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Ben Parsons

In Memory of Ben Parsons: A Good Friend and an Athlete with a Big Heart

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gfm-logo-single-2016Please consider donating to a fundraising campaign started by Ben’s friends. All proceeds will go to support his son Rowen and wife Jen. Thank you!.
Ben-Parsons-Portrait
Update – January 5, 2018:
I can’t believe it has already been a full year since the world lost such an incredible human being…
Benny, wherever you are, know that we are thinking of you and your family. You have always been a great example and showing us all how to be!
Original post from Jan 6, 2017:
When my phone rang last night and I saw one of my best friends name on the screen I got happy and excited. Sadly those feelings didn’t last long…
I learnt that Ben has passed away just couple of hours ago, after being involved in a large avalanche in his home mountains.
Yesterday, the North American skimo racing community lost one of its nicest, most genuine and humble people. Ben was from the “previous” generation of the NA skimo racers and reached as high as top 40 at the famous Pierra Menta race, with his good friend Brandon. They were from Montana but Ben often joked he wanted to be on the Canadian team. He liked us and we liked him.
I first met Ben in 2008 when he showed up at a race I was organizing in Fernie, BC. He got lost mid-way while in the lead, because of the winds blowing course flags around, but he was still grateful for the experience. From there on, he and Brandon would regularly come up to our Canadian races to kick our asses and take our prize money. Not that there was much of it but it still hurt. They were keeping us honest.

Ben dropping into a descent at 2015 Canadian Skimo Champs in Golden, BC.
Ben dropping into a descent at the 2015 Canadian Skimo Champs in Golden, BC. (Photo Malcolm Taylor)
My personal favourite skimo racing moment of all time is not from Pierra Menta or World Championships but from a battle with Ben on his home turf at Whitefish Resort. Both of us were “diesel engines”, as he would often say, and after dropping others we were trying to figure out how to drop each other. I knew that from bike racing he was tactically as smart as it gets and true enough he surprised me with a full out running sprint two minutes from the line (the finish was uphill). He won by a couple of seconds and we both collapsed at the finish line. Then the first thing he did was to give me a big hug and he wouldn’t stop telling me how well I raced. Next day, fifteen of us went for a tour.
Stano Faban with Ben Parsons at Whitefish 2013 skimo race
Skimo racing is simply a friendly sport although it hurts sometimes.
I know that Eric had similar racing moments with him and both of us held Ben very high for all of his qualities.
He was an absolute class, full of passion and had a such big heart.
I would like to express my deepest condolences to Ben’s wife and my friend Jen, and their little son – I am very sorry for your loss. Also, my condolences to Ben’s parents and thank you for raising such an amazing person.
Ben, thank you for all the great memories and leading by example. Keep up your big smile and never fading enthusiasm.
We will keep doing turns for you!
Stano

Skimo News Jan 7/8: Canadian Team Trials, COSMIC Racing, and National Championships in Italy, Switzerland, and Catalonia

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Wolf Creek Men's Podium
Wolf Creek Men’s Podium
With a break from racing over the Christmas holiday, action resumed in all the usual places over the weekend of January 7th and 8th. The current storm hitting much of the West Coast, Utah and parts of Colorado are certainly going to make things look nice for next weekend’s racing!
While not exactly racing news, many of us are aware of the tragic death of Ben Parsons in an avalanche. Please consider donating to the Go Fund Me campaign set up to support his young family: Go Fund Me

USA Race News

Wolf Creek Skimo Race – Jan 7

First we go to the US where the COSMIC series continued at Wolf Creek Ski Area. Paul Hamilton topped the podium with 2015 National Team members Scott Simmons and Billy Laird. The women’s race was not well attended but attracted the highly talented mountain runner Najeeby Quinn who took the win over Madeleine Carey of Santa Fe.
Results

Canada Race News

Castle Mountain/Canadian National Team Trials – Jan 7/8

The fourth annual Castle Mountain Skimo Race – also serving as the Canadian National Team Trials – was held over the weekend in Pincher Creek, Alberta. Castle always attracts a decent crowd with it’s proximity to Calgary and small-town hill feel.
Saturday’s sprint was held adhering as close to the World Cup format as possible with a qualifying round and then quarter, semi, and final rounds contested in heats of four. Essentially serving as a practice event for athletes competing at the upcoming World Championships, it was a good reminder of some of the basics with a few exciting heats! Eric Carter stayed ahead of the men’s field while Kylee Ohler absolutely dominated the women’s. Special mention should go to Tom Stephens, a junior athlete, who managed to snag a spot in the men’s finals!

