter Games], the winter program was already moving ahead, with not just new sports but new events in existing sports…”

USA and Canada Race News

COSMIC Tellurando – Telluride CO – Feb 10:

A trip to Colorado’s San Juan Mountains are always a treat. The box canyon of Telluride and more specifically the Main Street of Telluride served as the starting line for the 2nd year of the TELLURANDO, thanks to the amazing team at Jagged Edge Mountaineering. The race is a benefit for the Telluride Mountain Club PI Avalanche Foundation.

Lead pack at Tellurando. Photo by Brashear Photo.
Lead pack at Tellurando. Photo by Brashear Photo.
Athletes, including several members of the US Ski Mountaineering Team, began by running down Colorado Avenue at 5.30 AM while the ski town was still asleep. Top teams finished 23 miles and 11,000 feet of vert before a major snow storm, others had to brave the snow squall. At the end, 48 racers were treated to fresh pies and Howitzer shell trophies. National Team member Rory Kelly won the solo event while Max Taam and Scott Simmons teamed up to win the open teams division. On the women’s side, Holly Simmons won the solo category as Maddy Fones and Patricia Franco claimed a win in the teams division.
Also of note was a junior athlete (under 17) Kyle Soukup who finished 4th overall!
> Full Results

Whitefish Whiteout – Whitefish MT – Feb 10:

Ben Parsons on his way to win the 2015 edition on his home mountain.
Ben Parsons on his way to win the 2015 edition on his home mountain.
With a fantastic community behind this event, great course layout, and a full support from Whitefish Mountain Resort, this race is a must do for every skimo athlete. While there have been many that have shaped this event over the years there are two iconic personalities we want to recognize – Josh Knight, the resort’s events manager, and Ben Parsons who had been the magical force behind the local skimo community and have touched many lives beyond that.
On race day, close to 150 racers lined up to tackle a well redesigned race course featuring steep descents, very challenging skinning, two boot-packs, and a final big downhill instead of a finish at the top of the mountain like in the years past. The new changes made the race little longer and improved its flow.
Similar to last year, Mike Foote, US National Skimo Team member and an accomplished trail runner, took off like a bullet to never be seen again. Joel Shehan, one of Whitefish’ finest athletes, surprised everyone and managed to closely follow Mike for a good part of the first half of the race. While these two were running away with the top spots the battle behind them took much longer to settle. At the end, both steadily improving, Andrew Mayer and Jeff Shehan took 3rd and 4th respectively. SkinTrack’s Stano Faban chased up to 6th place after a slow first climb.
In the women’s race, another US National Team member, Michela Adrian, delivered a well paced effort to snatch the win from Chelsee Pummel. Third went to Lizzie English.
One more thing we would like to point your attention to is a successful weekly skimo night series the local community have created. With over 60 participants showing up on average, the five event series takes place in the five weeks leading up to the Whiteout race.
> Full Results

International Race News

It’s been an interesting year for World Cup racing. With a handful of cancelled races and some odd venues, there’s only been one individual event so far! Luckily the snow conditions in the Ecrins mountains in France were ideal for an individual and a vertical event.

Puy St. Vincent World Cup – Ecrins Massif, France – Feb 8-9:

Kilian Jornet (ESP) made his return to racing this weekend after a shoulder surgery this fall, though the Italians continued their domination with Robert Antonioli and Michelle Boscacci taking first and second in the individual event. Axelle Mollaret (FRA) upset the skimo queen Laetitia Roux (FRA) and both were chased by an Italian espoir athlete Alba DeSilvestro.

Marti Werner doing his best to stay with Kilian Jornet.
Werner Marti doing his best to stay with Kilian Jornet. Photo by ISMF.
Kilian managed to climb back to the top of the podium in the vertical event by out-running Swiss vertical specialist Werner Marti and currently the most consistent skimo athlete Michelle Boscacci. The vertical event was a particularly interesting show with athletes finishing at an outright run! Axelle Mollaret swept the World Cup weekend with a second gold in the vertical over Vicky Kreuzer (SUI) and Claudia Galicia (ESP).
John Gaston was the only North American athlete in attendance and finished 16th in the individual and 20th in the vertical.
> Full Results – all disciplines 
> Vertical race video
> Individual race video

Upcoming Events

Looking ahead, on February 24 will be the third race in the North East five-event skimo series – most likely to be a return to the January 20 venue of Berkshire East, given the highly unlikely chances of pulling off a 100% backcountry race at Mount Greylock due to another warm wet period coming up.
We’d also like to point your attention to a brand new event in Squamish, BC. Held entirely in backcountry terrain above the Sea to Sky Gondola, it should be a pretty awesome event. Check it out – www.squamishskimo.com

Skimo News – Feb 1, 2018: 2019 Gear Introductions, World Cup Vertical in Andorra, US Race Reports

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Right now, industry insiders are schmoozing at a plethora of trade shows and new gear leaks continue to entice racers. Instead of visiting the Outdoor Retailer show in US again, we flew over to Munich for ISPO – the biggest winter outdoor gear trade show in the World – as our application for official media accreditation has been successfully approved a few weeks ago.
As for snow conditions, they remain lean in the US Rockies while the Canadian Rockies deal with high avi danger. The Coast Mountains are battered by storms that bring either heavy rain or heavy snow depending on where you are lucky enough to be based.
World Cup skimo racing continues before a short break and the beginning of the Grande Course racing in just a few weeks. Read on for our recap of current racing action!

