:: MOMAR Squamish 2009 ::

Fun Factor:

10/10 consistently for Momar events

Extreme Factor:

8/10 only because there were some technical descents on the bike, and for the exposure on the rappel

Cost:

$130 includes dinner at the awards banquet/after party. Also note that there is no kayaking stage in this event so it cuts the costs substantially

Location:

Squamish B.C

Finishing Time:

5 hrs 41 minutes

Placing:

3rd Male Team of Two, 7th Overall Yay! A Podium Finish!

Prologue

There is no better place than Squamish to hold an adventure race – it has after all, earned itself the reputation as the adventure sport destination in B.C. This year’s addition featured a new course designed by Jen Segger which always means quality and challenge. You do not know what you are in for until they hand out the course maps 15 minutes before the start gun goes off. It was also one of the first times they have offered a shorter sport course option so that newer adventure athletes can enjoy the satisfaction of completing an event like this. Race director Bryan Tsaka will be doing this for all future MOMAR events so be sure to try one!

The start was staged at Alice Lake under bluebird skies – a perfect venue and day for enjoying the great outdoors. Parking was crazy – with 250 racers and their support crews converging on the start line you can bet BC Parks were enjoying the revenue being generated by parking fees. There were many familiar faces mulling around the parking lot and bike transition area. Billy and I were sizing up the competition and already getting grief from some of the other teams of two that we knew. MOMAR events have quite the die hard following, and many racers have been doing these events for the ten years that they have existed. I spotted Kyle Balagno and Dylan Berg getting geared up – it was nice to see some more connections to Innovative Fitness.

Stage One :: Around Alice Lake

The excitement was building after we looked over the course map and realized that we would be summiting the first peak of the Chief to gain access to the rappel. This would be tough because it came at the end of the race – punishing!

After the usual pre race briefing Billy and I lined up at the front of the start line with all of the faster teams. We really had no expectations for the day – Billy had a back injury from a downhill crash and I had only ridden my mountain bike once this season. The goal was really just to pace it out and enjoy racing for what it really is - a personal challenge.

The opening stage was a fast tempo 4km run around the lake and up De Beck’s hill – it quickly spread out the pack. I always feel lousy for about an hour at the start of a race and then I seem to settle and then I can stay out all day. Billy and I are a good match this way – he starts stronger, and we he starts to fade I pull stronger.

Out of the bike transition we were behind many of the teams of two that were rivaling us. This was no big deal – it would be long day and Billy and I always make up time on the technical bike sections. We just let the other teams keep looking over their shoulders as we slowly ground down the gaps.

The first serious climb was the Rock and Roll re route trail. It chewed up more than a few racers. At the top I decided to take my first taste of Carbo Pro 1200 for the day. As I tilted my head back and squeezed the bottle for a pull, the top popped off like a cork. I ended up pouring half the bottle of syrup into my right eye! It blinded me instantly and it glued my right eyelids shut. I had to get Billy to try and pressure wash it out with his Camel Back – this sight was comical. I was covered in a sticky mess all the way down my right side – bear bait for sure, especially with the berry flavor!

We wound up Alice Ridge making our way to the bottom of Slookum and Powersmart. Our tactics were simple – let others pull on the climbs and then pass on the descents – it really pays to know the trails here! We were quickly greeted by Billy’s girlfriend Heather at the transition to the first orienteering section. She was volunteering this weekend and not racing for a change. Nice to have a familiar face taking pictures of the action here! We got our maps and took a moment to orient ourselves before diving into the bush.

Let the fun begin!

Stage 2 :: Navigation

This is where things really start to spread out. It’s always tricky because everyone is paying attention to were you are going – in the end we are all looking for the same check points, it is just a question of who can find them all the quickest. Adventure racers are pretty good bout helping each other out here – there are no attempts made to throw other racers off, and everyone always helps others out. This is a refreshing aspect of this sport.

