 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Posted 3.31.08
With the Targhee Teams race under my belt, I headed south to the US National Team Qualifying races in Aspen and Sunlight. I was excited about this opportunity; the chance to race at a World Championship level is a dream for any athlete and this was the rite of passage in order to be able to have a shot at World Class racing. On the other hand, I knew this would be a hard weekend of racing: 2 long events (5500’ per day) on consecutive days, and both were at high elevation in what was shaping up to be extreme weather. The mercury registered below zero as I stepped into my lycra suit in the hotel room at the base of Aspen. It was early about 5.30am in the morning as Steve Romeo, Cary Smith and myself prepared for the 7am start. The gun went off with the stiffest competition ever at a US race. Along with all the top racers there were a new crop of top tier athlete’s from other sports, looking to make their mark on the Ski Mountaineering world. The world’s number Trail Triathlete, a number of world class adventure racers and top Nordic skiers. Where I usually slide into the top 10 out of the gate, I was scrambling for 30th. The first climb is never my strong suit, nevertheless it was hard to not become stressed about how I would make up 20 places. In the end only the top 8 athletes would have a chance to move on to the next day’s qualifiers with a strong chance of qualifying. At the top of the first climb I was lagging and nowhere in sight of the leaders. As the race wore on I started to find myself again and the rhythm that is so familiar when I am feeling good. With renewed confidence I began to make my move. I put my head down and climbed hard, at the transitions I went into auto pilot and focused on avoiding mistakes. But my real strength was on the downhills, where I would look to stay neutral on my skis and avoid turning as much as possible. Pulling into the last climb I was finally in the top 10. I rallied through the first section but was halted when one skin started to fail, I was able to finish the steep section and replace the skin without losing more than a few seconds. I was now in 6th place after passing several other racers on the before last downhill. I ripped my skins for the final time with 3 racers on my heels, and quickly extended my poles to be able to get maximum speed on the uphill skate. Holding on through the final downhill I came across the finish line with time to spare on the next competitor.
The next day, we arose to clear skies and the gun went off under more moderate temperatures. Though the first portion of the climbs and descents went according to plan, the skin issue haunted me during the second half, as did missed turns on the downhill. I lost precious time and places that were hard to recover. On the final climb meandering through the woods, I found myself on the heels of another competitor. With the snow too deep to pass, I hung back—which is always a mistake. By the time there was a chance to pass the climb was almost over. I came through the finish line, only to discover that the line was actually 50 feet below me… I rushed to redirect myself back down the hill, but not before getting passed. I finished in 11th place, after an overall slow race. Nevertheless, a good performance the day before carried me through, and when I got the call from coach Swenson on Monday morning I was nervous for moment, but my fears were soon allayed by the words “you qualified to race at the World Championships!”
Of the 8 US men that raced in today’s grueling 6500’ race few came away unscathed. As the 10:30 start drew close, the clouds parted and the temperatures climbed rapidly. As with the Team relay, only the stronger teams were able to participate; the smaller teams with less manpower focus their energies on the individual and vertical races where just one entrant is sufficient to be able to race. In a teams race, 2 racers must climb and descend together passing through all checkpoints at the same time. The allure of the event is that you are truly a team, able to rely on each other for support, carrying skis, helping with crucial transitions and even towing each other through a harness and bungee system. With the thirty second count down behind us we waited nervously. The gun went off and our top tier athletes Ethan Passant and Cary Smith were first Americans off the line, in the chase. Today I was racing with Steve, and though we had decided to try to stay out of the hunt on the first climb, I knew that Steve’s pace would push mine and I was preparing for the ensuing pain. Unlike in the US where the field is thinner and the first climb is wide open, we were quickly funneled into 2 steep switchbacking tracks—sandwiched between hundreds of racers. In the fight to keep pace, tensions were immediately on the rise, skiers making aggressive moves to gain a place, I tried to stick stride for stride with the skier in front of me for fear of being edged out of the track by the skiers behind; call it uphill skier cross! The first skin led to the first bootpack, which gradually steepened into an icy 40 degree couloir with a rope for assistance—as we approached the midpoint in the climb I started to suffer the effects of having pushed a little too hard; lactic acid pooled in my legs my lungs burned. This was to be the first of 5 climbs. Steve led and I hung on as a team of Norwegians closed the gap from behind, as the climbing got thinner and the 2 tracks funneled into one Steve “Teton-styled” it booting to the side--beyond reach of the rope, I