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US Skimo National Champs

Skimo News Feb 3-5: US Nationals, Steep Dreams at Panorama, Burke Backcountry Adventure, Upcoming Events

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It was a busy weekend for skimo racing and big snow storms in North America while many skimo locations in Europe continue to receive very little snow. However, more snow often means too much distraction in the form of powder skiing for many athletes, so if you really want to taper then go somewhere dry 🙂
Read our last week’s Skimo News go here – Skimo News Jan 28-29: Controversy at the 2nd World Cup, Le Massif Race in Quebec, CROWBAR in Utah, Upcoming Events

USA Race News

US Skimo Nationals – New Mexico – Feb 4-5

New Mexico’s resorts, Ski Santa Fe and Taos Ski Valley hosted four races of the 2017 US Nationals last weekend. While a couple of the top US racers weren’t present (already in Europe…) there was enough of fast characters to put the hammer down.

Jon Brown with Rory Kelly chasing Gaston/Taam in the teams race.
Jon Brown with Rory Kelly chasing Gaston/Taam in the teams race. Brashear Photos.
Vertical race:
The weekend started off with a vertical on Friday. The men’s podium was – John Gaston, Rory Kelly and Rob Krar. Since Krar is a Canadian, the bronze medal went to  Sean Van Horn.
Women’s title went to Kristi Knecht, with Jamie Falcon and Aisha Weinhold claiming the rest of the podium.
» Vertical race results

Individual race:
John Gaston confirmed his peaking form with a convincing win on a fast course. Max Taam went on to out ski Rory Kelly for second.
The women’s race delivered more fireworks when Jessie Young topped Janelle Smiley for the gold. Bronze went to Kristi Knecht.
» Individual race results

Sprint race:
Scott Archer confirmed his form after qualifying for the Worlds sprint race 3 weeks ago with another solid performance and finishing second behind John Gaston. Third place went to Jack Linehan.
Women’s title went to Janelle Smiley, second to Jessie Young, and third to Madeleine Carey.
» Sprint race results

Teams race:
The historically strongest US team ever – John Gaston and Max Taam – added to their collection of victories, beating Rory Kelly and Jon Brown. Bronze went to Matthias Messner and Jason Killgore.
In the women’s race, Janelle Smiley and Jessie Young went out to polish their form before the Worlds where we believe they will have a good chance for a great result. They won in front of  Kristi Knecht and Anne Gonzales. There were no other women’s teams in the elite category.
» Teams race results
Jessie Young with Janelle Smiley. Brashear Photos
Jessie Young with Janelle Smiley. Brashear Photos

Burke Backcountry Adventure Race – Vermont – Feb 5

The following write up was provided by SkimoEast’s  Tim Johnson.
The Burke Backcountry Adventure presented by SmartWool tackled a short but tough bootpacking sections of any skimo race in North America, but combined with classic New England snow conditions Sunday it made great World’s prep for race winner and U20 skier, Ian Clarke.
At 100% open, Burke provided a tough single-track climb for the 49 finishers just out of the Sherburne Base Lodge. The Red Trail climb had one mandatory bootpack and one “optional” sector just after, testing skins on the slick, steep conditions before reaching the summit. East Bowl was groomed and held traction with one racer recording a top speed of 96kmh even without tucking, which was prohibited on race day. After a quick transition at Mid-Mountain, the bootpack loomed after a short but steep skin below the main lift that held plenty of distraction for the climbing racers.
burke-skimo-race-2017
Clarke, 1st place in 1:49:04 from Killington VT, left for the 1st of two laps with a small lead of 15sec and continued to hold at least that thru the end of lap 1 eventually holding off Ed Warren, who finished just under 1min behind at 1:49:46. Andrew Drummond claimed third with 1:51:38.
In the women’s race, Hilary McCloy’s freshly mounted skis helped her shave buckets of tie off her time 2016 race time to win in 2:23:26, with Stephanie Cote 10:50 back and Whitney Withington another 37secs behind in 3rd.
Young Antoine Corbeil brought home a long course U16 victory in a time of 2:26:59. An even younger Pierre-Luc Harnois was 2nd at 3:15:33
The FreeRando category is made up of those using heavier gear, Bruce Rychlik finished in 2:41:07 and Leslie Burnard at 3:23:56

