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Peter Knight

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.

Vertical Race – 2017 Skimo Worlds – Mar 1: Kilian Jornet and Andrea Mayr claim gold, John Gaston 11th and Kristi Knecht 15th for North America

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Today, most of us were waiting whether Kilian Jornet and Emelie Forsberg can pull off a double as a couple, or whether it will be Damiano’s Lenzi third gold medal of these World Championships. At the end, neither scenario came to fruition as Austria’s Andrea Mayr (former Olympic marathon runner) basically just showed up for a day and won the women’s title, and Lenzi claimed silver behind Jornet.
» Click here for previous day: Sprint Race – 2017 Skimo Worlds – Feb 28

John Gaston moving up the field after a cautions start. Photo by Matt Reid.
John Gaston moving up the field after a cautious start. Photo by Matt Reid.

Vertical Race – Men (Senior & Espoir)

Today’s race was always going to be contested between this season’s fastest four skimo athletes – Jornet, Lenzi, Palzer and Werner. Kilian Jornet (SPA) had a 12sec gap over Damiano Lenzi (ITA) in the finish, with Werner (SWI) further 20sec back, and Palzer (GER) another 15. Jornet and Lenzi established themselves early on and then just extended their gap. Top espoir was Remi Bonnet (SWI) in 6th.
It is worth noting that today’s vertical was one of the most competitive ones in recent history due to many top guns sitting out yesterday’s sprint because of the rain and opted to focus on the vert instead.

Eric Carter with Mike Foote slightly behind him on the right. Photo by Matt Reid.
Eric Carter with Mike Foote slightly behind him on the right. Photo by Matt Reid.
USA and Canadian men:
Given such top competition, John Gaston’s 11th place – only 1sec behind 10th – is even more impressive than if it occurred in a “regular” World Cup race. Mike Foote and Eric Carter perhaps started a little too fast and faded slightly by the end, yet still finishing in 26th and 27th respectively – a great result. Tom Goth wasn’t too far behind Mike and Eric to place 36th. An espoir Cameron Smith finished very respectable 43rd.
Best Canadian placing came from Peter Knight who had a great personal performance to claim 38th. Nick Elson and Rob Krar were couple of seconds behind after not having their best day, finishing 42nd and 46th. As for myself, I hopped for better than 57th although short non-technical races are exact opposite to my strengths.
» Full results – men’s vertical
Peter Knight and Stano Faban - same painful grin couple of minutes apart. Photo by Matt Reid.
Peter Knight and Stano Faban – same painful grin couple of minutes apart. Photo by Matt Reid.

Vertical Race – Women (Senior & Espoir)

As for men, today’s women’s vertical was going to be one of the most competitive ones in recent history since there are many female athletes in their best form at these Championships. Furthermore, absence of Laetitia Roux suggested that the race will be wide open.
Emelie Forsberg (SWE) and Axelle Mollaret (FRA) were the likely two favourites but at the end it was a seasoned mountain and road runner – Andrea Mayr (AUT) – who surprised them all to take the win in a convincing fashion, more than 30sec ahead of Forsberg.

Forsberg fending off Maude Mathys and Axella Mollaret. Photo by Matt Reid.
Forsberg fending off Maude Mathys and Axella Mollaret. Photo by Matt Reid.
USA and Canadian women:
Along Gaston’s, another notable US performance came from Kristi Knecht who finished in a fantastic 15th place, and only about 30sec from top ten! Janelle Smiley came in 20th while Jessie Young finished 25th – probably feeling a bit tired by now considering, that she entered all events so far.
Not far behind Jessie, for North America, was a Canadian Kylee Ohler with a great performance in her least favourite discipline to finish 27th. Nikki Larochelle finished one down on Kylee with the rest of Canadian team behind her – Michelle Roberts in 40th and Caroline Reid in 41st.
» Full results – women’s vertical race
Kylee Ohler enroute to another top 30 finish with Caroline Reid in her first World Champs. Photo by Matt Reid.
Kylee Ohler enroute to another top 30 finish with Caroline Reid in her first World Champs. Photo by Matt Reid.