gingerly followed to the transition at the top. The pace in the upper section had slowed and I had my pace back. A moderate descent to the valley floor led to the second climb where I took the lead under a sweltering sun, as the climb wore on I found my stride and with Steve close behind we pushed to gain on the teams ahead. Two more steep bootpacks on the ridge crests gave way to sweeping exposure over the entire valley dropping 6000’ below. The latter part of the course led through high alpine terrain with excellent skiing off spectacular peaks, on 2 consecutive north faces we skied steep soft snow. Late in the race I always focus on staying neutral on my skis and try to avoid getting in a defensive back seat position, which can fry my quads. It was getting late in the race in one of the more exhausting events I have done to date. When in doubt I would throw a glance behind me to check that the Teton Tigers were still racing as a team. On the fourth descent I stopped to look back and realized that Steve was no longer in site—I knew that this signaled trouble in paradise as Steve is never one to be dropped on the downhill. I let the Norwegian team by and waited. In a few seconds my partner re-appeared and we rallied to the transition. However when Steve struggled through the next transition my worries intensified. Nevertheless, we charged out of the gate in the chase of the Vikings. We were now on our final and shortest climb, but within 5 minutes of leaving the gate and 600 vertical feet from the end of the climbing Steve went into fully body arrest, in a period of 60 seconds we went from being in the hunt to survival mode. I turned around to see Steve in a daze, with a 1000 mile stare. With dehydration coupled with dropping electrolyte levels he began to alternate between grasping his legs and grunting in pain and folding over his poles. The race for positions was officially over, to arrive at the finish line was a goal in and of itself. We inched through the woods making a few strides before becoming immobile, in a race you try to carry as little as possible and I had no extra water. It took about 35 minutes to do what we normally have done in 8 or 9 minutes, and it seemed at every turn we were passed by teams that we had not seemed since the start. Had I been alone in Steve’s shoes I would have struggled to stay positive, but as his teammate I felt the drive that comes from being able to move us through…as a team. We tugged, pulled, and pushed through and in excruciating pain made the finish line. In the end I don’t know where we finished—but today the satisfaction comes from giving what we had in every step.
After another week of winter storms, Saturday dawned clear for the 8th North American Ski Mountaineering National Championships. Thanks to the heavy snowfall and high winds of the previous day the race start was delayed till 8.30am—a welcome change. At the start line many of the usual athletes were missing, no doubt due to sheer exhaustion after racing in Europe. Many had been courting colds and flues from the travel and had decided to stay home. I was just recovering from a week long bout of a cold and was ready to end the hardest racing season I have had so far. Nevertheless the strongest US athletes were all present. After having won the Powderkeg the weekend before, Brandon French was well poised to make a bid for the 2008 North American Champion. Cary Smith (the 2007 North American Champion) and Pete Swenson (the 2006 North American Champion) were also in the running. The starting horn went off and we shuffled into our usual order, Cary leading with Brandon close behind. I often have the experience of knowing right from the start if the race was meant to be. For endurance athletes there is a subtle mix of forces that have to come together to give one “the feeling”—the sense that you could go further and harder than what you are usually capable of, for me this was not the day. My legs were burning and my breathing was labored, and I was barely of the start line. In reality getting “the feeling” is a rare thing, and often a race that starts out bad can finish well. At the end of the first climb Brandon was in the lead with Cary Smith, Michael Tobin, and Pete Swenson right behind. In this race most of the hard climbing comes in the first half of the race, and as I neared the top of the second climb I started a fall back and had to let Jared by. My plan in a race is always to start slow and spend the second half of the race hunting, rather than being hunted. Nevertheless one can’t control how strong other racers are, and today Jared was racing strong. Now in 6th place, I focused on staying fueled, knowing that the hardest portion of the race is in the final downhill: a quad-frying 4000 foot descent from the top of Corbet’s. As I came over the top of the ladder and started towards my last descent I could not see Jared ahead--he had already cleared Rendezvous bowl by the time I started into it…not a good sign! Knowing how long and hard the descent was, I worked on staying away from my red line, which can be crippling. In the second half of the descent, powder turned to death cookies and I spotted Jared below me; struggling in what were extremely difficult ski conditions with race skis. I caught and passed Jared as we neared the cat track towards the uphill skate finish, and held on tight through a dicey straightline to the cat track. We battled up the final skate finish, as it neared its end I knew it was time to red line if I was going to win this battle. With 20 vertical feet to go, I dropped the proverbial hammer