The first CP was a nightmare – there were 20 of us mulling around this banked wall ride structure that it was supposed to be behind on the map. It took a good 5 to 10 minutes to locate it under some dense underbrush, then everyone scattered in different directions. Billy is the navigator – he has a knack for finding all of the bushwhacking short cuts. We went to work and quickly picked off all 10 CPs. At this point we had no idea were we were in relation to the other racers, but you know that you are doing all right when you see Gary Robbins. He was racing solo for the first time without his navigator Thom Novack – this promised to make the day a little more challenging for him. It would not be the last we saw of him either.

Billy and I quickly arrived back at the bikes at the same time as two of the other teams we were battling. We all had a good laugh because we took completely different routes and still finished in the same amount of time! They beat us out of the transition but we knew it was along climb up Skookum and a very gnarly descent down Powersmart. We stopped for a couple of quick photos with Heather and then started our pursuit feeling pretty good physically.

Stage 3:: Epic Squamish Single Track

If you like single track – tight, root infested, and loamy trails with lots of flow, Squamish is heaven on a mountain bike! Billy and I were on the heels of the other two teams we were chasing up Skookum in no time. It was not long before they were all pulling over to let us by on the descent. We were not wasting anytime here. Both of us just had these big grins on our faces and we laughed hysterically all the way back down to the logging road where we transitioned out of the navigation section. From here we just turned on the afterburners and hammered our way up to the top of Recycler – one of my favorite single track descents anywhere. Carbo Pro 1200 is a wonderful thing.

I arrived at the marshaling point just a few seconds before Billy, and I was told that we were in third place. It took a moment to sink in. I instantly got excited – neither of us thought that we would pull of a podium finish at the start of the day. We still had a ways to go though and I also remembered our last MOMAR race in Cumberland the previous year. Billy and I had rolled into the last checkpoint to start the final stage of urban navigation. Gary Robbins came running over and started yelling at us to let us know that we were in third place. This just put Billy and me into a state of panic and we ended up chasing our tails looking for a hidden CP in a park. With this in mind I just shouted at Billy to hurry up so we could get started on a sweet downhill – I did not tell him what place we were in. We made short work of Recycler, Psuedosuga, and some other sickeningly steep trail at the bottom of the cut block.

I let Billy know our position as we rolled by the university on Garibaldi Lake road. He let out a big woohoo and we picked up the pace. We just had to conquer the Chief and a rappel and we could be on our way to a podium finish. A sharp left turn dropped us into a short steep decent onto Carpenter’s Bridge. Usually you need to hit the downhill fast and use momentum to power up the climb on the other side. The problem was there were to people walking there bikes down to the bridge. We both locked up the brakes but Billy missed shifted and blew his chain apart going up the other side! Another team of two we knew – Marshal and Duane, rolled by while we threaded the chain on and snapped a quick link back in. The whole process only took a few seconds but when you are sitting still the time cost is much greater. Before we got going again a solo Gary Robbins appeared on his bike – turns out he had gotten lost. This is what adventure racing is all about – dealing with the little challenges that pop up around every corner!

There is something about the thought of a podium finish that makes you dig a little deeper. We both pushed the pace to catch Marshal and Duane. It did not take long - we ended up riding with them and talking about the day all the way to the base of the Chief. There was no rush to depart this CP – we were all out of water and needed to reload. It was going to be a tough climb on the way up to the first peak since we had all torched the legs pushing on the bike.

Stage 4 :: The Chief

I still do not know how they got permits to include the chief on the course. I am glad they did – it is a defining landmark for this town and an epic hike on any day. The four of us set out on the climb together. It was packed with day hikers and they were bewildered by the sigh of racers in bike helmets and climbing harnesses clawing their way up the trail. This stage was eating many of the teams – there were many people sidelined with cramps and bonking on the way up. The first 5 minutes of stairs at the bottom were tough – I tried to talk my legs into not cramping as I pushed the pace of our group upwards. Billy was hurting at this point and slowing down considerably. I backed off and let Marshall and Duane go ahead while I waited for him to catch up. We saw Gary again hammering down the mountain desperately trying to catch the second place solo male – the guy is like a mountain goat on speed. I gave him an estimate on the time gap and wished him luck.

