Look at Your Feet

Before you even pull on a pair of backcountry ski boots, take a few minutes to get familiar with your own feet. Are they narrow or wide? High-volume or low? Have they changed since your last boot or even since last season? Think about what typically gives you trouble in other footwear: pressure on the instep, cramped toes, rubbing, etc. All those quirks are what make your feet unique. Keep them in mind; they’re the key pressure points you’ll want to pay extra attention to when you start trying boots on.

Ski boots are built on “lasts”, essentially the manufacturer's version of an average foot. But your feet aren’t average, and those rigid plastic shells are far from custom. That’s why a lot of skiers need shell work to get a perfect match. Having to punch or stretch a few key areas doesn’t mean a boot is wrong for you, it just means you’re making it yours.

Verifying the Length

Getting the right boot length sounds easy enough, until you realize ski boots don’t play by normal sizing rules. Backcountry ski boots use Mondo sizing, which is just a fancy way of saying “centimetres.” But here’s the kicker: the plastic shells only come in full sizes. Those “half sizes” you see? They don't really exist. The brand might tweak the liner or add a shim, but the shell stays the same.

If you spend most of your days riding lifts and chasing performance, having your toes resting against the front of your boots might feel just right. But for big backcountry days, that same fit can turn uncomfortable fast. By hour three of a long approach, you’ll likely be rethinking life choices.

That said, a common mistake among backcountry skiers is going too big. A roomy shell might feel nice when you’re standing in the shop, but it’ll leave you sliding around, losing precision, and creating unwanted movement — both on the up and the down. What you actually want is a snug, slightly compressive fit out of the box, something that feels like, “I can see how this could work with a bit more space and length” 

Checking length is easy:

1. Take the liner out of the shell. Remove the footbed from the liner and put it inside the plastic shell. 

2. Stand in the empty shell with your foot on the footbed.

3. Slide your toes to the front so they touch the end.

4. Reach behind your heel and see how many fingers fit in the gap.

For backcountry boots, one and a half to two fingers (15 to 20 mm)of space is ideal. One finger or less might be fine for resort boots chasing precision, but too short and you’ll be fighting it every time you flip to walk mode. On the opposite end, over two fingers usually mean that the boot is too long for you. 

Assessing the Overall Fit

While you’re still standing inside the empty shell, take a moment to notice any pressure points. With your foot centered, do you already feel the plastic pressing on certain areas? Those will likely become hot spots once the liner is added. The goal isn’t zero contact,  it’s to have just enough space for the liner to do its job. Most small pressure points can easily be fixed by a bootfitter with a punch or stretch, so don’t rule out a boot too quickly.

Once you’ve checked the shell, put the footbed back into the liner, and the liner back inside the boot. Time to throw a thin ski sock on and try the boot with everything in there. Now you’re looking for a fit that feels like a firm handshake: snug and supportive, not crushing or sloppy. A bit too tight is ideal; liners always pack out and molding will give you more space. If your toes are just brushing the front in ski mode, they’ll pull back enough once the liner’s been heat-molded.

Remember, it’s easy to start with a boot that feels like an 7.5/10 and fine-tune it to perfection. But if a boot feels like a 3/10 out of the box, it’s probably not your match; no amount of bootfitting wizardry can change a fundamentally wrong shell shape.

Let your feet decide! 

A great fit starts with knowing your own feet and what a ski boot should actually feel like. The right shell shape and length are half the battle, small tweaks like liner molding or shell punching can take care of the rest.

Here’s a quick cheat sheet to keep in mind:

• 1.5–2 fingers behind the heel = right length for touring.

• Firm handshake feel = good overall fit.

• Snug heel, free(ish) toes = comfort + control.

• Minor pressure points = fixable.

• Super comfortable out of the box = red flag. 

Once you’ve done your homework, we can help with the fine-tuning. Our bootfitting crew lives for this stuff, from first touring setups to precision fits for big objectives.

Some runners crossed paths mid-climb, others caught up at the trailhead after. You’d hear people swapping tips, comparing lines, or just laughing about how rough that one section was. The bracket might’ve said you were opponents, but on the trail, it felt more like a crew. Same route, same struggle, same respect. 

Got knocked out of the bracket? No big deal. You were still in the General Classification—racing the clock instead of a name on a spreadsheet. Some chased wins, others chased consistency. A lot of people just wanted to see all four climbs through. It all counted.

The climbs didn’t drag on—they just hit hard and fast. No time to settle in, no room to fake your way through. One week it was smooth and snappy, the next it was loose rock and hands-on quads. Each segment asked something different, and by the end, most runners had emptied the tank in a few different ways. Nothing about it was complicated, but none of it was easy.

 It’s done—for now. But if you like your challenges tough, your community strong, and your racing stripped to the essentials, this is one to keep an eye on.

The Challenges.

Rarely does something that feels this low-key attract a field this stacked. But that’s the thing with Queen and King of the Hill—it might run on spreadsheets and self-timing, but the talent that shows up is anything but casual. Whether you were pushing for the top or just seeing how you measure up, every week was a chance to line up against some of the best mountain runners on the continent.

In Canmore, Courtney Brohart claimed the Queen of the Hill crown, pulling ahead with consistent efforts on every segment. Frederica Blouin-Comeau and Nicole Gilman weren’t far behind, rounding out a strong women’s field that never let up. The men’s race saw Karl Augsten take the win with a 30-second gap over Mitchell Valic—not exactly a sprint finish, but more than close enough to keep things tense. Michael Ravensbergen secured third with a strong, steady series of climbs. In total, 40 women and 38 men finished all four weeks.

In Squamish, Kalie McCrystal took the Queen of the Hill title after a strong final week push— when the final climb rolled around, she turned it on and sealed the win. Krissie Saba kept things tight all series long to take second, and Kelsey Watts rounded out a stacked podium with four impressive efforts. On the men’s side, Alexandre Ricard ran with control and consistency, earning the top spot with authority. Shaun Stephens-Whale claimed second, and Scott Maguire edged out Philippe Brunet for third in one of the closest finishes we've ever seen—decided on countback after the two tied on Third Peak. A total of 53 women and 56 men completed the full set of challenges.

Blackcomb - Tremor Col

Blackcomb Glacier, East Col, Decker Northeast Shoulder, Trorey Glacier - Pattison High Col, Tremor Glacier, Tremor-Shudder Col.

East Col to Decker Lake is currently straightforward though be mindful, there are many rocks/avalanche debris chunks that are hiding just beneath the snow. The short couloir descent from the Northeast shoulder of Decker to the Trorey Glacier was firm but manageable. Trorey Glacier to the Pattison High Col was straightforward. The Tremor Glacier looks a little different than most seasons. The convexities sport many large crevasses. Some of these crevasses are bridged well and others are not. Completing this climb in a white out might have been funky.

Photo: Pat Valade
Genís Zapater, bootpacking to the Pattison High Col

Photo: Pat Valade
Ascending Tremor Glacier

Tremor Col - Macbeth-Couloir Ridge Col

Platform Glacier, Ripsaw-Quiver Col, Ripsaw Glacier/Naden Glacier East Shoulder, Macbeth-Couloir Ridge Col.

The Platform Glacier has decent coverage. The upper right hand side of the Ripsaw-Quiver Col made entry to the Ripsaw Glacier easier. The pass between the Ripsaw and Naden Glacier involved a short boot pack ascent. To descend the pass crampons and Ice Axe were helpful. Both the Ripsaw and Naden Glacier have some large sag’s and hidden crevasses.

Photo: Jessie McAuley

Ascending Platform Glacier

Photo: Pat Valade

State of Fitzsimmons Glacier

Photo: Pat Valade

Short bootpack descent from Ripsaw-Naden Pass

Couloir Ridge Col-Overlord Notch

Couloir Ridge, Iago Glacier, Benvolio Glacier, Benvolio-Fitzsimmons Col, Overlord Notch.

The Descent from couloir ridge was enjoyable with silky ankle deep powder, the North ridge of Iago looked tedious so our group descended East to the base of the Iago Glacier. This added 100 metres of gain. The Iago Glacier has several crevasses on the steep section near the bottom. Iago South skied well. Many crevasses are hidden near the Diavolo Glacier. Eric Probed 240cm on the Diavolo Glacier at 2200 metres. The Diavolo Glacier ascent needed some care to avoid a couple of large dips and crevasses. Traverse from Benvolio-Fitz Col to the overlord notch was firm with a few holes to avoid. We made a 30m rappel down the Overlord Notch. The bottom of the rappel is situated above a large Bergschrund that is bridged well but taking an extra moment to plan our route was important.

Photo: Jessie McAuley

Eric Carter descending to base of Iago Glacier

Photo: Jessie McAuley

Large crown on the North Face of Cheakamus Peak

Photo: Pat Valade

Large crevasses on Diavolo Glacier

Photo: Pat Valade

Jessie McAuley on rappel at the Overlord notch

Overlord Notch-Oyama Ramen

Overlord Glacier, Whirlwind Col, Musical Bumps, Groomers, Lot 2, Ramen!

Overlord Glacier was straight forward along the flats. The steeper bits are heavily crevassed. Whirlwind to Kees and Claire Hut was tracked out but enjoyable, The Musical Bumps have reasonable coverage, The descent on piste to the Whistler Village is fast, be mindful of Groomers if descending by headlamp. Ramen.. Tasty, Hydrating, and affordable! A no brainer.

Photo: Pat Valade

Large Crevasses on the Overlord Glacier *Without the rappel you would ascend through the crevasses in this image.

Photo: Jessie McAuley

Genís Zapater ascending Whirlwind peak in evening light

Photo: Jessie McAuley

JT Pelham enjoying himself.

Wrap Up

Despite the low snowpack we still had an excellent day moving through the mountains. Choosing a weather window with great visibility allowed us to plan our routes from afar. Our group took a lot of extra care with crevasses being the biggest hazard of the day. We did not use ski crampons but were happy to have ice axes, crampons, and a full glacier travel kit. Glacier recession combined with an El Nino snowpack has made for some funky glacier travel conditions in the Coast Mountains. Our route covered roughly 40km with 2900 metres of elevation gain in a little over 8.5 hours.