and pulled away and into the final tuck. With Jared on my tails I came across the finish line in 5th place! The winter of 2008 has finally come to an end, at least the racing season has. This has been without a doubt the biggest and hard season of racing I have endured, and though I am ready for it to be over, it has been the experience of a lifetime. I am very grateful to Targhee for the venue to train in and the financial support to race. Posted 2.6.08 The following day was the Individual Freeride Randonee Race, in which competitors climbed to the top of Mary's Nipple, and skied down the south side before climbing up Peaked. This race format involves both climbing and skiing, but a larger portion of skiing. If the winds of chance were blowing in my favor on Saturday, they backed and blew against me on Sunday, I had trouble getting into my dynafit bindings at the start line starting close to last, after regaining some time, I proceeded to lose my skis off my pack, twice on the first climb and once on the last. Nevertheless, Brandon French, who was in the lead, lost a ski on the first descent which allowed me to gain some time. I chased him up the last climb but was not able to close the gap. A very strong skier, he skied powerfully off the ridge down through "Old Reliable" to a clear victory. I pushed hard on the descent, holding on tight to the compression and onto the Teton Vista Traverse. I came across the finish line in 2nd place Stay posted for more race reports. Next I am off to Colorado for the US National Team Qualifiers to determine the team that will represent the US at the World Championships of Ski Mountaineering in Champery, Switzerland in 3 weeks. Posted 2.5.08 This past weekend ended what has been my most intense period of competition to date—6 races in 4 weeks. It started at Targhee on January 12th with a highly contested Teams Race in which teams of 2 passed through all checkpoints together. Strong partnerships, where team members helped each other out, were crucial to success in this highly contested event. During the final climb of the race my partner, Wray Landon, and I found ourselves in 3rd place after a strong downhill performance on the Southwest side of Peaked Mountain. Early on the last climb of the race, Wray called that he was losing his left skin. Losing skins is common in Ski Mountaineering races and often costs competitors valuable time and sometimes positions. With one of the strongest teams on our heels and still over 1500' of climbing, we decided to fix the problem by scraping the skin rather than trying to continue. I was confident that given the sight of the skin, Wray would not be able to complete the climb. In true team fashion, Wray kept his ski on as I scraped, and we re-applied the skin as Cary Smith and Eric Wilbrecht turned the last switchback behind us. With almost 5000' of climbing behind us, we felt the depth of exhaustion that comes from this type of winter racing. We buried our heads and dug deep for the remainder of the climb, staying ahead of Cary and Eric until the end of the climb when Cary moved past us. We arrived at the top as Cary was finished with his transition in place to help Eric, They left the summit well ahead of us so we knew that in order to pass we would need a very strong downhill performance. In the final moments of the race we passed Cary who was still ahead of his teammate, and caught the 2nd place team. In an excruciating tuck to the finish line we finished 2nd overall—seconds ahead of the other 2 teams. This was a historic event for Ski Mountaineering in the United States, as a Teams Race had never been hosted before. Thanks to Andy Williams, Grand Targhee's Special Events Coordinator, for his tireless work in hosting what is certain to become a US Ski Mountaineering classic. "Reflections" - Posted 2.3.08 I moved here 4 years ago, and as I look back over this period, I can hardly get over how fortunate I feel. Many things have changed since I first stepped foot in Teton Valley but the fulfillment I feel from travelling in the mountains, has been constant. Living in Teton Valley gives me the ability to make the mountains a part of life—every day. Whether it is long day of exploring the high peaks or a quick pre-dawn outing up Fred’s before breakfast. As an athlete I find that a weekly plan that integrates short hard outings with longer slower ones is a recipe for success. For 2 years I have raced the US Ski Mountaineering Circuit; a series of backcountry ski races that involve rallying up, down and across the mountains. Grinding 3,000 foot climbs up to 12,000 feet are followed by high speed GS turns down swaths of backcountry terrain. The races usually involve between 5,000 and 6,000feet of climbing and take between 1.5 to 2 hours. Randonee Rallies, as they are often referred to draw on the many skills of a backcountry skier, from fitness to down-skiing ability and good skinning technique. This year my partnership with Targhee is not only allowing me travel to races across the country and to the World Championship in Europe but is also giving me a perfect training venue. The consistent pitch of the upper mountain and the high elevation combine to create a perfect place to train, and there is no reward like witnessing the first light to hit the valley floor before returning home for breakfast! |
|||
| About Us Contact Us Employment Sustainability Sponsors Downloads Online Brochure Online Store | Site Map Legal/Privacy | |||
|
||||
Grand Targhee Resort is located within the Caribou/Targhee National Forest
and is under permit from the Forest Service, USDA