ISMF North American Ski Mountaineering Championships -Crested Butte-

Having enjoyed a casual fall and early winter filled mostly with mountain biking, a little skiing, and probably more coffee drinking than anything else I was excited for a challenging race. I had my doubts about ski racing at all this winter because I was still riding my mountain bike at the beginning of January and the skiing was still marginal. That was up until 2 weeks ago when the snow finally started to fall. Luckily, we received around 5 feet in the last two weeks to finally kick the skiing off for the season and I decided it was time to put it back into gear....

Lucky for me, the biggest event of the season was in my backyard, the first annual North American Ski Mountaineering Championships. There was a lot hype leading up to the event because of the mountaineering mixed into the course (see pictures below).  There was a large turnout for the race including the Canadian National team and the Italian National men (who happen to be some of the fastest in the World right now). In addition, there was a strong contingent from the Salt Lake City, a few guys from Jackson, and the usual junkies from Colorado. 


Day One
The race weekend opened up with the sprint races on Saturday morning. The temperature was frigid, well below zero when I woke up, so warming up and trying to stay warm before the start was a challenge due to the 8 am start. The sprint course was short and fast with a lot of transitions. The cold ended up playing a major factor in the race because a lot of people had issues with their skins not sticking. Skimo racing is different than running or other sport in that there is a technical aspect to deal with while racing. Nonetheless, I think everyone had a good time and enjoyed the hot coffee and breakfast afterwards in the mid-mountain cabin at the start/finish. 


I had a solid race because I was focused more on having good transitions then trying to red-line myself on climbs. I still felt like it was my first race of the season because my transitions were far from perfect, but evidently they were good enough to land me the top American finish! Hopefully for next year the sprint races can be a spectator event at the base area with a qualifier run, then moving into heats for eliminations.


Day Two
There was some serious energy on the start line this year with everyone excited and nervous about climbing the ridge after seeing the pictures from the day before. Off the start line, the race was the typical drag up the groomer for 10 minutes to break the pack apart before going to a skintrack. I decided to go conservative off the start line since it was my first race of the season and I didn't want to blow up. I watched the Italians quickly pull away, stringing out the rest of the lead pack. 


When I hit the skintrack I realized my mistake of starting slow when I was stuck skinning behind a few people that were struggling with the switchbacks. I soon grew impatient of having to stop on every switchback to wait my turn to go around and started passing in the powder when I had the opportunity. I ended up moving up about five spots to get ahead of the small group, but wasted a lot of energy in doing so. The rest of the skin up the Peel to get to the guides ridge was more relaxed because I was on my own. 

Pulling up to the bottom of the guides ridge I secured my skis and poles on my pack to ready for the ascent and put on my windbreaker(in the rules). I clipped into the fixed line and started up the ridge with my ascender. I quickly found that the ascender seemed like more of a hindrance than an aid in climbing the ridge. I was caught up with a couple guys right in front of me and right behind me that would pull the fixed rope off to side of what was the easiest line to run up so I would resort to using the ascender to pull myself straight up and over where ever the rope was. Certainly, not the most efficient way to climb especially when you lack experience using an ascender (like me). 

By the time I was a third of the way up the ridge I realized I needed to relax because my heartrate was pinned due to being caught up in the all the action. Jarad (SLC Samuri) and Andrew McNabe(the 6'4" Canadian) passed me at about this point and I found myself climbing behind Jon Brown who we had caught up to on the ridge. Moving at the slower pace was a relief to my body which was burning up inside my windbreaker. 

I was relieved to reach the peak and descend down to the saddle below. At the transition I put the windbreaker back in my pack, put my skis on, and guzzled some Aclimate.  The descent was blistering fast down to the North Face Lift on the fresh corduroy. I realized how cooked I was on the next climb up the Headwall ridge to the saddle below the peak. About halfway up I was cursing the slippery switchbacks and had both Italians come by me (a lap up). I decided it was worth stopping for a minute or two to refuel since I still had another lap. I pulled my pack off and chugged a bottle of drink mix while eating a couple gel shots. 

I was glad to be at the saddle again to head down for my final lap up the Headwall ridge. I had a quick transition to skins on at the bottom and motored up the climb making up the time on Jon that I had lost on the last lap when I was running on empty. By the time I reached the saddle I had closed the gap back down to a reasonable amount to make up on the downhill. 


The final descent was blistering fast with a straight-line down International on fresh corduroy. Luckily, the bottom section was off-piste bumps. I opted to keep the straight-line going, taking inspiration from a missile and found myself flying by Jon. I hit the bottom of the descent pumped to finish, but came around the bottom of the lift to realize I was going to get kicked in ass one more time. I put my head down and suffered through the 200 meter uphill skate to the finish line and the rest was smiles. 