Vertical Race – Men (Junior & Cadet)

Racing on the same course as seniors, a 19-years old junior Davide Magnini (ITA) threw down a truly impressive gold performance which would have saw him place 13th if he raced with the senior men! After wining the individual few days ago, he now has two world titles. Second junior, Stefan Knopf (GER), was 40sec behind but still would have placed within top 20 in men’s race. Bronze medal went to Maximilien Drion du Chapois (BEL) who claimed bronze in yesterday’s sprint race as well.
In cadets, racing on a shorter course, it was time for Swiss athletes to dominate with Leo Besson and Aurelien Gay (who won sprint yesterday) taking two top podium spots. Matteo Sostizzo of Italy claimed bronze.
USA and Canadian men:
Ian Clarke was the only junior racing for North America and placed respectable 22nd.
US Team cadets trio – Quinn Simmons, Henry Boyd and Henry Hanes – were racing again. Many eyes were on Quinn to see whether he can repeat yesterday’s bronze sprint race run. Although, he was with the top guns for some time he faded a little later on to finish 9th. Boyd and Hanes gave their all, finishing few minutes behind, in 17th and 18th respectively.
» Full results – juniors and cadets

Quinn Simmons (cadet) and Ian Clarke (junior) - both very talented cyclists trying their hand in skimo in the winter. Photo by Matt Reid.
Quinn Simmons (cadet) and Ian Clarke (junior) – both very talented cyclists trying their hand in skimo in the winter. Photo by Matt Reid.

Vertical Race – Women (Junior & Cadet)

In junior category, adding to her medal collection (now two gold and one silver), it was Russia’s Ekaterina Osichkina to claim the win with an impressive 1min 15sec lead on the second Guilia Murada (ITA) – who also now has one gold and two silver medals. Third place went to Malaurie Mattana (FRA).
In cadets, the order shuffled a bit compared to previous days, with Italy’s Samatha Bertolina winning gold. French Justine Tonso had to settle for second this time around, with bronze going to Caroline Ulrich of Switzerland.
USA and Canadian women:
The only women competing in youth categories was a cadet Morgan Fortin (USA) who continues to gain experience, finishing 8th today.
» Full results – juniors and cadets

Tomorrow

The last day of these Championships will see athletes competing in relay races – in teams of four and three, depending on the age category and gender.

Sprint Race – 2017 Skimo Worlds – Feb 28: Quinn Simmons claims bronze for USA, Arnold and Galicia win senior titles

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I apologize for the delay with a report from yesterday’s sprints. I was scouting the vertical course, waxing some skis for our athletes, cheering, and helping Eric with skins after he qualified in the rainy weather. Today, I raced the vertical race. But here it comes…

Quinn Simmons sprinting to historical bronze medal! Photo by Mark Smiley.
Quinn Simmons sprinting to historical bronze medal! Photo by Mark Smiley.
After a day off (Monday) that included a transfer from Tambre to Piancavallo (about 1.5h) the whole skimo circus was moved to a ski resort for the final 3 days of competitions – sprint, vertical and relay races. A bit of a déjà vu  for me as Piancavallo also hosted the same 3 disciplines during the 2011 Skimo Worlds.
Yesterday (Tuesday) was best suited for the explosive types while the rest of us got a chance to spectate this highly unpredictable skimo discipline, and the one most likely to make it to Olympics first. It was pouring rain out there the whole day which made for very challenging conditions in terms of staying warm and gear management (mainly skins) as organizer had only two small tents for the athletes.
» Click here for previous day: Team Race – 2017 Skimo Worlds – Feb 26

Sprint Race – Men (Senior & Espoir)

There were a couple of surprises as Robert Antonioli (ITA), the 2015 Sprint World Champ, failed to qualify for the finals and the comeback of a sprint specialist Josef Rotmosser (GER) after two years of no World Cup racing, however, he did not qualify for finals as well.
With two big names out of the picture it was Iwan Arnold (SWI) stepping up to the task and claiming gold with a fantastic final run. Anton Palzer (GER) looked very smooth and at easy through all the heats but at the end didn’t have enough in the tank and took silver. Bronze went, a bit surprisingly, to a still young and an upcoming skimo star Oriol Cardona (SPA) – who effectively won the espoir category with that performance.

Anton Palzer leading Iwan Arnold into the boot-pack in the finals. ISMF photo.
Anton Palzer leading Iwan Arnold into the boot-pack in the finals. ISMF photo.
USA and Canadian men:
The best North American result went to Eric Carter (USA) who first qualified into the quarter-finals and the had a great run in his heat but got quite held up by Antonioli in the steep switchbacks, ultimately finishing 4th in his heat (top two move through) and 19th overall – his best result in these Championships. Second best, in 32nd place, went to only an espoir Cameron Smith (USA).
Top Canadian performance went to Nick Elson, placing 33rd and only three spots off the qualifying quota. Second best was Peter Knight in 37th. Both respectable runs given the lack of sprint races in Canada.
For the rest see results link below.
» Full results – men’s sprint race

Sprint Race – Women (Senior & Espoir)

With Laetitia Roux missing, the sprint world title was up for grabs. Claudia Galicia (SPA), silver medalist from teams race, took the opportunity and claimed gold after a close skating finish with Emelie Forsberg (SWE). Third place went to only an espoir Marianne Fatton (SWI).