Billy and I scrambled up the rock slabs to the summit for the CP. Neither of us was in the mood to climb the extra 10 feet for a photo so we said thanks and chased Marshal and Duane back down to the rappel – what a battle we were having with these two!

Stage 5 :: Slam Dunk

On the descent we were again neck and neck with Marshall and Duane. The four of us decided to finish together and share the third place spot. After all, we had pretty much raced together all day. This was a great example of the spirit of adventure racing – man versus nature is always a bigger than man versus man. We all made short work of the descent with this competitive pressure lifted. It was an easy bike back to town with a little bit of navigation. We did get turned around a couple of times until we found the river crossing.

The river brought welcome relief to the legs. All that was a left was a quick spin through Valleycliff and into downtown Squamish. At this point I noticed that my back brake pads were sticking to the caliper and would not let go – it kind of felt riding in the big ring all the time. Difficult but I could not be bothered with so little distance left to cover. It must have been from the Carbo Pro incident from earlier today. Regardless the four of us rolled into the finish guided by the sound of the cowbell. We all crossed the line arms linked and raised, and this seemed to confuse poor Dave Narona announcing the finishers on the mic.

On a closing note I have one thing to say -compression socks are sexy, and they work too. No calf cramps for the first time ever in an adventure race!

Possible team of four for Cumberland? Definitely – see you all there.

Thanks for doing support and cheering us on Nina!

Del Sahara 100 km 2009

Our Heroes



Congratulations Theo and Kathy – you two are truly an inspiration! You should be proud of yourselves for accomplishing something of this scale and still managing to bring such a positive attitude to the experience. Kathy congrats on your spirit award as well!

Episode 11

After hearing great stories of this tremendous adventure in the Sahara from our IF team mates we decided to make the journey to Tunisia in search of our own desert experience. In attendance for this year’s edition would be Kitsilano IF customers Theo Sanidas and Kathy Wade, along with Kits coaches Cory MacDonald and Mark Coates. This year’s course had been completely changed so it promised to be our own unique experience.

If you are going to make this journey we recommend taking some time either before or after the event to explore Rome – it is a city riddled with culture, history, and great food. This is a must do if you have never been before. Rome is a whole other story so let’s stay focused on task.

The Prelude

The flight from Rome to Djerba in Tunisia was chartered specifically for the event organizers and participants. We spent the first night at a small resort hotel in Djerba – nothing fancy but you instantly realized that you were truly in a different world.




Hotel Les
Allezes in Djerba

The next morning we were traveling 280 km by bus to Douz – the gateway of the Sahara – this is where our adventure would begin. We stopped at the half way point in Matmata. Here Adriano Zittoway and his staff held the opening ceremonies and welcomed everyone with some traditional mint tea. The excitement was building! Then it was back on the bus to Douz to check into our hotel for the night. The closer we got the more the landscape began to resemble our preconceptions of what the Sahara would look like – it was really happening.

One of our main goals going into this was to put the true spirit of IF on the map globally. We had planned to lead group warm ups and offer stretches to others in the camp to bring something positive to the event from our organization. We were going to work hard to meet, to run, and to interact with other participants so they would never forget what IF is all about it. It worked!



Our first taste of local mint tea

The hotel in Douz had a bit of a compound feel but it was a four star resort. Most of the afternoon was spent soaking up the sun around the pool and checking in to pick up our race packages and swag. A word of warning – you will need an extra suitcase to bring back all of the gear you get! The night was topped off dining on some local specialties and taking in some traditional Tunisian dancers. Kathy was in high spirits and got right in there with the belly dancers!

Kathy Getting Down





Day 1 – 22 km, Douz to Camp Bir El Kacem

That is the start of the course behind us..

Temperature: 28 degrees Celsius
Sand Coverage: 80 %, the first 7 km was all dunes

Goals:

1. Take it easy – the slower we went the earlier we could start the marathon tomorrow.

2. Talk to as many people as possible on the course and have as much fun a we could. We certainly did not take ourselves too seriously.

3. A one hour stretch for each other and all of our new friends after the event to spread the IF spirit!

Highlights:

1. Leading a dynamic warm up for all of the English speaking racers – the Italians did not know what to think of us.

2. Walking up the hill to the inflatable Blue start line – you still could not see the desert from here and the excitement was mounting.

