Just look at that smile on Max Taam’s face during the 2016 Irwin Guides race in Crested Butte. See? Ski mountaineering racing can be fun! Photo: cosmicski.com, Kevin Krill & Eleven Experience
Earlier this month, I took part in the Sunlight Heathen Challenge ski mountaineering race, a roughly 11 mile randonee course that boasts some 5000 feet of climbing and descending between Sunlight Ski Area and nearby backcountry slopes. The course offers aspen grove single track, challenging backcountry descent through dense aspen and willows, loose steep bootpack sections and a screaming descent down Sunlight’s infamous Heathen ski run, one of the steepest in the country with top angle of 52 degrees. The race is, by all accounts, a full value experience.
But this year, attendance was pale. For it’s eighth consecutive run, 84 total racers signed up (versus 144 last year), only nine of which were women. I admit, I’m part of the problem. I opted to help set and clean course rather than racing. I did this for two reasons: the help was needed (COSMIC races depend on volunteers to put up and take down courses, which, as I discovered requires far more work than you’d expect), but most of all, I’m intimidated by ski mountaineering races. And for that second point, I don’t think I’m alone.
So in an effort to encourage the legions of skiers hopping on the uphill ski train to consider a recreational race effort, I’m going to break down some of my own insecurities. (Sidenote: despite that I did successfully complete the Grand Traverse last year, I’m still intimidated by ski mountaineering races. This season that will change, or at least I’ll get really fit trying.)
Ski Mountaineering Racing is, well, really f-ing hard
Tasting blood. Blowing up. Careening down variable snow on 65 mm sticks. Feeling like your heart will actually explode in your chest. Puking on your boots. Wearing spandex. To the layperson, one or more of the above does not sound fun. But here are two things to consider: masochism loves company, and racing doesn’t have to be a one way ticket to the pain cave of death. Train so you know your body and your limits. And come race day, relish in the fact that actually everyone around you probably also wants to die and is asking themselves why they signed up for this crap. That’s part of the fun.
Everyone will be faster than me
Let’s face it, unless you’re one of pros who is 100% committed to the hours of training, the money into gear etc, you’re probably not going to be at the head of the pack. I used to get down about this repeatedly when I first started racing in a local series in Wyoming. “Someone will always be faster than you,” a friend counseled. “Just get over it and ride your bike.” So too can the same be said about ski racing. Sure, it’s so fun to make somebody eat your dust. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it unless everyone is eating your dust. Commit to performing well for yourself and let the rest follow, even if that means coming in last. At least you got a good workout.
Everyone has cooler/lighter/faster gear
Cooler, lighter and (allegedly) faster gear does not directly correlate to cooler, lighter, faster skiers. While it’s tempting to mope when you pull your kit out of the car in the parking lot before the race and notice the guy next to you is sporting a full carbon set up that cost three times as much as yours, gear comparisons are just a great way to mess up your mental game. Harking back to the bike races, I found great inspiration from one particular racer. The gal who consistently won the open division of the local series cleaned up shop on steel hardtail while the rest of us bumped around on full squish carbon or aluminum rigs. Having the best tools and knowing how to use them are two very different things.
That sh*t is expensive
True story. Race gear is pricy and can be tough to justify if you use it only a couple of times a season. But you don’t necessarily have to have it. If you tour in a light ski boot like the Scarpa F1 or Dynafit TLT, you’re halfway there. Of course, you could race in a Maestrale or Hoji and get thighs like Thor but if you decide you want to really be competitive, those 1000g or less boots will become your friend.
As for the skis, having a pair of skinnys is advantageous (and fun!), though not totally necessary. A friend who is a monster uphill athlete but not a super strong downhill skier (and also is intimidated by skimo racing despite being one of the country’s fastest mountain runners) says she would only race on her 90mm underfoot touring skis so she’d be less likely to lose time on descents. And a lot of rec divisions in skimo races even let you use a splitboard.