Emelie Forsberg and Claudia Galicia in the bottom boot-pack transition during women's final. Photo Matt Reid.
Emelie Forsberg and Claudia Galicia in the bottom boot-pack transition during women’s final. Photo Matt Reid.
USA and Canadian women:
Four North American women qualified for the quarter-finals, an accomplishment on its own, but ultimately suffered some set backs to move through. Jessie Young (USA) had the best run and finished 22nd and Michela Adrian (USA) coming in only two spots behind her. Kylee Ohler had the best Canadian performance finishing 26th, however, who knows what would have happened if she didn’t loose a skin only a couple of strides into her quarter-finals heat. Michelle Roberts (CAN) missed qualifying only by one spot and at the end finished 31st overall.
For the rest see results link below.
» Full results – women’s sprint race

Sprint Race – Men (Junior & Cadet)

A historical moment for the US and North American skimo came in the cadet’s category with Quinn Simmons (son of Scott Simmons) claiming bronze medal – the very first medal for NA continent in the youth categories! And it could have been even as he was leading the finals about half-way through. Gold, in the cadet’s category, went to Aurelien Gay (SWI) who most likely has tremendous amount of experience passed onto him from older Swiss sprint specialists. Alessandro Rossi (ITA) claimed silver and his second medal in these Championships.
Junior title went to Ernesto Canclini (ITA), silver to Arno Lietha (SWI) and bronze to Maximilien Drion (BEL).
USA and Canadian men:
In cadet’s, besides already mentioned Quinn Simmons, Henry Boyd and Henry Hanes (both USA) placed 13th and 20th respectively.
Ian Clarke was the only junior for Team USA and in his first ever sprint placed 22nd.
» Full results – cadets and juniors

Sprint Race – Women (Junior & Cadet)

After claiming silver in the junior’s individual, Ekaterina Osichkina (RUS) won the sprint in front of her rivals from the individual – Guilia Murada (ITA) claiming silver and Julia Casanovas (SPA) bronze.
In cadet’s category, Justine Tonso (FRA) repeated her winning run from the individual race and won. In fact, the top three spots went to the same athletes with Samatha Bertolina (ITA) taking silver medal and Caroline Ulrich (SWI) bronze.
USA and Canadian women:
There were no North American racers in the junior’s category.
Morgan Fortin (USA) came to gain precious experience and placed 8th in the cadets but didn’t qualify.
» Full results – juniors and cadets

Tomorrow

Tomorrow’s race was today (since I this sprint report is delayed) and we raced a vertical – please go o to the home page to read that report.

Skimo News Jan 21-22: Carter racing in Andorra WC, Canada and East Coast races, Upcoming events

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With World Championships quickly approaching (Eric and Stano will be attenting as well) the athletes are entering their final preparations. Besides the west side of US, there were races happening in all corners of NA and Europe.
To read our previous Skimo News go here – Skimo News Jan 13-15: 2nd USA Team Qualifier, Mountain Attack, Upcoming Races and World Cups

USA Race News

We are waiting for more details from some east coast races that happened last weekend. We will update here as soon as we receive them.

Berkshire East – Massachusetts – Jan 21

With little over 5,600 feet of vertical gain, including five boot-pack segments and 25 transitions, the Berkshire East skimo race tested the local athletes once again athletes from six states – New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire. (Edit as per suggestions in a comment at the bottom of the article.)
The win in the men’s category on the main course went to Ed Warren who managed to build a 4min lead by the finish line. In the women’s category the title went to Jennifer Downing.
» Full results for the competitive category
berkshire-east-race-1