Women's podium at WC vertical race in Andorra last week. Photo by ISMF.
Women’s podium at WC vertical race in Andorra last week. From left, Victoria Kreuzer in 3rd, Axelle Mollaret in 1st, and Emelie Forsberg in 2nd. For video see lower on the page. Photo by ISMF.

New gear at ISPO Munich

Over the next couple of days, we will publish articles with more detailed info about the new cool gear we found at ISPO. Meanwhile, check out our Instragram and Facebook feeds as we have been posting gear photos there while at the show.

USA and Canada Race News

SkinTrack skimo clinic at Whitefish, MT – Feb 9:

We would like to bring your attention to the clinic we will be teaching the night before the Whitefish Whiteout race. There are only 14 spots available in total and only few are left. All proceeds will go to Ben Parsons’ family fund. We are looking forward to see you there.
» Click here for more details and to register.
– – – – – – – – Now the Race News – – – – – – – –
Racing took place all over the US, including both Coasts and a mini-event at the SIA show in Colorado. We don’t have any firsthand info from the SIA sprints but we do know that Sierra Anderson and Cam Smith took the respective wins and the event overall raised $1000 for the USSMA. Right on!

Loup Loup Skimo Race – Methow Valley, WA – Jan 27:

The below recap was sent in by Sam Naney, race co-director. Thank you!
Conditions for the second-annual Loup Loup Randonee Races couldn’t have been better this year. A blizzard moved in at 2am on race morning and blanketed the course with freshies. This year’s event featured one, two, and three lap race options (~1300’ gain/lap), as well as a new “ultra” race format: the 10,000ft challenge, inspired by four participants last year who vowed to skied 10,000ft every time they adventured together, and continued on after last year’s race.
Race morning was a bit of a scramble with the blizzard ongoing and many racers stuck on the other side of the mountains due to weather. We postponed for 30min before sending the 10k stalwarts off. Thirty-four competitors started off the line ranging from only 17 years old to 74! Moving quickly to the front were several race gear-clad competitors who maintained between 25-30min laps the whole race, an average climb rate of almost 3000’ per hour. Quickly breaking away to the front was young gun Peter Butler and man-about-the-mountains Patrick Fink. Trading leads and seeking every second’s advantage in transitions the two pulled away from the group and by the eighth lap, Peter had gapped Patrick by over a minute. He crossed the line in 3 hours and 18 minutes, barely two minutes ahead of Patrick. Equally dominant in the women’s race, Canadian Marg Fedyna cruised through every lap in style and finished in 4:26, still only six minutes ahead of Seattle-based racer Holly Davis in 4:32.
Beer and quesadillas flowed like wine at the aid station/finish zone and as the sun broke through in the early afternoon the 80s tunes cranked up, the bonfire surged, and racers pushed through cramps, hangries, and skin failures to complete their requisite 10k vertical. At the end of the day we had a 97% finisher rate and an entire hour remaining to ride lifts and close out the area. Keep an eye to CascadeEndurance.com for information on next year’s race!
> Full Results

Burke Mountain (SkimoEast) Race – Vermont – Jan 28:

East Coast athletes converged on Burke Mountain, located in the far northern tip of Vermont, just south of the Canadian border. Light rain the night before followed by freezing temperatures glazed over the entire mountain, turning a steep groomed skintrack segment into an impromptu decide-for-yourself bootpack, adding many slippery moments to an otherwise moderate ungroomed skintrack, and transforming the ungroomed descent into a luge run of semi-controlled high-speed side-slips.
Team USA dominated the podiums. Jen Downing took her third straight win for the year, followed by Whitney Withington and Robyn Anderson. US national team member Ian Clarke repeated his win from last year, Ed Warren repeated his runner-up from last year, and Benoit Simard was Canada’s lone podium member. Antoine Corbeil was the only junior to complete the full course. (Contributed by our East Coast correspondent Jonathan Shefftz)
> Full Results

International Race News

Font Blanca World Cup – Andorra – Jan 3:

The third meeting of the World Cup took place in Andorra this weekend. Font Blanca is a special place for Eric as his very first World Cup to place there.
Unfortunately, the high-mountain nature of the course makes it difficult for organizers to deal with changing weather conditions. As with several previous years, storms created challenging avalanche conditions that caused the organizers to first change the course, and then, minutes before the start of the individual race, cancel altogether.
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The vertical was still contested at Arinsal resort the following day and was won by on-form Anton Palzer (GER) who had struggled in earlier World Cups this season, and Axelle Mollaret (FRA) in the women’s race. It’s worth noting that only a 20-years old Davide Magnini (ITA) finished only 5 seconds behind Palzer, and only lost the race in the very end.
Americans John Gaston and Rory Kelly took full advantage of the high altitude racing and utilized their Colorado acclimatization to help with excellent finishes in 16th and 18th respectively!
> Full Results – men and women

Upcoming Events

Major racing takes a break this weekend both in North America (due to the cancellation of US Nationals in New Mexico) and Europe. Check back next week for a racing preview!

Skimo News – Jan 23, 2018: World Cup in Switzerland, Canadian and US race series continue

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It’s been an interesting week in skimo! Colorado snowpack remains lean, although, Utah has seen a few glimpses of winter.
Meanwhile, the West Coast is getting pounded with Whistler Blackcomb reporting over a meter on the storm board and Mount Baker Ski Area getting overwhelmed too. It’s a good time to make a trip West!
In Europe, parts of Chamonix are being evacuated due to avalanche risk threatening the town as snow and rain continues to blanket the Alps. It will likely be a good year for Haute Route hopefuls!

Start line in Fernie shows that the Canadian scene is getting few more spandex every year.
Start line in Fernie reveals that the Canadian skimo scene is getting few more spandex every year.

USA and Canada Race News

The US Ski Mountaineering Association has been dealing with some frustration lately:
First, US Nationals have been moved from the Taos, New Mexico venue to the Powder Keg in Utah due tolack of snow.
Just days later, an announcement came that the US Olympic Committee would not be selecting any American athletes to compete in the 2020 Youth Olympic Games. Stating that the USOC does not support sports at the Youth Olympic Games level that are not yet Olympic sports. This begs the question, even if ski mountaineering racing is eventually admitted to the Olympic Games, to what qualifying standard will the USOC hold USSMA athletes? It’s likely that a certain World Cup ranking will be required to be selected to the Olympic Team. We should look to Nordic skiing for their criteria.
There is no word yet on how or if the Canadian Olympic Committee will be selecting any Youth Olympic Games athletes for 2020.

Fernie Lizard Skinner – Fernie, BC – Jan 20:

After a two week break, Canadian and Montana athletes met again in Fernie, BC for the Lizard Skinner event that included both an individual and a sprint event. With lot’s of snow and stormy weather in the week leading up to the race, it was bound to be a powdery one.
Peter Knight showed he’s on form and topped the podium above Joel Shehan and Joel Desgreniers. Newcomers, Tyson Smith and Jean-Michel Voyer shook things up skiing with Travis Brown.
Kylee Ohler continued her Canadian scene dominance while Michelle Katchur-Roberts battled with the Montanans Lizzie English and Katie French.

Lori Anne Donald running away with first place in the sprint.
Lori Anne Donald running away with first place in the sprint.
The men’s sprint was competitive with Joel Desgreniers setting the fastest qualifying time but relenting the final title to Peter Knight, with Travis Brown finishing in bronze. Kylee Ohler was notably absent leaving the sprint a wide open affair. Lori Anne Donald took the win and was joined on the podium by Lizzie English and Martha Burley.
> Full results – Individual – 2018-Fernie-Individual-full- results (PDF)
> Full results – Sprint – 2018-Fernie-Sprint-Results (PDF)

Berkshire East Skimo – Berkshire East, MA – Jan 20:

We don’t have a word-by-word recap for you from this race but we do have results.
Men – full course:
1. Edward Warren
2. Jerimy Arnold
3. Josh Flanagan
Women – full course:
1. Jen Downing
2. Natalie Thompson
3. Katie Vadasdi
> Full Results

International Race News

European racing action resumed in Villars, Switzerland this weekend (the location of the 2020 Youth Olympic Games) and was marked by stormy conditions. Unfortunately, after a successful individual event on Saturday, wind and storms brought down trees and power lines preventing the running of the sprint on Sunday.

Skimo Villars World Cup – Villars, SUI – Jan 20:

Four athletes pushed the pace at the start of the men’s race and took control – Michele Boscacci (ITA), Xavier Gachet (FRA), Martin Anthamatten (SUI) and Nadir Maguet (ITA) – with Robert Antonioli (ITA) trailing slightly behind. On the third ascent, Gachet took off and arrived at the top with a small gap. Antonioli and Boscacci chased him to the finish while the other athletes started to fade.
It is worth noting that the top 10 men arrived within 3 minutes behind the first place after almost 2h of racing.

Axelle Mollaret racing to second.
Axelle Mollaret racing to second. ISMF photo.
As usual, Laetitia Roux (FRA) dominated the women’s race with Axelle Mollaret (FRA) in tow. Vicki Kreuzer (SUI) and Alba De Silvestro (ITA) battled to the line with Kreuzer taking the first individual podium of her career.
American athletes John Gaston finished 27th and Rory Kelly finished 42nd.
> Full Results
John Gaston. ISMF photo.
John Gaston. ISMF photo.

