Great video recap of the Ultimate Mountain Challenge at the Teva Mountain Games.
Janelle Smiley
All posts tagged Janelle Smiley
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).
The SkiMo race start
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 at Belle’s Camp in Blue Sky Basin, about halfway through the SkiMo race
Slightly cheesy, staged photo of Janelle and I at the SkiMo finish
Team La Sportiva represent!
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. I certainly would not have been prepared to race without the stellar coaching of Lindsay Hyman at CTS. 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.
All 2012 Winter Teva Mountain Games results can be found here
Ian had a blast racing the Snow Bike Crit on Saturday night
Check out this video of the Best Trick contest on Saturday night at the event. Those guys were impressive (and Axel LOVED the flames).
And this edit from PinkBike.com
http://www.pinkbike.com/v/241717
The family relaxes after a long weekend of working and racing
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 and Jan Koles
Championship Results with Overall
Last May I spent a few days in New York City talking to Outside TV about the role of athletes in product development. The Polartec segment starts at 2’45″ in the video below. Also included is Peter Whittaker for Eddie Bauer First Ascent and Jeff Lenosky for Teva.
Also, psyched to be a part of the 2012 Sportiva ski mountaineering team:
(Boulder, Colo.) –La Sportiva North America introduces its ski mountaineering team for 2011-2012.
On the women’s side, the team includes last year’s Colorado Ski Mountaineering Cup (COSMIC) series winner Sari Anderson, 2011 national ski mountaineering champion Janelle Smiley and IFMGA guide Olivia Race. The men’s team features some of the top skimo racers in the country including Adrian Ballanger, Keith Garvey, Jared Inouye, Chris Kroger, Luke Nelson, John Race, and Jason McGowin.
“I’m excited and honored to be a part of the La Sportiva ski mountaineering team,” states Sari Anderson .“My set up of Stratos boots, RSR skis and bindings is incredibly light and performed without fail last season.” Read more here.
And for next season:
(Boulder, Colo.) –La Sportiva North America, makers of the world’s finest mountain products, announces today that it will debut a full line of technical ski mountaineering apparel at the 2012 OR Winter Market, SIA Snowshow, and ISPO Munich tradeshows.
“The culture of ski mountaineering is thriving in Europe and shows signs of significant growth in North America,” states Jonathan Lantz, president of La Sportiva North America. “Our team of designers in the Dolomites used feedback from some of the world’s best ski mountaineers to design apparel that is fast, light and highly efficient. For randonee racing, backcountry touring, and alpine climbing, the La Sportiva apparel line sets a new bar for performance and innovation.” Read more here.
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!
There are times when decisions need to be made with many more people in mind other than myself. Okay, probably all the time… Anyway, having been away the previous weekend for a funeral on the east coast, I made the decision to skip the COSMIC race at Monarch and spend the weekend with my family.
As much as I wanted to race, it was important to me to spend quality time with my husband and kids. Thanks to my parents, Ian and I were able to skin and ski together on Saturday while Juniper enjoyed ski school.
With amazing weather all weekend, I made an early trip to Marble on Sunday morning so I could get home early to hang with kids and for Ian to get out for a road ride. I tested a pair of Black Diamond skis from next year’s quiver and enjoyed a great day of skinning and skiing.
Despite first thinking I was sacrificing my race, I quickly realized it was the best decision to enjoy my backyard and family.
My brother and his family arrived yesterday so now it’s time to play on the skis for a few days. Before riding the chairlift, I made it out this afternoon for some interval training with the kids. I have only towed both kids skate skiing once before, but with my new ski set-up for the Chariot I set out for some skinning up Marion Gulch.
Even though I was breaking trail through about 6 – 8″ of fresh snow, the trail was the perfect pitch for my power intervals. Rushing out the door as usual, I forgot my Garmin GPS watch and was forced to make some adjustments to my plan. Thankfully I had remembered my phone so I timed one minute at an all out pace and marked the beginning and end in the snow. I continued my fifteen intervals by making hash marks in the snow at the end of each one to make sure I didn’t slack at all.