Canada Race News

Lizard Skinner – Fernie, BC – Jan 21

The following recap was submitted by Travis Brown, a fellow Canadian Ski Mountaineering Team teammate.
The second running of the Fernie Lizard Skinner was an exciting and hard fought battle on all fronts. The non technical course is a mix of steep groomer skinning, and flat hardpack with a distinct Nordic feel. Because all climbs involve a mix of these conditions, skin choice is key in having a fast race.
fernie-race-1
As always, in the men’s race Peter Knight took the race out hard from the gun, with Travis Brown chasing close behind. Peter built up a sizeable lead in the first third of the race, and Travis was unable to close the gap, finishing 4 minutes back. Master’s competitor Steve Sellers crashed out of the 2016 iteration of the race with a badly dislocated shoulder, but returned this year as strong as always, and managed a great 4th place finish, being passed on the last descent by eastern transplant Joel Desgreniers.
In the women’s race, Kylee Ohler was dominant from the start, building up a considerable lead over the rest of the women very early in the race. Kylee would finish 5th overall, giving Steve and Joel a run for their money. Fellow national team members Michelle Katchur-Roberts and Lori Anne Donald rounded out the podium positions.
Marcus Zamzow was the only junior racing, and came in first in the recreational category, followed by Martha Burley, a former Canadian team member returning to racing after having a baby and taking a few seasons off.
» Full results Lizard Skinner

International Race News

Font Blanca World Cup – Andorra – Jan 21-22

Last weekend saw the first World Cup of the season. Like very year, the always friendly and enthusiastic Andorrans put on a show with individual on Saturday and a vertical race on Sunday.
Eric Carter toed the start line after a busy travel schedule (Colorado to home in Squamish, BC to Andorra in a span of 4 days) and not surprisingly he performed less than he wished for. However, this will serve him as a good warm up before another World Cup this weekend, and the upcoming World Championships in February. He finished 48th in the individual and 46th in the vertical.

Forsberg overtaking Mollaret and Orgue in the vertical.
Forsberg overtaking Mollaret and Orgue in the vertical.
Individual:
Anton Palzer (GER) took the win after battling Damiano Lenzi (ITA) for the entire race. The Italian even crossed the finish line in first but was awarded a penalty and moved to second. Third place went to Xavier Gachet (FRA). Kilian Jornet (SPA) finished sixth.
In the women’s race, the domination of Laetitia Roux (FRA) on the World Cup scene continued and she won without much trouble. Second went to her young French teammate Axelle Mollaret with ultra-runner Emelie Forsberg (SWE) coming in third.
Vertical:
The men’s podium completely reshuffled from the day before and with close gaps this was one hell of a competitive race. Swiss vertical specialist Werner Marti won gold by 9 seconds  in front of Kilian Jornet who was another 13 seconds ahead of, still only an espoir, Remi Bonnet (SWI). Lenzi and Palzer came in 4th and 5th respectively.
Women’s race was no less exciting! Emelie Forsberg crossed the finish line first only by 4 seconds in front of  Axelle Mollaret. Spain’s vertical specialist and mountain runner Laura Orgue claimed bronze only another 19 seconds further back. Laetitia Roux didn’t start the race.
» Full results for all Andorra races (you will need to click few links to drill down)
Werner Marti leading Jornet and Bonnet to the finish line.
Werner Marti leading Jornet and Bonnet to the finish line.
 

Upcoming Races

World Cups:
This weekend, Eric Carter will join the world elite athletes at a World Cup at Cambre d’Aze in France. Individual race goes on Saturday followed by a sprint on Sunday.
USA and Canada:
» See our preview of Steep Dreams event at Panorama Resort, BC that will take place on Feb 4-5 (individual on Saturday and vertical on Sunday).
» Check out our skimo racing calendar
Over the next two weekends you can participate in one of these:
Jan 28 – CROWBAR SkiMo race, UT
Jan 28 – Défi des montagnes, QC
Jan 29 – Skin to Win Race At Bridger Bowl, MT
Feb 3-5 – US Nationals, NM
Feb 4-5 – Panorama Steep Dreams Skimo Race, BC
Feb 5 – Burke Backcountry Adventure, VT

Race Recap: Vert180 Night Skimo Race in Calgary

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The Canadian Skimo Cup kicked off with its first race of the season at the Canada Olympic Park in Calgary last Saturday.
With its unusual format – start at 6pm to do as many laps as you can in 3 hours – and working within the venue’s terrain (135m climb) it provides great opportunity to practice skimo transitions and to have fun with friends in a relay team or going solo. There were over 70 athletes participating.

This was the lap layout of the race course. In the foreground you can see a relay exchange in the bottom transition area.
This was the lap layout of the race course. In the foreground you can see a relay exchange in the bottom transition area.