I had a solid race, finishing 9th overall (7th technically if the Italians don't count in the NA Champs) and I realized again this weekend why I love racing....

I want to shout out and say thanks to everyone who attended the event, all you stellar people from CO, UT, ID, WY, and Canada that made the trip! You made the atmosphere at the race!

And of course thanks to CBMR and all the people who helped put on this event! Especially those of you who fly under the radar without recognition! 





Check out Chris Miller's site for pics and video(or if you need inspiration to get out and ski)
http://gooneyriders.typepad.com/gooney_riders/2012/01/rando-race-at-crested-butte-.html

ISMF North American Championships -Crested Butte- RESULTS

Snapshots of the overall results for the ISMF North American Championships from this past week in Crested Butte. Just wanted to get the results up for anyone who was looking, I'll post more on this race tonight! 


Men's Results

Women's Results

Introduction to Skimo Racing: Part 3 : CLOTHING (what to wear)

"There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear." 


Yes, winter is cold...and wet...and the days are short, but with the right combination of clothing skiing in the winter can be fun. 


Randonee skiing is a unique winter sport in that your choice of clothing has to adapt to the changes while touring. When you are skinning uphill your body is generating a lot of heat(and sweat), but as soon as you turn around to ski downhill your body ceases to generate heat because the workout is way less aerobic. After you factor in the windchill on the way down that freezes that sweat you generated and you are chilled by the time you get to the bottom to turn around and go uphill again. The key is to stay dry because once you get wet it is hard to stay warm.


Luckily, there is a solution...its called layers and really is quite basic.

 *This is what I would wear if I was going skinning on the ski resort or some other controlled environment (similar to skiing at the nordic center on groomed nordic track). For true backcountry skiing I would bring and/or wear warmer and more stormproof clothing as well as bring along backcountry safety gear. 


Training Clothing 
This is what I put on before leaving the house to go skinning. 
Base layers-
Wool socks, windbriefs, lightweight wool long underwear bottoms, lightweight long sleeve wool top

Outer layers (that I wear the entire time)
Softshell pants(light and breathable), vest (windproof front& breathable back)
*if it is really cold &/or windy &/or dumping snow I also wear a softshell jacket (light and breathable) 


Nordic or cold-weather cycling clothing works well for skinning because you are at a similar aerobic level. Check your closet, you might already have clothes...


Uphill

Notice the headband(buffs are awesome!) and lightweight softshell gloves.


The goal with the clothing you wear uphill is to minimize the amount you sweat. This probably means for the first 5 minutes you might be a little chilled, but once your core gets up to temperature you are comfortable. You can also start in a jacket(or with more layers) until you begin to warm up then remove it before you start to sweat. I prefer to wear a vest uphill so that it cuts the wind and keeps my core warm while allowing the sweat to evaporate off my arms. However, if it is windy &/or snowing I wear a softshell top to cut the windchill and keep me dry from the falling snow.


Change headwear between uphill and downhill! 
50% of your body heat is lost through your head if you are hat less.  This is actually good news in that switching between a light headband for the uphill and hat for the downhill can help control your body temperature and the amount your sweating. 


Downhill

Put on a jacket, dry gloves, and a dry hat! When it is really cold I put on a lightweight down 
jacket on and if it is snowing or really windy I put a shell on top of that. I would rather an extra 2 mins to be warm and dry on the decent then be freezing at the bottom! If you are a really sweaty person I would recommend maybe even doing a quick long sleeve baselayer change(to stay dry and warm). 

Backpacks
I ski with a backpack all the time during the winter. It allows me to take extra clothing as you never know what the weather is going to do or what might happen. I can also carry food, water, and whatever else I might need. 


There are a few companies in the U.S. that make skimo race specific backpacks. Below are the two most popular(or easy to get).


Dynafit RC20                                                                                     Camp Rapid



Both of these packs have a couple features that are necessary if you want to be a competitive racers as they make your transitions really fast. 
-ski carry (without removing pack)
-safety box (allow you to store and remove skins or crampons w/out removing pack)


Racing Apparel

Ahh....spandex! Well, the good new is, you don't have to race in spandex to be comfortable and perform well. I raced for half a season before I got a race suit and figured out what worked for me. You don't have to wear much racing because most of the time you are going uphill and generating heat. The key once again is to stay dry! 


I wore lightweight/breathable pants(nordic style w/ breathable back and windproof front) with wind-briefs underneath and a long-sleeve top with a vest on. This combination was breathable enough on the uphill, yet warm enough on the downhill. Polyester long underwear cuts the wind better than wool so for racing I would recommend having a stinky polypro top. Find a vest that you can cinch tight at the bottom around your hips. This is so you can tuck your skins into the front for the descent and keep them warm. 


Racers wear one piece spandex suits because of their breathability and plenitude of skin pockets. They are great for racing because you are generating a tremendous amount of body heat and not stopping. However, if you stop or find yourself in a whiteout you will probably freeze your ass off! This is why the ISMF requires you to carry outerlayers in your backpack while you race. 

Luke Nelson looking AGGRO at Worlds last year in his spandex. Maybe it does make you faster??? 

I'll let you decide....

Why do you race?

I ran into a fellow skimo racer this afternoon and he asked me the question I have been answering a lot lately, "Why haven't you been racing this winter?"

Instead of giving a straightforward answer I found myself beating around the bush and never really giving the reason why, despite having a legit reason. My real reason for not racing yet this winter comes down to economics; I decided earlier in the winter my credit card would remain healthy if I only raced locally.

I went for a run this evening and found myself coming back to that question. So I stepped back and thought, why am I out running right now? I suppose mainly to stay sane. Beyond that running is convenient (5 min bike ride to trailhead), cheap, and painful. Taking the same logic to a larger scale....

I think the question to ask is,"Why do you race?"

-fun

-improve/maintain health

-pushing your self/limits

-solitude

-pride

-enjoy competition

-desire to achieve physical goals

-personal identity

-atmosphere

-vanity

-awards

-other ______

That is just a quick list off the top of my head of why someone would race. 

Why do I race?

I race because of the adrenaline rush and challenge of pushing myself, the atmosphere and the people that are involved in the whole scene, the travel and places that racing takes me, the feeling of personal accomplishment.
(this is my short answer)

And how about you?

Introduction to Skimo Racing: Part 2 : GEAR (on the cheap or $$)

This is a continuation of the Introduction to Skimo Racing Series (links on right side of page)

Part 2: Gear

I'm tired of hearing, "So you want to get into Rando Racing? Well, you should start by purchasing this carbon...., carbon..., and Ti...., drop some $$$ and then you can get into the sport." I fully disagree with this mentality... and I think this is a common misconception with getting into the sport.

Here is what you need to know about gear:

1) Used gear can be a great buy! 

-Modern randonee race gear has been out for a number of years now so it is possible to find a great buy on used equipment. Unless the gear is practically brand new I would advise not to pay more than half of what retail price is on a used piece of gear. During my first year of racing I threw down big $ on pair of used skis and guess what, I broke one of the skis after a couple months and the company wouldn't warranty it even though it was less than a year old! With that word of caution; don't over spend on used gear, keep looking if the seller is asking too much. 

2) What to look for. 

Boots

-There are two ways to approach buying boots. Either buy a pair of boots specifically for racing and training or buy a pair of boots you can also go backcountry ski powder boards in. I would recommend the latter because there are some great options out there now. 

Race Specific

Dynafit DyNA or EVO 

This boot came out in Fall 09 and has proven to be a great design. The integration of the lower boot into the cuff is much different than the Scarpa boots and has proven to be light, stiff, and durable, but comes with the typical carbon fiber boot price. 

Scarpa F1

This boot was really the catalyst to getting randonee racing going in the U.S. (along with the Dynafit binding). I believe the boot came out in 2007 so there are plenty of these floating around.

Scarpa F1 Carbon or Alien

The F1 Carbon also came out in Fall 09 to compete with the new Dynafit. The Scarpa stayed with the same boot design as the F1 and basically put on a carbon cuff instead of the plastic and ground more plastic off the lower boot to shave weight. I have heard of a few cracked carbon cuffs with the F1 Carbon boots so durability is something to consider with these boots(I think Scarpa has been good about warranty on these though). I'm not sure about the alien. Again, these boots come with the carbon price tag.

Full Carbon
La Sportiva Stratos, Pierre Gignoux, etc.

There are also a few all carbon boots out there if you've got some real $$$. However, unless you are racing in Europe I don't think they are worth the extra money because of the durability issues with an all carbon boot. They sure do look pretty and might intimidate your competition! 

Do it all boots! 
Dynafit TLT 5 Mountain or Performance

Introduced in Fall 10' this boot has opened the eyes of many people to how well a light weight boot can ski downhill! I have logged a lot of days in the backcountry with this boot skiing a ski with a 95mm waist and it has delivered. Yes, you have to be a smooth skier to ski big skis with this boot so it is not for everybody, but if I can make twice as many laps as you on your 4 buckles then I will take what I can get. 