Upcoming Events

In the US we have the Loup Loup Rando Race coming up on January 27th. The Loup Loup is a new addition to the domestic calendar and organized in Method Valley by Sam Naney.
In Europe, athletes will transfer over to Andorra for the Font Blanca race. Snow conditions look promising for both the Individual and Vertical events. Expect some of the big names that were shut out of last week’s podium to be looking for revenge. Hopefully the altitude will be to the advantage of Coloradan’s John Gaston and Rory Kelly!

Skimo News – Jan 16, 2018: Finally Racing in Colorado, Boscacci Wins Mountain Attack, East Coast Races, National Champs in Europe, and more…

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The race season is in full swing, though it may not feel like it in the American Rockies, and we have lots of action everywhere!
North American athletes have multiple options for racing each weekend and with good snow coverage in Europe, athletes are getting after it over there as well.
Avalanche conditions in Canada have put a damper on big backcountry missions but new snow and colder temperatures will heal the snow-pack soon! The Pacific Northwest is holding good snow throughout and the East Coast is recovering (rejoicing?) from a major winter storm.

USA and Canada Race News

Sunlight Heathen Challenge – Colorado – Jan 13, 2018:

john-gaston-heathen-challengeFinally a race goes off in Colorado!
The COSMIC organizers pulled it off this weekend by hosting the Heathen Challenge at Sunlight Resort, albeit on a heavily modified and man-made course.
John Gaston is in good form and as usual, finished several minutes ahead of the field. Espoir Cam Smith had a strong showing jumping to the silver position on the podium. In the women’s field, Eva Hagen stayed well clear of National Team members Nikki Larochelle and Michela Adrian.
> Full Results

Trail de Nuit Stoneham – Stoneham, Quebec – Jan 13, 2018:

Report for this race was submitted by Richard Ferron. Thank you!
After an explosive weather cocktail – two days of rain followed by a snowstorm on race day – it was a windy -20C racing evening that the third edition of SkimoEast’s Trail de Nuit Stoneham occurred. This Quebec race is a 3km, 350m+ loop in an hour plus one loop, similar to cyclocross races and, although it is a skimo race, it accepts snowshoes racers and runners.
Even with the tough conditions, 8 juniors participated in the event, the youngest being 8 years old! In the junior skimo category, the honors were won by promising 15 year old Antoine Corbeil with 3 loops in 1:13:38 followed by his 11 year old brother Maxime who did 2 loops.
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In the men’s category, a close fight between Canadian National Development Team member Arnaud Côté-Boisvert and Aiden Lennie finally came to a draw. Both men finished 3 laps and a few seconds after the hour… Not sure they wanted to go for another lap! In third position came David Grenier, a little less than 2 minutes behind.
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Evelyne Gagnon won the day in the women’s category with 2 laps despite skin glue problems.
The next SkimoEast race is Burke Backcountry adventure on January 28th.
> Full Results

International Race News

French Skimo Championships:

Xavier Gachet wins the French individual championships with William Bon Mardion in 2nd and Alexis Sevennec in 3rd.
Laetitia Roux won an incredible 27th French Championship title of her career! Axelle Mollaret takes 2nd in the individual.

Leatitia Roux racing away with the title.
Leatitia Roux racing away with the title.

Swiss Skimo Championships:

Werner Marti wins vertical event.
Unique night format for the individual event went to Werner Marti again. Our good friend, Pascal Egli finished 7th overall.
Ivan Arnold took the sprint over the well-accomplished Martin Anthamatten.
Victoria Kreuzer took double victory over Jennifer Fiechter in vertical and individual championship races!

Mountain Attack – Saalbach, Austria – Jan 12, 2018:

The Italians and Germans were busy with one of the biggest events in skimo and of their season – the 20th edition of Mountain Attack race –  a very cool night ski resort race with 3000m elevation gain in the main category.
Close to 400 athletes lined up for the 3000m course and about the same for the 2000m version.

With eyes on the prize, Michelle Boscacci wins 2018 Mountain Attack. Photo credit - Mountain Attack.
With eyes on the prize, Michele Boscacci wins 2018 Mountain Attack. Photo credit – Mountain Attack.
All the best athletes race the long course and this year, still pretty young Michele Boscacci set a blistering new course record of 2h 18m 57s. However, the second and third, Tadei Pivk and Jakob Herrmann respectively, finished only less than 30 sec behind Boscacci!
A quick calculation reveals that their average climbing speed was around 1560 vertical metres per hour if we subtract 25min for all the descents and transitions. That’s 3000m in less than 2h, on skis!
In the women’s category, the long course win went to Michaela Essl in 3h 1min – average vertical speed of 1240m/h if we subtract 35min for downhills and transitions – followed by Katia Tomatis and Veronika Mayerhofer.
> Full results

Upcoming Events

Racing action in Canada continues this weekend with an individual and sprint event in Fernie, BC. Avalanche conditions have necessitated some course changes but organizers are still promising an exciting event. Remember that the guys over at SkiUphill.ca bring race skis to ever event for YOU to demo! Get in touch if you want to give them a try!
Organizers and racers are sure to have difficult conditions on the East Coast as conditions warm up. Expect a competitive field at one of the biggest races of the season on an exciting course at the Berkshire East!
The next SkimoEast race is Burke Backcountry adventure on January 28th.
The second ISMF World Cup of the season is this weekend in Switzerland. After the relatively non-competitive event in China, this is effectively the first real WC of the season and we hope to see all the big names at the starting line. A few athletes will be tired from last week’s Mountain Attack but expect to see a good battle between the top Italians and the rest of the field!

