Skipress - Index

Skipress - TWSSF Special Edition 2008 - Index

SKIING UPHILL
WELL, IS PAIN A SPORT? FOR REASONS HE STILL CAN’T QUITE
FATHOM, PETE DECIDED TO FIND OUT. — BY PETER KRAY
I’m trying to think off all the things I like about
racing uphill in a randonnee rally, and absolutely
nothing comes to mind.
It’s cold, and I’m sweating like a pig. There’s
powder galore, and instead of levitating down
through its gossamer weave, I’m inching up a
steep slope at the speed of Sisyphus — Sisyphus
in steel boots.
I can’t believe they actually call this a sport.
“It’ll be fun,” said a ‘friend’ who will, from this
point on, be called Snowdomasochismo. “They’re
actually looking at including it in the Olympics.”
“It,” is ski mountaineering, or a randonnee rally,
where lots of large-lunged Yeti people race each
other up and down, up and down, up and down
three to four peaks in a single-day’s mountaineering
marathon of brute strength. “They” are
the International Olympic Committee, who like
to reward the top survivors of such suffer-fests
with shiny medallions. And yes, “they” are
considering including ski mountaineering as a
discipline, perhaps as early as the Winter Games
in Sochi in 2014.
Much like cycling or soccer, the heart of ski
mountaineering beats strongest in Europe. But
fueled by a backcountry boom and a new wave
of alpine athletes in North America, it has caught
28 THE TWSSF ISSUE 2008
IS PAIN REALLY
A SPORT?
on big in recent years, and Whistler is one of its
hottest stops. The North Face Canadian Ski
Mountaineering Championships will be held here
on Saturday, April 19th, including the 26km
Spearhead Passage and the 1200-metre Whistler
WindUp speed ascent, where a new technical
climbing section should bring a smile to the
sweat-drenched faces of Snowdomasochismo
and his pals in pain.
“We wanted to spice up the course this year to
make it even more interesting for the serious
competitors,” said Scott Flavelle, course director.
“A route straight up the Exhilaration Couloir
could be perfect.”
That’s right, Scott, perfect for mountain goats.
For the rest of us, the 10km North Face Whistler
Dash provides a more manageable ass kicking
without the need for avalanche rescue gear. Or
you can just ride the lifts and test the gear at the
Diamir World Backcountry Freeride Jam all week
on top of Whistler Mountain — and let gravity
do all the work.
Which reminds me of the one thing I do like
about this new ’sport’. After all the young guns
with big lungs, backcountry old-timers on skinny
skis, and even lift-serve skiers in alpine boots
That’s right,
Scott, perfect for
mountain goats.
came striding by me like I was in the breakdown
lane with blinking hazard lights, I fi nally stood on
the last peak, looked at the long slope beneath
me, and muttered, “Climbing is pretty sweet.
Once it stops.”
Photos: Stano faban/WBFJ