3. Feeling incredibly small as we moved into the vast expanse of the Sahara at the start.
The energy in the air as Queen’s “We Will Rock You” was pumped out at full volume as we rolled off the line.

4. The feeling of running in the soft sand dunes of the Sahara for the first time – nothing here can ever prepare you for this.

5. Talking to everyone in the course despite the communication barriers with Italian language – gestures and shear excitement go along way!

6. Cory doing cartwheels in the sand.

7. The cameraman at the water station asking Cory, Theo and I why we weren’t out of breath – our answer – we were having too much fun. Yes it is all on camera, watch for the video.

8. The big grin on Theo’s face when we were done day one!

9. Watching the sun set over the dunes on our first night in the Berber tents – we felt like real desert nomads.

10. The amount and quality of food provided was staggering – we all gained weight!





Day 2 – 42 km, Camp Bir El Kacem to Camp Bir El Grijma

Kathy and Kenwin - the two bravest women of the desert

Temperature: 30 plus degrees Celsius
Sand Coverage: 90 percent thanks to last weeks wind storms

Goals:
1. Spend some time with both Kathy and Theo, as well as with some of our new friends.

2. Keep pushing our friendly energetic attitudes by talking to and encouraging everyone on the course

Highlights:

1. Watching some of the Italians trying some of the warm up exercises we were leading. Yesterday they had laughed at us!

2. Getting to spend time with both Theo and Kathy, as well as some of new friends on the course – the staggered start was great for this.

3. 21 to 30 km – as Cory put it the “worst 9 km of his life” cramps and suffering in the dunes and peak midday heat.

4. The oranges at 30 km - they definitely recharged our batteries for the finish.

5. The size of the dunes for the last 10 km – it seemed like it was all uphill and it was like running on the moon.

6. Learning that an Italian km is about 5 km in reality.

7. Not being able to see the camp or the finish line during the last 2 km – it was hidden in a depression on the plateau.

8. Being proud of our team’s 5 to 6 hour finishes on what Adriano called one of the hardest marathon courses in the history of the event.

9. The magnum sized bottles of champagne that came out at dinner to celebrate the completion of the hardest stage of the race – everyone was in good spirits.

Theo toughing it out at km 27 of the marathon day

Day 3 – 18 km, Camp Bir El Grijma to Camp Bibane


Theo and his Berber body guards!


Temperatures: High 30s to low 40 s, and 50 degrees by 2pm!
Sand Coverage: 80%

Goals:
1. Get through this stage without the aches and pains from the marathon stopping us.

2. Try to stay positive and upbeat with everyone – there were a lot of long faces with pain from the day before.

Highlights:

1. More and more people getting involved in the group warm ups every day.

2. The knee pain for the first 10 km was intense, and Theo was struggling with a hip flexor issue. Toughest day mentally by far

3. The first 10 km seemed to be all up hill – thank god for Advil liquid gels!

4. Recovering after the water station and being able to pick up the pace to a running speed.

5. Again we ran with a few other people we met, and we really tried to keep everyone running when they started to break down and walk with pain and fatigue.

6. Hammering the downhill sand dune finish like we had found fresh legs.

7. Running back out on course to bring in all of our friends as they made it to the finish line.

8. Claudio telling us not to run barefoot in the area because there were a lot of scorpions – we did not believe it until he should us one. Shoes were quickly back on our feet.

9. Temperatures hitting 50 degrees Celsius in our tent in the middle of the afternoon. The only way to cool down was to hit the shower and sit in the breeze. Some of the crazy euros were actually tanning in these temps!

10. Being humble enough to wander into the desert to find a place to go in an area with no cover – the squatting was hard enough on the legs!

11. How appreciative everyone was for the one hour stretch sessions Cory and I provided around the camp

The finish line for Day 3 - it was smoking hot!


Our Danish friend Jan- 2nd place overall!





Day 4, 23 km, Camp Bibane to Ksar Ghilane




Temperature: 30 degrees
Sand: 75%
Winds: Insane!