New Training Plan Release: 8-Week Sprint and Speed Development Training Plan

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While our social media accounts were dormant over the Christmas, we were working hard on finishing our newest 8-week skimo training plan!
Eric and I did lots of thinking in the fall and we decided to create a different kind of a training plan.
Unlike our 12-week Novice and Intermediate plans, that prescribe specific training for each day, with our Sprint and Speed Development Plan you will be able to “plug-and-play” 16 specialized interval and technique workouts into your already existing training. Alternatively, you can design your own weekly schedules around them.
This new plan also features 14 detailed skimo specific strength training workouts to further maximize your speed gains.
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Is this plan only for sprint races?
Why there are no daily workouts?

Originally, we set out to design a training plan specifically for sprint races and follow the traditional format of prescribing daily sessions over a period of weeks.

Regularly including various technical aspects of skimo racing in your workouts is crucial to your improvement.
Regularly including various technical aspects of skimo racing in your workouts is crucial to your improvement.
But we changed our mind half way through the creation process for three reasons as we realized this plan can have much more application than for the pure sprinters.
Reason #1:
20% of workouts create 80% of improvement:
While it’s not enough to train only 2 days a week to keep improving over long period of time, there really are only 2-3 key sessions each week that will deliver you the majority of results.
With that experience in mind, we decided to provide you with two highly detailed key workouts per week, and give you guidelines on how to design the rest of the week around your personal schedule.
You can complete the 16 on-skis workouts in this plan over an 8-week period, and you can keep using them into the future as you will have a “library” of very specific skimo sessions at your disposal.
Reason #2:
Specific and focused training is the most efficient way to improve overall:
Sprint events are the shortest of all skimo disciplines but they are the most difficult to prepare for in order to deliver a consistent performance.
Highly focused workouts, including both intervals and technique, are required as the sprint event packs all aspects of skimo in only a 3-4 min race.
This type of training transfers well into longer races too.
Reason #3:
High-intensity sessions greatly benefit even long distance athletes:
While interval workouts designed around Zone L3 (your anaerobic threshold) are essential to improve performance for longer races – such as individual, vertical and teams race – there is lots of sport science research that proofs mixing them with even higher intensity sessions will be more efficient use of your time.
Your body needs a variety of stress to keep improving if you don’t want to get stuck at a plateau, or when you have limited time to train but still want to progress.

Sample workout from the plan

Intervals: 2x 8min of 30/30sec
Goal & Focus: Leg Speed Turnover and Technique
Terrain: Mostly flat or slight uphill, on-piste
Overall Time: 65 min
Description: Do a 20min warm-up on uphill or flat. This is a fast “30sec on and 30sec off” workout to focus on kick and glide, and high frequency leg turnover. Priority is to maintain good technique and stride through the entire workout. Rest 8-10min between the two sets…

Learn more

To learn more about this newest plan visit 8-Week Skimo Sprint and Speed Development Training Plan.
If you are interested in our Manual For Ski Mountaineering e-book as well as this plan then check out this package page to get a special price.

Our 12-week training plans

Since the release of our 12-week Novice and Intermediate Level skimo training plans, we have been receiving a positive feedback from those that are following them.
If you want daily guidance or want to follow a plan for a longer period of time then learn more about these plans at our skimo training resources page.
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INTERMEDIATE-plan-cover-600x464
 

Skimo News – Jan 10: Colorado cancels again, Stormy race in Vermont, Sprint and Individual at Castle Mountain in Canada…

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Racing action continued in North America on the East Coast and in Alberta, Canada while the Western US continues to struggle with low or no snow conditions.

USA and Canada Race News

Unfortunately the Grand Mesa Challenge, CO was cancelled. On the other side of the country, East Coast athletes were getting slammed with deep snow and cold, stormy conditions.

Magic Mountain Skimo Race, VT – Jan 6, 2018:

Our New England skimo correspondent Jonathan Shefftz checked in with the following race recap:
Fortunately, after some negotiating  ski resort management grudgingly acceded to requests, and thus on January 6 the NE Rando Race Series returned for its ninth time since 2009 to Magic Mountain VT, for the first USSMA-sanctioned race of the season in the East.
The temperature was negative 5F yet winds were light and the sun was shining. Patrol then informed us that the summit temperature was negative 20F and the winds up there were something other than light. The start procedure was modified to minimize time outside: all racers assembled inside the lodge, then once everyone was 100% ready to race, a quick trot to just above the base area led into a ten-second countdown.

