Canada’s fittest and fastest ski mountaineering racers will cue up at the start line outside Lake Louise Ski Resort’s Whitehorn Lodge on Saturday (March 19) for the sixth annual Ken Jones Classic Ski Mountaineering Challenge.
As an added bonus, this year’s competition is doubling as the Canadian National Ski Mountaineering Championships.
The only race of the world cup-sanctioned Canadian skimo competition circuit to take place in the Bow Valley, the Ken Jones Classic provides an excellent opportunity for both spectators and racers of all levels to get a taste of the excitement and athletic display, said David Dornian, chair of ski mountaineering competition in Canada.
“It’ll be a ton of fun, lots of excitement and some great prizes,” Dornian said. “The course at Lake Louise is always really challenging with some good opportunities for spectators or new racers to see the athleticism and skills involved in a skimo race.”
The competition will feature an elite/race course involving 1,500 vertical metres of climbing up steep slopes and across ridge sections, and a little more elevation loss as racers descend to the finish line at the base of the mountain on a course set by members of Lake Louise pro ski patrol.
The elite course is designed for experienced ski mountaineering racers who are not just extremely fit, but also proficient with their equipment as the transitions demand stripping off climbing skins as quickly as possible for the downhill sections, and reapplying them with equal speed and proficiency for the uphills. Elite category racers will also scramble up boot packing sections with their skis attached to their backpacks.
The enduro/youth category course features 800 vertical metres of climbing on two uphill and two downhill sections.
The fastest elite racers are expected to complete the longer course in an ultra-speedy two hours, with the rest of the pack crossing the finish by the four-hour mark. Novice skiers tackling the enduro course should be able to complete the shorter course in about two and a half hours. Both courses are being designed to present racers with a great challenge and an opportunity to have a lot of fun.
All competitors are required to use alpine touring, telemark or splitboard equipment, plus climbing skins, helmet, avalanche transceiver, shovel and probe and carry extra clothing, hydration and food in their day pack.
For their efforts, the top four male and female skiers in the elite category will be awarded cash prizes and other goodies, while the top three competitors in both the male and female categories of the enduro/youth categories will be awarded gear prizes.
To register, volunteer or for more information, visit www.alpineclubofcanada.ca/athletics/ski-mountaineering/ken-jones-classic