Goals:

1. Run with a few different members of our group – everyone was moving at different paces.
2. Savor the moment – it had been an unbelievable week.
3. Remember to take photos!

Highlights;

1. The white light from the full moon on the sand dunes had many of us thinking it was daylight at 3 am. Headlamps were not necessary for washroom breaks, and there seemed to be more than necessary for everyone this night.

2. This was the coldest night by far despite the 50 degree Celsius temperatures we saw in our tent in the afternoon – thermal underwear and toques were necessary to stay warm.

3. Waking up in the morning was like watching village of the damned – almost every runner was walking with that familiar IT band pain limp trying to get to the breakfast tent. However, everyone was still smiling and Allesandro was still singing “Aiesha” everywhere he went

4.The vicious cross winds that plagued the first 18 km of this stage. You had to cover he mouth and the nose to avoid inhaling the sand – it was like being sandblasted. Race tactics were critical. We bridged many gaps by using peleton and echelon drafting techniques to conserve energy.

5. The sense of community and spirit was strong today – we spent time running with many of our new Italian friends. We pushed others to keep running when they were reduced to walking, we took turns pulling other fatigued runners in draft lines, we spoke to everyone we encountered despite the language barriers.

6. Hammering the long climb up the dunes to the castle thinking we were done only to find out we had just reached the last check point, and we had fired our legs in the process.

7. The support and camaraderie was most moving at the finish. Other participants that had finished before us were running back out into the dunes to push runners to the finish line as the trail wound into the desert oasis of Ksar Ghilane. We did the same – running out to cheer others on and run in with all of the new friends we met. That last 5 km of dunes was disheartening – they were the largest and softest we had encountered the entire event. It was truly a tough finish.

8. At the end of the day nobody cared where they finished – the accomplishment was respected and recognized by everyone. The top finishers were at the line congratulating everyone coming in.

9. When the last two participants – Kenwin and our own Cathy Wade came in they received a standing ovation – almost of all the participants were there to support such a huge accomplishment. It was truly a sense of greater good – something that you just do not get at most events.

Yes You Can….

This is an incredibly well organized desert trekking/running adventure. If you have ever romanced the idea of exploring the Sahara this is a safe and enjoyable way to realize that dream. It is not limited to the elite athlete – all you need is a sense of adventure and a willingness to prepare yourself physically. The memories of the experience and the people you meet will last a lifetime….

Canadian Ski Marathon 2009

Canadian Ski Marathon – a 43 Year Tradition

If you have ever been back east to Ontario or Quebec you would understand that winter is a very important part of the culture. Cross country skiing is one of the most popular winter sports in this part of the country, and there is good reason why. The consistently cold temperatures make the snow perfect for nordic sports, and the vast trail networks offer some of the most picturesque skiing anywhere.

The CSM is a two day classic cross country skiing event that covers 160 km. There are five sections to cover each day – the distances vary from 12 to 20 km, and each section is given a difficulty rating based on the terrain covered. Between each section there are fully staffed checkpoints. All racers have a bar code on their bibs that must be scanned both to enter and to leave the checkpoint – this allows the event organizers to track skiers safely. A word of warning though – you only have until 2 pm to get to the start gate for the 4th section, and 3:15 pm for the 5th and final section of each day. If you want Coureur de Bois status you will have to minimize stopping time to make the cut offs.

This event is powered by massive community and volunteer support. At each checkpoint you will find hot soup, Gatorade, honey water, and a variety of foods. The Canadian Armed Forces also man water stops between each checkpoint so that you never run out of liquid. There is a Swix sponsored wax tent that reworks your skiis for free while you refuel and have a bathroom break at each CP. I thought that this was great because it allows skiers to deal with the crazy temperature fluctuations of the Quebec winters. If you do not feel like skiing anymore there are shuttle buses waiting at each checkpoint to take you back to your accommodations – and they leave every 30 minutes. The event is so well organized that you can ski as little or as much as you want, or you can pick and choose which sections you want to ski. After 43 years they have got the formula right.