Due to strong winds, athletes had to wear face protection even on the climbs.
Due to strong winds, athletes had to wear face protection even on the climbs.
The high winds were fortunately never directly in racers’ faces during the perfectly graded groomed skin track. The descent route briefly turned directly into the highest winds on the mountain, where the windchill was probably around negative 50F. Fortunately the core of the descent after that was relatively protected from the wind, allowing racers to concentrate on a mix of frozen moguls, stiff deep windslab, rocks, roots, cliffs, and convexities. A steep boot-pack of nearly 300’ vertical led back into the steepest section of the descent, which was therefore skied six times.
For Open men, Milan Kubala (of the MountainOps Skimo Race Team), in only his second season of skimo racing crushed the field by a large margin, completing the course in just under an hour and a half. Chris Labosky took second in his first race ever on skimo race gear. Third was a tight race between long-time Series veterans and Team Hagan members Josh Flanagan and Jerimy Arnold, with Josh eventually pulling away when Jerimy slowed down to don an extra layer.
For Open women, Jennifer Downing took the win despite being enrolled full-time at Harvard Business School. Colorado transplant Hannah Lippe took second. For 45+, newcomer Cameron Chalmers took the win, followed by Race Director and Team Hagan Member Jonathan Shefftz, then ski resort race liaison Mike Owens. Asa Chalmers was the U17 winner for a first-ever father-son duo in the NE Rando Race Series.
Looking ahead, Northeastern skimo weekend racing takes a break for the Martin Luther King holiday, except for the continuing Tuesday evening race series at Bolton Valley VT. The tenth annual Berkshire East race is then on January 20 in Western Massachusetts, talking advantage of the resort’s expansion this season to debut a new “touring”-style course that will incorporate elements from prior years.
» Full Results – Magic Mountain Skimo Race 2018
» Race course info

Castle Mountain Skimo Race, AB – Jan 5-6, 2018:

Meanwhile in Canada, temperatures were a tropical -2C for the start of both Saturday’s sprint and Sunday’s individual.
Rock hard conditions made for difficult preparations in the sprint course but organizers persevered and put on an excellent sprint event. Athletes completed a full qualifying sprint and three additional elimination heats for the top group. Kylee Ohler showed her dominance in the Canadian scene with Michelle Roberts and Lori-Ann Donald chasing.
The men’s sprint final was contested between Eric Carter, Mike Foote, Joel Desgraniers, and Peter Knight, finishing in that order. Joel had a smart, tactical start to the race but was overtaken by Carter and Foote in the diamonds and transitions.

Kylee Ohler in the boot-pack atop the first climb.
Kylee Ohler in the boot-pack atop the first climb in the individual race.
Sunday’s individual event saw a skiff of fresh snow and high ridge winds filling in the skin track. The leading athletes found themselves breaking trail on the first big climb. Rockies wind, blasting into the face of athletes booting across the summit made for a somewhat serious ambiance. Snow conditions were better than the previous five editions of the race and both descents provided excellent skiing.
Carter and Foote finished the first climb together with Knight and Desgraniers chasing close behind. Carter opened a gap on the first big descent and held on to ~40sec gap through to the finish. Kylee Ohler led the women’s race from start to finish with Michelle Roberts taking second and Katarina Kuba moving into third near the top of the first climb and consolidating her podium position with fast descents.
Racers were all thinking of fellow athlete Ben Parsons who died tragically in an avalanche one year before. Ben was a frequent competitor on the Canadian Cup and at Castle and is greatly missed.
» Full Results – Castle Ski Mountaineering Race 2018 (we are still waiting for results from the organizers)

Upcoming Events

The COSMIC series is scheduled to continue with the Heathen Challenge but registration has yet to be announced due to snow conditions. Stay tuned to the COSMIC page for more information.
Canadian racing continues in Quebec at Stoneham. The recent storm could provide excellent skiing and an interesting SkimoEast event!
Berkshire East race is coming on January 20.
World Cup racing moves to the classic Font Blanca venue in Andorra where the top athletes will contest a vertical and individual event. No North American athletes are scheduled to attend.

Skimo News – Jan 2: Race Previews and Current Snow Conditions

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No racing action took place over the holiday period in North America or on the World Cup circuit.
In other ski news, Colorado has finally received a bit more snow but the entire US Rockies remain anemic. The Pacific Northwest and Canada are faring better with good snow on the Coast and skiing to be found in the Canadian Rockies. An arctic air front has settled in over much of Canada and parts of the US causing a deep freeze (good luck to the East Coast ski mountaineers!).
Europe seems to be faring well, with deep snow in the Alps. If you are considering a Grand Tour skimo event, or hop over just for a vacation, this just might be the deep snow year to do it!