Good ski days are better with a big bowl of Ramen! 

People “follow” Marcus in the literal sense of the word more than the social media one. Best known for his guidebooks, Confessions of a Ski Bum: Icefields Parkway and Confessions of a Ski Bum: Kicking Horse Pass, Marcus also has online guides for the Egypt Lake area, a trove of blog posts with detailed Rockies route descriptions and prolific social media feeds full of daily conditions from all over the range. The sheer quantity of information he’s put out for local skiers to use is both unmatched and under-valued.

Photo: Confessions of a ski Bum

Marcus has spent countless hours drawing maps, writing descriptions or editing photos of his adventures to share. For his efforts, he’s endured online hate and threats serious enough to make him call the cops on several occasions. “I have a small but very vocal group of haters,” he tells me. Perhaps worse, he’s had neighbours in his own small community corner him and rant about how wrong he is to share information about specific ski zones with the greater community and how any accidents or deaths that happen in those mountains will be on his conscience. It’s a lot of animosity to endure, and the payoff isn’t obvious.

I assumed Marcus was an entrepreneur looking to make money off his passion, but that math doesn’t really add up. His subsistence comes mostly from his summer work. Any guidebook author will tell you that publishing regional books is not a great way to make money. To publish his Icefields Parkway book, Marcus sold a property in Golden that was his “life savings” (money he’d earned working as a programmer before moving west). At this point, he hopes to recoup that investment. Someday.

We spend some time talking about his motivations and keep getting drawn back to what he calls “the true nature of adventure.” To him, the role of adventure in ski touring is misunderstood. For Marcus, adventure starts “when things go wrong.” “I haven’t run into many people who truly want to explore. Who truly want adventure,” he tells me. “They want to go ski something planned. Something safe. And have nothing go wrong.” 

“I was brought up in a family that escaped Soviet Russia, so I heard tons of crazy adventure stories from my grandfather. They were being hunted by the Soviets because they were a rich royal family in Belarus. They fled to Poland during the revolution. Then Poland was invaded by the Nazis, and they had to escape again. Crazy war adventures. True adventure. Things were going wrong. Family members were going to gulag camps. So at a very young age, I was fascinated by these grand adventures.” 

Now, when he’s faced with hardship in the hills, falling into a creek, for example, and having to hike out with wet, frostbitten feet in polar temperatures, Marcus remembers that, “This is nothing compared to what my great grandfather went through. Trench warfare and that. I know family members have been through worse. I try to channel that.”

Marcus is right that most of us don’t seek out that kind of “adventure”. Instead, we follow and have our own mini-adventures. And we do it in droves. Marcus’ books and posts have significantly changed the backcountry travel patterns of skiers in the Rockies. Any long-time backcountry skier will tell you places that rarely saw skiers in the past can be wall-to-wall tracks now. Previously lonely slopes will see multiple parties the first weekend after an online post by Marcus. The first winter his Icefields book came out, a friendly-looking slope on OXO Puzzle Peak (whose name I’d never known and on which I had not seen tracks even once over the previous decade) had literally hundreds of ski tracks on it the first month it was skiable.  

As more and more of us follow him, Marcus has pulled back from some forums. The attitude that some “new experts” can throw at beginners online unsettles him. “They’re belittling people who have just a bit less experience than themselves, and it’s so sad to watch.” To counter that influence, Marcus has taken out dozens of newer backcountry skiers who have been mocked online for their uninitiated questions. He’s spent days showing them safe slopes and providing pointers to help them enjoy it all. It’s a generosity of time and knowledge that you rarely see in the mountain world.

Photo: Confessions of a ski Bum

Skiing has a long history of keeping “secret stashes” secret. But in the backcountry, sharing information can lead to safer skiers, and the amount of available beta continues to increase regardless of the haters. Marcus points out that like humans learning to split an atom, guidebooks “can be used for good or bad.” 

I see a lot of good when I see more people enjoying more beautiful places in the National Park. And like most of them, I’m often just happy to follow.

You can follow Marcus, too.

Guidebooks

Confessions of a Ski Bum: The Icefields Parkway: Lake Louise to Bow Summit

Confessions of a Ski Bum: Kicking Horse Pass: Day Tripping

confessionsofaskibum.com

Citadel to Egypt Lake: Banff Backcountry Skiing, free online download with KML files

Trip Reports from dozens of Rockies routes

Social Media

Facebook: confessions of a ski bum

Instagram: @confessionsofaskibum

Marcus also takes part in the live SkiUphill Snowpack Update every month. Our next one is March 11, 2021.

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.

The idea of the fastest known time is simple. Run a notable route -- let’s say to the Mt. Lady MacDonald teahouse -- and track your time. If you achieve the FKT, you get to share your results with the world and wait for the next challenger to beat it. There are a handful of loose guidelines about FKTs, but the key expectation is that runners follow the honor system.

RunUphill posts local FKT’s on a chalkboard at the store and online on our web site, so you can always find out about local routes and current records.
Runners Peter Bakwin and Buzz Burrell helped to popularize FKTs when they set up fastestknowntime.com, a web site designed for runners to track and share their FKTs. Trail Runner magazine reports that Bakwin and Burrell have witnessed an exponential increase in FKTs because of race cancellations. In July 2020, they received 566 verifiable FKTs -- that’s almost four times the 151 FKTs they received in July of 2019. 

Liz and Leif aren’t strangers to traditional running races. Last summer, Liz won the 2019 Canadian Death Race. This summer, COVID-19 scuttled an ambitious race plan that included an elite entry at the Calgary Marathon 50K and a coveted spot in the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc CCC. Leif claims that he uses trail running to train for his mountaineering season, but placed second in the 120km event at the 2019 Golden Ultra. He had planned to run the Sinister 7 and the Minotaur Sky Race in Crowsnest Pass this summer. 

Instead, Liz completed the Banff 3 Peaks Challenge, a route covering 70 kilometre and 4,670 metres in elevation, briefly holding an FKT of 12:19:33. She also finished the trip to the teahouse on Mt. Lady Macdonald in 43:31. Meanwhile, Leif racked up a whopping six FKT’s including the Rockwall in 6:03:00 the Rundle Traverse in 5:51:12. He says, “You know, years before I had done it in mountaineering boots with ropes and a rack.”

Impermanence is a fact of FKT life so those who embrace need a vaguely Buddhist outlook. Unlike running races in which the winner holds the title for a year or more, FKT challengers can come after your record any time they want. 

Credit: Liz Halleran

Liz, who admits she’s a little type A, likes the competition. Of her biggest challenger, Ailsa MacDonald (another frequent flyer on the RunUphill chalkboard), Liz says, “She's someone that I really look up to… She's been just tearing it up and, and setting FKTs on almost every well known route in the Rockies this summer.” She adds, “Since she's come through, she's just been setting really competitive new times, ones that really rival a lot of men's FKTs. I think that the female side of the sport needs that because ... there are less women out here.” She says that about the runner she lost her Banff 3 Peaks and Mt. Rundle FKTs to.

Leif, on the other hand, makes it sound like FKTs are a casual way to test his fitness. “You have a weekend free or a day free and you know you've kind of been banking up all this fitness and it's kind of nice to just go do something to push a little bit just to see where you're at,” he says. Really? Later, he admits, “Oh, yeah, I absolutely love competition.”

Credit: Leif Godberson

And as the summer comes to close, Liz and Leif  are looking forward to an opportunity for some much needed rest. While FKTs are the sort of challenge that a runner can take up on their own time, they’ve been out most weekends chasing new challenges and now they’re feeling the effects. Says Liz, “I'm ready to take some downtime now, and not have a plan. I think it's really important to take a few months every year, of not having a plan, not training for anything.”

I have always been intrigued by road and trail running. I have lots of friends who rave about trail running. It is a great activity to get fit, it's challenging but fun and it gets you outside to enjoy our amazing backyard. The running community is also such a supportive and encouraging group! However, I still struggled with feeling too intimidated to get into it. I could come up with a million reasons why I shouldn't do it. I came across an "Intro to Running" course at just the right time, and knew that would be my best opportunity to make this a successful journey. I started that first class very nervous, but I committed to lacing up my runners and I haven't looked back since. 

So how did you actually do it?

Once I decided that I was going to give running an actual fighting chance, I followed a plan online to train for a 10km over a 13 week period. Initially the plan was a great motivator and made things easy for me since I didn't have to think about distances, intervals, etc. By the end of the first month, I didn't feel I had improved much and motivating myself to go outside and run was getting harder and harder. 
Then in the middle of May, a friend told me that RunUphill was offering an "Intro to Running" course. I signed up before I could come up with an excuse not to. Having a positive and supportive group to run with was all I really needed to become a runner. We started with intervals of 1 min run and 4 min walk and progressed from there every week. On the last week of the course we did a 7km run with only 3 walk breaks!

  
What was the hardest part about getting into it?

Showing up for those first few runs. It was a struggle because it was hard and I felt like I should have been able to do way longer intervals of running. Luckily the team at RunUphill was so supportive and nice that I had to continue showing up each week! With each week I could see improvements and that encouraged me to keep going and keep pushing myself. 

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about starting to run?

1. Find yourself a group of people that you can run with. Or a learn to run class. It will help keep you accountable. It's much harder to back out of a run when it involves others and the commitment they have put into showing up. 
2. Just show up. The hardest part is usually putting your shoes on and leaving the house. Get yourself outside, you will never regret going for that run even if it's for 10 or 15 min. 
3. No one is ever too slow. You run at your own pace. The important thing is that you're getting out there!

So what’s next? Any races planned?

I had done some fun team races with friends in the past, but never a trail running race. The July "First 49" race (at the Nordic Centre) by Rockies Run Collective and Canmore Trail Culture was right at the end of our 8-week course and Gavin had challenged us to enter. I was so nervous and would not have finished the race if it wasn't for friends running with me and encouraging me the whole time. The race was hard but it was also so much fun that it left me excited thinking about the next one! I have since competed in two more "First 49" races and each time there were less start line nerves and more finish line smiles. I guess I can call myself a runner now!

