Racing for a Remodel

Apparently, the promise of a home remodeling project is good motivation for me to race hard. After a lot of hand-wringing last week about the Winter Teva Mountain Games (WTMG), my husband Ian promised that if I raced and won, we could get the new shower we desperately need in our bathroom. The prospect of new tile kept me going all weekend.

Of course, I’m kidding (kind of). The inaugural WTMG turned out to be a terrific event in its first year and I had three days of good, clean, fun racing.

Like the summer Teva Mountain Games, the WTMG featured an Ultimate Mountain Challenge (UMC) competition, including three separate races over three days: a 10K Nordic race, a ski mountaineering race and a vertical ascent. I’ve won the summer UMC once and placed second twice, so I was excited and more than a little anxious to try the first winter UMC.

On Friday morning I lined up at the start line of the Nordic race with one Olympian and one National Champion, both of whom were also racing the UMC with me. I knew Rebecca Dussault from Gunnison, who raced at the 2006 Torino Olympics, would beat me by anywhere from five to ten minutes. The same went for Morgan Smyth from SLC. My plan was simply to minimize my losses. Thankfully, my longtime friend Stephen White is a Toko rep and he hooked me up with a super fast wax the night before.

Thirty minutes later; mission accomplished. Rebecca won the race overall for the women, taking home a nice check. I was just about five minutes behind her. Janelle Smiley was just a few seconds behind me. I was hoping and planning that Saturday would be my day to really win the UMC. (Vail Daily Nordic race recap here).

SkiMo start on Saturday morning.

With 8,000 feet of climbing over 20 miles to Blue Sky Basin and back, we all were expecting the ski mountaineering race on Saturday to take at least five hours. I knew that it would be my opportunity to put some time into the pro Nordic skiers, and hopefully add to my minimal lead over Janelle. I started the race at a pace I thought I could maintain for 5+ hours. Janelle, who typically goes out fast, stuck to my tails like glue. We quickly built a solid lead over the Nordic girls and were within the top 15 men. Janelle stuck right behind me until the last ascent and descent, when she started to fall back by just a few minutes. I finished the race in 4:17 beating Janelle by four and half minutes. Stevie Kremer came in third. Rebecca had a tough race with major blisters from her boots and finished over 40 minutes back. (Vail Daily SkiMo race recap here, Denver Post recap here)

Me and Janelle Smiley coming into Belle's Camp at Blue Sky Basin.

Slightly cheesy staged photo of Janelle and I at the finish of the skimo.

On Sunday, at the Vail Uphill, my plan was simply to stick with Janelle. I had some time to give but I certainly couldn’t walk it in. Stevie, in running shoes, crushed the 2-mile, 2,200 foot ascent in 38:15. Janelle kept up a great pace and finished in second place at 40:05 racing in her La Sportiva boots and skis. I finished 24 seconds behind her on my matching Sportiva gear for third place, but more importantly, I preserved my overall lead in the UMC.

When the weekend was all said and done, I won almost $3K at the Winter Teva Mountain Games for the UMC victory, the skimo top step, and third place in the Uphill race. It was a great payday for an awesome weekend of racing, and it should buy us a nice, new bathroom shower. I’m calling the contractor tomorrow morning…

Special thanks to my sponsors La Sportiva for providing me awesomely fast and light RSR skis and bindings, as well as my sexy carbon Stratos boots, to Polartec for keeping me warm and dry with baselayers all weekend, and to Honey Stinger for fueling me with chews and waffles in every race. Also thanks to all my Vail friends for cheering me on and an extra special shout out to Dee and Farnham, who housed me and the family in Vail…we couldn’t have done it without you. Last, but certainly not least, thanks to my parents for helping with the kids and getting them to Vail to enjoy the event.

Results for all 2012 Winter Teva Mountain Games events here.

Team Sportiva: L to R: Luke Nelson, Jared Inouye, Sari Anderson, Janelle Smiley, Chris Kroger

North American Ski Mountaineering Championships

A weekend of racing in sunny Crested Butte is always something I look forward to - summer or winter. However, this year's Crested Butte COSMIC race made me a little anxious for two reasons. First the race served as the North American Ski Mountaineering Championships, drawing an international field of racers. Second, because the racecourse included a new technical climbing section requiring ropes, via ferratas and ascenders - and anyone that knows me well, knows I'm not a climber and I don't particularly like heights.

In order to step up to the European standards of skimo racing, a sprint race was added on Saturday morning. We woke early in order to get a sufficient warm-up in before the short six minute race. The temperature was frigid, -18 degrees Fahrenheit at the start, which does not match well with spandex race suits and thin gloves. I had never participated or even watched a sprint before, but understood that it included uphill kick turns, a descent, another ascent, a bootpack and a final descent. It was an individual time trial format with racers going off at 30 second intervals.