And spandex, have you tried it? Doug and I once ran into a solo backcountry skier on Mount Baker who was fully kitted in race gear. Turns out he wasn’t even into racing. When we asked about his skin suit he shrugged and replied, “once you go spandex, you can’t go back.” Of course your regular breathable touring gear will suffice until you decide you actually love racing and spring for the full kit.
But really, where are the ladies at?
As racers crossed the finished and gathered in a corral at the Sunlight race, I noticed clouds of sweaty men high fiving and recapping their sufferfests. Imbedded in the mix, I occasionally spotted a single woman racer, sometimes with a guy on her arm, sometimes totally alone.
Where are the groups of women relaying their post-race stoke? I asked myself (again, fully admitting I didn’t race…). If you’re a woman reading this and you want to race: just do it. And if you’re a guy who knows a gal that wants to race, share this article with her! Women are common mainstays Europe ski mountaineering races and there’s no why we shouldn’t be stoking each other up before, during and after races in the U.S. too.
The kids will be faster than me
You’re probably right. Youth ski mountaineering programs are growing in the U.S. and those kids are crushers ready to knock the wind right out of you. No excuse.
Want to give it a try? Check out the COSMIC race series or skintrack.com. Readers who are already racers, leave your favorite local races in the comments.
Editor’s note: Ski mountaineering racing made its debut in the Youth Winter Olympics in Lausanne this winter. The U.S. had four youth competitors, including Colorado’s George Beck, Jeremiah Valle and Grace Staberg, and Utah’s Samantha Paisley. The International Ski Mountaineering Federation has been pushing for skimo to be included future big Olympic games but has had no luck for 2022. Fingers crossed for 2026.
37 comments
I feel that turning backcountry skiing and touring into a commercial based competition is as far away from the aesthetic quality that is its soul, as one could imagine. Maybe that is why its participants are not engaging as the novelty of it has expired, replaced by the enlightenment of winter, nature, snow and powder skiing without commercial fueled competition
Same argument can be made in Cycling. Competetive Cyclists vs Randonuers. They have been able to coexist for over 100 years, why not in skiing?
“Commercial fueled competition” Good laugh. Nobody is getting paid in this sport. Volunteers and racers are doing it out of passion and trying to create community. I doubt even the retailers are making much money as they hold $1200 skis in their inventory until they have to sell at a deep discount. The sport is difficult if you aren’t a power to weight type who can also ski well. But it’s creating a community in a sport where otherwise the only social aspect is an awkward acknowledgement at a trailhead, presentation or facebook group. I’ve met my current squad of ski partners through this sport. It has changed the way I backcountry ski providing another motivation rather than having to take things steeper and deeper.
“But it’s creating a community in a sport where otherwise the only social aspect is an awkward acknowledgement at a trailhead, presentation or facebook group. I’ve met my current squad of ski partners through this sport.”
I know that a lot of the participants in our Eastern race series feel the same way. Sure, we compete during the race, but better than competing over freshies or who can ski the most dangerous lines. And after the race, it’s a real bonding experience. Many participants have also more their regular touring partners this way too.
I tried my first skimo race last week – had a great time. Just did it on my tele gear (since my other setup is a pair of salomon shifts…figured I had a better chance of being able to transition without removing skis on my tele gear). It was a blast. Yes I was very slow, but I had a great time. And it totally fits with my ethos of being a ski addict – I’ll take it in any way/shape/form I can get it. Easy excuse to get a few runs in after work in the dark without paying for yet another lift ticket.
Definitely a good workout!
To continue the cycling analogy, skimo racing seems very similar to xc racing in the mountain bike world. XC racing ethos used to dominate much of mtb design & culture, but is now a minor segment. Love it or hate it, “enduro” is the driving force in mtb right now. Will human-powered competitive skiing see the addition of a similar format where competitors have to get to the top under their own power, but all scoring is weighted to the descent?
If the goal is get people to participate in human-powered skiing events, how about a Gran Fondo format where the goal of making it to the transition zone is to enjoy delicious food & beverage? I would be way more excited to sign up for that rather than a race.