These boots are lighter than the F1 Race and ski uphill better because the of the improved flex (thanks to the bellow in the back of the liner). For racing, remove the tongue and powerstrap as the boot will still be plenty stiff to ski your little 160 race boards. I could ski the Grand Traverse in my TLT5 boots as they are very close to the same boot as the DyNA. 

For the extra $200 for the Performance you get a much stiffer boot due to the carbon cuff and the liner is lighter weight. If you enjoy skinning for your turns and are not a backcountry hucker (or wannabe) then these boots could be your ONE uphill/downhill boot.

I'm going to speculate that the TLT5 boots for next year will move to a non-flexing lower cuff like the EVO which should shave substantial weight and make for a stiffer boot. 

Bindings

This is easy, go Dynafit! Dynafit bindings were invented a long time ago(1990) by someone who was thinking outside the box and the design has not changed much from the beginning. These bindings are light, efficient, and designed for the backcountry. They were slow to catch on in the U.S. because we are Americans and think bigger/burlier is better (think alpine trekker). They are designed for efficient uphill and downhill travel in the backcountry, however I would not recommend them for your local ice-hard mogul field at the resort. 

Dynafit Speed
(also called the classic or tour-lite)

If you are looking used, this a great buy as they have been on the market for a long time. They can even be found in a multitude of fun colors. The internals of the binding are rebuild-able so just look for a pair that appears to be in decent shape. They have varied slightly over the years but should weigh in about 350 grams per binding. 

Dynafit Race or Low-Tech

I think around 5 years ago Dynafit introduced a racing binding. The toe piece was made of titanium to save weight and the heel came in two offerings. A traditional heel piece with climbing step adjustments and din or a new radical heel that simply had a U shaped prong that shaved some serious weight. The original low-tech race is about 160 grams per binding. 

This year (Fall 11) Dynafit introduced a new auto-locking race binding that is incredibly light (I believe the lightest on the market, someone correct me if I am wrong). The new toe piece locks into uphill mode as soon as you step-in to save time. The bindings weigh about 120 grams each.

Other Tech Bindings

This past year the patent on the Dynafit binding expired which opened up the door for other companies to copy the design. There are lots of other offerings out there, some appear to be as reliable as the original Dynafit, but others seem to be plagued with lack of quality control in manufacturing. If you decide to go with an alternative to Dynafit be sure to read up and find out if they have proven to be reliable. 

Skis
In North America there is a very limited selection of skis you can actually get. I'll just mention the skis you find in shops in the U.S. Having owned and skied about 4 different brands I don't think the more expensive skis are worth the extra money unless you are racing on the World Cup. The length and size of all race skis are about the same; 160 cm length and around 96 x 65 x 78 mm.

Dynafit Race Performance
These skis retail for $650 and weighs 800 grams. The quality is top notch and they ski downhill great. I highly recommend these skis as they are durable enough to use them everyday in training, yet light enough to race on.

Hagan X-Race
This ski retails for $750 and weighs 700 grams. I have not skied or checked out these skis in person so I'm not sure about durability or quality, but I know in the past the Hagan skis have been durable (the older x-races are about 800 grams).

$1200+ skis
(when you get into this category I would view the skis as a race only set and have a cheaper set to train)
Dynafit DyNA World Cup
Ski Trab Duo World Cup (the most popular race ski in Europe)
La Sportiva RSR

*I know a few people with the Atomic Tour Races and they have proven to be good skis if you could find a used pair as they are no longer sold in the U.S.

Skins
You want mohair skins! They are the key to going fast. There are two options. Either buy a set of precut race skins with tips attached or find a shop that sells bulk skins cut to length and make your own tip attachments. Basically there are two large manufacturers in Europe of skins, Pomoca and Coltex, other companies then package and sell the skins as their own.

Camp and Black Diamond Mohair are the two options for bulk buying. The two shops in our valley sell them for about $15/ft so you are looking at $120 for a set.

Pre-packaged
Dynafit Race Ready Skins (Pomoca)
La Sportiva RSR Skins (Pomoca)
Ski Trab Race Skins (Coltex?)

Here are a couple previous posts about skins that you will find helpful-
http://travisscheefer.blogspot.com/2010/01/mohair-race-skins.html
http://travisscheefer.blogspot.com/2010/01/mohair-skins-part-ii-adding-glue.html

*For racing you are going to want 2 sets of skins.Your backup set could be a cheap pair of synthetic skins.