Base Camp

If you are going to do this event do it right and stay at the Fairmount Chateau Montebllo. CSM buys out the accommodations here for this event and puts together an all inclusive package that includes 3 nights lodging and breakfast and dinner each day. The food is fabulous and there is no way you will go hungry. This beautiful log structure is a part of Canadian history and is nestled in a picturesque lakeshore setting. The views from the dining hall are spectacular – I highly recommend getting up early and watching the sun rise with breakfast. There are miles of cross country skiing right out of the hotel doors – and it is all free! The massive river rock fireplace tower forms the center piece of the lobby. It seems as if the rest of the hotel was structured around it – either way the eight fireplaces provide enough room for everyone to warm their backs while telling tales from the tracks. Stay a few extra days on either end to explore everything this place has to offer!



Day 1 – Lachute to Montebello, Distance 80 km, 5 stages

The first day of the CSM would begin at Lachute, a small village 45 km east of Montebello. Our category the Coureur do Bois Bronze had a start time of 5:50 am, and this meant we had to be on the shuttle bus by 4:40 am. Breakfast opened at 3:30 am – it was interesting trying to fuel up for a full day at this hour. We checked the weather on the way out of the hotel lobby – a balmy minus 25, but it was expected to rise up to plus 5 degrees. This meant packing a little extra gear. The most startling realization that morning was that we actually had to ski back to the hotel from what seemed like a lengthy bus ride away, and we had only been driven half of the distance that we expected to ski.


Day 1 Section1, 14.3 km

It was definitely biting cold at the start – Cindy, Catriona, and myself all put on our down jackets while we waited in the corral for our category to be released into the wild. We almost missed the start with the ladies waiting in line for the bathrooms. If there is one criticism I can offer up it was that there were not enough porta-potties for the volume of people attending – 3 per 1000 skiers was inadequate. We made it and lined up in the tracks to ski off into the darkness with 250 headlamps illuminating the forest. This was a very cool sight as some people had colored filters on their lamps to cut the glare. It created the effect of a string of xmas lights snaking through the woods. I tried to capture it on film but the photos do not do it justice.



The cold was making all sweat vapour freeze as it evaporated off your body – this gave everybody a frosty appearance with iced eyebrows, hair, and eyelashes.


Our first bottle neck was created by a single track descent with a sharp left hand turn at the bottom. It was taking everyone out, and we waited 20 minutes to tee this one up. If you do not get ahead of the pack in the downhill sections you will spend a great deal of time waiting and getting cold! Catriona and I got separated from Cindy here in the cue. There are literally so many skiers that you have to keep moving with the flow. We kept pulling over and waiting but she was not showing up so we pushed on to the next CP to wait. After watching a few people fumble down the hill we quickly learned the best method of descent was to attack the corner and jam your outside ski into the rut at the bottom and weight it heavily. This would boomerang you around the corner – most of the time! Once we got the hang of it became more fun than intimidating – these down hills were vastly different from the well groomed xc ski trail descents that we were used to. The single skier only width, twisting turns, and piles of loose snow from snow plowers certainly made for some excitement.


Day 1 Section 2, 13.1 km

Once the sun came up the temperature started to rise. The air still had a good bite, but the trackset was immaculate and the rolling terrain was beautiful in the first two sections. It was weird to be skiing in the woods with so few evergreens visible, but that’s what made the experience so other worldly. We were making slow progress because Catriona’s wax was completely the wrong temperature range – her hip flexors were working over time and she was battling cramps. A few salt tablets and some help from mother nature and her glide improved. We were had averaged 2.5 hours on each of the first two sections, and we still had not reconnected with Cindy. It was still about minus 15 so we decided to push on through the next section and wait at CP 3.