Once I had sufficiently packed down the trail in the small area, I continued up the trail to the top. The La Sportiva Stratos carbon boots and skis continued to impress me. Any other ski mountaineering gear would have felt too heavy for the terrain, but the featherlight weight of the gear made it super comfortable and well suited. Add a pair of Pomoca skins and sleeping kids and everything was perfect.
Also, this is the week I had hoped to go to the ISMF Ski Mountaineering World Championships in Claut, Italy. Check out the new La Sportiva blog to follow fellow Sportiva teammates Luke Nelson and Janelle Smiley.
Photo by Kevin Krill at Crested Butte Photography
Finally, a clean race. The third race in the COSMIC series was the Camp Ski Mountaineering Race at Crested Butte yesterday. Under perfect blue skies, we started the race at 8am with a Le Mans start. Jan Koles got the hole shot and set the fast pace for the lower part of the first climb. Janelle Smiley came past me early on and pushed me at a pace I wasn’t sure I could hold much longer. Once into the technical ascent, I was able to move in front of Janelle and open up a small lead.
Brian Edmiston, Michael Schilling, Mark Smiley and I continued down the Head Wall, up a short climb, down the North Face and up through Teocalli Bowl where we picked up Brian Riepe. The final climb finished with a boot pack up the Peel and then a long descent down to the finish. I finished without having any skin issues and descending very well thanks to my La Sportiva Stratos boots.
Thanks to Lindsay Hyman at Carmichael Training Systems, I felt fresh afterward and enjoyed some great skiing on the resort. Lindsay has coached me since May and I’ve learned a lot about training and refueling. Making sure I intake enough water and Honey Stinger gels has not only allowed me to finish strong but more importantly to feel great after the races.
Check out photos from Kevin Krill of Crested Butte Photography.
Results:
Men’s Race:
- Brian Smith
- Max Taam
- Bryan Wickenhauser
- Pete Swenson
- Travis Scheefer
- Scott Simmons
- Jan Koles
Women’s Race:
- Sari Anderson
- Janelle Smiley
- Monique Merrill
- Jari Kirkland
- Stevie Kremer
- Lyndsay Meyer
- Jessica Phillips
Lyndsay Meyer & I at the finish of the Heathen Challenge
The third and final qualifier for the ski mountaineering worlds was this weekend at Sunlight. I have raced this COSMIC race three or four times and it keeps getting better. This year the course was changed up a bit to add some more kick turns and a final short ascent before the finish.
As has been the case for the last few years, the Heathen Challenge brought gorgeous weather. During the race, I once again had issues with my skins and got to ‘practice’ a few extra skin changes. Thankfully, I felt pretty strong and still managed to pull off a victory.
Unfortunately the photographer taking photos on the second ascent just missed me fumbling through a kick turn. Despite not always having perfect form, I got the job done. Most importantly, I’m really getting comfortable in my La Sportiva Stratos boots and Sportiva skis and my descending skills and speed have improved dramatically.
Monique Merrill, Jari Kirkland and Jessica Philips raced very well for the women. Unfortunately both Lyndsay Meyer and Molly Zurn were sick and couldn’t complete the course. I’m looking forward to the next race in Crested Butte as all of us learn more each race.
Pete Swenson, COSMIC founder, won the men’s race with Scott Simmons, Jan Koles, Max Taam and Travis Scheefer rounding out the top five.
With the three qualifiers complete, the US ski mountaineering worlds team is: Men: Brandon French, Travis Scheefer, Pete Swenson, Scott Simmons, Luke Nelson, Bryan Wickenhauser, Max Taam and Greg Ruckman; Women: Sari Anderson, Monique Merrill, Janelle Smiley, Nina Silitch, Jari Kirkland, Amy Fulwyler, Jessica Philips and Jaime Falcon.
Check out Crested Butte Photography for Kevin Krill’s photos of the race. Also, Daniel Dunn will be posting some on the USSMA site in the near future.
Finally, if you are going to be at the OR show this week in Salt Lake City, please stop by the La Sportiva booth on Thursday to have a beer and fund-raise for USSMA. Enter to win a pair of Sportiva skis!