Run up, Chug a beer and a Donut, ski back down
Yeah, I think the ‘enduro’ or ‘gran fondo’ type events could be a great addition to the sport. Way less intimidating to casual tourers, fine if your only gear is some big skis with heavy bindings and nylon skins.
Plus, having done several of our clubs ‘Wednesday night mini enduro’s’ I can attest to the fact that they are even better at community building than the cross country events. Since you can chat on your way up, and as you hang out at the top and bottom.
I do about two Ski Mountaineering races a year (Eldora and Steamboat). Always a good time (2nd type of fun). The rest of the season I spend most of my time in the backcountry with a few days at a resort (keeps the kids happy).
A few suggestions on increasing participation:
– I suggest giving participants a t-shirt. That would provide ongoing marketing when people ask about what kind of race that is.
– The Cosmic site could also be better up to date or allow for early registration. Just looking at it I see the Santa Fe race registration isn’t live and yet the event is just over a week away. I know for me having early registration (with a slight discount) helps me commit to a training plan and keeps me from chickening out at the last moment.
– Do more marketing of the race as a fun race (similar to a trail or road half marathon.). The current marketing is focused on the professional side. That is fine, but can be really intimidating to people looking into getting into the sport. Doing some marketing about how the average Joe could do this should be well received (similar to the Cody’s Challenge).
I do hope we see more participation. Every race I have done (on both race and standard backcountry gear) has been a good time.
I wouldn’t read too much into the drop in participants at this year’s Heathen Challenge. I think it was mainly due to the date (Sat Jan 4). Many people were still traveling and hotels in Glenwood Springs were still charging premium prices that weekend. From what I’ve seen at other venues like the A-Basin Rise & Shine series and early mornings at Eldora there’s no shortage of people trying out skimo racing.
we used to have an all day/all night 36km/27500ft event (not a race ) at the ski hill but at some point anybody who was interested in the type 2 suffering had already done it and didnt want to do it again
Its been 4 or 5 years now. Think I’m ready to try that one again… Ha!
skimo racing is fun. headed to the shasta ascension race this weekend, yew!
The Santa Fe Fireball, in SF, NM, is Jan. 24-25. Vertical Friday p.m. and Individual on Saturday. It’s a great event, especially for those who are getting into racing, or are race-curious: individual is not too big (4.5Kish), kinda technical (8 or so transitions, including two bootpacks), there’s a chill rec course for first-timers, and the mountain is in great shape after several recent storms. Bonus: best green chile and margaritas in the west! Full deets on the cosmic site, cosmicski.com
I’m a 200lb’er Skimo guy who loves training, learning new skills (like ripping skins without pulling my skis off), and am generally not very competitive (with my competitors or myself) but have come to love the aesthetic of being fit, slightly fast, slightly light and slightly fatigued when I point the skis downhill…got into Skimo racing from regular ole backcountry skiing and now do both on the reg…not there to pound on competitors, but it’s fun, a pretty cool crowd to commiserate with and it’s blown open the winter for adventure and fitness in my world…
For us oldsters, the US skimo contingent at the World Masters in Innsbruck have had a great time getting schooled by the Euros. Every race I’ve been to, the good vibes and fellowship have been great.
Americans might not realize that some of the oldest ski races in the world are skimo races, starting after WW1 and going since.
I remember doing some ski mo races in a category called ‘heavy metal’. I thought the idea was to have a more or less level playing field for those of us who didn’t want to commit to light race gear, and a course that promoted a heavier decent to match the said heavy gear. Miss that category and I think it is a great ‘main stream’ addition..
“I remember doing some ski mo races in a category called ‘heavy metal’. I thought the idea was to have a more or less level playing field for those of us who didn’t want to commit to light race gear, and a course that promoted a heavier decent to match the said heavy gear. Miss that category and I think it is a great ‘main stream’ addition.”
All races still have a shorter course option for those on heavier gear who don’t want to lug it around as far as racers on skimo gear.
(But no race anywhere has ever offered a course option with more difficult descents only for those on heavier gear.)