Race Recap and Most Notable

Before you study results in detail below I would like to point out that the juniors were racing for 1.5h instead of 3h and within that time only a 14-year old Tom Stevens managed to clock in 9 laps just like the top men were doing! That is 1215m in 1.5h including 9 bootpack and skins-off transitions, plus 8 skins-on transitions at the bottom. If Tom keeps at it then Canada might have a medal contender for World Championships in cadet and junior categories in the years to come!
vert180-start
Men’s race:
Another notable moment came when Travis Brown, a leader mid-way, had to drop out of the race from first place due to stomach problems that were impairing him the days leading up to the event.
After that the race for first was a close battle between Peter Knight (18 laps) and Joel Desgreniers (17 laps) with Peter coming out on top. Matt Reid (17 laps) secured the final step on the podium.
Women’s race:
Once again, Kylee Ohler, pulled of a great performance the whole day – organizing the event itself and then racing – to come up with a solid win and collecting 17 laps for a total of 2300m. Michelle Roberts was racing well and trying to stay close but eventually lost about by 1 lap (10-12min) to take second. Marg Fedyna took third with 14.

Results

There were also 2 and 4 person relay teams lapping the course and having great time.
» Full results are here: 2016-Vert180-results
 

Biking Instead of Running? Proven Tips for Effective Summer Skimo Cross-training

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The following article is a guest post by Peter Knight and is similar to our last week’s post – How to Start Running After a Skimo Season Without Getting Injured – but with specialized information for skimo racers that prefer cycling and mountain biking rather than running in the summer. Peter is a Canadian Skimo Team member that keeps on improving every season but he came to the sport from mtb and road roacing. I have known him for over 5 years and since I have full confidence in his advice I asked him to summarize his tips below.

Early spring

Peter Knight
Peter Knight
With dry trails and roads, and excellent skiing at higher elevations, spring is my favourite time of year.
If you are still skiing on the weekends, and putting in big days, it is important to contain the excitement and ease up on the after-work riding. If you have hung up the bike over the winter it might take a couple of 1­-2 hour rides to ease the legs and butt into riding again. The good news is that, in my experience, the first hard bike ride never hurts as much as the first hard ski. After transitioning into riding, it can be pretty easy to step it up to 4­-6 rides per week. It’s also nice being able to train right from your front door!
Spring came early for me this year. Bike trails and roads dried up while creek crossings opened up and snow melted from valley approaches. In addition, biking (indoors and fat-biking) made up most of my midweek training during the skimo season so it didn’t take me long to adapt.
Bike fit is important:
Make sure your bike and shoes are set up properly. I set up all my bikes: mountain, road, and fatbike with identical saddle positioning.

Summer training and planning

After a season of skimo racing, the engine should be in top shape, but it will be tired. It is important to take a couple of weeks and weekends easy before getting back into training. And while the engine is in top shape, it will take some time for the legs to adapt to the sharp accelerations of bike racing. Unfortunately, where I live, there are lots of great events scheduled in May, but if you are like me and have spent your weekends in April skiing instead of cycling then your legs might not be ready yet.
While long climbs should be our strength, due to skimo training, I think it is valuable to work on a variety of systems:

  • Sustained power output on the flats (like a time trial),
  • and short, repeated efforts with reduced recovery found in mountain biking and criterium racing.
  • Mix it up and try not to fall into a trap of doing the same workout/effort over and over again. For this reason, I think I’ll pull out the road bike more often this year. Find a group ride or a midweek race series to push yourself.

Personally, I focus on Olympic format XC races lasting under 2 hours while occasionally dabbling in longer events. While the short events seem to be dying out in favour of longer races and stage races, their duration, intensity, and community is similar to skimo. Rides over 4 hours on the weekend are the exception rather than the norm.
Stano’s experience: I regularly jump between trail running and road cycling during the summer and fall as in my experience the two sports complement each other very well as skimo cross-training activities. Trail or mountain running is preferable in terms of building specific strength, movement and skills that translate nicely to skimo, however, doing a 3-4 hour ride is much easier on tired running legs than doing another 2-3 hour run. The regular change in activities also keep things fresh while I perform majority of intervals only by uphill running.

Riding in the fall

This last winter, due to living in flat Edmonton, Peter rode his fat bike a lot as means of training for skimo.
This last winter, due to living in flat Edmonton, Peter rode his fat bike often as means of training for skimo.
Cyclo-cross racing is getting increasingly popular in the fall. While I believe the repeated high intensity efforts are valuable, focusing specifically on this discipline requires racing twice on the weekends, and even adding a midweek race. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for other specialized workouts. Thus, my opinion is that the odd race is good but a full season might leave you tired or lacking once on the skis.

Stretching and strength building

Stretching and strength tips are similar to running. I’m looking forward to trying the exercises for glutes, hip flexors and IT band mentioned in the running article last week – How to Start Running After a Skimo Season Without Getting Injured.

