Make no mistake -- she’s also a tenacious competitor. Her first foot race was a half-marathon in 2011 and when she chose to switch to trail running, coach and mentor Ellie Greenwood helped her build the confidence she needed to rack up an impressive list of ultra placings. 

In 2019, Mallory made the podium at Black Canyon Ultra 100K, and immediately after, cracked jokes about her animal skull trophy collection with Canadian Running. She placed eighth in the 2019 Javalina Jundred (which, of course, is also a costume party), and she’s also won every Superior 100 mile race since 2014. She’s particularly proud of the woman's speed record she set on the Mantario, a wilderness trail that follows the Manitoba-Ontario border. “I spent a lot of time doing reconnaissance on that,” she says.

Like most of us, Mallory usually does her speed and hill sessions on the treadmill, but does her long runs outside. She’ll run in any weather down to -20 Celcius (plus wind!), admitting, “It takes a lot to get out the door. I’ve had to get creative for how to get the mileage in.” Running with friends is her go-to strategy. “Misery loves company,” says Mallory. 

But for those big mileage winter days, “creative” involves her husband, Shawn, and the family car. “He drives me to the edge of town and leaves me there. Then he gets to watch TV and play guitar until I show up very, very cold and he gives me a snack.” Really? Yikes.

Her gear tips include carrying a backpack in winter. She says, “So rather than just a hydration vest, I tend to carry a backpack so that it can have extra layers ... an extra pair of mitts, things like that.” She tucks water bottles into her jacket and her backpack, so they don’t freeze. Her Black Diamond Icon headlamp is a constant companion. She says, “Every run includes at least some darkness.”

When it comes to the rewards, Mallory notices the positive impact winter running has on her performance. “Although the snow adds friction, and the backpack adds weight, I feel like when the snow melts, you can feel the difference, and it turns into a net benefit.”

Mallory also loves nature, and outside time is a critical part of her day. She says, "I stand to gain a lot by seeing the same trails that I like in the summer and how they transform when there's a layer of snow on the ground. I love seeing how the landscape changes and feeling like I get to know it in all of its moods.”

Soon we’re talking about Mallory’s winter plans for her daughter, Clara. “I am getting a pair of cross-country skis and I got some skis for her Chariot. So we're gonna do some skiing together.” She adds, “I want to share that with her, so she grows up seeing how much fun it can be to get outside and how much you can see once you're out there.”

That’s something we all need to remember as we head out running this winter.

Follow the RunUphill Group on Strava.

Ramblings from the Rockies: Episode 1 

Some stories from the Black Canyon Ultra 100K race with Andy Reed and Liz Halleran. Discussions about what they use for food, pre race prep and thoughts and ramblings on trails running in the Canadian Rockies. A detailed recap from Liz at lizisrunningtherockies.wordpress.com/2018/03/04/black-cayon-ultras-100km/

I recently found myself going through the pages of a blog called perpetualski.ca. Stumbling on this website a couple times in the last 2 years, I just couldn't believe how committing the skiing was. But it was only this winter that I really started going through the endless inspiration (and beta) that it provides. The stoke from this spring's conditions had me looking for more obscure, less skied lines and Perpetualski provided me with these mind-blowing descents that I wouldn't even dream of skiing one day.  

The man behind all those breathtaking lines: Trevor Sexsmith. Some of you might have known him, others might only have heard of him. Trevor did not survive an avalanche on Mt. Victoria last September. I didn't know Trevor, but as a skier, sharing some turns with that guy one day was definitely on my bucket list. Much has been said about his death and no matter what each of us think about it, no one can ignore the fact that he was on his way to become an icon of Canadian steep skiing. 

Want to get inspired on that rainy and sad weekend where there is no skiing to be done? Go check out his blog. Flip through the pages, videos and photos on Perpetualski.ca and experience it for yourself. 