The problem though with trying to make a separate competitive category for heavier gear is that it’s actually far less of an even playing field. By contrast, skimo race gear is far more similar, as compared to the entire range of the non-race tour-able spectrum.
Like any endurance amateur sport events, I take issue with the lack of drug testing. We all think these are supe athletes. But I know enough about organized sports that there are abuses and some are skiing these races hyped on something, though they may or may not be competitive or a star name in the sport. Same issue in AK in some high profile mountain races. Obviously some steroid use, but no testing, Most winners were NCAA athletes so they get tested regardless. But maybe it’s that 40-60 year-old dude back in 30th place hyped on something that’s the issue for organizers. No one hurt right? Sure someone wins, finishes strong and grabs the headlines, but are they clean? Are they on steroids or Dynafits? Certainly not advocating wide-spread drug testing(except legal weed and booze) for BC races, but it deserves some thought and fairness. Folks can and will do anything to improve performance. It’s so easy to blood dope, IF your going to hold a BC race, may as will pre announce that steroid are allowed and there will no testing PEDs…Ready…Set…Skin!
Doping? What for? There isn’t any money to be made in this sport in the US, and the big time folks in Europe do drug tests for the World Cup and big events. Who in the world would do that to themselves for something that is just a good time? The 66 year old Austrian that sat across from me in the bar after the vertical race in Innsbruck , 135lbs maybe, certainly wasn’t doping when he powered up 980m of steep vertical in 45 minutes.
Matt:
I share your concern regarding doping and I must confess I was loaded up on Alleve during the first Abasin Skimo race. I was suffering from a cold that day and finished DFL so the doping didn’t help, but I had a blast as the skinny racers blew past me. Yes, most of them weighed 50-70% of my weight and their gear was much lighter than mine but man it was fun watching those world class athletes scream uphill. As for suspected doping, who cares as I view these as practice races and if they want to dope, go for it and I for one wish the Tour De France, Skimo and all Track and Field events had an unlimited division just for the folks who don’t care about their long-term health.
“Like any endurance amateur sport events, I take issue with the lack of drug testing.”
The ISMF regs referencing anti-doping measures.
Although I’ll confess that we do not carrying out such tests at my races.
Sure, some of those gift certificates from our sponsor Skimo Co are quite valuable, but not worth pumping your body full of drugs (except perhaps all the goodie bags we have from our sponsor Hammer Nutrition).
Here in my country Spain, there are different competitions, national, regional and local.
I’ve joined a couple of regional ones, specifically a night race, that had two modalities:
The principal for professionals,, those who compete at regional level with a longer itinerary, and gain points for the regional championship according to his position.
The popular race, just for beginners or iniciated, in a much shorter and easier circuit, not being part of the official skimo championship.
I did join in the popular one twice, and I really enjoyed both times, more the 2nd time.
In both cases, the depart was at the same time and the itinerary the same until certain height, I liked to be in the middle of the action with some great athletes, also there were people with not aspirations at all, just trying to finish the popular itinerary (not that hard but for the given time).
After the competition ended, there was the award ceremony, for both categories and a raffle of material, from technical socks to probes or backpack, sharing later a dinner at a chipey price.
All in all, a great experience which allowed me to know people and the local community where the race took place, gain some experience and more motivation to improve.
Later one, I also join as a volunteer a couple of races, which also was really interesting . I could see from inside how a race is organized being part of it, and also, observe how quick are these athletes for instance in transitions, and things like that. After the race, again, an award ceremony , dinner and a raffle, great ambiance always.
I really liked the Jackson Hole race (up Corbetts), the Crested Butte race (up the guide ridge), and Irwin. Unfortunately, they are gone so now it’s Monarch. Skimo racking is so much fun! Non doping middle of the pack 50 yo.
SkiMo races are awesome, and grueling. I’ve only done one, the Mad River Valley race in Vermont. Hardest thing I’ve ever done, but great fun.
And it came with a great life lesson: I (and most of the field) got chicked when a woman finished 3rd overall. She was 65 years old!
“I (and most of the field) got chicked when a woman finished 3rd overall. She was 65 years old!”