Axel came to watch the finish thanks to my parents. Photo by Daniel Dunn
Happy to be finished
Photo by Crested Butte Photography
Knowing many us would be on hand for the national championships, USSMA scheduled the second worlds qualifier on Sunday at Targhee. Despite a few large margaritas and my wussy triceps being sore from Saturday, I felt surprisingly fresh.
Since most of us had raced the day before, the pace started a bit slower. I was determined to not make the same mistakes as Saturday which meant really taking care of my skins and pushing through the burning legs on the descents. Racing smart kept me going uphill well but I managed a few major tumbles on the second and third descents. I’m not sure if it was snow build up from all of the fresh powder or me tweeking my binding, but I kept pre-releasing out of the heel of my left binding. I got some great face shots but not really the kind I was hoping for. Despite my crashes, I managed to pick myself up very quickly each time and secretly enjoyed the brief break from descending.
Having a solid race and pushing through some pain, I was able to pull off a win in front of another super strong showing of women. Janelle was banging at my ski tails the whole race and Monique Merrill finished in 3rd place again. Jari Kirkland and Lyndsay Meyer had great races and secured two more of the spots on the worlds team!
Head down seems to get me up the hill and through the suffering. Photo by Crested Butte Photography.
Please visit TetonAT for complete results. The third qualifier is just next weekend at the Heathen Challenge at Sunlight just down the road in Glenwood Springs. There are a few more spots up for grabs for the men and women.
Photo by Crested Butte Photography
I ventured to Jackson, Wyoming this weekend for some ski mountaineering racing at the US Ski Mountaineering National Championships. The Jackson race was the first of three qualifiers for the ISMF World Championships in Claut, Italy in February. It felt a little early for national championships since many of us only had one race under our belts this season but at least we were all in the same boat.
After a great night’s sleep thanks to some amazing hosts in Jackson, I was feeling nervous but ready to race on Saturday morning. The pack started fast and I did my best to hang on the back of the men’s lead group of about 20 for as long as I could. Janelle Smiley was right on my heels the entire 3,000 foot ascent, short descent down Alta Chute and into the second ascent. My new Merelli race skis are longer than my old skis and therefore my old skins don’t fit on them very well. Listening to my gut would have been a good idea and I should have picked up a new pair of longer skins last week. Oh well, I just had a few extra chances to practice getting my skins on since I had to change skins multiple times to prevent extra slipping and frustration.
By the time we got to the bottom of the second descent, I managed to catch back up and Janelle and I climbed the third ascent within seconds of each other. A boot pack, short descent and into Corbetts we raced. When we crested the top of the ladder up Corbetts the wind was howling and the snow stinging our faces. So much so that I skinned a little extra to hide behind a patrol shack for the quick transition for the 4,000 descent.
Monique Merrill in 3rd, Janelle Smiley in 1st and myself in 2nd. The three of us qualified for the world championships. Photo by Crested Butte Photography.
I wish there was a photo of me on the descent as I was truly suffering. One of these days I will get out to just train on the descents. My climbing felt great but my legs screamed on the descents slowing me to a stop a few times. Janelle and I came into the final transition to climbing together with me getting out a second ahead of her. About 10 minutes in, my skins began to peel again and I was forced to stop and change skins again. As I watched Janelle skin away, I thought for awhile I may be able to get back to her and then truly race for the finish. I just couldn’t keep up with her at that point as Janelle was racing strong and clean and finished a well deserved national champion. I finished about a minute behind her slightly disappointed with my finish but also psyched to have raced as well as I could have.
Not only was Saturday my first ski mountaineering race of 2011, it was also the first race on my new gear – La Sportiva Stratos boots and Merelli Raid skis. I still cannot believe how light the equipment is. The boots feel lighter than my trail running shoes and I don’t even know I have skis on my feet – amazing. Since there is still a lot of work to be done on my descending skills, I am still getting used to the skis on the descents. Everything feels fast and comfortable on the climbs and super solid on the descents. I am thoroughly impressed with the gear!
Please visit the Jackson race website for complete results and some photos. Congrats to Brandon French, Luke Nelson and Pete Swenson for also qualifying for worlds.