Final 2015/16 Canadian Skimo Racing Rankings

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skimo-canada-cup-rankings
With the conclusion of skimo racing in Western Canada last weekend in Lake Louise, our governing body Ski Mountaineering Competition Canada (SMCC) has released the final rankings for this season. We will take a look at how the rankings are compiled and what it means.

Rankings and How they work

Canadian Cup Rankings:

This season’s Canadian Cup consisted of the six races (at five venues) that were sanctioned by the SMCC – those that conform with the International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) and SMCC rules. For the first time ever, one of these races was a sprint event. No vertical races were held this year and so the other five were individual events.

Kylee Ohler on racing to her win.
Kylee Ohler racing on to her win at Canadian Nationals.
The Canadian Cup ranking list seeks to reward performance within these Cup events. Rankings are determined using the ISMF World Ranking system. Athletes of all nationalities are included as well as anyone who competed in any of the events – racing the long/elite events. Points are assigned to each place in the race results (1st = 100pts, 2nd = 80pts, 3rd = 60pts, etc…). Overall placement on the ranking list is the sum of the athlete’s best four results.
Top 3 Men:

  1. Eric Carter (USA) – 380 pts
  2. Travis Brown (CAN) – 330 pts
  3. Peter Knight (CAN) – 280 pts

Top 3 Women:

  1. Kylee Ohler (CAN) – 360 pts
  2. Michelle Katchur-Roberts (CAN) – 320 pts
  3. Melanie Bernier (CAN) – 300 pts

» Canada Cup Overall Rankings (PDF)

Canadian National Rankings:

The Canadian National Rankings are made up of a so called “Points List” that is designed to accurately rank athletes in comparison one to another using any possible race results for the purposes of aiding (not finalizing) in national team selection for next season.
The Points List results were compiled from all Canadian Cup races, US nationally sanctioned races (e.g. US Nationals or Powder Keg Continental Championships), and World Cup or ISMF events.
The points system was derived from that used by the Canadian Nordic Ski Team. Athletes are assigned points that represent the percentage of time they finished behind the leader. Points are handicapped by the ranking of the race winner – this means athletes who finish near the front of a highly competitive field will be rewarded with better points than finishing near the front of a weak field. For example, finishing within 20% of the winner (say Kilian Jornet) at a World Cup would be worth more points than finishing within 20% of the winner at a Canadian Cup race. The average of an athletes top three points is taken to be their overall ranking. If the athlete has only one or two races, a slight penalty is applied to their average (see notes in the below PDF sheet).
Top 3 Canadian Men:

  1. Nick Elson – 0.8803
  2. Rob Krar – 0.8383
  3. Peter Knight – 0.8080

Top 3 Canadian Women:

  1. Melanie Bernier – 0.8847
  2. Kylee Ohler – 0.8601
  3. Michelle Katchur-Roberts – 0.7828

» Canada National Points List Final (PDF)

What does it mean?

Canadian Cup:

The Canadian Cup does not seek to identify the absolute fastest Canadian skier, but rather any skier with the best and most consistent results within the Cup races. A good example of this is seen in the women’s ranking with Melanie Bernier winning every race she entered (3) but finishing ranked third because of her missing a fourth result. Had she raced one more and finished at least 3rd, she would have won the Cup.
The Vert180 appears to be a good place to get points. Only 2 of the top 8 attended. Similarly, Fernie and Nelson were less well attended than Castle or Lake Louise. It is interesting that Castle was so well attended as it is far away from almost everyone (but it’s closer for the Montana athletes). This suggests that the double race weekend – holding the sprint and individual race – is very attractive to many. Absolute ideal would be to see a minimum of two events at every race weekend in the Canadian Cup. Holding a vertical or a sprint, along an individual, does not add too much extra work for the organizers while greatly increasing attractiveness for racers from further away to attend.
Special mention should go to the very few athletes who attended every Canadian Cup race – by our count, this is only Michelle Katchur-Roberts, Travis Brown, and Peter Knight (forgive us if we missed anyone).

National Points List:

The current points list can be skewed in the event of a race like what happened at Nelson. With new snow and no set tracks, a large group of racers skied together, finishing much closer to the leader than shown in other races, thus, gaining more points than if there were well established skin tracks. This underlines the need for properly set courses and forerunners in the case of new snow. In our experience, as race organizers and athletes, we believe that a forerunner should be a must. Setting out about 1.5-2h before a race starts it gives this person plenty of time to refresh the tracks set day before and to repair any course markings that perhaps got buried or blown away overnight.
However, the points list provides valid information to the SMCC for national team selection purposes. A good example of this is Rob Krar (an accomplished ultra-runner) who is presumably hoping to race for Canada at the 2017 World Championships. With only one race in Canada (though a strong 2nd among Canadians at Nationals last week), his US results support his ranking of second fastest Canadian.

