Archive for the ‘Extreme Sport’ Category

Yesterday I was dreaming of Alaska, but for all you snow enthusiasts who can’t wait for the northern hemisphere winter and possibly feel that New Zealand and Australia are a bit too far to scratch the itch, well then, have you thought about Argentina? Or Argentina and Chile?

The Andes Mountains are blessed with unparalleled conditions for skiing and snowboarding. Argentina and Chile feature many different ski resorts divided into world class and rustic areas. In addition to classic ski resorts South America offers two snowcat skiing operations as well as four heli-skiing destinations.

Skiing and riding the most challenging terrain in the Andes Mountains – what more could you ask for? Well, perhaps some wine tasting at the same time? and why not!

ARGENTINA

Las Leñas is a haven for extreme skiers and heli-skiers – thanks to freeski73 for the great video and if you don’t understand the small amounts of French spoken, don’t worry, persevere, it’s a great video! This resort is not only about extreme skiing, it  also has a good selection for beginners and intermediates.

RUNS: 28                  42 km / 26 miles

BEGINNER                  8%
INTERMEDIATE     23%
ADVANCED              31%
EXPERT                      38%

It is the highest ski resort in Argentina. The summit is at 3,430m and the base of the resort is at 2,240m which gives skiers a vertical slope of 1,225m. With its unbeatable snow, its trails for all levels of skiers and especially for the world class off-piste descents and cross-country ski, this resort is considered by many to be outstanding. Las Leñas  has a slalom stadium and 28 authorized trails with a maximum skiable surface of 7,050m or 46 kms, one of which is one of the longest intermediate trails in the world. There are 13 lifts and if there is not enough fresh snowfall, Las Leñas has a modern system to make artificial snow.

As for the back country trails – it’s hard to beat. Over 20,000 acres of endless powder. The best freeriding in South America. Endless opportunity for adventure.

The season stretches from June 11th to September 24th.

The closest airport is Malargue – 70 kms away.

Close to  Las Leñas is Los Penitentes. Established in 1979, Los Penitentes winter resort has at present more than 300 hectares of skiable runs. There are 25 runs of different lengths and something for everyone from beginner to advanced and expert skiers. The snow is generally dry and compact.

And you can take advantage of Portillo across the border in Chile. The snow quality here is fantastic. There is also an enormous amount of unexplored back country potential.

The season runs from mid-June to late August and the closest airport is Mendoza International – 174 km away.

The top of Cerro Catedral is 2,180m and the bottom 1,030m, giving a vertical drop of 1,150 metres. This resort is considered to be the most developed one in South America. In the 600 hectares of skiable area (120 km), the resort is divided into 53 well sign-posted trails of various difficulties: 17% for beginners, 42% for intermediate, 25% advanced and 17% for expert skiers only. There are 38 lifts and good access to back country skiing. The closest airport to this resort is Bariloche International.

With 22 trails of various difficulties and excellent snow quality, Chapelco combines extreme adrenaline and landscape. It has 140 skiable hectares (32 kms) with 31% of trails for beginners, 17% for intermediate skiers, 42% advanced and 10% for expert skiers. There is also a Snowboard Park at the 1,700 m platform where adrenaline seekers can find a half pipe, parallel slalom and big air jumps.

The landscape is magnificent. The impressive view of Lake Lácar, the silence of the lengas forests and the striking presence of the Lanín Volcano breaking the horizon add to the uniqueness of this winter resort. It is open from June 23 to October 14.

The closest airport is Chapelco 19 kms away.

Cerro Bayo is another beautiful resort with magnificent scenery. It is surrounded by forests and has a majestic view of Lake Nahuel Huapi. It offers 200 hectares of pisted slopes, with a 700m vertical drop (maurigar99).

Although suitable for beginners (28% of the resort is ideal), Cerro Bayo appeals to extreme skiers with its good black runs, deep snow in the ravine and matchless off-piste runs that go through untouched forests from the summit to the base. There are 800+ acres of trails with very good back country routes too. The ski season runs from mid June to October.