See you on the trails.

Alma

Finally, a running apparel brand with everything you need and nothing you don’t.

We’re taking a firm stance against hype and fuss. Ready?

Let’s run.”

- rabbit’s Kickstarter campaign

With a few years under their belt, the runners behind rabbit now offer a beautiful collection of running apparel (made in California) that we have a really hard time not running in every day. A few reasons why we like their clothes so much?

Comfort and fit

It’s amazing when you find that kit that feels so good that you reach for it every time you run. When you are on the trails or in a race, you just want to forget about what you are wearing, and this is the magic of rabbit. 

Variety

From crop tops and (very) short shorts to less scandalous inseam lengths and t-shirts, rabbit has the piece for you. Not into showing all that skin? Their new “Freedom” category  offers beautiful pieces and flattering cuts for all. 

Colours

With colour-schemes that match past, present and future collections, rabbit makes it easy to mix-and-match regardless of seasons. Are you the all-black, muted kit type of runner? Or do your favourite colours resemble a set of “Hi-Liter”? Rabbit has you covered with a fun mix of timeless pieces and bold seasonal pattern. 

Exclusivity

Run in your own style, not everyone else’s!  

Some Staff Favourites

Men's Champ

Champ is exactly what you’ll feel like rocking this awesome, nearly weightless tank.

Women's Peak

Peak comfort and performance. A relaxed fit through the body with a higher neck and a strappy sassy back.

Men's and Women's EZ Tee

Sweat-wicking, fast-drying and never clingy, the EZ Tee makes picking out a shirt the easiest part of your run!

Men's FKT / Women's Dirt Pounders

Featuring a 5 inch inseam, two side pockets—which are perfect for stashing a quick snack and for packing out your trash—and a rear zip pocket that's large enough to hold most* phones, the FKTs are engineered to be just as tough as you. 

Men's Best in Show / Women's Hopper

Whether it’s the bunny trail or the track, these shorts are perfect for hopping along at any pace you like. With a 4 inch inseam and slim fit, this is a beautifully designed short for looks and speed.

Curious about rabbit? Check out our full selection here!

The Atmosphere in Town

For a couple days, the atmosphere in Chamonix is electric. The entire city is breathing trail running. From massive crowds at the start of the different races to soccer fans giving the racers a hero’s welcome back into town, it is a really special experience. Who thought trail running could attract so many spectators?!

The Crowds Along the Course

No matter where you are in the race, the crowds make you feel like a hero. With hundreds of spectators assembled in key areas, cowbells in hand, screaming every runner’s name  and cheering as loud as they can, racers definitely hear the roaring of the crowds from far away. Orchestras and drummers also contribute to the vibe of the event. Hours after the winner ran through the finish line, the crowds still stuck around to cheer everyone on as if they were the first racer through! 

The Quality of the Trails and the Views

First, the views are spectacular. On a bluebird day, racers are constantly treated to some of the most iconic sceneries in the Alps. The courses are also a fun mix of everything, from super technical single tracks to very fast doubletracks and the occasional pavement section down in the villages.

The Different Races to Choose From

With eight events to choose from, there is something for every trail runner. The variety of the Marathon du Mont Blanc events gives the most serious mountain runners a run for their money, but also gives beginners an opportunity to live the experience. 

The Logistics 

As one would expect from a race of this scale, the logistics are flawless. Hundreds of volunteers make sure that every runner is well fed and hydrated at each aid station. Those include every food and drink you could think of (even charcuteries). The course is very well marked and volunteers are there at each intersection to make sure no one gets lost. It is a very well run event! 

Racing the Same Race as the Best in the World

If you want to see how you compare with some of the best runners in the world, this is the race to do! More realistically though, it is pretty cool to start alongside some of the biggest names of the trail running scene! 

Stuff to think about 

Lots of Runners = Lots of Traffic 

With up to 2300 runners toeing the line in the 42 km race, it can get pretty crowded, especially if you start in waves two or three. Even with wide trails in the first 10 to 15 km, there are still traffic jams forming in the second half of the race when the trails narrow down to singletracks. The Marathon du Mont-Blanc is a race where you definitely want to be in wave 1 or at the front of wave 2 (which are determined by ITRA points) to run your own race and avoid being slowed down by the crowds. 

The Altitude

Flatlanders beware; a lot of the races climb up to altitudes of over 2000 meters. This can be an issue, especially if you don’t have much time to acclimatize beforehand. 

Getting Informations from the Race Organizers is Tricky

Watch out for last minute changes! We found out via Facebook that the start of the marathon was moved an hour earlier, and there were no e-mails or communication to the runners for those changes (or for changes to the mandatory gear for example). Following the organization on Facebook and asking the very nice volunteers at package pick-up answered most of our questions, but we were surprised at how bad some last minute changes were communicated.

It is a Lottery Race

Lottery races mean you might not get in the race you want to do. Unfortunately, this seems to be an issue for more and more trail running races with registrations filling up in a few minutes when there are no lotteries. The really cool thing with the Marathon du Mont-Blanc is that it is possible to enter the lottery as a group. If one person of your group gets in, everybody is in! This simplifies the planning and allows groups of friends to travel together to the race. 

If you are looking at living the full European trail running experience, the Marathon du Mont Blanc is definitely a race to check out! The scale of such an event is impressive for us North-American runners, and the trails are everything you could ever want to run. With tons of races to choose from, you will find something for you, that's for sure. We were particularly impressed by the Duo Etoilé, an 18-km night race that is raced in teams of two, and by the monster of a course that the 90 km offers (6200 meters of elevation gain over 90 km)! 

More informations here

The only beta we could find on the Murchison ‘Mega Couloir’ was a cryptic mention on the BigLines classics thread and a vague memory of a post on Instagram last winter. Seemed like enough. The previous week we’d bailed from the car on a different objective so we salvaged the day by snapping a few photos of fun things along the parkway.

We set out from the car at 6:15, with an unsupportive crust forcing us out of the drainage and into the trees. After twenty minutes of bashing we got back into the drainage above the waterfall and got to skinning. We arrived at the base of the ‘couloir’ to find it was full of bowling ball sized chunks of snow, the hallmark of a loose wet slide. The crux of the lower chute was not twisting an ankle on the scree-esque snow. Soon it was time to skin again, except we’d anticipated a slightly steeper line and dumped skins at the bottom. Oh well, plates have their uses even in spring.

The snow was a mix of blower, blower on deep facets, hard slab on facets or just facets without the trimmings. The angle was a real grind, just not quite steep enough to be able to kick a bucket without breaking the one below. A few hours of this awaited us, with my knees feeling twenty years older. It’s amazing how quickly you can lose fitness when you’re back to weekend warrior status.

Exposure, seracs, Oh my!

 

After the absolutely horrible time getting down from the ridge things really improved. The pockets of powder were sloughing at roughly the same speed we were skiing, allowing us to enjoy nice soft turns down the entire couloir. And what a long run it was, with around 1200m of excellent moderate skiing in all.

Matt keepin er nice and tight through the tight section

Now he’s skiing irresponsibly fast

The final bowling alley awaited us, I attempted to ski the damn thing but gave up and walked to the bottom. After swapping layers, repacking skins and padding our expensive cameras in our backpacks we were ready to brave what was likely to be breakable crust over a streambed. Luckily we happened to arrive on the tail end of corn o’clock and cruised back to the car with only a short detour around the waterfall.

This line seems to be relatively obscure, but it shouldn’t be. With views across the Lyells and up to the Columbia, an airy feel and over a kilometer vertical of great skiing there’s not a lot to dislike about Murchison.

In a few words, how would you summarize your experience at Skimo Worlds?

Lori Anne: The 2019 Ski Mountaineering World Championships were fun, inspiring and hard work!

Matt: Eye opening. It’s hard to understand what the best in the world look like until you’re actually there racing with them.

Kylee: World class, the level of racing, organization and competition was extremely challenging and awesome to seeand experience.

Peter:  After a couple of these under my belt, I felt more relaxed and had a bunch of well executed races. I was impressed with the results of my teammates on the team and this was a great surprise. 

What is it like to race skimo in Europe in a deeper and stronger competitive field?

Lori Anne: It's exciting and humbling racing with the worlds best! The top ski mountaineering athletes in Europe are super fast on the climbs, extremely consistent and efficient in their transitions and straight line most of the descents! It's evident that they have more race experience than we do in Canada. In time, we will continue to close the performance gap. North Americans had some great top 10 and top 20 results this year! Those results did not go unnoticed by the ISMF race officials and event announcers.

Kylee: It is fun and hard. I knew what to expect because it was my third world championships.  It is very difficult to compete against the Europeans with fewer competitions and competitors in Canada.  It is impressive and always reminds me how much work we need to put into development in Canada. It also encouraging to be in the mix with some of the most well rounded and agile mountain athletes in the world.  Truly dialed and world class in terms of moving through mountain terrain and cardiovascular fitness.

Peter: It is humbling. The leaders are so fast. There are always other skiers to battle with and suffer together. Strengths and weaknesses will get exposed.

What surprised you the most about racing with the world’s best?

Lori Anne: From my experience at the last World Championships in Italy I knew to expect racers to be more aggressive than we are in Canada, but it still caught me a bit off guard! At the start line of the Individual Race, athletes line up in rows based off of their ISMF ranking. Everyone has their own space... until the gun goes off. Then they all mash together and take the shortest route out of the start area. I was prepped to protect my gear (it's an easy place to break a pole or have a skin sheared off from the front of your ski), but I had my ski stepped on and wasn't able to keep my balance. I fell to the ground and then got skied over by some racers. It was not the ideal way to start the race, but it definitely got my heart pumping!

Matt:  Just the raw intensity of the racing. The pace felt flat out, even in the longer events. Everything is so close at that level that nobody can afford to take their foot off the gas for even a second.

Kylee: How well rounded the ski skill set of the top athletes are on the world stage.  The athleticism is staggering. The courses at worlds were odd this time due to poor avalanche conditions and weather. They involved a lot more Nordic style skiing which is unusual. From skating, double poling, steeper skiing, light mountaineering, sprinting and long course it is the truly exceptionally agile and all around talented athletes that excel.   