Castle Mtn. Individual Start
Castle Mtn. Individual Start (Glenda Zamzow Photo)
Despite dire weather predictions, a skiff of new snow and reasonable temperatures with low wind made Sunday’s individual race very reasonable. Racers tackled two big climbs through the ski area with excellent side-country descents. Nick Elson and Eric Carter took turns breaking trail on the first ascent before turing up the speed on the second groomed ascent where Carter broke away for the win with Travis Brown and Peter Knight rounding out third and fourth place. In the women’s race, Kylee Toth Ohler continued to ski well ahead of Michelle Katchur-Roberts and Lori-Anne Donald. A notable new face was Gary Robbins, Coastal ultra-runner and race organizer who placed a very respectable fifth in his first serious stab at skimo racing.
Glenda Zamzow Photos
Results

Snow Trail Vertical – Dec 17/Jan 7

Skimo East Photo
Skimo East Photo
The first two of three Vertical races organized in preparation for the Orford Snow Trail event held on March 18th in Quebec. These races feature a unique format allowing athletes to use whatever mode of human powered travel they prefer to compete to the top including by foot, snowshoe, or ski. The first even was well attended by youth athletes including two 11-year old ladies. The women’s event was won by local MTB legend Isabelle Bernier and the men’s by Mathieu Ladouceur.
The second event featured a well groomed course and despite cold temperatures, was well attended. The men’s category was won by Roger Girard while the women’s race was upset by local skimo champ, Lyne Bessette.
The winners overall of the series of 3 races will win a free registration for the Snow Trail 2017. The organization team of the Snow Trail will have a value of more than 6,000$ in prized to give to the participants during the winter. At the cost of 20$ (including a beer for after the race), there is no good reason not to take part of the preparatory series and enjoy the mountain! For more details, please visit the Endurance Aventure Website.

International Race News

Early January is designated by the ISMF as the period for National Championships to be held so throughout Europe, athletes were racing for their respective countries titles.
In Switzerland, the Individual and Sprint National Championships were held with Werner Marti and Maude Mathys (recently returning from an anti-doping violation and subsequent ban) taking the respective wins in the Individual. Super-espoir Remi Bonnet finished fifth. The Swiss king-sprinter Yannick Eccour only managed fifth in the sprint event with Iwan Arnold and Deborah Chiarello leading the podium.
Over in Italy, Roberto Antonioli and Katy Neve won the Individual National Championships with Alba De Silvestro moving into the senior Women’s ranking and taking a respectable podium position. Michelle Boscocci was the only name notably absent from the men’s race but is sure to be on top form for worlds.
Over in the Pyrenees, power-couple Emelie Forsberg and Kilian Jornet dominated the Catalonian National Champs with Mark Pinch and Claudia Galicia Cortina comfortably taking second position.
The next bout of European racing comes on January 21st and 22nd when the World Cup commences at the wonderful Font Blanca venue in Andorra!

Italian Championships
Italian Championships

Upcoming Races

The skimo season is back in full swing in North America with races throughout the US and Canada on both sides of the divide. Find your closest event and get after it! Likely the biggest turnout will be at the Sunlight Heathen Challenge where US athletes will be competing for spots on the World Championships Team. The Sprint and Team’s race  teams will be determined but also up in the air is the coveted fourth and final spot for both the men’s and women’s individual event.
Cosmic Series – Powderhorn Grand Mesa Grind – Jan 14
Cosmic Series – Sunlight Mountain Heathen Challenge – Jan 14/15
Skimo East Series – Trail de nuit de Stoneham – Jan 14
North East Rando Series – Berkshire East – Jan 21
Canadian Cup – Fernie Lizard Skinner Skimo Race – Jan 21

Want to contribute to SkinTrack?

We are looking for brief race report submissions from Colorado and Utah athletes, and from the East Coast as well.
Also, we would be very happy to provide more exposure to women’s races and so we are asking you ladies to submit your race reports.
Get in touch via email or comments below!

Report from 2015 Canadian Skimo Champs: Kylee Ohler and Nick Elson take titles, German Philipp Schädler strikes again!

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The BUFF Canadian Ski Mountaineering Championships took place last Saturday at Kicking Horse Resort as part of the 7th edition of Dogtooth Dash skimo race. The race was founded in 2009 by Ian Gale and Eric & I took over two years ago, as race directors, to continue the most popular Canadian skimo race going after Ian retired from organizing.