The closest airport is Bariloche International: 83 km away.

Cerro Castor is truly at the end of the world, way down there in Ushuaia. It is the same distance from the South Pole as Moscow is from the North Pole. It is Argentina’s newest resort and the southern-most ski resort in the world. Although not very high it enjoys very good weather and excellent powder snow. It has one of the longest seasons in South America – from July 09 to October 12.

With a skiable drop of 772m, there are 24 runs with different levels of difficulties and 20 kms of off-piste sectors. It also has wonderful back country trails with circuits that go through lengas forests. Also ideal for snow rackets/shoes.

The closest airport is Ushuaia, 26 kms away.

Caviahue is in the heart of the Andes Mountain Range, Northwest of the Province of Neuquén and on the Argentinian-Chilean border. It lies at the feet of the Copahue Volcano. This mountain village is 1,600 m above sea level and it presents a contrast between its natural environment and the almost lunar landscape of Copahue. The ski resort guarantees the quality of powder snow without long lines at the lift making it an ideal family resort for both downhill and cross-country skiing.

The closest airport is  the city of Neuquén – 353 kms away.

La Hoya is the last resort we will cover today which means we will come back to Chile another time… Standing at 1,350m above sea level its geographic location allows visitors to benefit from snow as early as the first few days of June. From the summit (2,050m) to the base there are 60 hectares of pisted slopes, with large runs for all levels although, as with all the Andes resorts, La Hoya prides itself on its selection of off-piste skiing. There are 10 lifts and 24 runs  and the resort is proud of its powder snow. However, for years with poor snowfall they do have all the modern amenities to make the artificial stuff.

The name La Hoya comes from the shape of the mountain which is a wide glacier above a circular basin. All the ski runs join at the same point at the base. In the 1930’s, pioneer skiers from the region discovered this attractive natural formation and began to visit the mountain.

The closest airport is Esquel Domestic: 21 km.

And more later…

It is so extremely hot here that I long for winter… and the snow!

And so from one extreme to another I go from the south of France to ‘The Last Frontier’ – Alaska, and when you’ve seen this video from Salomon Freeski TV you, too, might see why I dream of skiing…

Alaska is a land of towering peaks, massive glaciers, extensive boreal forests, and rich marine ecosystems. It is the epitome of the term ‘wilderness’.

It also has some fantastic skiing.

Aleyska Resort comes in amongst the top 25 ski resorts in North America. Just 40 miles south of Anchorage in the beautiful rustic mountain frontier town of Girdwood you’ll find more than 1,000 acres of ski terrain suitable for all standards of skiers. With an average of 631 inches of snow annually (or, to be more precise, 621 annual inches of snowfall mid mountain and reports 742 annual inches of snowfall at the peak) it’s no surprise that this resort is being increasingly sought after by adventure seekers and families alike. The ski area has 2,500 feet of vertical rise on 1,400 acres of skiable terrain. 68 trails and 9 lifts include a 60 passenger aerial tram, a high speed quad, two regular fixed grip quads, three doubles chairs, and two pony lifts.

With its lengthy top to bottom intermediate runs there is room and to spare for everyone. In fact the resort has been very carefully thought out.  Something I’ve never heard of before but which Aleyska offers are sheltered beginner trails  where shaky newcomers can hone their skills without having to merge with more advanced skiers. Now isn’t that a good idea? 11% of the resort is suitable for beginners. 37% of the area is dedicated to advanced skiers including some magnificent open bowl powder skiing and 52% of the area is ideal for intermediate skiers.

It’s hardly surprising that Aleyska is becoming the ‘must ski’ destination in America.

I’ve OD’d a bit on one resort, but Alaska has many more to offer.

10 miles from Anchorage there is the Arctic Valley Ski Area. Whether you ski, snowboard, telemark, or snow skate you can find what you are looking for here. With its 500 acres of skiable terrain it is a very family friendly resort.