Photo from our touring day earlier in December. Good snow conditions are continuing in the west parts of Canada.
Photo from our touring day earlier in December. Good snow conditions are continuing in the west parts of Canada.

Upcoming Events

ISPO Munich, Germany – Jan 28-31, 2018:
This year we are going to Munich to visit the biggest outdoor show on the planet. Just like the Outdoor Retailer in US (but many times bigger), we are going there to get a preview of all the 2019 ski mountaineering gear so we can share it with you.
COSMIC Grand Mesa Grind at Powderhorn, CO – Jan 6, 2018:
The COSMIC series is scheduled to continue at Powderhorn Resort with one of the more backcountry feeling races of the series, however, snow conditions are proving difficult. Organizers remain in a holding pattern and will keep us posted!
More info at: http://www.cosmicski.com/event/powderhorn
Magic Mountain Skimo Race, VT – Jan 6, 2018:
The Eastern US skimo race season kicks off on January 6 in Vermont at Magic Mountain, the first of the five USSMA-sanctioned races of the NE Rando Race Series.
Total vertical will top out at around 5,100 feet via three cycles of a circuit comprising a very efficient skin track from base to summit, leading to a partial ski descent, followed by a short steep boot-pack, and finally picking up the prior ski descent back down to the base. The skiing will be almost entirely steep moguls, and adding to the challenge will be a currently forecasted continuation of the arctic weather conditions that have dominated all of the East since Christmas.
More info at: http://nerandorace.blogspot.ca/p/course-layout-magic-magic-mtn.html
Castle Mountain Skimo Race, AB – Jan 6-7, 2018:
The second event of the SMCC Canadian Cup takes place on January 6 and 7 at Castle Mountain Resort in southern Alberta.
Saturday’s sprint event will be an excellent opportunity to practice the World Cup format. The individual race on Sunday utilizes the full spread of terrain offered by Castle. Starting with a technical skin track to a rocky ridge boot-pack, then the race descends big perfectly fall-line chutes on the left side of the ski area. The second climb is a groomer grind leading racers up to the top of the resorts side-country cat ski zone and usually descends nice powder fields before shooting down to the village finish area.
Watch out for the usual contingent of Canadian athletes as well as a few Americans making the short trip up from Montana.
More info at: http://www.skimocanada.org/2018-castle-mountain-ski-mountaineering-race/

Skimo News Dec 19: World Cup in China, Cam Smith Takes His First Ever Win at Wolf Creek, First Descent on Mt Assiniboine, Upcoming Events

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It was an exciting weekend in the skimo racing world with the first ever World Cup taking place in China! The Wanlong venue will be hosting some of the sports for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games.

Top athletes fighting in cold conditions in the vertical race in Wanlong, China.
Top athletes fighting in cold conditions in the vertical race in Wanlong, China.
The American Rockies continue with low-tide snow conditions while the Alps are hammered hard by a storm that marks their start of the season. The Canadian Rockies and Coast Mountains have had a much more promising start followed by high pressure period that allowed skiers to venture into the alpine and attempt some bigger lines.

USA and Canada Race News

Unfortunately the COSMIC race at Irwin Lodge in Colorado was cancelled due to low snow but this was made up for by the previously postponed Wolf Creek Rando Race that got moved to Dec 17th and ran without a hitch.

Wolf Creek Rando Race – Wolf Creek Ski Area, CO – Dec 17, 2017

For a ski area usually lush with snow, usually earliest to open, and the deepest base, even Wolf Creek at 10,300 feet has been challenged this year. Northeast aspects were holding pockets of sugary snow as the course made it’s way along the Continental Divide trail via boot-pack.
Cam Smith, freshly graduated from Western State University & US Ski mountaineering team member, captured his first overall individual win, covering 3300ft of gain over 8 miles in 1h 36min, besting much more experienced racers Scott Simmons, Chris Carr, Rory Kelly, and Jon Brown.
On the women’s side, Breckenridge local, Jaime Brede captured the women’s win in 2h 24min.
This race was made possible by the tireless efforts of Jesse Morehouse and Richard Piltingsrud of the Colorado Army National Guard. We cannot thank them enough for the efforts in promoting ski mountaineering in the United States!
» Full results – Wolf Creek skimo race Dec 17, 2017

Canada

There were no races in Canada this weekend but the Canadian National Team did meet up in Revelstoke, BC for a training camp focused on downhill skills. The team covered downhill fundamentals starting on groomed runs and moving to steeper un-groomed terrain under the watchful eye of veteran racer Melanie Bernier.
In non-racing news, the high pressure in Canada has allowed skiers in the Rockies to get after some big lines. Notably, the SW face of Mt. Assiniboine saw its first ski descent over the weekend!