Of course, I was chosen to go first for both men and women so I had no one to pace or watch for pointers. Six minutes is not enough time to really get hot, so my fingers were completely numb when I tried to put skins back on my skis for the second ascent. I dropped my skins a few times purely because I could not feel what I was doing. The second girl to start, Melanie Bernier of Canada, caught me in transition, meaning she had already made 30 seconds on me. I finished just behind her, went inside and worked on thawing my fingers. I manged to finish in third behind Melanie and Janelle Smiley, about 35 seconds back from 1st place.

The championship race on Sunday was truly epic. Leaving the base of Crested Butte ski area, I pushed hard to stay close to the front of the pack in order to have as few people in front of me on the ridge as possible. Racing alongside men I usually am behind, I felt strong from the start. When I arrived at the rope for the Guide's Ridge section, I quickly transitioned and managed to pass about five people. Despite my fear of heights and ropes, I managed to move pretty well on the ridge and even pass a few people. Only a few people passed me, all of whom are experienced climbers and mountaineers. One of the people to pass me was Janelle Smiley, my Sportiva teammate and a great climber.

I was relieved to hear at the top of the ridge that Janelle had only put about five minutes on me throughout the rope section. I put my head down and worked hard to make up any ground I could over the next two ascents and descents. As I got within about two minutes of Janelle, I got panicky and lost all form, causing my skins to come off. Quickly replacing skins, I lost vaulable time and momentum. Caught behind a bunch of racers on their first lap at that point, I realized I didn't have enough mountain to catch Janelle so I sat up and enjoyed the final climb and descent.

I finished Sunday in 2nd place, 4 minutes 21 seconds behind Janelle. With our combined times from Saturday, Janelle won the weekend and Stevie Kremer placed third. The American women swept the North American Championship podium! It was an amazing course that tested my skills and my comfort level. Thanks to Bryan Wickenhauser for organizing! Links below.

Ascending the Guides Ridge. From bottom: Chris Kroger, Sari Anderson, Janelle Smiley, Jan Koles

Sprint Results

Championship Results with Overall

Photos from Kevin Krill of Crested Butte Photography.

Photos and video from Chris Miller.

Triumph in the Tetons

Last year at the US National Ski Mountaineering Championships in Jackson Hole, I had a disappointing race because of equipment issues - I didn't manage my skins properly. I've been looking forward to coming back to Jackson ever since. I've been training hard despite the lack of snow in Colorado and felt ready going into the weekend. My parents graciously volunteered to watch the kids so Ian, Jari Kirkland and I could drive up to Wyoming on Friday.

Despite my preparation, I felt nervous on Saturday morning and began to doubt my fitness. As the gun went off, we all started fast as usual. I took the lead for about three minutes until Gemma Arro Ribot passed me with Stevie Kremer and Janelle Smiley on her tail. I tried to fall in behind them, but I couldn't hold the pace and I fell off the group by a few minutes. Feeling a bit frustrated, I decided to race my own race, knowing I was going as hard as I could and there were three more hours to go.

Towards the top of the first climb, about an hour into the race, I was beginning to gain on the lead girls. I passed last year's national champ, Janelle Smiley, in the first transition as she struggled with a broken boot (impressively she was able to get a strap and finish the race) and gained more time on both Gemma and Stevie.

At the bottom of the second descent, I passed Stevie Kremer in transition and started to feel like my training was paying off. I was feeling strong - eating and drinking well.

I passed Gemma on the second-to-last descent and never looked back. With one more fast transition, I was in and out before Gemma arrived. I concentrated on form and managed to pass about three or four more men on the final climb. I skied the final descent fast, but with a bit of caution to ensure I didn't get sloppy and crash. As I tucked into the finish I was finally able to breath a sigh of relief. I finished in 3:04, about four minutes faster than last year. My training paid off, and my decision to stick to my own race plan proved to be the right call.

Stevie Kremer finished in second with Gemma Arro Ribot in third. My La Sportiva teammate Luke Nelson took the win for the men with Scott Simmons and Jason Dorias finshing second and third respectively. Full results can be found on the race site here. Photos from Kevin Krill here. A bunch of photos that Ian took are below. Thanks for reading!

Sari Anderson on the first boot pack.