Here’s another something different: Mt. Aurora Skiland, the farthest north chairlift in North America. Although not a large resort it appeals to adventure seekers. Open weekends only it is probably unique in the fact that there are no snow making operations here. The powder will always be fresh and natural.

There are eighteen swooping, wide open intermediate runs and eight narrow, steep, and challenging advanced slopes. There are also 10 beginners trails located around the mountain. Family owned and operated this small resort has created a niche in the ski industry. Ski or board your heart out until the sun sets or until 5pm (whichever comes first) because there are no lit trails after the sun goes down. And if its off-piste exploration that you’re looking for then head on into the six outlined areas and try your skills out in  “Bering Straight,”or  “Cindy’s Hot Chocolate,” “Bob’s Bomb,” or the “Budweiser Rocks.”  that should get your heart pumping.

Fairbanks is the closest town at 21 miles away, so you are well and truly in the wilderness at this resort.

Eaglecrest, Hilltop, Moose Mountain, Mount Eyak are other resorts to look out for in Alaska plus the nordic or cross country ski resort Tsalteshi Trails Association which is located just south of Soldotna, on the Central Kenai Peninsula and has over 15km of groomed trails.

And then there’s the famed heli-skiing.

Skagway, at the northern end of Alaska’s inside passage, is surrounded by an extremely jagged, glaciated, mountain landscape that includes the world’s largest non-polar ice caps. The mountains rise up to above 6,000 feet directly from the ocean. The variety of terrain from glacier cirques with a multitude of steep couloirs to open undulating bowls of heavenly powder make for excellent skiing and riding.

These mountains get the greatest annual snowfall on the planet, neighboring Mt. Fairweather receives over 1,000 inches of snow annually. The terrain surrounding Haines, Alaska is unique in North America, and offers world class climbing and skiing. Peak elevations in this region range up to 20,000 feet.

And then there’s the Chugach range mentioned in the Salomon video above. Some call it ‘the world’s most adventurous winter-sports playground’ and certainly Doug Coombs, who pioneered this resort, loved it. “We were infatuated with the Chugach terrain,” he wrote on his website.

It has an annual snowfall of between 30 to 80 feet per year and the regions’ maritime snowpack sticks to even the steepest faces. Cold air pours in from the Copper River Delta making the snow cold and velvety. Breathtaking knife blade ridges make for landing zones on peaks with elevations up to 6,800 feet — and descents up to 5,000 vertical. Not only are there steep couloirs and chutes, the terrain also lends itself to long ridgelines and big open bowls.

With more than 2,500 square miles of glaciated mountains to choose from this mountain range  offers the perfect combination of steep, ride-able terrain and abundant powder.

You’ll ski between 20,000 and 30,000 vertical feet during an average day. No wonder mark Abma, Mike Douglas and Dane Tudor were so enthusiastic.

It has been predicted that the 165 RacingThePlanet competitors from 30 countries will experience soaring temperatures and extreme weather during this event, adding to the already challenging nature of the 250 kilometre rough-country footrace.

Five years ago, temperatures reached as high as 50 degrees Celsius and with this year’s race taking place in June instead of April, competitors could be racing in similar if not hotter temperatures.

“The competitors are going to find the heat in the Gobi Desert oppressive. It’s not humid, but below sea-level it can be stifling when there’s no breeze. They will also have to prepare for the worst as the weather is so unpredictable in the Gobi, storms can blow up from nowhere and temperatures can vary wildly between night and day and in different areas along the 250 kilometre course. Couple this with the changing terrains the competitors will face and the race will be a stern test of good preparation and adaptability,” said Founder of RacingThePlanet, Mary Gadams.

On his blog David Casselli from New Zealand (Survived. Hell it’s getting hot here) summed up day 3:  “The last stage (3) was running up and down moonscapes. I have never run across so many sharp rocks in my life. And …. to cap it off, they made us climb a peak and run down the ridge line. Terrifying …. but ‘fast and loose’ was the solution.

It’s 40C and I am roasting.