We heard that the weather wasn’t the best during the week. Was it really that bad?

All Four:  The avalanche conditions weren’t good for sure with a lot of fresh snow.  But, being from the Rockies in Canada we wouldn’t say the weather was that bad and it was still very warm. The organizing committee did their best but was certainly conservative with the courses and terrain choice.

One thing you learned from your Villars experience.

Lori Anne: These World Championships re-confirmed the need to be well rounded to have success in skimo racing. With the mix of weather and snow conditions, the athletes who were most adaptable came out on top. It's so important in training to ski a variety of terrain (flat, steep, narrow, obstacles, wide open), to improve your skills in that terrain (for example - efficient skate skiing), to ski a variety of snow conditions (crusty, powder, slush) and to know which skins perform best in which conditions. Also, Swiss chocolate powder on top of a cappuccino is divine. I'm going to do that at home!

Peter: Be familiar with your equipment, but not so familiar that it is worn out!

Matt:  I’m still at the point where I’m learning something new every race. This experience was my first time at any top level endurance event, skimo or otherwise and I learned a ton about how the best approach racing and all the little things we can do to elevate ourselves towards that level. I’m actually really looking forward to getting back to training. 

What is the next step to build a bigger ski-mountaineering community on our side of the Atlantic?

Lori Anne: Creating a bigger skimo community in Canada needs to involve local changes within active communities. Creating events that attract and bond people together over the sport and the mountains, as well as increasing access to both safe training locations and more specialized skimo equipment will advance the sport and the performance of athletes in North America. Part of our challenge on this side of the Atlantic is how far apart our ski communities are from each other. It's been great to see the initiatives that you guys at SkiUphill have been doing in the Canmore/Calgary area! Hopefully as more athletes continue to advocate for uphill routes at ski resorts it will pave the way for more communities to have local skimo social and race events. This will lead to more participation in the growing Ski Mountaineering Competition Canada race circuit which connects athletes from all over western Canada and the USA.

Peter:  More races in more places, but at a grassroots level rather than Canada cup. U17/U19 programs to get more people started earlier would help too.

Matt:  That’s a tough one. Skiing and ski racing is so ingrained in the culture of the alpine nations that people here are completely psyched on every form of it. The hype seems to happen pretty organically. I’d say the next step for us is getting more people out to races so that they become more relatable for potential athletes and fans. At the end of the day it’s all about pushing the limits of efficiency in mountain travel, which is something that everyone who ski tours, climbs and runs can probably appreciate on some level.

Kylee: In Canada to improve we need to work harder on skinning technique and other more technical aspects. The top end female athletes from North America also need to focus on improving on the world stage instead of just North America perhaps by doing more co-ed racing just to have more head to head race experience. Racing a season or two in Europe would also really help top North American racers. I think that putting more energy into Junior development of aged 16-24 athletes who have a lot of potential like Jessie McCauley would go along way.  Perhaps having them attend a European team training camp or inviting a coach of a stronger skimo nation to run a camp in North America would help.  Females also need to race more head to head in competitive environments, especially for the sprint discipline.

Any cool gear tips and tricks you heard of?

Lori Anne: In the climb it's all about that glide, especially in the lower angle courses that we had in Villars-sur-Ollon. Using wax on the skins was key for the slushy snow and good technique was necessary to avoid slipping in the steeps. The top male vertical racers had the minimal allowance skins on. Another trick I saw was on a spectators touring skis - they had created a custom inlay for their skins into their bases.

All Four: Some racers ran ultra narrow skins on the outside edge of their skis for the vertical so they could skate on the flats. That was clever, but I hope to never see a course that requires it ever again. Could be an interesting idea for dispatching flatter sections of the big icefield traverses when conditions are right though.

Thanks to Lori Anne Donald, Peter Knight, Matt Ruta and Kylee Toth Ohler for taking time to answer our questions! 

Want to learn more about skimo racing? Visit SkimoCanada.org 

The Canadian Team for 2019 Worlds

What is Skimo Racing?  

 Ski-mountaineering racing is basicallly your typical day of backcountry skiing, except that the person who finishes the loop first wins. There are many different racing formats, including the typical individual race where athletes will complete a course that features between 1500 and 1800 meters of elevation gain in well under 2 hours. The other formats are the sprint (a 3 minute event similar to a XC skiing sprint), the vertical (a hillclimb challenge), the team's race ( teams of two on a course that has over 2000 meters of elevation gain) and the relay.

Here's a cool video from CBC that shows what World Cup racing is like:

How did our Canadian athletes do so far?

Sprint Race

Individual Race

We reached out to Eric Carter who is supporting the Canadian athletes this week in Villars. Eric has tons of experience on the World Cup circuit and he is putting on the Darkside Skimo Race this April in Whistler-Blackcomb. Here are a few questions he answered for us.

How is it to go to Worlds as a coach vs an athlete? Is it more or less stressful?

Far more stressful as a coach but very rewarding to see athletes try hard and navigate the ups & downs of racing (get it?)...

What do you think of the Canadian performances so far? Jesse placed 10th in the junior category, that is a huge result for a North-American!

The sprint was a bit of a mixed bag for the Canadian Team. Rain and wind made it a bit unpleasant, especially if you're used to -25 temps all winter. The sprint is also incredibly unforgiving - one mistake and you're done. Luckily, the premier event (Individual race) went incredibly well. Jessie had an outstanding finish in the Junior Men's race that suggest big things to come from the 18 year old. Veterans Peter and Kylee showed they deserved to be on the World stage and had solid results. A big chunk of the team were newcomers to the World Championships and showed level headedness in navigating a foreign country and race scene. I think the entire team should be proud of what they accomplished today. The support staff had more gear issues than the racers  ;)

Any cool gear tricks you learned on your trip? Secret Waxes or skin hacks? 

Clamp the wax vices to the toe lock lever and heel piece of the bindings, not the ski!

Do you enjoy the many different hats of being a racer, a coach and a race director?

Each is fun in it's own right. I guess I like to be busy but it's fun to step back from being a pure athlete and support others as well. I'd like to see the sport grow and one of the best ways I can do that is help pass along my experience. I'm not done racing yet though!

What is the state of skimo racing in North America right now?

It's in an extended infancy right now but for sure growing. Look to areas like Summit County, CO, Salt Lake City, and the Calgary/Canmore areas for fairly well developed clubs and expanding race series'. Elsewhere in NA, the infrastructure just doesn't compare to Alpine nations where you have fully supported National teams, historic races, and a huge recreational community.

What is the next step to increase the depth and the reach of skimo racing on our side of the Atlantic? 

The first thing is to support grassroots events and teams to grow participation. We should focus on bringing in the trail running and XC ski communities and show them how great it is to venture off piste in the mountains in the winter. A competitive competitive elite field needs direct support to expand and be seen on the world stage.

In your opinion, how important is aerobic fitness to being a complete mountain athlete? What’s the place of skimo in that?

 I don't think of competitive skimo racing as the "highest level" of our sport of ski mountaineering. Rather, I think competing helps us extend our fitness and techniques to take out into the mountains for real use where time is of the essence but combined with technical ascent and descent ability, off the prepared track.

Tell us more about that Blackomb Darkside race that you are putting on.

 Whistler-Blackcomb is the best ski resort in North America. We have the rowdiest alpine terrain and the best snowpack. We're going to use that to our advantage in this race. It's also already got more athletes registered than most NA races so we're expecting a competitive field! Come out and see what WB has to offer skimo racers and then we'll have a sick party. Stick around an extra day or two to do the Spearhead Traverse or some steep skiing on the Duffey Lake Road for the full Ski Mountaineering experience!

After putting it off for a number of years I finally made my way further west than I’ve ever gone before. With what looked like a good weather window and some ok stability I threw my fat skis in the car (yeah, 106’s alright) and headed over to Rogers Pass to see what all the fuss is about.

Day 1 - Forever Young

After picking up Matt (best skier on the mountain) in Golden at a very reasonable 8.45 and clutching our powder boards we motored on up to the Discovery centre so I could pick up my seasons pass. Following a quick chat we settled on checking out the Forever Young couloir, which is reputed to be quite the classic. Given my utter lack of knowledge this sounded just fine.

I don’t know what any of this is. Probably mostly unskiable terrain...

By Rockies standards it’s not that far from the road. We set a good pace up the skintrack and gained the glacier in no time flat. Bluebird skis, warm temps and no wind made this the place to be. The couloir itself was fantastic, with a steep roll that just kept rolling to the choke. Despite it being tracked out it skied quite well, with firm predictable snow keeping the angle in check. After regrouping below the Asulkan hut we decided to snag one more lap in and made our way up to the hut for a smooth powder surf down to the skin track out. And endless double pole and kick had us at the car. I was pretty wrecked but this place seemed pretty cool.

Blue skies and fat skis. This is all so new!

Some pretty views.

 

Happy days! Thanks Matt.

 Day 2 - Jupiter Traverse

Joel had to head back due to the rigors of managing SkiUphill so it was just Matt and I. Matt suggested we work on some mountaineering skills and we settled on trying out the Jupiter Traverse. The best beta source (Instagram) showed that there were steps kicked at least to the top of the first peak and I’m all about making things easy.

The plan: A jaunt along the skyline. Well, maybe not a jaunt.  

We deigned to start an hour earlier as this would probably be a longer day. I was feeling the vert from yesterday so Matt set a more leisurely pace up the Mousetrap and it wasn’t long before we were popping onto the glacier for some less than enthusiastic sidehilling up to Sapphire Col. Eating a slice of pizza and enjoying the warm sun we gazed out at the wild skintrack across from us on Mt Swanzy.

The first part of the traverse was easy, with big steps kicked in from the previous day. Unfortunately for us, these steps were kicked by some local hardmen and they’d dropped in just past the summit of Castor. Alas, we were now on our own. Some tricky route finding and cornice avoidance maneuvers coupled with a little winter scrambling saw us on the top of Pollux, absolutely baking in the days heat. The final peak, Leda, required a short downclimb to a heavily faceted/corniced ridge. After sinking up to my hip for the third time I elected to crawl to the top, motivated by the cheers of a party enjoying our suffering from a comfortable summit vantage.