Jan 16-17 News Shorts: John Gaston races a World Cup while others battle back home, Kilian Jornet wins twice

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Max Taam leads the 2016 COSMIC Sunlight Dynafit Heathen Challenge. Myke Hermsmeyer Photo.
Max Taam leads the 2016 COSMIC Sunlight Dynafit Heathen Challenge. Myke Hermsmeyer Photo.
Another full weekend of racing in the US and Europe while the Canadian Series takes a break. Read on for more news from last week in skimo!

USA

Heathen Challenge
Racers convened at Sunlight Resort in Colorado for the Dynafit Heathen Challenge. The race featured beautiful weather and a full course with 4500+ feet of climbing. Max Taam put together a solid performance throughout with a small group of chasers to push the pace. Paul Hamilton, Teague Holmes, and Brian Smith all fought to round out the podium with Hamilton and Holmes edging out Smith.
Jessie Young continued her domination of the women’s scene finishing one minute ahead of Lindsay Plant and two minutes ahead of Sari Anderson!
» See full results HERE
Whitefish Whiteout

Peter Knight skiing to victory at the Whitefish Whiteout. Peter Knight Instagram.
Peter Knight skiing to victory at the Whitefish Whiteout. Peter Knight Instagram.
The Whiteout’s eight edition, traditionally held at Whitefish Resort in Montana, delivered deep powder as it usually does! A large contingent of Canadians traveled south for the race to take on a strong group of Montanans. Peter Knight (CAN) took off hard from the line with his eyes on the the hill climb prime. After waiting for the chase pack, the group stayed close together before the fresh snow started to take its toll on racers and their skins. Several athletes blew skins before arriving at the final cat track climb to the finish. Knight attacked Mike Foote, an accomplished distance runner, for the win with a local legend Ben Parsons coming from behind to take 3rd place.
Women’s race recap from Ben Parsons: “Adrian from Bozeman took it. Najeeby, an ultra-runner from Alaska, was hot to the top for the climb prime but missed a critical turn on the third descent and lost positions. Michelle Roberts (CAN) was a solid second and Katie French brought home third for locals glory!
» See full results HERE

Canada

Racing resumes next week in both the East and Western series. The next race in Western Canada is the new Lizard Skinner event in Fernie, BC on Jan 23rd. The next Skimo East event will be at Berkshire East on Jan 23.

Europe

Men's Font Blanca Individual World Cup Podium. ISMF Photo
Men’s Font Blanca Individual World Cup Podium. ISMF Photo
The World Cup circuit met for the first time this season at Font Blanca in Andorra for an individual and a vertical race. Last year, the race was plagued by severe weather causing chaos for the organizers to decide on a course in touchy avalanche conditions. This time around, despite a lack of snow in the alps, the Pyrenees were again hit with a major winter storm. The organizers were under immense pressure to put on a well run event and by all accounts seem to have succeeded. The individual was shortened to about 1300m and its start was delayed several hours due to severe weather and ran on a smaller circuit on-piste.
In the individual, to no-ones surprise, Kilian Jornet (SPA) took the win, however, a young Michelle Boscacci (ITA) finished close behind, pushing Jornet throughout the whole race. Werner Marti (SWI) also surprised with a podium position as he is known more for his vertical race abilities. The rest of the Italian team seems to have had a difficult race, finishing lower on the results sheet. The lack of off-piste descents may have played in favour of the less technically skilled descenders in the field while the usual downhill rockets were kept at bay – William Bon Mardion (FRA) and Robert Antonioli (ITA).
While there were only 25 senior women competing in the individual race the sharp end of the field was very strong. Emelie Forsberg (SWE) won only by 20 seconds in front of Spaniards Claudia Galicia and Laura Orgue (previously only considered a threat in vertical events) who rounded out the podium. The previously super-dominant Laetitia Roux finished fifth, one of her lowest results in recent memory, while she is still recovering from a surgery couple of months ago.
In the vertical race, Jornet repeated his win, with a Swiss Espoir Remi Bonnet upsetting the rest of the field to place second, and Michele Boscacci taking third. The women’s race (39 took to the start line) was handily won by Laura Orgue as was mostly expected since she has a strong nordic skiing history. Second went to Emelie Forsberg and third to Victoria Kreuzer of Switzelrand.
The lone North American competitor, John Gaston (USA) finished 30th in the individual and 32nd in the vertical. John had this to say about the races:

Andorra went pretty well.
Like everyone, I was bummed to see Saturday’s individual course changed. The 4 lap alternate was about as far out of my warehouse as it could have been. Loads of long flat skinning sections that put a premium on glide and technique, and zero technical or hard skiing to make back some time. Still, I felt pretty good and finished strong, so that’s all I could have asked for.
Sunday’s vertical was exact same as last year – I tried to go out harder and stick with their pace for longer – a strategy I knew in advance wasn’t totally smart. Still, these Euros have such amazing speed compared to anything we see in NA, so you’ve got to give it a go. I actually made up a few spots in the last half of the race which was a good confidence boost, but got crushed trying to sprint past that Spanish dude Marc Pinsach at the finish, and as a result got beaten on the line by some sneaky German kid lurking behind me, ready to pounce after I tried my move on Mr. Spanish. Haha, good times. Definitely the highest avg HR I’ve ever maintained in any race/sport, ever.
Kilian was incredible to watch and he’s obviously incredibly fit right now. He was just so patient at the starts and so calculated when and how he’d make his attacks. His vertical was ridiculous – like 30s faster than last year or something. He literally started jogging on that long straight upper part (not usually something Euros do, since they glide so well). He looked so casual about it.

» See full results HERE
ISMF Individual Race Video:

ISMF Vertical Race Video:

Thanks to Peter Knight and Ben Parsons for words, and Myke Hermsmeyer and ISMF Skimo for photos.
 

Race Recap: Vert180 Skimo Race

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“Oh great, now I get to be beaten by two people wearing tutu’s...” - Peter Knight
“Oh great, now I get to be beaten by two people wearing tutu’s…” – Peter Knight
The Vert180 is the annual season opener for the Canadian Skimo Calendar. While the setting may not be spectacular alpine peaks, there is no shortage of energy that descends on Calgary Olympic Park the first weekend in December.
Eighty-five racers toed the line at Winsport in Calgary on Saturday in three categories: solo, 2 person teams, and 4 person teams. Racers had 180 minutes to complete as many of the 150m ascent and descent laps as possible. The course was slightly different this year, climbing with skins almost to the top, then a bootpack to the top of the chairlift followed by a descent to the start/ finish area. As always the race involved less technical elements but a lot of mental strength as you lap again and again for three hours.
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Great to see some new faces making the transition into skimo!
Prior to the start of the race, National Team members held a clinic that started with a presentation by Melanie Bernier on the history of skimo racing, what the sport is all about and the race scene in Europe. The 10 athletes and their instructors then headed outside and practiced transitions; tips for race transitions but also useful tips for the backcountry. Strides and movement efficiency were discussed and kick-turns were demo’d and practiced.
As expected, National Team members Travis Brown and Peter Knight started the race hard with Melanie Bernier and Steve Sellers giving a strong chase. The laps took their toll, however, no-one could quite match Travis’ 18 total laps. Peter and Steve both finished with 17 laps (Steve placing well despite a ski lost into the trees during botched top-transition).
Hot dog!
Hot dog!
On the women’s side there was no surprise to see Melanie Bernier in good form, giving the boys a run for their money spinning 17 laps. The race for second and third was a bit more spread out with Kylee Ohler completing 16 laps and Michelle Roberts finishing with 15. Many impressive results by recreational back country skiers trying the sport for the first time. In addition to the elite spandex racer crew, there were 3 split boarders, tutu clad competitors, someone dressed as a giant hot dog, competitive rivalries between MEC teams, competitors from age 16-60, lots of high fives and laughter.
On the junior front, Marcus Zamzow got in 6 laps in 1.5 hours. A dramatic improvement over his race effort last year. No one pushed him for the victory. There were some other good efforts on pretty heavy gear!
Results HERE
The stoke is high as the snow is falling and people are getting geared up for the next four races on the Canadian circuit! Next up in Canada is the Castle Mountain Ski Mountaineering Race on Jan 9/10. This weekend, racing continues in Crested Butte with the Irwin Guides race cancelled due to lack of snow. Instead a vertical and ‘make-up’ individual race will take place at Crested Butte Mountain Resort.
12347884_10153246900160233_671854468609854052_nIMG_2433Thanks for Steve Sellers, Kylee Toth, and Melanie Bernier for contributing words and photos.
 

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 🙂