He will continue to inspire skiers to look past the guidebooks and the well-established lines and to redefine steep skiing in the Rockies. As the discipline gathers more and more momentum among backcountry skiers, we hope to be just as amazed at those new lines that will get skied in the future and that these visionary skiers will live old and tell stories about those groundbreaking descents.

Why are you here? It's a great question that businesses should ask themselves when they are starting out. What do you want to accomplish or achieve by doing what you do? It's something that we have been talking a lot about as we are getting ready to open our doors this fall. Why are we here? And we get it, that you should sell something to keep those doors open. But beyond that. What gets you up in the morning? Keeps you up working on the thing late at night? There are shops everywhere selling things and doing that. Some well, some not so well. But beyond selling something, what is your purpose?

What we came to is that we love backcountry skiing and trail running. We love the thrill of the new route. The excitement with a few friends and sharing in the exhilaration of a ridge. The drop into a couloir, playing in the mountains and we want to share that. This does require some gear and some chosen products and we do have that at our store. But our store is to be so much more than a collection of curated things. It is the place to go for route recommendations. For "a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitude, interests and goals" as the definition states.

This past Tuesday I was at the local run club, Canmore Trail Culture and was chatting about our business when people asked what I did in town. There were a few people really interested in backcountry skiing but unsure of how to get into the community or which areas to ski. I know that feeling. It’s funny because backcountry and ski mountaineering people are so welcoming to new comers. I think that’s where skiuphill.ca can bring people to share in this sport we love and help them skip the lines at the resorts, not freeze on a chair lift and to earn their turns in the backcountry. 

Getting more into backcountry skiing this year has been so incredible to reaching some fitness goals, spending time with my partner and as cross training for trail running now that summer is here.

So we're doing something different at skiuphill.ca. Something that will bring people together, creating a place where you can find that new line and get into the community. Guy Kawasaki, in "The Art of Creating a Community" (link here) says, "Give people something concrete to chew on" and we're going to do just that.

Sign up here for updates. Share with your friends. Stay tuned, we have exciting stuff coming this fall!

We are well into renovations for our new space at 906 Bow Valley Trail. It’s great to be able to say that 8 days after getting the keys. Scott and Nicole, my brother and sister-in-law came in last minute to help with renovations and we were so thankful to get a big head start and some great knowledge on ‘how tos’ from them. I guess that is what we can say about so many things since we started this idea to where we are now. We are grateful for the community that is out there to help and give great advice. It can seem overwhelming at times with all the work to be done. If you have ever done renovations on a house or are in the middle of them, (it is summer afterall and reno season) you know what we mean. An intensity that comes from doing physical work with our hands. Building, patching, taping and designing. And then a noticeable switch to writing posts such as these, finalizing our orders, applying for permits and reviewing and signing lease documents. It can all seem overwhelming when you look at it. What is unique and wonderful as we reflect on the work that we are doing, the store that we are building and the space that we are renovating is that it makes us glad that we are building a place that will help bring together a community around a couple of sports that we love; back country skiing and trail running.

As we have been doing renovations it has seemed very slow going at times. Patching a wall, taping it and then feathering it 4 times seems mundane and they are tiny changes that we make with each passing day. But looking at photos over a week, much has changed. From removing a false ceiling, removing wires to cutting out the wall for our binding mounting area. Lots changes when you look at it a few days later. Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) said, ‘I went bankrupt gradually, then suddenly.’ I guess most type 2 sports are like that as well, gradual and then sudden. Ski touring up a mountain is one foot after the other that seems slow, until you’ve gained 1,400 metres. Trail running and ultra running are similar in getting to the next aid station, remembering to look up and take in some of the views. They seem like tiny changes in the moment but strung together they take you places and suddenly you are at the top of the mountain, or at the the finish line. We are excited for that finish line for renos to be sure, but enjoying the work along the way. Work that matters to us to create the space for you.

Thank you to the community that surrounds us. Those that have helped out so far in brawn, advice and insights. There are too many of you to list and we appreciate the support and are very excited. Check out our Instagram post for updates and we’ll see you all on the trails and at our store in September. 

Gavin