That’s a slab.

 

Time to start trailbreaking. It was a little punchy.

 

We know where we want to go, we just don’t know how to get there.

 

After a quick transition and some tip shots for the ‘gram we were ripping down the Thorington route on soft powder to soft windpacked powder, and not even close to being tracked out. A fantastic conclusion to the day. Once again we poled out to the car and rolled back to Golden.

Our exit, a glorious kilometre above valley bottom. 

Day 3 - Mt. MacDonald 10/11 Couloir

After picking up Valerio (yodelling aficionado) and Kaitlin (fellow Rockies crusher) the previous evening we tossed ideas about. The issue was one of weather, with some clouds forecast to maybe roll in we’d have to keep our plans fluid. With this in mind we convened with a bunch of other groups at the Disco centre and asked each other roundabout questions to figure out if we were going to be the scoopers or scoopees. After hearing of two parties with our original objective in mind we elected to go for plan B, Gully #10/11 on MacDonald. A short drive down to Hermit and we were off. It’s a shame you don’t get approaches like that in the Rockies; 2km along the road and then straight up the fan into the guts of the line.

Valerio managed to keep skinning for a good 400m of vert before we started to boot up a fairly moderate couloir. This thing just went on and on and on. We regrouped a few times to keep from getting too strung out and came up with a plan of attack for the traverse, a terrifying prospect. Matt and I had both brought our Billy Goat Plates so we’d make things easier for the cramponless Kaitlin and Valerio. The snow from the traverse on up turned from semi breakable crust to fluffy white powder, a godsend in the steep upper pitch of the couloir. Matt got sick of waiting and just kept charging up all the way to the top. I was a little too gripped to spend much time taking photos but that place was wild. We were 1200m above the road and not much further away from it horizontally.

Kinda nice when you can’t see all the exposure at once.

This was the most gripping part of the day. A traverse on a hanging snowfield isn’t something I’ve had much experience with, especially not in the Rockies.

I elected to get it over with first due to a flat camera battery and made vigorous turns to root out any buried pockets that wanted to move. Nothing did, so we made our way down with some enthusiasm in the upper pitch and with some tentativeness in the variable lower portion. After some high fives and general excitement we sent ‘er on down to the road, enjoying some fluffy powder and a few pillows.

Buckle up, this is gonna be wild.

I did not like it when the inversion went away and I could see the whole way down.

Safely off the top pitch and through the traverse, we pitched things out over variable snow.

Kaitlin racing to beat the weather to the bottom.

Skinning back to the car we were exuberant. We’d managed to luck out with the weather and finish just before it turned for the worse.

I couldn’t have asked for better snow, weather or partners. Everything just came together in the best possible way. Rogers Pass is a bit of a madhouse, full of good snow, hard skiers and big lines as far as the eye can see. I spent my trip there feeling a little uncomfortable with the concept of ‘good stability’ and skiing big lines in January. But I suspect I could get used to the feeling if another window like this one pops up.

Matt also threw together a couple of trip reports with some excellent photos, make sure to read them here and here.

 Karl Augsten’s Trail Domination

Karl Augsten is a very familiar name for lots of runners in the Bow Valley. After an impressive 2:31 marathon and 31:06 10km, Karl shifted his focus back to trail running last Summer. The results came quickly: Canadian mountain running champion, Broken Goat Victory, Squamish 50-mile victory and a plethora of impressive times on iconic Bow Valley trails. His new FKT on the Lady MacDonald ascent now stands at 33:47, a massive improvement over the previous record of 38:01 (by Mike Vine). Lots more to come from Karl. He will be racing the Boston Marathon this Spring and we can’t wait to see what time he’ll post!

Peter Knight, AKA the "Dark Knight" on Strava

As the Summer of 2018 started, a name started appearing on top of various Strava leaderboards. Strava chasers quickly learned to fear him on segments like the Lady MacDonald teahouse and Ha Ling. Over a few weeks, Strava-enthusiasts even saw the teahouse segment change hands a few times between Karl and Peter. Karl eventually took home the honours, but the Dark Knight wasn’t done with his KOM hunt. A warm Summer day and some weird clothing choices allowed Peter to break the previous Ha Ling ascent time by 30 seconds on his way to being the first ever to reach the summit in less than 30 minutes. 29:50 now stands as the time to beat! 

 Jana Jurackova’s KOM hunt

Jana is another runner who spent some time hunting Strava segments in 2018. Her routine quickly became famous at SkiUphill - RunUphill. She’d show up casually, pushing a baby stroller, and would stare at the FKT board for a few seconds. A few “Hmm, I think I can beat that time” would follow. A few days/weeks later, we’d get an e-mail with a link to one (or five) Strava workouts. Each time, a couple KOMs and FKTs would fall. She is now all over the women’s leaderboard. Among her times, a 44:15 to the Lady MacDonald teahouse (narrowly missed by Liz Halleran in 44:17) and a very impressive 1:37:14 on the Grant MacEwan (Heart) loop. 

Jana finished her season with a 5th place at the Squamish 50 in a very competitive year that saw Courtney Dauwalter take the win. 

Elizabeth Halleran - we’ve stopped counting how many races...

Liz Halleran ran LOTS of races in 2018. We basically stopped counting how many when she started casually running some 10 km on the road as part of recovery weeks...! Her and Andy Reed definitely win the “I just love racing” category. From 100 miles to 5 km on the road and everything in between. Liz’s season began at the Black Canyon Ultra in February and finished with the Grizzly Ultra in October. Another great athlete to follow, and if her progression continues, we will see some great things from her! 

Alex Harris - from the flatlands to mountain crusher

Alex Harris, the soccer player from Ontario turned queen of the mountain (QOM). A couple Thursday interval workouts spent at the front of the pack quickly revealed Alex as a force to be reckoned with in the Bow Valley. She quickly started leaving her mark in the local running scene with some big weeks, lots of vertical and some fast times. A few attempts saw her finally beat a long-lasting QOM time on Sulphur Mountain which belonged to Megan Imrie, a 2010 olympian. The women’s time now stands at 36:49 and our guess is that it will stand for a while. Alex went on to annihilate the competition and take the win at the Grizzly Ultra in some tough conditions last October. We heard that she’ll be racing Squamish 50 this Summer, and our money is on her for the win!

 Maude Marsan & the "Canmore Quad"

The Canmore Quad is a 50 km run around town that tackles each of the 4 peaks surrounding Canmore for a total just shy of 5000 meters of elevation gain. On our supported-attempt day, Maude started before sunrise and after just over 17 hours out there, she did the full Canmore Quad. We will remember for a long time what she said sitting on a bench at the store after finishing shortly after 10 PM: “ All those years, I was thinking that this was not for me, that I couldn’t do that for sure. This year I decided that I was that person who could do it. I’ve looked at those peaks and ran them individually for years, it’s awesome to do all four in a day”. The most inspiring performances are not always the fastest...! 

 A first for the Double-Quad

On the same day as our Quad attempt day, many runners came across a guy who’d been running for almost 24 hours already. Jeremie Phillibert was trying something pretty wild:  a double-Quad. 100 km and 10,000 meters of elevation gain later, Jeremie became the first to complete a full human-powered double-quad in just over 27 hours. Earlier this Summer, Andy Reed had given up after 5 out of the 8 summits. Crazy fact: it was the first time that Jeremie ran this far! 

 Tyler Williams, how to start a trail running career with a 100-mile race

Yes, you read that right. Tyler’s first ultra was the Sinister Seven in July 2018, which he finished after a few mishaps including running many extra kilometers when he got off course! Tyler went on to place 11th at the Squamish 50 and placed 2nd at the Finlayson Arm 100 km a few weeks later, beating the previous course record! A fantastic Summer for someone this new to running...

 The Dalke Brothers - Attitude over Altitude

If you haven’t heard of those guys, you don’t follow the local trail running action at all. From team’s races to a Canadian Death Race solo victory and some FKTs. James, Jayden and Joedy were everywhere last Summer. We can’t wait to see what they are up to in 2019! 

What about you? What are your highlights of 2018 on the local trail and ultrarunning scene? Leave your suggestions and comments below :)

The race is held on the race director’s property, near a small town, Bell Buckle in rural Tennessee. It’s name derives from the fact that it is in his dog’s “Big” actual backyard. Things are simpler in the south so why not have a race that the race director walks to the end of his driveway and hosts a race there. The race director, Lazarus Lake, is well known now for the The Barkley Marathons held in nearby Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee. Laz, as we know him, describes the race as the following: 

“The concept is simple. At 0640 hours on Saturday, October 20, we will start a race around the 4.166667 mile Big Trail. The time limit will be one hour. At 0740 hours, we will begin another race around the trail. We will do the same at 0840, 0940, and so on, every hour, until only one runner can complete a race within the time limit. Any runner not in the starting corral for any race, is not eligible to continue. No late starts! If no single runner can complete a race at the end, there will be no winner. At 1840 hours, the races will transfer to a road out and back course. At 0640 hours the following morning, we will return to the trail loop.”

I was playing support crew for my friend Michael Anderson this time around. It had been 15 years since we were down in Tennessee for our attempt at The Barkley Marathons, well before people knew that name or Netflix made the documentary. Mike’s goal was to run 100 miles. This would be a new record for time for him, finishing the Kettle Moraine 100 miler in 27 hours earlier this year. After flying to Nashville on Thursday, we headed down to Laz’s place on Friday to say hello and to set up our aid station (no aid stations were provided) and shelter at the start/finish line. What a pleasant surprise to see a Canadian Flag at one of the tents. Casey, the runner from that tent who had run the race a few times, agreed to walk the daytime trail course with us and provided Mike with some tips on mile markers and cues to be on track for the 60 minute cut off with enough time to refuel. At only 4.1667 miles per lap, it would be horrible to miss the first cut off. The slippery trail had lots of fallen leaves covering loose rocks, and with frost forecasted, it would make the footing interesting to say the least. After walking the course,  all we could do was get some rest. Tonight would be the last sleep for 30 hours after that.

