Janelle Smiley takes North American skimo title

Italian men dominate, one insubordinate

The assistant coach for the Canadian ski mountaineering team, Jeff Colvin, said it best when describing Sunday’s course, specifically the Guide’s Ridge section.

“The course is super technical,” said Colvin. “The fact that CBMR put in the time and effort to put that together is ground-breaking.”
Italian racer Lorenzo Holzknecht, ranked top five in the world of ski mountaineering racing, was equally impressed with the course.
“It was very nice, similar to a European course,” said Holzknecht. “Maybe have some more flags out there and more groomed on the up but that’s why we liked today’s race. It was a little bit more of an adventure.”
The Guides Ridge was the climax of the inaugural Gore-Tex North American Ski Mountaineering Championships, a two-day test of mind, body and spirit.
It all started with a sprint race on Saturday morning. Actually, the weekend kicked off on Friday as the Italian team went on a training ski up at the resort during operational hours. Despite the efforts of resort employees and the Crested Butte Mountain Professional Ski Patrol to stop them, one of the Italian athletes was less than cooperative. Perhaps the shouts alerting him to stop were lost in translation as he headed up toward Rachel’s, though reports indicate he was aware that he should stop and opted to ignore them.
In the end, the Italian skier stacked in the rocks in Rachel’s at professional ski patroller Eric Baumm’s feet, was escorted to the bottom, and was subsequently disqualified from the races that weekend.
Arrivederchi amico.
With that done, athletes lined up Saturday morning at the base of Flauschink Hill as temperatures hovered around minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit. The start/finish area was a sea of the latest in ski mountaineering racing technology. Carbon fiber this, lime green that, etc. Racers shivered in their speed suits waiting to charge up and down Flauschink Hill above Uley’s Cabin for a total of five to 10 minutes each. As race director Bryan Wickenhauser stated last week, “It’s wham, bam, thank you ma’am.”
The cold temperatures wreaked havoc on the racers’ skins with several racers losing them mid-race. When all was said and done, Janelle Smiley had the top local finish, placing second among the women, while Travis Scheefer was the top local man, finishing in sixth.
Times carried over from the sprint to the big race on Sunday with cumulative times determining the men’s and women’s North American champions.
While talk of the Italians’ strength circulated prior to and during the men’s race, the big race was among the women, with a strong field of some of the top racers in North America as well as a couple from overseas.
“It was a very strong women’s field,” said Smiley.
Spaniard Gemma Arro Ribot took off from the start with Sari Anderson, Stevie Kremer and then Smiley looking to hold the Spanish woman in check.
Smiley crashed into a rock on her way to the start of the Guide’s Ridge but once she was on the climb, her experience as an alpine climber made all the difference in the world.
“That’s what I do, I’m an alpine climber,” says Smiley. “I went as fast as I could. I was in my element.”
Smiley passed all three women and six men on the Guide’s Ridge ascent and the pressure was on.
“I knew I had to have clean transitions and ski fast,” says Smiley.
Racers then had two loops to complete after reaching the peak, skiing down to the base of the North Face Lift before climbing up Schofield Road and along the Headwall Ridge to the top of the High Lift. After that they barreled down the front side to the base of the Westwall Lift with a quick climb up to the finish.
Smiley felt the pain on the first lap around the Headwall but kept pressing on.
“I pushed harder than I should have on the first climb,” admitted Smiley. “When I was hurting I was just thinking, this is good training for the summer. But I felt better on the next lap around the Headwall.”
Smiley topped out after her two Headwall Ridge laps and headed down with Anderson just three minutes behind her.
“I tucked as fast as I could,” said Smiley.
She held off Anderson to finish in a time of 2:39:42. That time, combined with her sprint time from Saturday, earned Smiley the women’s North American ski mountaineering racing title. Anderson finished five minutes back in second place and Kremer took third with an overall two-day time of 3:09:14.
“I was hoping for podium,” said Smiley. “I just wanted to represent Crested Butte.”
When the men’s race started, the Italian duo of Holzknecht and Manfred Reichegger were off, never to be seen again. The two Italians climbed up the Peel and to the start of the Guides Ridge in 37 minutes, reaching the summit of Crested Butte Mountain in an hour.
Meanwhile, Canadian team member Reiner Thoni was making a push to keep the Italians in sight, maintaining a quick pace without blowing up.
“You try to pace yourself,” said Thoni. “I don’t think anyone can say they didn’t feel the pain. You just deal with it—a couple energy gels and 500 mils [milliliters] of water.”
The Italians, Thoni and Luke Nelson of Idaho were finished with both loops by the time the local contingent of men were done with their first Headwall loop.
Needless to say, it was an Italian smack-down. Reichegger won Sunday’s race in a time of 1:58:35 with Holzknecht close behind with a time of 2:02:06. Thoni finished third on Sunday in a time of 2:07:38 and was crowned the North American champion. Marshall Thomson was the top local men’s finisher, taking sixth place Sunday in a time of 2:21:04. Thomson finished fourth overall among North Americans with a two-day time of 2:26:43.
Holzknecht has 10 years of ski mountaineer racing experience, while Reichegger was a top European Nordic racer for 10 years before turning to skimo racing. Holzknecht admitted he knew they would take the win but explained that when they race at home, the level of competition is so high it pushes them to the next level.
“We knew we were almost alone here but we are professionals,” said Holzknecht. “When we race at home there are 40 people with a chance to win. I think over here you miss the competition.”
Wickenhauser believes the race went as well as could have been expected, thanks in large part to the weather and Crested Butte Mountain Resort.
“CBMR, from the top down, embraced it,” said Wickenhauser. “They really tried to lay out the red carpet for this event. And the weather was amazing.”
The plan now is to alternate the North American championships venue between the U.S. and Canada but Wickenhauser believes the Guide’s Ridge will be included in future randonnee races at Crested Butte Mountain as part of the COSMIC Cup.
“We have an inventory of gear to do this again in the future,” said Wickenhauser. “I think the expectation going forward is to keep the Guide’s Ridge in the race.”
Wickenhauser and the rest of the local contingent of racers, aka Team Crested Butte, now have their sights set on competing at the inaugural Winter Teva Games in Vail, February 10-12.