Climbing the foothills of Quebec

Day 1- Section 3, 18.3 km

This section was deemed “Difficult” with black diamond status. It had some seriously steep climbs and descents over the 18 km distance. We were eager to get this one out of the way. The crux was a 520 m climb over 1 km up the only mountain in the area – it was nasty. Catriona and I were glad to have this behind us. It took a good mix of the herring bone and bunny run techniques to get up the hill, and it was taxing. I do not think that we were ready for what lay on the other side. The descents were crazy steep and shot across narrow bridges and frozen creeks and lakes, only to abruptly shoot up into more punchy climbs. It was pure madness – people were crashing everywhere or walking down. There were signs everywhere warning skiers- “bad conditions”. Catriona and I did not pay much attention to these and we just skied whatever was in the way. There were some comical falls. By this time we were being subjected to freezing rain, rain, then snow, and back to freezing rain again. The final descent to the checkpoint was single file only and seemed to go on forever. I have never been so happy to see lukewarm minestrone soup.

We planned to wait here for Cindy to catch up while we refueled. The last section had taken over three hours to complete and it was about 5 minutes to 2 pm. What we had not realized was that 2 pm was the cut off time to start section 4. The only cut off we had in our minds was the 3:15 pm time for access to the 5th and final stage of the day. There was suddenly a great deal of commotion at the CP as they announced that we only had 5 minutes to make the gate – which was 1 km away, or would we would not be skiing anymore today. The decision was made to make the push – we bolted along the road to make the bridge crossing in time for the 2 pm closure. Catriona and I would be some of the last skiers allowed to continue that day. Cindy decided to call it a day here as she had not been feeling well on the first two sections – she battled a bad migraine and some disorientation as a result. However, she toughed it out with some Advil and soup and completed the first 50 km of the day.

Day 1 – Section 4, 19.7 km
This stage turned out to be one of the prettiest – we followed a river under a canopy of birch boughs and skied into the waning hours of the day. Of course with only 5 km to go there were more climbs to be conquered. Out came the caffeinated chocolate bars and gummy bears!


Crossing the river for the final 10 km of the day

Skiing in the dark without a headlamp is definitely a Jedi experience – you have to go by feel. Cat had hers but I did not bring mine in the morning. The darkness did however make the last 2 km of the day feel like forever. At one point we thought that maybe they forgot about us and had packed up the CP and left. As we entered the last section of forested trail I caught a glimpse of lights and I knew they were still there. We rolled in for some hot soup at the end of a very long day – 66 km, 11 hours. We were so happy to see the yellow school bus that would take us back to the Chateau Montebello. Although we had aspirations of achieving Coureur de Bois status and finishing all 5 sections it had been a very satisfying day of skiing. Not to mention that we got to experience every variation of winter weather known to Quebec! Back to the hotel for a drink in front of the fire place!

Dark but done! The end of day 1.

Day 2 – Montebello to Buckingham- 80 km


The start was more humane on day 2 – we were having breakfast at 4:30 am and then loading the bus for a short ride into the town of Montebello. The buzz was that the skiing was far easier today with a lot less elevation loss and gain. Plus the weather was forecast to be much more stable – minus 8 to 10 and sunny! It would be a lot easier to get the wax formula right. The day would start in darkness with the usual procession of Nordic skiers lining up in the trackset. This time I did not forget my headlamp. It was cold but not bone chilling, and it was snowing lightly as we made our way off into the dark forests of Montebello.

Getting ready to sneak off into the dark at the start of day 2.

Day 2 - Section 1, 16.4 km

The biggest difference on day 2 was the terrain – we were gliding across endless miles of rolling farm fields. It was a very different experience. About 30 minutes into our ski we came across the Coureur de Bois Gold outdoor camp. This group is crazy – to achieve this status you must successfully complete all 5 stages on both days for 3 years in a row. If successful you earn the right to camp outdoors overnight, and you must carry all of the gear you need for this while skiing. It is quite something to see this group ski with huge packs. Everyone gets out of their way – and rightly so. They do not snow plow or slow down on any of the down hills, and the weight of their packs sends them wizzing by you on even the slightest decline.



Once dawn broke and we hit the wide open fields the wind began to bite at our faces. At one point I thought that the right side of my nose and my cheek were frozen. I even skied with the mitt of my right hand pressed up against my face for a while trying to thaw out the skin. The wind chill was causing the track set to glaze over making it difficult to get any traction on the up hills. It did, however, make for some interestingly fast descents. The only other memorable moment from this section was a Gold Coureur De Bois skier who pushed his way through the crowds at the drink table at CP 1. He was knocking everyone around with his pack and then giving the volunteers the gears because they had no warm liquids. He was very annoying.