A 4 am alarm woke us up for a quick breakfast followed by a 60 minute drive to the start of the race. The race would start at sunrise (6:40 am). The excitement on that rainy and cold morning was palpable. Three minutes to the start; Laz blew his whistle 3 times. Two blows at two minutes and one lone whistle at 60 seconds till the start: a routine that would continue for the next 68 hours, a task that would cause fear and excitement over the next 3 days and nights

Get to the Road

And they are off. The first  0.3 miles consists of an out back on the road, back through the starting coral and onto the trails. It will be another 35 minutes until I see the runners so I start filling water bottles with electrolytes and readying gels while trying to stay dry and warm. I have enough time to fire up the MSR stove for some hot water for instant coffee. Just as fast as they left, the runners return from their first loop and an otherwise quiet camp bursts into activity. A last man standing race is interesting. It keeps elite athletes with the rest of the pack. These runners who usually zoom by you in a few seconds are suddenly starting over again with you every hour. In this style of race, everyone is equal, until they are not. This is all about endurance and mental strength. 

Mike’s goal is to get to the road, which means 12 laps or 50 miles on the trails.  At this point it will be another 12 laps of road running overnight for a total of 100 miles. Everyone is in high spirits coming in from the first loop but still one runner chooses not to continue. All he wanted was to do one loop…

The Endless Road

It’s 6:34pm, a full 12 hours after the race start. Mike emerges from the trails just as darkness hits the camp. He has six minutes to change to road shoes, refill his vest with food and water  and layer up into the night. The whistle blasts three times. It’s time to come back to battle. First into the starting corral hour after hour, Courtney Dauwalter is once again there with her big smile and subdued presence. Slowly, more runners shuffle in. Two, then one whistle blast, a few words with racers at the front and Laz sends them off into the dark, into the night, into the loneliness. I can finally sit down for a minute now that my chair has dried out from last night’s rain.

Mike returns from the first road lap with sore feet. The running shoes he’s in are too small now that his feet have swollen. I try to lighten the mood by telling him his shoes are supposed to hurt as his Hokas and their unmistakably high soles look like drag queen shoes. He manages a smirk and we change his shoes back to the ones he used on the trails. A bit of pain killer, a salt pill, new electrolytes and a gel. The whistle goes off three times, Courtney is in the coral, racers shuffle in, two whistle blasts and then one and they are off. If there was ever a Ground Hog Day 2, this would be the low budget way to film it. 

The Runners Run as Laz Stokes the Fires

1:45am. The runners left 5 minutes ago. It’s 2ºC and I’m tired. The fires are smouldering at best. Laz prides himself in stoking the fires to keep the support crews warm and to entice runners to stay rather than head out for another lap. I think he secretly wants to give the support crews just a kernel of hope like the racers have. The fire is just fueled enough to draw you in, but not enough to offer much warmth. He tells those around the fire to not let anyone add logs to ration the wood. I add a log when he’s not around to try and keep us warm. He comes back and notices that the fire is bigger than it should be and interrogates the group. No one gives me up for adding a log. The group is one, wanting to keep warm. The 4.1667 mile loop is endless and monotonous for the support crew just as much as for racers. There is just enough time to clean up from the racers coming in to take 5 minutes to sit down, before the Crewing for Mike has turned into being support for 3 more racers. From boiling water for coffee to heating up instant soup and prepping water bottles, there is little time for anything else. The runners come back through and just like that it’s down to 35 from the starting 70.

At this point I am wearing every piece of clothing that I brought. Standing around doesn’t produce enough internal heat to stay warm. The fire is still small. Routine kicks in. Heating water for Mike’s coffee, soup for the other runner, prepping electrolytes and thinking through what Mike might need for the next loop. Ultra running is one of those activities that favours the strong mind. It’s a long and mostly lonely road (literally) so making friends on the trail and at the aid station helps pass the time. I was supposed to trade off support duties with Julie, a Parks guide in Washington, at some point. Her partner Ricky is running. She left early as he had to drop out after 17hrs. My person to trade off support crew with is now gone. 

“It’s Howdy Doody Time”

Laz steps up to the start line. 60 seconds until another lap starts. He has an especially funny smirk on his face, one that only Laz can have. He asks out loud, “Do you know what time it is?” With a bigger smile, almost a chuckle, he says, “It’s howdy doody time!” A few laughs lighten the mood of the otherwise tired and quiet runners. He will ask that exact same question every hour until the end of the race to mock the runners a bit. The race is really quite simple. Their bodies “can do it” but can their minds? He explains that they only need to run 4.1667 miles in 60 minutes. It’s just that lap that exists. Not the last one. Not the next one. Just that one lap.

Eat Especially When You Don’t Want To

It’s 3:40am. Mike is having trouble drinking or eating anything. I pull out some tough love. If he doesn’t eat or drink he won’t finish the race. He’s upset that I’m telling him something he doesn’t want to hear, but he knows that I’m right. He needs to get in at least 200-300 calories per hour, however gross that sounds at the moment. Some coffee and cup of noodles help him stay warm. He’s doing ok. I tell him he’s “looking strong”. Everyone understands that it is not how they look after running 150 kms, but it’s an unspoken truth. Looking at the food left, it’s obvious that he won’t have much left after this lap. He has enough gels to push it to 100 miles if he likes variety, but at  this point all he has are salted maple gels so those are almost gone. He doesn’t need to know that though, and after asking a few crew around the campfire, I now have an assortment of the weirdest gel flavours to satiate Mike’s palate. Flavours be bygone, we are here to run an ultra. 

Mike’s pains work themselves out. Another 3 laps and he is done with his goal, running 100 miles with the likes or Guillaume, Courtney and Maggie. Side by side and starting on the same line each lap. 

100 Miles.

It’s 6:40am. The race is down to under 30 people and Mike is one of them. The man with the whistle blows it three times. It’s time to get ready for another lap. Courtney is prompt and in the starting coral at the three minute mark. As she stretches her legs, she pulls off a full squat. I’m not sure how you can do a full squat after 100 miles, but she’s some sort of super human I guess. This lap will be run, but not with Mike as a runner. He has done the distance he came for. He’s happy to run 100 miles in 24 hrs, which is his fastest 100 miler yet. The sun is coming up and its light is finally warming us up, the sleepless and frozen people at camp. We stick around for another couple of laps and head back to shower and sleep for a couple of hours before coming back to cheer everyone on. I hand off the crewing responsibilities to others and we are finally off to some sleep. 

“Peter! Peter! Go run Peter!”

A two-hour nap and we are back to cheer on the remaining runners. One of them is Peter from Dublin. Peter comes in after 35 hours and cannot eat or get any food down. As you do when you’re crewing you say “yup”, the complaining is ignored and you focus on the task: trying to convince someone to eat. Some of his friends who travelled over from Dublin with him and dropped out at some point the night before try to get him to eat a cold bratwurst. Not exactly an enjoyable option, especially running an ultra. Some beef jerky and a Gin-Gin (candied ginger that does wonders for an upset stomach) later, he is forced to get up as the three whistles sound off. He gets up and says “I can’t go on” , and then more forcibly, “I won’t go on”. He reaches down and takes off his timing chip from his ankle to hand it in to a waiting Laz. Suddenly, all the remaining runners and support crews start cheering Peter to run, “one more lap”. He flat out refuses, but the cheers won’t stop, begging him not to quit after he’s ran so far. Again, he says “I can’t run anymore”. The crowd, louder this time, cheers him to run at least one more lap or quit along the way. He sighs loudly and reaches down to place the timing chip back on his leg. A whistle blast signals it’s time to get ready to head out again. 47 minutes later, Peter finishes his lap in better spirits. He grabs food, drinks some electrolytes and rests before the next lap. Laz chimes in, “You only need to run one 4.2 mile loop. That’s it. You quit in your mind before your body does.” And then walks off chuckling to himself. 

We cheer on racers while enjoying a beer for the next 3 hours. It is slowly getting dark and again, runners are switching back to the road loop as we pack up our tent and gear. This is the second night that they will be out there in the cold running against their mind. What we don’t know yet is that there will be a third night to be had albeit with a much smaller group battling each other. Courtney’s words, “You can end this anytime you want” have never been truer. 

The Timers Need to Leave

Heading back to Nashville to get ready to fly out means that we are left to follow the race via updates from the “Big’s Backyard”  Facebook group. As the race goes on, the racers tiredness is replaced with Laz’s tiredness. He moves from tormentor to tormented. Hourly updates with titles like, “Squinty Eyes” and “Where’s the line?” show his fatigue as much as theirs. It’s 61 hours in and the race timers are getting antsy. They need to leave in the next couple of hours to make their flights to the next race they are heading to. It’s ok, Laz is just going to use his Barkley Watch instead, referencing a $5 Timex that he handed out for last year’s Barkley Marathons. It’s Mercury in Retrograde I guess. The race is morphing into Laz surviving more than the racers surviving. Mercury doesn’t actually change it orbits and direction but it appears as if it does. Nothing has changed here at Big’s Backyard but Laz’s cracks are starting to show. Laz is showing a tired Gary Cantrell battling to stay awake for endless hours. The racers determine when he will sleep, when his job is done. Until then, the runners run and Laz tends to the fires. 

 Gavin Harmacy was down at this year’s Big’s Backyard 

As trail runners, we have the advantage that we can enjoy these astonishing landscapes without the burden of an overnight pack, as long as we can make it in less than a day. 

Last week, we ran the Rockwall with FKT-holder Adam Campbell (6 hours and 3 minutes) and some friends of ours. It consists of a 56 km point-to-point circuit in the Kootenays and it is renowned for some of the best alpine running one could ever dream of. 

A few stats (according to my watch):

• 55.6 km
• Highest altitude: 2356 meters
• Elevation Gain: 2686 meters`
• Elevation Loss: 2555 meters
• Total time: 8h50

After dropping a car at the Paint Pots trailhead not too far from Marble Canyon, we drove down to the Floe Creek trailhead to begin our journey on the Rockwall. Although running from South to North means a net elevation gain at the end of the day, it is also the easiest way to do it. Most of the elevation gain is achieved during the first half of the trail and the last 14 kilometres towards the Paint Pots is an enjoyable downhill. 

