It is important that everyone that registers for Mountain Storm ski mountaineering race reads information on this page:
For all those west of Columbia Valley, don't forget, Fernie is in the Mountain Time zone!
The pre-race meeting attendance is mandatory for every participant in order to have a smooth running event with as little interruptions as possible.
The meeting will be held at Daylodge at the base of the ski area on Jan 18th, 2008 starting at 7.00pm. There will be your last chance to register, to buy ski area tickets and to sign all the necessary waivers.
The race courses' details will be presented at the meeting thus it is essential that you attend as there will be no further race course explanations on the day of the race, unless we have to change the courses due to unsafe conditions.
Please come on time to avoid traffic and to get the best seat for the course presentation. Thank you.
Mountain Storm ski mountaineering race will have two main race categories - men and women - and will be raced over two courses - "Crazy" and "Sane".
We reserve the right to change the race courses at any time due to unexpected reasons or conditions.
"Crazy" Course:
This is a longer and a more demanding course with around 1300m of vertical climbing and the same amount for skiing. It is designed for advanced ski mountaineers that are very proficient with their equipment.
The course will feature 2-4 uphill sections with a possible boot-pack section.
You need to be fit and skilled ski mountaineer for this course. The transitions will require you putting on your climbing skins and taking them off. In case of a boot-pack section you will need to strap your skis on your ski pack.
NOTE: Expect up to 3-3.5 hours to complete this course!
"Sane" Course:
This course is designed for those that are novices to ski mountaineering and backcountry skiing.
With around 700m of vertical climbing on one uphill and one challenging downhill it should provide you with a great challenge as well as opportunity to have fun. No boot-pack in on this course.
NOTE: Expect up to 2.5 hours for a real novice to complete this course!
There will be gear prizes for the top three competitors in each category over both race courses.
On top of that there will be cash prizes for the fastest four in both categories over the Crazy course:
Total value of all prizes will be more than $2500.
Keep your bib numbers as there will be draw prizes at the awards ceremony party that will take place few hours after the race.
» Download and print this section as a PDF file.
In order to assure a fair competition and thus provide a great environment for participants to compare themselves we decided to adopt some of the ski mountaineering racing rules that are applied in Europe.
The standard rules are provided by the International Ski Mountaineering Competitions (ISMC) and are currently being adopted by the Alpine Club of Canada for the Canadian ski mountaineering racing scene.
Race Rules:
The rules below apply to both men and women categories as well as to the two race courses:
1. Racers must follow all the instructions given by the organizer at all times, otherwise their actions can result in penalties.
2. Mountain Storm is a ski mountaineering race with numerous ascents and descents by using ski mountaineering equipment and techniques.
3. Mountain Storm race is raced individually, no teams competition for the 2008 event.
4. Race starts with a mass start with all participants clipped in their biddings on their skis with skins on.
5. All participants must follow the course set by the organizer which include several check points and will be flagged with two colours all the way - green flags are for uphills and red flags for downhills.
6. Racers must take off their skins for all the downhills marked with red flags unless organizer specifies differently.
7. Racers must wear bib numbers on a visible place (preferably right thigh) through the whole duration of the race. Bibs are provided by the organizer and cannot be modified at all.
8. Racers must carry or wear all mandatory equipment through the whole duration of the race, from start to finish.
9. Racers must past through all check points on their race course and follow the marking flags at all times. All check points will be formed by two downhill race gates - racers must past between them.
10. The winner of the race is the one that reaches the finish line in the fastest time (after all penalties are applied, if any), follows the course completely and passes through all check points. Final order of all finishers will be based on this rule.
11. Final results will be presented at the awards ceremony and all participants will have opportunity to voice their opinion or make protests against the final results.
12. In case of any disputes or penalty decisions the official race referee (judge) will have the final say. This official referee is appointed by the Alpine Club of Canada and has proper referee training for such ski mountaineering competitions.
13. Split-boarders must descent with their boards clipped together.
14. Gloves must be worn at all times.
15. Helmets must be worn at all times over the Crazy course.
16. Use of any type of crampons is not allowed unless otherwise specified by the organizer.
17. Avalanche beacons must be switched to transmit mode and be worn on your body during the whole race. Don't put them in your pocket!
18. If the race has to be aborted for any reason (avalanche, weather conditions...) the final results will be established based on the racers' rankings at the last check point that was past by the first racer before the race was stopped.
19. Breach of any of the above rules can result in time penalties that can vary from 3 minutes to disqualification. Please read below.
The following can result in a disqualification (DQ) from the race or time penalties:
NOTE: If you collect multiple time penalties then they will add up. For example: 3 min (poor sportsmanship) + 5 min (receiving outside assistance) = 8 min penalty.
Mandatory Equipment (minimal what you should have):
There can be very low temperatures (way lower than -15 Celsius), even on a sunny day, in Fernie in January. Thus we advise to rather carry some extra clothing than just blindly follow the below mandatory equipment list. After all this is only a minimal list of things you should have: