Very few athletes are as committed to their sport as Michelle Katchur Roberts.
When the ski mountaineering sensation isn’t training 25-35 hours a week or skinning up Goat’s Eye mountain six to eight times a day, she’s busily planning training camps, recruiting athletes, and organizing coaching sessions for the national team.
When you’re in a new sport, it’s part of the job.
Now, the Canadian ski mountaineering national team member is hosting an evening of inspiring stories to encourage Bow Valley residents to get outside, while supporting her journey to become a top tier ski mountaineering athlete.
Planning her next attempt on the ISMF ski mountaineering world championships in Italy on Feb. 23, Katchur Roberts is hosting a fundraiser Thursday, Jan. 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the Alpine Club of Canada clubhouse to help support her season. Entitled Women and Wine, the event will include six speakers sharing mountain stories, including local author Lynn Martel, ultrarunner Joanna Ford (who ran 200,000 vertical metres in 2016), and entrepreneur/runner Amy Puzey, among others.
Katchur Roberts got the idea from mountain legend Chic Scott, who hosts a storytelling session at the Banff Mountain Film Festival every year.
“There are a lot of women I know about doing really amazing things in our area. Someone needs to create a forum for them to share their stories,” Katchur Roberts said. She has a few stories of her own up her sleeve, but ideally she’d rather play host for the evening.
This year, the evening will help pay for her competition equipment, but in the future, the ski mo star would like to see a fund created to support female athletes across the valley.
Katchur-Roberts has come a long way in her sport. Acting as her own coach and high performance director, she stitched together her own training plan from cycling training manuals and online ski programs, transitioning from a weekend warrior to a competitor on the national scene.
“This year I incorporated a lot more speed work. In the past, I just tried to be outside as much as possible. This year I’m a lot more purposeful in my training,” Katchur Roberts said. “I attended a lot of downhill workshops, which is my weakness by far.”
Ski mountaineering races have been approved for Olympic consideration in 2022, and the sport continues to grow. Essentially a ski touring race on ultralight gear, the sport has been a staple in Europe for years. In North America, it’s confined to ski resorts and ‘slack country’ locations.
Her medals at domestic races are a testament to her hard work. She’s fresh off a medal at the Castle Mountain Ski Mountaineering race, and enjoys splitting her time between work at Bow Valley College and high performance training.
“Generally I find, for me, as life stuff increases, my training changes. I’ve been really fortunate in that I really listen to my body, and pull back when I’m tired. I have worked with a physiotherapist and friend practicing for massage therapy, which has been a help.”
World championships is just one goal for Katchur Roberts. She will also team up with national team member Kylee Ohler to compete in the Pierra Menta in France. The grand tour is a four-day ski tour race, reaching across four mountain communities. Each day includes between 2,000 and 3,000 metres of vertical climbing. Katchur Roberts and Ohler will be the first Canadian female team to attempt the race.
“I’m excited for world championships, but I’m really excited for this race,” Katchur Roberts said.
Ultimately, she wants the sport to be part of her life for years to come. Modest in her answers, she laughs at the idea of an Olympic start, but said she would like to be there as a coach. Her ultimate goal is to get more women in the sport, and pursuing their passions outdoors, which is the spirit of her fundraiser. That being said, she stresses the fundraiser is open to everyone.
Tickets are available online on eventbrite, by searching for Women and Wine: A night of story telling in support of Michelle Katchur Roberts. You can also follow her progress on her blog. At stixnstonz.wordpress.com.