Canada Race News

Steep Dreams – Panorama, BC – Feb 4-5

14-year old Tom Stephen putting in great performances both days! Photo by his dad Doug.
14-year old Tom Stephen putting in great performances both days! Photo by his dad Doug.
A new race on the Canadian calendar premiered last weekend at the lovely Panorama Resort located deep in the Purcell Mountains. Organized by racers Matt Reid and his wife Caroline the event was highly enjoyed by all participants!
Individual race:
Great selection of terrain and 15cm of fresh overnight were putting smiles on our faces despite the cold temperatures. A novelty in skimo racing, courtesy of Matt’s idea, were electronic chip timed downhills!
Men’s race went on to be a close battle between Peter Knight and Travis Brown with Peter securing a win thanks to strong climbing while not giving up too much time to Travis on the descents. Third place went to Joel Desgreiners after pulling off another strong performance. Stano went on to finish 4th with having mixed feelings about his performance.
There were no surprises in the women’s race, however, Kylee Ohler continues to keep building her stellar form towards the World Championships. Her coach, Eric Carter, and I continue to be impressed by her with every passing race. Second place finisher, Michelle Roberts, is making improvements as well and will be partnering with Kylee for Worlds and Pierra Menta – where Stano will be helping them with gear and overall support. Third place went to Lori-Anne Donald after posting some fast times on the downhills.
Two juniors raced the short course with Tom Stephens taking the top spot in front of Marcus Zamzow.
» Individual results
Vertical race:
All racers were ready once again early Sunday morning only to return back to the lodge after a snowmobile with the main timer & referee got stuck in storm snow half-way up the mountain.
840m of blue runs with some steep sections put a real hurt on everybody and delivered some impressive ascent speed rates for the top finishers. With laser focus, Peter Knight quickly disappeared out the front to post a fast 33:47 time (ascent rate of 24.9m/min or 1490m/hour). Travis Brown followed him home 1.5min back with third going again to Joel further 15sec back.
Biggest news was that only a 14-years old Tom Stephens finished in fourth in a time of 36:50!
In the women’s race, Kylee Toth took the win (40:12 and ascent rate of 20.9m/min or 1250m/hour) in front of Marg Fedyna and Michelle Roberts.
» Vertical results

Upcoming Races

World Cups:
On Feb 11th, Turkey will host an individual and sprint. Then all eyes will be on World Championships between Feb 23 and Mar 3.
USA and Canada:
» Check out our skimo racing calendar
Over the next two weekends:
Feb 11 – Whitefish Whiteout, MT – Stano will be there to remember to Ben Parsons
Feb 11 – Bolton 24 Hours, VT
Feb 17-19 – Griggs Ski Mountaineering Race, CO
Feb 18 – Course du Mont Édouard, QC

Interview with Tom Goth – the 2014 US SkiMo National Champion – on inspiration, training and gear

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Few weeks ago, I was trying to figure out who to approach for the next SkinTrack’s interview when I thought of Tom Goth.
I thought of him because I didn’t think our North American skimo community knew much about him – he seems to keep more private than others – yet he was quietly collecting podium placings over the last two seasons.
Fast-forward few weeks and, what a coincidence, Tom became the US National Ski Mountaineering Champion in individual race on March 15th at Crested Butte.
He is 28, is a member of the US National SkiMo Team and La Sportiva athlete living in Salt Lake City, UT.

Tom Goth on his background and inspiration

The end of a 15k ft day on Mt Timpanogos. Jason Dorais and I skied the Grunge Couloir, East Ridge and the West Face and tagged the North, South, and Main Summits.
The end of a 15k ft day on Mt Timpanogos. Jason Dorais and I skied the Grunge Couloir, East Ridge and the West Face and tagged the North, South, and Main Summits.
Q: When did you start ski touring and skimo racing?
Before discovering skimo racing, I was a resort skier who dabbled in ski touring for a while. Despite its appeal to me, it never really took hold until 2010/11. That’s when I had a parking lot run-in with skimo evangelist,  Andy Dorais.
After the seed was planted it has been a progression in gear acquisition, increasing training and racing. It’s become my main sporting focus during the year.
Q: What inspired you to start racing in this sport? What do you like the most about it?
Skimo shares the attributes of other endurance sports, something which has always appealed to me. As a lifelong skier, it was a natural decision to pick up the sport as I became aware of it.
Often skimo is referred to as a complete sport – aerobic capacity on the climbs, strength and power on the descent and technical ability with transitions. I think this is true, but for me the real gravy is that training is so much fun. Squeezing in few thousand vertical after work, something which would have seemed like half-day tour a few years ago, feels like freedom.
Despite a lackluster winter in the Wasatch, there was still some fun steep skiing to be had late season. Photo by Jason Dorais
Despite a lackluster winter in the Wasatch, there was still some fun steep skiing to be had late season. Photo by Jason Dorais
Q: What is your athletic background? What other sports do you race or do now?
I did some competitive running in high school and college, but didn’t take training very seriously. One obstacle to consistent training was my passion for skiing.  After college, I picked up triathlon during the summers. I learned some discipline and put together improved results, including a top ten Ironman finish and two trips to Kona.
To focus on skimo, I’ve taken a break from long course triathlons. I’ve moved the cycling and running off-road to get more vertical in the summer.

