Pushing Limits in Rando Racing
Posted on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
“Backcountry” and “ski mountaineering” races don’t often go into the backcountry and rarely include real mountaineering, but they are great test pieces for your fitness, your gear and your partners. It’s for this reason that I have competed in several randonnée races over the past few years.
Feb. 7 was the annual Mad River Valley Race, which crosses three mountains in a little over 11 miles and less than 5,000 feet of skinning. I’ve done this race three times now, and every time has been an amazing experience. This year I opted to photograph the event instead of racing, just for a new challenge. I still managed to get a killer workout (even cheating and using some lifts), but I also got to see more of the nearly 100 competitors who turned up, and that was really cool.
The great thing about any of these races is they let you push yourself as hard as you want in a “simulated backcountry” experience, without most of the risk of really pushing yourself while far from help and safety. Before my first race I never thought I was capable of covering this type of distance and vert in such short times. I was able to break down mental barriers that had been keeping my backcountry touring (real backcountry skiing) mellow, short, and slow.
There’s also the fun of competition and the camaraderie of meeting other skiers who like to go uphill under their own power.
There are several upcoming events, of varying styles, in New England. I urge you to check one out, and push your own limits on backcountry ski gear. You never know how good you can be when tested.
• Feb. 27: Saddleback, Maine — This is a short race held at a downhill resort. Only 1,800 vertical feet; you’ll still have plenty of juice to ski “for fun” the rest of the day. Try it.
• March 6: Magic Mountain, VT — Multiple laps at a little gem of a resort in southern Vermont. This one’s for real, with actually difficult black diamond descents and more than 5,000 vertical feet of climbing for the full course!
• Also on March 6: Bolton to the Barns — A fund-raiser for the Vermont Youth Conservation Core, this race is actually in the backcountry! But it’s designed for lighter, XCD-style nordic gear. Get out in the woods and race … or just cruise along some awesome terrain; it’s a net downhill race, bonus.
• March 14: Catamount Trail Challenge — A backcountry nordic race put on by my favorite nonprofit ski group, the Catamount Trail Association, and along some of the most beautiful backcountry trails in New England, the Bolton-Trapp Trail. Some real ringers show up to this race, so come ready to push it on the 17-k course with 2,300 feet of climbing.
And, don’t forget out West:
• March 20: USSMA National Championships at Jackson Hole, Wyo. — The Big One puts skiers to the test uphill and downhill. Climb up through the infamous Corbet’s Couloir!
See you out there.
Peter Wadsworth is one of Cloudveil’s Inspired Mountain Ambassadors. In his words: I’m a backcountry skier earning my turns among the weather-worn mountains of New England. I also trail run, climb, race bikes and even show up fairly regularly to a day job. But really, these other things are just enablers for backcountry skiing adventures away from the lifts and crowds.
Great pics, great story ! I didn’t even know that they had “backcountry ” skiing competitions. Want to try it some day