8:40 AM, time to get going.

The first few kilometres on the Rockwall are the classic Kootenay experience. It’s a beautiful trail in a burnt forest and offers some seriously enjoyable views. A pleasant uphill then takes us up to the first highlight of our trip, Floe Lake (km 10).  As we will do for every future creek crossings we’ll encounter, we stop a few minutes to top our flasks and bladders and we head up gradually towards Numa pass, our highest point of the day. 

Tumbling Pass is up next, a fitting name for a few falls and “tumbles” along the way. Despite some “just ok” views on the climb above Numa Creek, we quickly reach tree line and the views above are simply breathtaking. Hanging glaciers, seracs, glacier-fed rivers and blooming flowers are all we can see for miles. One would expect the best sceneries to be over past that point, but the trail keeps offering outrageous viewpoints for a total of over 30 kms, down into Tumbling Valley and up over Rockwall Pass. 

By the time we are at Helmet Falls, we have already covered 42k or so and most of the difficulties are behind us. All that is left is a fun, mostly downhill single track that takes us back down to the Paint Pots. A total of just under 9 hours and views for days!

A few tips and tricks to venture on long alpine runs

• Always check if water will be available on the way, and how often? In our case, we all left with a couple soft flasks and a Katadyn BeFree filter. By refilling in the creeks along the way we didn’t need to carry heavy bladders. 

• Bring appropriate rescue equipment: A GPS messenger device, an emergency bivy, a space blanket, bear spray, a few band-aids and some tape are the strict minimum for long days spent in remote areas. After that, it depends on how light you want to go… 

• Think about your poles. While it makes sense to carry poles for long and steep climbs, the advantage they provide might be negated by how cumbersome they sometimes are to carry while running flats and downhills. Make sure that you either have a good system to carry them or that you won’t get super annoyed from carrying your poles in your hands for many hours.

• Don’t get intimidated by the idea of “running” the Rockwall. Yes it is a long trail and it does feature a decent amount of elevation gain, but really, “running” in this case means a variable mix of running and hiking. All but the fastest runners hike the climbs and run when the terrain is easier.

• Bring enough food, but not too much. A good rule is to plan 200 to 300 calories per hour and to plan for an hour or two longer than your estimate. 

• Start early. It can get really hot in the valleys below treeline and even up in the alpine. It can get scorching hot if there is not a cloud in the sky. Starting early will help you avoid the warmest hours of the day and will give you extra time to work with in case you get delayed. A small container of sunscreen is never a bad idea. 

• Research the route before you go. It’s easy to lose huge chunks of time getting lost. Know the important junctions and ask fellow hikers if you are not sure of the right direction. 

Now that you have some additional info, go get those routes. It’s summer and time for big trail runs.

Matt had spied a descent off the classic route up Kitchener; the East Ridge. Earlier this winter we drove past it and took some photos, it seemed like the hanging glacier wasn’t too hanging so it was worth having a look. After getting myself stoked on some minivan alpinism stories Matt showed up and we lumbered up to the Columbia Icefields Centre. After some quick recon on our creek crossing we cooked some eats and passed out, hoping that 4hrs sleep would be enough to function on.

Maybe?

 We woke to a warmer than expected night but reasoned that being a little higher and on a favourable aspect we should go anyway. We waded the Sunwapta and proceeded to bruise our ankles on scree for a few hundred vertical meters before playing a game of hopscotch with boulders and breakable crust. Eventually we left behind our wet runners switched to skins, finding the snow much more supportive than expected. Some more sidehilling on scree revealed the north face of Kitchener, with the coveted Grand Central Couloir prominent in the centre. Descending our ridge and gaining a moraine also revealed our objective, the hanging glacier spilling directly off the east ridge. Note: don’t try and save time by shortcutting, just take the regular approach to the GCC. It’ll be faster.

You can tell it’s early because of what time it is.

Fricken sweet alpenglow.

 With some finagling through a gully system we were sure it would go. Given the fact that we’d have to lose some more elevation and yuuuuuuge overhead hazard Matt and I decided to continue up the standard E ridge approach, not climbing the line. This is always a risk as the snow quality and route details are unknowns but we decided that we’d rather not spend a few hours under menacing seracs. The standard strategy for minimising overhead hazard is to just rename said hazard to something friendly, but this monster was having none of our nonsense. Surprisingly there were two sets of footprints coming down off the ridge.

Matt on the stairmaster. This is the alternate route down, which would also be some fantastic skiing.

Is there anything better than a high pressure day up here?

It was a bit of a grind to gain the ridge and continue up it. A real grind. Matt had done a lactate threshold test the day previous and I had eaten something disagreeable so we were both hurting a bit. Arriving at the notch we looked at it, threw rocks at it, I even rapped into it and hit things inside it with an axe. Finally we decided it wasn’t worth doing. Our reasoning was that it was getting hot, it would take too much time and it looked a little sketchy. The summit would have been a bonus but throwing in a climb in the middle of a ski line? That’s just not cricket.

Just gross.

F U Notch.

Call me John Deere ‘cos it’s harvest time.

 Clicking in we got some glorious corn in a stunning position, with exposure on both sides and Athabasca and Andromeda jutting up on our right. I overshot the entry to the line to gain a good vantage point and snapped some shots of Matt dropping in. The snow was the perfect steep skiing snow, chalky, predictable and hard but not too hard. We made short work of the first pitch and scraped our way down to the hanging seracs, with the snow changing rapidly to frozen coral reef. Not ideal.

 

 

High contrast panorama. You can just see Matt in the bottom right.

 The exposure really opened up as we started to work the gullies, Matt guiding with beta shots he’d taken earlier. We found ourselves with salvation in sight, unfortunately guarded by a couloir filled with frozen marbles and a few rocks that required dry skiing. We were slipping with axes in hand for this section, any mistake would send us sliding off a cliff to the moraine below. Eventually we made it through and shared some whoops and maybe a fistbump. Some fine views, a glorious position and solid technical skiing all combined to make this a descent worth remembering.

A little spicy here.

 The descent in all its glory. Severely foreshortened.

The exit was also worth remembering, as it was terrible. We were forced to regain a few hundred meters to retrieve our shoes and careen down isothermal snow patches, finishing with a some scree running and river wading. We also saw the source of the footprints; a track heading up Grand Central. Solid work by whoever bagged that big fella.

We took two 30m ropes, planning to leave one at each side of the notch or to combine them for rappels if we got into trouble. I also packed a small set of nuts and some pins for the notch or anchors.

Being able to see this from the Icefields Centre was a little bit of a bonus.

Follow the RunUphill Group on Strava.

I've been wanting to climb this route since I got to Canada and started flipping through a friend’s copy of the Book of Lies. It’s an enticing maze directly up the face of Sir Douglas, one of the few 11’000ers in Kananaskis. Unfortunately at that point I was an ice climber and that would likely mean an overnighter and swinging tools and catching shards in the face which is really just silly. There had to be a better way.

Enter skiing. The big winter we had seemed like enough to cover any nasty ice so I joked to Matt on Saturday evening while heading to Calgary that it would be nice. The response that he reckoned it was a ‘good thought’ seemed enough to commit to ‘having a look’ which turned into ‘making plans’. With a bunch of weather models saying some different things it seemed worthy to pin our hopes on just one of them and commit to slogging out there to take a look.

I got home at 10pm that night and hurriedly packed, leaving all my gear by the door. A sleepless night and a morning rush had us meeting at the Casino parking lot at 4am. The plan was to drive the 40 to avoid the Destroyer of Cars aka Smith Dorrian Trail. Predictably some fool had forgotten his helmet so we had to backtrack to my place to pick it up. We ended up leaving the trailhead at Burstall after 5, motoring up the approach blasting Huey Lewis and the News to drowsy bears, arriving at the base of the north glacier in 4hrs.

Looking at the face proper we had time to plot the route and identify any overhead hazards. There weren’t any cornices guarding the top, it was a non solar aspect  and no signs of slough or recent instability. “Well, I guess we have to ski it” Matt abjectly stated.

 At this point the caffeine high had worn off and I crashed. We took another two hours to go a paltry 2km and 500m. What happened to the skimo speed? This would become the theme of the day. Note to self: it’s hard to do things if you’re tired.

 The glacier had a couple of sags but seemed fairly benign barring a few little seracs. A frigid wind numbed our hands but inspired confidence; only one model was matching what we were experiencing and it was the favourable one. After gaining the ramp we did some recon as it seemed it was discontinuous. I attempted to climb up and over in an attempt to rejoin the route higher up but punched in some facets along the rock face and fortuitously discovered some fixed pro. It seems that the route requires a small 5m rap down to go up. Wallowing in facets at the base of the rap (where I think the Lavigne/Slawinski Double Direct joins the face?) I suggested we leave the rope for ascension later. Matt was carrying 20m of rap cord which was adequate for any retreat or ski belay.

Once on the face proper the booting consisted of a number of repeatable sequences. There was a diagonal left traverse, some cautious poking along a vertical roll for some predictable but stubborn windslab, half boot front pointing on thinly covered gravel up a chute, and then back to the traverse. Wash, rinse, repeat. We proceeded upwards slowly. I was hoping Matt would volunteer to charge up the whole thing like he usually does but we were both feeling pretty dead so we sluggishly swapped leads. The last 30m seemed like an eternity. We hit ridgetop around 8hrs after leaving the car and basked in the first sunlight of the day. After some panting, eating and attempting to alert my SO that I’d be home late I clicked in and skied off the mushroom to the entry of the line, a short rock section above the entire face.

If anyone’s seen Downside Up they’ll know what dry skiing is. Sometimes I get stoked and think I’m half as good as Vivian Bruchez but this time I was reminded that the Rockies are not known for rock quality, even in winter. With little faith in my edges I grudgingly took the skis off, scrambled down a few meters and clicked in again. Now it was on.