Poles
A set of Nordic poles are your best option. Cheap is good because if you break a pole it isn't a big deal. I've had good luck with old school carbon (or they might even be fiberglass poles), but I know some people that use aluminum and like them. You can also buy skimo specific race poles from Dynafit and probably other companies and they are obviously good as they are light, stiff, and durable. You want simple loop straps on your poles as you need to be able to take them on and off easily for transitions.

For length, you want them shorter than you would a typical nordic classic race pole. This is personal preference so if you get a chance try a couple different lengths(or use adjustable poles at varied length) until you figure out what feels good for you.

This is the basic gear you need.

Next up is what to clothing and backpacks (including what goes in it).

2012 US Ski Mountaineering National Championships

Congrats to Luke Nelson and Sari Anderson 2012 National Champions! 

 pic by Ian Anderson

Official Results

Womens Race

1	27	Sari	Anderson	Female	Race			3:04:13
2	74	Stevie	Kremer	Female	Race			3:12:20
3	78	Gemma	Arro Ribot	Female	Race			3:16:03
4	20	Melanie	Bernier	Female	Race			3:17:05
5	4	Amy	Fulwyler	Female	Race			3:26:20
6	1	Janelle	Smiley	Female	Race			3:29:06
7	70	Nikki	Kimball	Female	Race			3:34:19.7
8	60	Jennifer	Gersbach	Female	Race			3:39:56
9	65	Kim	Young	Female	Race			3:48:07
10	26	Jari	Kirkland	Female	Race			3:49:55
11	15	Kathleen	Crowley	Female	Race			3:59:06
12	50	Lindsay	Plant	Female	Race			4:13:00
13	5	Jaime	Falcon	Female	Race			4:22:38
14	71	Jenny	Pierce	Female	Race			5:28:19

Mens Race

1	25	Luke	Nelson	Male	Race			2:38:58
2	42	Scott	Simmons	Male	Race			2:40:59
3	46	Jason	Dorais	Male	Race			2:43:42
4	17	Bryan	Wickenhauser	Male	Race			2:47:32
5	68	Ben	Parsons	Male	Race			2:48:47
6	3	Cary	Smith	Male	Race			2:50:20
7	2	Pete	Swenson	Male	Race			2:51:46
8	47	Jared	Inouye	Male	Race			2:53:19
9	41	Jon	Brown	Male	Race			2:55:13
10	48	Andy	Dorias	Male	Race			2:59:16
11	55	Chris	Kroger	Male	Race			3:00:59
12	36	Simon	Gilna	Male	Race			3:01:59
13	51	Brian P.	Harder	Male	Race			3:02:37
14	61	Michael	Hagen	Male	Race			3:05:26
15	58	Mike	Schilling	Male	Race			3:05:43
16	12	Dennis	Flanagan	Male	Race			3:07:58
17	59	Teague	Holmes	Male	Race			3:09:24
18	72	Brian	Story	Male	Race			3:09:48
19	22	Andrew	McNab	Male	Race			3:12:06
20	77	Zahan	Billimoria	Male	Race			3:13:18
21	45	Thomas	Goth	Male	Race			3:22:08
22	30	Nathan	Brown	Male	Race			3:25:56
23	43	Jamie	Kilcoyne	Male	Race			3:28:12
24	57	Miles	Venzara	Male	Race			3:28:56
25	49	Brian	Edmiston	Male	Race			3:30:33
26	24	Tyler	Newton	Male	Race			3:33:52
27	76	John	VanNostrand Jr.	Male	Race			3:34:19.4
28	44	Nicholas	Francis	Male	Race			3:34:20
29	14	Chad	Brackelsberg	Male	Race			3:35:36

30	23	Ray	Hellinger	Male	Race			3:35:49
31	54	Jon	Crowley	Male	Race			3:37:29
32	80	Brandon	Kern	Male	Race			3:39:46
33	66	David	Hoffman	Male	Race			3:41:57
34	6	Brook	Yeomans	Male	Race			3:45:05
35	10	Layne	Caldwell	Male	Race			3:49:23
36	84	Micah	Thatcher	Male	Race			3:52:01
37	35	Scott	Archer	Male	Race			3:52:03
38	69	Jon	Lowe	Male	Race			3:53:51
39	67	Scott	Radek	Male	Race			3:55:46
40	9	Tim	White	Male	Race			3:57:58
41	11	Jeremy	Rietmann	Male	Race			4:06:32
42	16	Matthew	Hart	Male	Race			4:16:16
43	52	Joel	Ahlum	Male	Race			5:06:05
44	21	Christopher	White	Male	Race			5:25:30

Le Velo