International Race News

ISMF World Cup – Wanlong, China – Dec 15-16, 2017

Meanwhile, the ISMF World Cup made its first stop of the season with an unusual trip to Wanlong, China. There was a strong turnout from international athletes (especially compared to last season’s Wold Cup race in Turkey) despite the unique challenges of the event. However, no North American athletes attended.
The weekend featured a short vertical race (around 500m ascent) and a sprint race, but no individual. This is likely due to the nature of the venue – a small ski resort with no natural snow. The base was entirely man-made snow thanks to extremely cold temperatures that athletes had to battle with.
Vertical race
The vertical took only 16:58 for Anton Palzer (GER), finishing 12 seconds ahead of Werner Marti (SWI) who was followed by Michelle Boscacci (ITA). The race did feature more than 10 racers from China, South Korea, and Japan – arguably the best turnout from Asian countries ever.
There were 19 women competing in the vertical race with Axelle Mollaret (FRA) winning convincingly almost 30 seconds ahead of Claudia Galicia (SPA) and Alba De Silvestro (ITA) coming in 3rd further 4 seconds behind.

» Vertical results – World Cup – Dec 15, 2017
Sprint race
Because of the extreme cold (down to -25C), several racers chose not to start the sprint, including vertical race winner Toni Palzer. Palzer released a statement expressing his dismay that the ISMF would allow racers to compete in such potentially dangerous (health damaging) cold conditions. We can agree with him because cold-induced asthma (exercise-induce asthma by cold air) and other undesirable effects of cold air on athletes’ airways can lead to prolonged health problems.

Italy topped the men’s results but not one of the names we would usually expect. The winner was a quickly upcoming espoir athlete Nicolo Canclini (ITA) who won over Oriol Cardona Coll (SPA) and Iwan Arnold (SWI).
Laetitia Roux (FRA) dominated the women’s sprint as usual, with Claudia Galicia (SPA) and Swiss espoir Marianne Fatton rounding out the podium.
» Sprint Results – World Cup – Dec 16,2017

Upcoming Events

The next World Cup event will take place on the weekend of January 20, 2018 in Switzerland with sprint and individual races.
There are no major races scheduled in North America over the holiday weekend but early January there will be a couple of events:

For a full racing calendar see our Events page.

Skimo News Dec 12: Record turn-out at Vert 180, Loup Loup Rando race preview

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Vert 180 – Calgary, AB – Dec 9, 2017

There was a historical turnout at the Vert 180 race in Calgary last Saturday with around 100 participants competing in solo and various relay categories. This is a great sign of future development of skimo in Canada, especially given the number of athletes that were on light racing gear – new local store SkiUphill provided a couple of light & fast demo setups as well.
The race course was non-technical, featuring a 140m climb ending with a boot-pack section, followed by a fast descent. The goal was to do as many laps as possible in 3h.

6pm start makes a for an unique race setting. (And low light makes snapping pics difficult.)
6pm start makes a for an unique race setting. (And low light makes snapping pics difficult.)
The win in the men’s solo category went to Peter Knight who was the strongest and completed 18 laps for a total of 2520 m. Second went to a local skimo “novice”, Tyson Smith, who has built his engine through years of cross-country racing. Third place belonged to Vert 180 co-organizer Travis Brown. All top 3 solo men completed full 18 laps but finished a couple of minutes apart.
Women’s solo race was more predictable as Kylee Ohler (Vert 180 founder) has confirmed once again that she is a truly dominant force in the Canadian racing scene over the last two seasons. Kylee completed 17 laps for a total of 2380 m. Second place went to Marg Fedyna (14 laps) and third to Heather Anderson (13 laps).
For junior categories, 2-person and 4-person relay results see the link below.
» Vert 180 – 2017 full results

Race Preview: Loup Loup Rando Race – Loup Loup Ski Bowl, WA – Jan 27, 2018

Most dedicated mountain athletes in the western US and Canada have heard of the Methow Valley: a small cluster of towns nestled into the eastern slopes of the North Cascades featuring a reliable snowpack and ample front- and backcountry terrain for excellent touring. Now there’s another reason for endurance athletes and racers to pay attention to the Methow: the Loup Loup Randonee Race.
loup-loup-race-preview
The Loup race is hosted by Cascade Endurance, a coaching and events business run by Methow athlete/coaches Sam and Alison Naney. The Loup course features a 1300’ vertical gain on a forested up-track and a straightforward blue-run descent, making the race a straight-up endurance challenge with low technical barrier-of-entry for newcomers. Last year’s race offered a one, two, or three lap option and saw about thirty competitors toe the line for the inaugural year.
This season’s race, scheduled for January 27th, promises more fun, greater challenge and good beer. In addition to the standard 1/2/3 lap individual events there will also be a 10,000 ft (8 lap) challenge for individuals and 3-person relay teams. The local Old Schoolhouse Brewery will be hosting a pre-race party and ski film showing at their Twisp-area taproom on Friday night, and on race day there will be food and beer aplenty for finishers (and lappers?) at the start/finish area.
If you’re looking for an opportunity to check out this beautiful mountain paradise and get in a solid race effort without trekking to the Rockies, you should definitely consider the Loup Rando races.