Tiki Torch Dash 2009: fun and chill under the stars

Melanie Bernier delivered a performance of the night while Montana boys won a relay as the North American skimo racing season went under way.
On Saturday night, Dec 5th, thanks to a determined crew of organizers and volunteers Kicking Horse Mountain Resort near Golden, BC hosted the first race of the season in North America – the Tiki Torch Dash.
Update: This article has been updated with words from Ian Gale – one of Tiki Torch organizers and competitors. See the section “Words from Ian Gale – an organizer and a competitor” 3/4 down this article.
The event consisted of two races and was attended by about 40 competitors:

• 4-laps teams relay (or solo)
• hill climb vertical race (only as solo)
• original facts are here – Tiki Torch Dash 2009

Special atmosphere, new to Canadian skimo racing, was created by running the race in the night.
The relay race started at 7pm and the hill climb at 9.15pm. Headlamps were mandatory for both races.
The temperature must have been hovering around -15 to -20 C as every deep breath felt very painful.
The main start/finish area was located at the very base of the resort and was fancied up by lit torches, good music and screaming supporters. The race course was marked by small tiki torches, almost a full moon, and hundreds of stars.
» Official results can be found here (PDF format).

Relay race – interesting new format

The 4-lap relay race was raced by a team of two or solo. The field was strong as almost a complete Canadian National Skimo Team attended and faced a challenge from two very fast Americans.
Each team member completed two laps and they exchanged the relay after each lap (one lap took about 14-20 minutes to complete).
In men’s category, US team “Stars and Stripes” consisting of Brandon French and Ben Parsons took the top prize with a time of 56min 59sec. (Their original time was even faster but they received a 30sec penalty for some rule infractions.)
Second came in the home boys named “Golden Skimo” with Ian Gale and current Canadian skimo champ Reiner Thoni with a time of 57min 6sec.
Third place went to “Andorra Express” team consisting of James Minifie and Stano Faban with a time of 58min 16sec.
Women’s category was won by Revelstoke’s “Les Pitounes” – Julie Matteau and Melanie Bernier – in a time of 1h 12min 56sec.
An award for best costumes was handed to “Shreds from space” team from Golden. The martians were Aaron Enns and Ken McDermic.

Hill climb race – performance of the night

While the first race was taken in a more relaxed manner by all the hill climb was pure business for most. The money of all Canadians was bet on Reiner Thoni and he did deliver.
However, Reiner’s effort wasn’t The Performance of the night. That came from Melanie Bernier in the women’s category. Melanie turned inside out and gave a serious run for money to all the male competitors. She comfortably won her category with a time of 18min 13sec and finished 8th overall.
Q: Melanie, your hill climb effort was amazing. What are your goals for this racing season?
Melanie: “Thank you, I was feeling good that night! My goals for the season are oriented mainly toward the World Championships…With a 30th position at Porte Du Soleil in 2008, I am aiming for a top 20 this year, and if it happens I’ll know that I’ve accomplished a lot. One of my other goals is to keep on developing endurance and fast recovery for multi-day/stage races to make the most of the Pierra Menta without suffering too much along the way! And most importantly, still have fun and enjoy every moment when I’m on my skis,” said Melanie.
Reiner, as our current national champ, took the lead right from the gun and never looked back. Brandon French tried to real him in near the finish but Reiner had one more kick and jumped away. Reiner’s time was 17min 7sec while Brandon’s 17min 14sec. Third place belonged to James Minifie with a time of 17min 56sec.
The rest of the field was coming in as small groups fighting it all the way to the finish while pushing their limits. Whether first or last, all of us suffered with loud coughs picking ourselves from the ground.

Words from Ian Gale – an organizer and a competitor

Q: On behalf of the organizing team, what do you like about hosting skimo events in your resort?
Ian: “What I like most about hosting skimo events at KHMR, is they ‘buy in’ to it 100%. On race day for the Dogtooth Dash, everyone who steps off the gondola is gobsmacked with a Huge Start/Finish area, cowbell galore, screaming spectators, a DJ spinning tunes, Jordon announcing the race and slobbering rando racers running all over the place.  The racers feel welcome and the spectators get a great show.
I also really like showing people a challenging, fun course, where we can try to highlight some of our burlier, rugged terrain and make them feel like they’re actually racing through the mountains.”
Q: You finished 2nd in the relay race and 4th in the hill climb, great performances. Which one was harder and which one did you like more?
Ian: “I really enjoyed both races! The highlight for me was the relay race, it’s fun to work with a partner (especially when he’s super speedy!) and to have more ski mountaineering elements involved ie.: transitions, downhill skiing, strategy etc.
The hill climb was definitely the harder race of the two for me. Lining up for a second race at 9 pm after the relay was tough, especially with the cold temps. A great test though, I do really appreciate the simplicity and honesty of the vertical race.”

How did your race go? Anyone any questions?

You are welcomed to share your Tiki Torch stories here in the comments section, I am sure everyone has something “spicy” to reveal.
Also, anyone that didn’t participate but has questions regarding the event is welcomed to ask.