Sari Anderson & Luke Nelson

2012 Ski Mountaineering Championships

The Fun Begins

 With winter being absent in most of the western US, I think there was a lot of uncertainty going into this years US Ski Mountaineering Championships. Training, for me at least, was very challenging due to the limited snowpack. For many of the racers it would also be the first race of the year, which also added to the unknown. This year's race had a larger field than last year, and certainly a deeper field both on the men's and women's side of the race. Not only were there a lot of fast looking folks lined up at the start there was a bunch more super light race gear and speed suits than I have seen at a US race. At that point I knew for sure it was going to be a barnburner!

Bryan Wickenhauser and I start to feel some lactic acid

 In typical fashion the first few minutes after the start were spent getting deeply anaerobic, but the pace did relax (slightly) as the field started break up a little. I found myself in third, about 200 feet behind Marshal and Scott Simmons who were setting a blistering pace out front. By the time we hit the 1st transition I had moved up on Marshal a little but Scott was skiing out of the transition zone as I came in. He had a 30-40 second lead. The first descent was pretty rocky at the top, but skied relatively well. Bryan Wickenhauser caught me in the descent as I was skiing a little timidly. I pulled into the transition right behind him, Scott again was just finishing his transition and skinning away. 

 The next climb I pushed hard to try to gain in Scott and put some ground on Wick and Marshal, but I don't think I accomplished much of either. The second descent was a bit dicey at top, but like the previous was very skiable as we got further down. Scott had already left the transition when I got there, he was hammering! I pulled out of the transition just ahead of Wick and there was a good size group of racers finishing the descent as I started skinning towards the gondola. Yet, even pushing at red line I wasn't gaining on Scott. I worked on fueling a bit, hitting the First Endurance Slurry that worked so well during ultra racing this past summer. 

Digging Hard Near the Top.

 When I hit the boot pack I found the extra gear I had been trying to get all day, I finally started to make up some ground on Scott and actually caught up to him as we topped out. I tried to stay close as we traversed Pepi's bench, but again he pulled away a little. As we worked our way around under Corbet's I gained just slightly hoping to get to the boot transition at the same time. Scott left the boot transition a second or two ahead but I was able to reel him in, he graciously let me pass and I set to work at building a little bit of a lead. Seeing my dad, wife and best friend James at the top of the booter added a bit of pep to my tired legs, I left the top transition about a minute or so ahead of Scott. 

 The long decent down from the top was surprisingly skiable, but took its toll on my weak ski legs. The lack of snow has been ok for uphill training but I haven't had any race pace downhill skiing yet this season. Scott caught me at the bottom and we skied into the transition together. I hit a solid transition and pulled out just ahead of Scott. I knew this was the last chance to get ahead so I fully buried myself in the deep recesses of the pain cave to pull away from Scott, when I hit the top of the last climb I had about a minute lead. I charged down the final descent hoping to not get caught. 2:38:58 after the start of the race I crossed the finish as the 2012 US Ski Mountaineering Champion. Elation is probably what best describes how I felt. 

So Happy to See the Finish Line.

Scott Simmons Put Up an Incredible Fight

 The entire race I battled with Scott, he raced so very well and I can't help but feel so humbled that in the end I was able to sneak away for the win. There were so many strong racers in the field, including a handful of new faces. My LaSportiva Teammate Sari Anderson also had a stellar race to claim the women's National Title, and I have to point out an impressive performance by Jason Dorais for 3rd place, who even after having skin issues on the first climb came back to capture the last podium spot. One more racer I have to point out is young gun Micah Thatcher, who at 15 years old finished in under 4 hours with only 1 day of skinning prior to the race, look out for him charging to the top in the next few years. Finally here's a nod to my friend Toph White for sticking to it even when it got tough, strong work buddy! 

2012 Champions-Sari Anderson and Luke Nelson

La Sportiva Ski Ambassadors- Sari Anderson, Luke Nelson, Jared Inouye

Future Superstar Micah Thatcher

 As always Forest Dramis and his incredible crew of volunteers put on a solid race. Thanks! Also thanks to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort for providing us the chance to invade the mountain for a day, to OR and the other race sponsors for helping make it all happen. I need to thank La Sportiva for making such incredible gear, it truly gives an edge over the rest. Last but definitely not least thanks to my mom and dad, beautiful wife, and my daughters Chloe and Brynlee for supporting me through all the training and simply believing in me.

Men's Podium (L to R) Scott Simmons 2nd, Luke Nelson 1st, Jason Dorais 3rd

 Full Results Here: http://jacksonrandoneerace.blogspot.com/

Awesome Video of the Race Put Together by Jackson Hole Resort

 Gear: 

La Sportiva RSR ski and binding

La Sportiva Stratos boot 

La Sportiva Race Suit 

La Sportiva pomoca race skins 

Camp Speed Helmet 

First Endurance EFS, EFS Liquid Shot, and Ultragen. 