On training and becoming faster

Q: I would say that you had a pretty fast rise up the US skimo ranks, by the way, congrats on becoming the US SkiMo National Champion a month ago! What do you think were the most crucial elements and factors that allowed you to develop so quickly?

The start of the US National Championships individual race. Photo by Dominique Maack.
The start of the US National Championships individual race. Photo by Dominique Maack.
Thanks! I was happy to hang on to my fitness after a long season.
I think with any endurance sport, the most important aspect of training  is consistency. I’ve been lucky enough to put together consistent training this season and over the past couple years. Across all sports, my progression as an endurance athlete has been very linear.
With regards to skimo, my biggest leaps have been with sport specific skills, such as descending and transitions. It may sound obvious, but the best way to get better at descending on race skis is to train on race skis. Many of us have more desirable skis to take out on any given day, but if you embrace the skinny skis it pays off in races.
Q: You raced in Europe and attended the SkiMo World Champs for the first time last year. What was your experience like? What surprised you the most? And what did you find different?
Racing in Europe was awesome. The depth of field, the perfect skin tracks, the long climbs and descents, and the atmosphere in general made for a great experience.
Glide. I was most surprised by the amount of glide some of those guys were getting. Whether it was on the flats or the low angle climbs, their technique and skins allowed them to move really fast!
I think with ISMF sanctioned races in the US our courses are continuing to improve. However, the courses at world champs were impressive. There was no hacking straight up a mogul field. It helped that they had an army (literally) putting in the double track.
Can't believe I managed a smile. Photo credit ISMF.
Can’t believe I managed a smile. Photo credit ISMF.
Q: How do you structure your training year roughly — what sports, when, and how much time?
This season 2013/14 looks like:

  • October – December: Uphill running and early season skiing
  • December – March: Competitive skimo season (20 – 40k vertical ft and 15 – 25 hours / week)
  • March – May: Spring adventure skiing
  • April – September: Mountain bike, trail run and some swimming (10 – 20 hrs / week)

Q: Do you do any strength training? If so, is it skimo specific or more general?
No weight training during the competitive season. I may include some during the off season. Downhill running is also something I rely on during the off season.
Q: Do you have a coach?
No, I don’t.
Q: What are your future skimo racing and athletic goals?
For next year, it’s to race well at the World Championships in Verbier. It would be great to make another trip for one of the Big Three as well.

On the Grand Teton last April - the photo was taken just above the Otter Body on the East Face. Photo by Jason Dorais.
On the Grand Teton last April – the photo was taken just above the Otter Body on the East Face. Photo by Jason Dorais.

On nutrition and gear

Q: Do you follow any specific diet? (vegetarian, Paleo, LCHF…)
I find it hard to subscribe to any dietary dogma, but I do like the Paleo and LCHF ideas. I fuel my training and racing with typical sports nutrition, but generally eat whole unprocessed foods for meals.
Q: What race gear have you been using this season?
La Sportiva RSR skis, Stratos Cube boots, RSR bindings and multiple brands of skins. The La Sportiva partnership has worked out great. Going from not racing on their gear to getting my best results has been a huge validation for me. I’m stoked on their products.

As an alternative to the altered Grand Traverse, 7 of us traversed the La Sals South to North. We hit 11 named 12,000 ft peaks. It was redemption for a failed attempt last season.
As an alternative to the altered Grand Traverse, 7 of us traversed the La Sals South to North. We hit 11 named 12,000 ft peaks. It was redemption for a failed attempt last season.
Q: When racing, do you use a bottle or camelback?
16 ounce soft flask(s).
Q: If you could ask anyone from the whole world skimo racing community one question, who would it be and what would you ask?
That’s a hard question! But right now I’m geeking out on gear, so I’d love to check out the production process of the La Sportiva Cubes. Hopefully soon there are more full carbon race boots than plastic on the market.
Q: For all SkinTrack reader’s that ask me whether I am obsessed with skimo racing poles length, here’s my signature question: How tall are you and long are your poles? 🙂
6’2” (188 cm) and 140 cm.
My first ski descent off the Grand Teton was a great one! Tagged the Otter Body in prime conditions. Photo by Jason Dorais.
My first ski descent off the Grand Teton was a great one! Tagged the Otter Body in prime conditions. Photo by Jason Dorais.