I was forced to sideslip the first few meters due to shallow snow then got stuck into it, swapping leads and making sure to give the little vertical rolls a good ski cut before committing to the traverse and chute sections below. The angle wasn’t anything too extreme, averaging around 45 degrees with some 50ish in the chute sections. The exposure, however, was oh so real. Due to the traversing nature of the line we spent almost all our time looking down disappearing rolls.

The snow was creamy where it wasn’t thin and thin where it was. Some turns would bottom out on gravel and there were sharks aplenty. Where the snow was deeper we were able to ski with a little more vigour.

 Arriving at the rope I got set up to ascend. Some frustration with my ski carry, mounting stress and fear that KPS was coming to get us had me throwing a little tantrum. Eventually I composed myself and prussiked up the rope, assisting Matt on a top belay to follow. All that was left as some creamy powder down the glacier, attempting to powder 8 Matt’s tracks.

 Following an episode of childish glee, giggling at our tracks we turned towards home, a short slope to ascend and a 15km double pole/freeheel grind back to the car with the final stretch on the endless Burstall Pass Trail.

I’m so amped to have skied this line. We got lucky with the timing, getting it the day after a small snowfall to cover most of the rocks but before the wind had time to get its teeth in. Given the depth in sections I suspect any later in spring would force a skier to do a little too much sidestepping and scrappy screebashing, much earlier would have been entirely on the unsettling K-country snowpack. We think it’s a first but with the high concentration of badasses around here and the prominence and accessibility of the line who knows.

Some rough stats for those interested (my watch died on the way back):

• Approx 30km return
• 2100ish m elevation gain
• 13hrs (12.5 for Matt because I don’t have triceps)
• 6 gels consumed
• 2 core shot gained (skis became lighter :D)
• 33:32 mins of siiick footy recorded 4 the boyz
• 1 man hug shared

Photo By Kieran Crimeen

Joel and Matt both got a couple of days off and the weather was looking sublime. It’s early spring and that means couloir season, a good time to work on the technique before we start to look at the face lines of the Rockies. We tossed around a few stupid ideas before settling on ‘having a look’ at the Funnel of Death on Bow Peak.

Parking at Mosquito Creek Hostel, we made short work of West Nile and gained the moraines. Somehow along way I managed to find myself in front, looking up at the wall trying to decide which crack hid the funnel. I was assuming it wasn’t so obvious when directly underneath. A likely looking slough pile and chute above had me convinced, so we front pointed and dented our picks up a little Scottish gully to gain the crack in the mountain half a kilometer from our line. My bad. With someone else firmly in charge of leading the party, we made it to the right spot.

We swung leads setting the bootpack up the the winding corridor, preferring not to think about how narrow things were. Future Kieran is a great guy and he can deal with that. We soon entered the Funnel. I hadn’t been in much big terrain this winter due to the perpetual PWL’s so it took a while to get used to things. What we couldn’t get used to were the cornices drooping above us. Temps were cool but we couldn’t shake the feeling that Dave just wanted to drop down and say ‘hi’ so we sped up. About 30m from the top the top layer of snow changed to a soft slabby facety mess so we elected to click in from there. Any amount of sloughing was likely to strain us through the funnel so we played it safe.

Pretty sure we’re in the right spot this time

The skiing was intimidating but the snow was in fine condition. I felt rather inadequate watching Matt and Joel swoosh down but I managed to hack my way down.

Matt grabbing Monday by the horns

Despite appearances there was enough room for turns, with no particularly oppressive section. We regrouped at a safe point and then there was nothing but open slopes, with some creamy March powder hiding in the shadow of the fan.

Joel making it happen in the lower section

All in all not such a bad line despite the objective cornice hazard and certain terrain trap. With the Funnel of Death in the bag we elected to regroup tomorrow and try a what was by all accounts a mellower line, Gutentight.

It was not.

Same story in the morning except this time we (I) knew where to go. We made short work of the fan and quickly walked up the echoing walls of the lower hallway.

Fast booting up the couloir to avoid overhead involved some pretty steep snow climbing in which I got my first faceshots of the day. Once in the upper section things deteriorated quickly into hard, uneven runnels that had Joel and I questioning our ability to make it down in a controlled fashion. We elected to click in below the final pitch whilst Matt defended his title as ‘Best Skier on the Mountain’ and continued to the cornice.

After some creative ‘turns’ in the upper section we regrouped below the first choke and enjoyed some of what we had yesterday, fine soft snow with some good support underneath.

Some of the good stuff

Skiing the final corridor was an quite an aesthetic experience, with the sound of snow under your skis bouncing from wall to wall.

Just rad

The fan once again hid some amazing cream and we blasted down to the car so Joel could make it to work. Gutentight was a real beast, one that I’ll have to finish the job on.

All in all a fantastic opener to spring; early starts, steep lines, fear and shaky legs. Hopefully the weather delivers and the stoke train keeps running.

For some video evidence of our trips check out Matt’s trip report.

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’ve been ski touring for only a few seasons now so still consider myself a newcomer to the sport. Unfortunately during my second season I fell in with a bad crowd and was introduced to Joel, one of the dreaded skimo racers. He skins fast and bootpacks faster and was really a poor partner for someone as unfit as me.  

Last season Joel and I got out a lot and long days in the mountains. Having no background in endurance sports or interest in training our early days were hard. But as my fitness increased so did my speed and my ability to get stuff done. I began to get pretty enthused about doing longer days or smaller days faster. Naturally at this point Joel started hinting about skimo and how the fitness and efficiency benefits skiing big lines.

Routes like this don’t have to be a huge undertaking

I think there’s some merit in being able to park the car along Commonwealth Creek and snake four laps at Tryst before anyone else gets there, or being able to sleep in and still have the summit to yourself when corn o’clock rolls round.

With some bigger goals in mind for this season I succumbed to peer pressure and entered the Fernie Lizard Skinner as a way of seeing just what is possible for a punter to accomplish. A long course is around 1300-1600m of elevation and about 15kms (the short course is about 800-1000m). That approximates pretty well to many of the popular spring objectives in the Rockies such as Hector, Andromeda or Athabasca.

I’ll not talk about the 2.5hrs of suffering that the race entailed except that I spent much of it questioning my decision to enter, but the next day (before DOMS set in) I was thinking it was pretty fun. A couple of soft bump descents, some grinding uphill and deep bootpacking all contributed to what’s commonly described as Type 2 Fun.

There was also the sprint race the following day. I don’t feel this has much relevance to backcountry skiing but it was a hell of a lot of fun, chasing three others at a time on two skin intersecting skin tracks and finishing with a mini GS course. Other course formats (depending on the venue) are a descent focused skiduro, much like mountain biking enduro with timed descents and of course the puke inducing vertical races.

Despite the presence of tight lycra and spandex the sport is pretty much just ski touring but fast. Efficient transitions, good skinning practices and skiing in challenging conditions all help in the backcountry when you’re after a big goal. Racing also helps nail down an absolute minimum time in which you can do the vert and distance, allowing you to plan a trip accordingly. This might make the difference between planning to just ski in to the hut or managing to bag a peak on the same day, or net you a few extra hours of sleep on a spring morning.

If you’ve got any interest in getting fitter and faster in the mountains drop by for a chat and a coffee. There’s also a weekly skinning group on Friday evenings at Norquay where we can help you work on your technique or let you try out some of the ultralight cheat skis the pros race on.

Jason Borro from Skimo Co hiking to the Plains of Six Glaciers

In business the traditional view is that if another store opens up that is passionate about the same stuff that you have, they are your competition. And competition at times can be fierce. It can keep you on your toes, it can make you question a lot things about why you’re in business in the first place and the products that you carry. It doesn’t always have to be this way. This article from entrepreneur.com “Why a Dog Eat Dog Mentality Doesn’t Work” says,    "All companies are part of the greater economy, which includes your competitors, customers, suppliers and prospects. And many businesses look at the ecosystem as a zero-sum game where growth in their company will result in a decline in their competitors and vice versa. In reality that is rarely the case. As the old saying goes, “a rising tide lifts all boats” and this rings true in the world of business.”

We are very excited to have a partnership with Skimo Co in Salt Lake City, one of the biggest contributors to the growth of skiing uphill in the USA. They’re fantastic in providing us with all the knowledge and extra bits and pieces we could ask for, even sending their best to host a boot fitting and tech mounting workshop in our store.



Early on we saw the need to not only “sell” skis, boots, bindings, touring and trail running equipment but also to be a knowledge base and a community hub for these activities. There are lots of shops in town that sell stuff, there are lots of shops that service equipment and so far we’ve had a number of people come in for advice. We think it’s important to offer the right advice, some things that we’ve learned from our own time on the skin track and on the slopes. Our partnership has allowed us a big leap in our knowledge by learning from the best practices at Skimo Co rather than from trial and error and making mistakes. Things like boot fitting, punching and precise tech binding mounting need to be done certain ways, and we have those ways dialled in. We are very excited in how our partnership can help advance backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering in Western Canada.

There is also a thought that business is about making a buck and “caveat emptor” (“buyer beware”) and I guess we want to remove the veil on backcountry skis, boots, bindings and gear. It’s not ‘buyer beware’ but ‘buyer be informed’ with us, and we need you to be confident that your skis will take you on whatever adventure you have planned.

Eric from Skimo Co watching over as we mount bindings

We are fortunate to have a partner in Jason, Eric and Skimo Co for knowledge, these guys really know the ins and outs of every piece of gear they sell and we can pass this on to you. Collaborating with your competitors can be beneficial. If we all have the customer in mind, give them the right advice, the right ski and have more at stake than just making a sale, collaboration makes sense. There are lots of ski stores out there, but check us out for knowledgeable advice and ask a ton of questions.

It’s been such a great month and a bit so far as a business. We’re excited to help you out in store and online.

Additional resources:
Harvard Business Review writes an article, “Collaborate with Your Competitors - and Win” (https://hbr.org/1989/01/collaborate-with-your-competitors-and-win).

Skin Track, “Interview Skimo Co Founder Jason Borro” (http://www.skintrack.com/people/interview-skimo-co-founder-jason-borro/)