Patagonia capilene base layer. 

Racing Again - Updated with Results

With just over a month of rest, I jumped back in with the first skimo race of the season at CS Irwin Lodge on Kebler Pass. Ty Newton, Lyndsay Meyer and I left the Roaring Fork Valley this morning with great views of the lunar eclipse. We hopped on our snowmobiles for a fun 45 minute sled ride to the Irwin Lodge for the 2nd annual COSMIC race.

As usual, the start felt fast and I pushed to keep pace. It felt great to be back racing on my skis however I knew early on I would suffer straight through the finish. Stevie Kremer, Janelle Smiley and myself raced alongside one another through the first climb and descent and partway up the second climb. At which point Janelle started to trail a little.

Stevie and I raced tip to tail up three quarters of the final climb when I finally cracked. I could tell Stevie had more in the tank when I pulled over to fix my boot for a second. As Stevie went by, I tried to hold on as long as I could but she quickly opened a gap.

I finished a few minutes behind Stevie leaving everything I had on the course. Janelle finished in third with Lyndsay and Jari Kirkland in 4th and 5th. It was so much fun to race so closely with Stevie and Janelle and to fight right until the end. There is lots of work to be done before the next race but I'm ready for it after a nice relaxing off season.

Unofficial results from memory:

Men:
Marshall Thomson
Brian Smith
Bryan Wickenhauser

Women:
Stevie Kremer
Sari Anderson
Janelle Smiley
Lyndsay Meyer
Jari Kirland

Thank you very much to Jake Jones, Bryan Wickenhauser and the CS Irwin staff for another great race!

Lyndsay Meyer skating the uphill finish

Embracing Winter

Since it's cold, snowy and December, I suppose it is time embrace winter. My new La Sportiva RSR skis and bindings are ready to race and my Hi5s are waiting for some more powder. The first COSMIC race is at Irwin Lodge next weekend so I decided it was high time to actually train on my skis.

Lyndsay Meyer, Todd Kennedy and myself skinned a lap and a half on Ajax early Sunday morning. It took me awhile to sort my gear on Saturday evening as it does for the first anything each year. But once my boots and skis were on the snow, I felt like I hadn't been off skis for the last six months.

After social hour at the Sun Deck complete with hot chocolate and a warm fire (it's Aspen afterall), I met the family for a ski day at Snowmass. Juniper also jumped right back into skiing and Axel thoroughly enjoyed his first day on skis.


And now for hoping the skimo racing comes back as easily on Saturday.

October in the Tetons: West Hourglass and Middle Teton Glacier

Late Wednesday night, Andy Dorais and I blasted up to Jackson for some skiing in the Tetons.  On Thursday we met and skied with our friends Brian Harder ("Brain"), Nate Brown ("Dutchman"), and Kim ("Crusher").  The skiing was surprisingly good.  It took some effort to get to it, but what we found made that effort worth it.We skied the West Hourglass Couloir on Nez Perce and then climbed and skied the Middle Teton Glacier.  The headwall of the glacier was the real treat.  There we found soft consolidated powder stuck to a 50 degree slope.  From the parking lot we had wondered if winter was up there.  As Nate promised, after awhile the "Winter Switch" turned on.

Quick Notes:
- It was cold.  Probably below zero cold.  To stay warm on Nez Perce, I robbed everyone of their packs, sat on one, put the others on top of me, mooched Nate's puffy, and (to no avail) tried to get people to cuddle with me.
- There were 4 Men in Tights, one Woman in Baggie pants
- Kim impressed us all by by logging the same 8k vertical we logged, but on "heavy" gear, Havocs and Divas, thus becoming "Crusher."
- Upper East Hourglass was not skiable, but the lower part definitely was.
- Another great day on 64 mm waisted skis.
- 8k vert, 10 hr tour.  30 hrs door-to-door (SLC to Jackson to SLC).

West Hourglass (angling upper right to lower left).  Photo taken Feb. 2011.

Middle Teton Glacier and the "Notch" (distinct "V") in top third, left edge of right third) in the background.
Photo taken Feb. 2011.

Hiking into Garnet Canyon

View of the Middle Teton and the Chouinard and Ellingwood Couloirs from Nez Perce.
The Middle Teton Glacier tops out at the top of the Ellingwood.

Andy and Nate in the cold cold shadow with El Grande and the Middle in the background. 

Middle Teton Glacier and the shrund.

Andy and Nate about to gain the "Notch."

Soft snow, steep slope, October.

Andy and Nate with the Dike Pinnacle in the background.

Nate skiing the Middle Teton Glacier.

Brain skiing the Middle Teton glacier.

Brian and Kim descending above the shrund.