Photo by Matt Hall.
Photo by Matt Hall.
Before I go on to report on the race itself, I would really like to acknowledge the great work and help of all the volunteers! Since Eric was already in Europe, racing in his first World Cup, I faced a big challenge to deliver a fantastic race course once again. Despite 25 cm of fresh snow over night, morning avalanche controls and some last minute issues, everyone pulled extra hard to get the job done. Thank you all very much for your help!
Beyond that, the race would have not happened without the generosity of Kicking Horse Resort, Buff Canada, Live Out There, and other smaller sponsors.
Special guest:
We were privileged to have Alexandre Pellicier, 2008 Skimo World Champion, to come and inspect our race preparations on behalf of ISMF over the three days. He turned out to be a great person and despite jet-lag helped tremendously to make the race a success. He left us with many great tips and suggestions of how we can take Dogtooth Dash into a world cup level in the years to come.
On top of that, Alex did a fantastic job during a 45 min Q & A session at the awards party where he answered many questions in great detail. Thank you Alex and we all hope to see you back soon!
Photo gallery:

How it all went down

» Full results Dogtooth Dash 2015 RESULTS
Due to lots of new snow we had to change the Elite (long) course to be two laps of the Enduro (short) course, but the beauty of KHMR terrain is that technical ascents and descents were still prominent.
Total vertical for the Elite course came to 1570 m over four climbs and four descents – including two steep bootpacks and two big descents – and half that for Enduro racers.
Elite:
As the race begins unusually on top of the mountain we had athletes run one lap around the Eagle’s Eye restaurant to spread them apart before the descent. First transition was chaotic as always, with 50+ people putting their skins on, but the top dogs already emerged out of it first – Philipp Schädler (GER) was leading Nick Elson, with Ben Parsons, Mike Foote (both USA) and couple of Canadian team members following behind.
During the first ascent, Phillip and Nick started to pull away while Kylee Ohler was creating a small gap on two ladies behind her. Blue skies and skinning on the ridge made many racers to look around as if they were on a powder ski tour deep in the mountains.
On the second climb, which was the longer one (little more than 500 m), Nick was leading Philipp into the bootpack transition but the positions switched as Nick struggled to hook skis to his pack. By this point, they had about 3 min gap on Ben Parsons who was being followed by Mike Foote further one minute behind. Kylee was extending her lead slowly on Michelle Roberts and Michela Adrian (USA) but they were all within about 2 min!

Nick Elson followed by Philipp Schaedler. Photo by Stano Faban.
Nick Elson followed by Philipp Schaedler. Photo by Stano Faban.
During the first climb of the second lap, Nick and Philipp were still glued together and by now had a sizable gap on Ben and the rest of the field. In the women’s race, Michelle appeared to lift her pace and I don’t think that among the 3 ladies  – Kylee, Michelle, Michela – anyone of them was certain of how it would eventually play out!
Michelle Roberts getting ready to ski. Photo by Matt Hall.
Michelle Roberts getting ready to ski. Photo by Matt Hall.
On the second climb (the longer and technical one) of the second lap Philipp and Nick were going for the same strategy – to shake the other guy before they reached the bootpack that led right to the finish. However, on the very technical section Nick had a skin failure and Philipp took it by the horns, carving about 40 second lead. Nick dug desperately very deep but at the end the gap stood and Philipp won his third race in the last three weekends. Ben Parsons came in 3rd, with Mike Foote in 4th, then Travis Brown in 5th. Nick became the Canadian Champion.
The ladies battle was as equally exciting, however, more for 2nd and 3rd as Kylee pulled away on the last climb for a respectable win, thus, becoming the 2015 Canadian Skimo Champion. I don’t exactly know how it went down between Michela (2nd) and Michelle (3rd) on that last climb but at the end they were separated only by 9 seconds! Martha Burley came in couple of minutes behind them but still delivering a big performance given the fact she was out whole last winter due to sever knee injury.
Enduro:
Athletes on the Enduro course (one lap with two climbs) all appeared to have great time while pushing their limits! That was our aim when Eric and I designed this shorter course two years ago – to give participants a taste of real skimo racing instead of defaulting to a more challenging “cross country ski race”.
The women’s category was won by Jennifer Parsons, followed by Caroline Reid who is just recovering from a knee injury, and Karina Benavides. The men’s prize went to Joe Magajna in front of Pascal Hinni, and only 16-years old Riley Wolever!
Junior race:
With that overall 3rd place on the Enduro course, Riley Wolever became the 2015 Canadian Junior Skimo Champion with Kevin Hinni taking 2nd only 1 min behind, and Riley’s brother Brinton Wolever taking 3rd. All three guys are becoming regulars on the Candian skimo circuit and it will be very exciting to watch them progress in the years to come!

16 women and 6 under 20!

Something I really noticed while refreshing the skin tracks and cheering on was that we had more women and junior racers participating than I ever saw in Canada before! This is even more impressive since Melanie Bernier and Katarina Kuba were already in Europe preparing for the World Championships.
Overall, it is an exciting sign that skimo racing in Canada is finally growing beyond the unshaven, hardy men that dominated the scene few years ago… and maybe that’s what attracted the ladies to the sport 🙂

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!