If you’re referencing the 2014 MRV race, that was a French Canadian guy.
In all his other racers he’s listed as Daniel, not Daniele.
Have to subtract a few decades also.
Although we have some very fast women these days at our races, and some very fast older guys.
(But nobody 65 yrs old is taking third overall, whether male or female! And this past Saturday, even one of our co-champions from the series-long standings last season couldn’t even make the podium.)
It was 2011, and I’m quite sure it was a woman, as the award presenter made quite a big deal about it. Not much of a field back them perhaps?
Sadly they don’t seem to have any results posted.
“It was 2011, and I’m quite sure it was a woman, as the award presenter made quite a big deal about it. Not much of a field back them perhaps?”
That year, 2011, was the first of the two years in a row that I won the MRV race.
No such 65 yr old woman anywhere in the results:
https://tinyurl.com/MRV2011results
However, given the organizational status of the race by then:
https://tinyurl.com/MRV2011report
… I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if someone at some point who was sort of in charge of something subtracted a couple hours, added a few decades, and introduced some gender dysphoria.
Looks like my more detailed post is hung up in moderation because of the links…but anyway, 2011 was the first of the two years in a row that I won the MRV skimo/rando race. And I have the results. No 65 yr old woman in the results. No woman anywhere near the overall podium. No 65 yr old person of any gender anywhere near the podium.
(In more recent years, a woman has been on the overall podium at some skimo races, but she’s a former Olympic cyclist for Canada, and a few decades shy of 65.)
” I must confess I was loaded up on Alleve ”
Aleve is like 200mg of naproxen, hitting a wall at 20+ hrs a buddy skis over and gives me an Aleve, nothing in aleve should have helped me but it did
My buddy had one cuz they give those out to course workers at ski races to keep their from swelling in the boots
“Will human-powered competitive skiing see the addition of a similar format where competitors have to get to the top under their own power, but all scoring is weighted to the descent?”
Makes no difference: the top skimo racers can just straightline pretty much everything.
(Check out the collage at Eastern race series website for an example. The guy in the blue & yellow suit had the Denali FKT before Kilian.)
At each pre-race briefing for our resort-based venues, I have to read everyone the riot act about not bombing easy groomed terrain since we don’t have any closed trails.
At Edora last season, where the descent was closed, I hit 62mph. (And not just a Strava fluke, as each lap was very consistent.)
One guy hit 70mph.
This year, patrol set up some fencing so it was more like a gs course before we hit the flats.
Although I still hit 59mph.
“That sh*t is expensive True story. Race gear is pricy
Only if you’re going full carbon with the boots.
Otherwise, it’s priced like any other ski touring gear.
(Even the boots with carbon upper cuffs and plastic lower shells.)
“If you tour in a light ski boot like the Scarpa F1 or Dynafit TLT, you’re halfway there.”
I’ve mounted up many pairs of race skis and bindings for boots like that. A very reasonable compromise overall.
Hi Jonathan, your comment probably got held up because we filter for multiple outgoing links, you still want to run it? Or perhaps you’ve said it all in the published comments? Manasseh is traveling, but I can approve it for you. Let me know. Lou
The links in the original comment are necessary only if someone wants to relive the complete details of the 2011 MRV skimo/rando race!
(Which I’ll admit was kind of entertaining for myself — especially to see how far the sport out here has come since then — but I suspect a rather limited audience for that.)
Also, out of curiosity, I looked up the all-time world record 5k running time for a 65 yr old woman: faster than me, but I rather doubt she is/was a skimo racer, and I doubt even more that she participated at the MRV skimo/rando race in 2011.
The Tuesday night race series in Utah continues to grow, with 167 racers showing up at the last race. Racing in the dark with that many people followed by beer and dinner in a Brighton lodge turns out to be a lot of fun and there is a rapidly growing youth contingent. Ther has been no confirmed doping, but with the first place prize cookies now including pink frosting and bright colored sprinkles, it’s probably inevitable.
Sounds like eating those cookies *is* the doping!