Day 2 – Section 2, 20.6 km

The skies opened up to a perfect shade of blue and steady temperatures of minus 10. The snow was almost perfect for gliding. The rolling terrain made for a real roller coaster ride, and the farm house scenery was spectacular.

Catriona showing off her mad skills..

One thing that you learn skiing through the back woods of Quebec is that the culture is all about cabins in the woods – they were everywhere and often deep in obscure places. On the secret single track trails through the woods that connected the farmer’s fields you would get glimpses of these wilderness hideouts. One of the highlights of this stage was the coffee and fresh baking that the residents of one of these cabins was handing out for the skiers. It’s surprising what you find in the middle of no where.

Cindy enjoying a climb in the sunshine!

We arrived at CP 2 in the quaint little village of St.Sixte at the 116 km mark. It was so much nicer to refuel in the sunshine! After a 10 minute break the three of us departed to tackle stage three of the day.

Day 2, Section 3, 16 km

We spent a good portion of this section climbing logging roads through a hidden valley in the landscape. The only drawback to this stage was dodging the odd snowmobile ripping around the tight corners. Once we cleared this shared section the trail the skiing was spectacular. We were greeted with seemingly endless rolling sections of downwardly trending terrain that circumnavigated a beautiful lake. Gliding is good!

Proof that I actually skied!

The snow and the temperatures were perfect for fast and efficient glide through this portion of the course. It inspired you to go fast! I think the most memorable moment of this day was Catriona’s attempt to race me on the steepest part of the downhill – she pulled out of the tracks on my left to make the pass and then lost it completely. She did a full blown head plant into the snow bank – I burst out laughing and nearly crashed myself. She was fine, and we laughed it off while we caught up with Cindy.



We were soon spit out into rolling farm fields as we approached CP 3. It was almost 2 pm which meant we could possibly miss the cut off for starting section 4. I picked up the pace and pushed ahead of the girls to get them moving a little faster. It was all up hill for the last kilometer into the checkpoint. I honestly did not think we would make it, but we got there with 50 seconds to spare. There was no time to stop and refuel if we wanted to ski another section. We were the last group allowed on this section, which meant we would probably finish the day with the ski patrol sweep.

Day 2, Section 4, 14.6 km

After checking out of the gate of CP 3 we made our way through a winding single track trail in the forest. These rare sections are quite magical – you almost feel like the real Coureur de Bois sneaking through secret forest trails to avoid detection in the fur trading days. Once the trail opened back up into rolling farm lands we stopped to refuel and wax the skis. The sun was warm at this point so we took a good 15 minutes to soak it all in. Then we began to ski off into the sunset planning how we would celebrate our accomplishment that night. The tracks wound lazily around ponds and abandoned farm house buildings, and there were no major climbs to conquer. When we hit the 5 km to the next CP sign we stopped to warm our souls in celebration with a sip of single malt. It was here that the ski patrol sweeps joined us and filled us in on how the gold Coureur de Bois are able to finish the full 80 km each day. The secret – try not to stop for more than 5 minutes, and no snowplowing on the down hills! Seems simple but 80 km is a long way on classic XC skis.

Catriona and Cindy approaching the end of section 4 on day 2

We soon left the ski patrol behind as they stopped to collapse the volunteer road crossing stations as we passed. There was a short climb out of the valley to get to the finish of this section. The sky glowed orange as the sun began to set as we passed the 2 km to go sign. We jumped back into some twisting forest trails that wandered past lifeless cabins in the woods. It was not long before we rolled into our final check point of the day to be greeted by some ecstatic volunteers. They still had hot soup for us! Quebec hospitality is fantastic. We piled on to the shuttle bus back to the hotel eating every bit if fuel we had left in our packs. We had put in a 9.5 hour today and managed to finish 68 km! The three of us were ecstatic with this accomplishment. For the record not one of us made it past 9:30 pm that night – nothing like cool fresh air to put you to sleep! See you next year CSM….

Day 2 finished and it’s still light out!

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