Day 4 tomorrow – 37km before we take on the 99km longest day. The river was great, but the next 2 days sound terrible.”

Denvy Lo from Hong Kong was, at the end of day 3, thoroughly enjoying herself: “I am enjoying every minute of it here – life should be like this, I reckon, as all I do is run, eat and sleep. Brilliant.”

Results for Day 4 have just come in. 125 runners have completed all 4 stages. David Parr (33) from Great Britain is leading the field with an impressive overall time of 11hrs 34mins 40 secs. Denvy Lo (29) is the leading woman with an overall time of 17hrs 52 mins 59 secs. 25 people have not completed all 4 sections, 3 have withdrawn and 5 did not start at all.

Parr is raising money for Sparks, the children’s medical research charity. Denvy Lo is supporting the Shark Rescue Charity.

Wanda Summers from the UK is one of the amazing people taking place in this race. She ran the Marathon des Sables in 2008, but broke her back when parachuting in 2009. Yet here she is in this most extreme of extreme races with a very admirable overall time of 22 hrs and 47 mins under her belt at the moment. This is her first attempt at a 4 Deserts race. She is supporting the charity Shelter Box Trust – a registered UK charity which provides emergency aid for victims of natural and other disasters anywhere in the world.

An inspiration to us all…

All 4 fields at Lake Wanaka are now open and it’s not only Kiwis who are taking advantage of the fantastic snow the area has received:

Gabrielle Vance from Alaska, Lisa Christensen from Prince Edward Island, Canada, Lexis Sion from Mt Manganui amongst many others were there to christen the new season, the new snow.

Snow Farm, New Zealand’s only Nordic ski area, was the first field to open at the beginning of June offering first rate conditions on the many kilometres of world class cross country trails. Treble Cone opened last week with perfect conditions, great snow and no queues. Skiers and boarders enjoyed outstanding conditions with spectacular powder and all lifts operating.

The opening day at Treble Cone also featured New Zealand’s on-snow launch of The AirBag, a supersized, air-filled stunt cushion that provides a soft landing for aerial skiers and snowboarders.

This is New Zealand, whatever you want to try out on snow you can try it out here…

The ideal weather conditions and excellent snow base produced plenty of smiles at Cardrona Alpine Resort’s opening. A new 40 metre tunnel, providing a unique access route across the ski area proved popular with skiers and boarders. Cardrona now boasts the largest number of chair lifts in the South Island with the installation of the Valley View Quad, opening up even more terrain. Thank you to Salomon Freeski TV ep6 for this opening day video:

The roll-out of Lake Wanaka’s ski areas continued as the freestyle action got undweray at Snow Park NZ on Saturday. New for the terrain park is a learner tow rope and designated area for beginners as well as a new transport service to take passengers to and from the mountain every day with extra frequency for night riding sessions Tuesday, Friday and Saturday nights. This season Snow Park NZ will launch its 22ft halpipe and quarter pipe as well as many new rails and boxes.

James Helmore, general manager of Lake Wanaka Tourism (LakeWanakaNZ) said it was great to get the snow sports action underway for the season, “We are thrilled to welcome skiers and boarders from around the globe to enjoy the world class facilities and unique alpine town. We are looking forward to another fantastic season,” he said.

More snow is forecasted tonight…

Once again Lake Wanaka’s resorts will stage many national and international events this winter.

The FIS Snowboard and Freestyle Junior World Championships (19-31 August), Burton New Zealand Open (10-14 August) and The World Heli Challenge (30 July-9 August) will attract world class athletes and provide stunning action for spectators.

And to end on a lighter note, have you heard this one?

Two Skiers were on their way out on piste, one said, “Where did you get your new skis?”
The second skier replied, “Well, I was skiing along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman came up on these skis. She unclipped them from her bindings and threw them to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, “Take what you want.”
The second skier nodded approvingly, “Good choice; the clothes probably wouldn’t have fit…”

There are other things you can do besides watching football in South Africa !!! It is quite possible that you are now becoming slightly weary of it all, isn’t it? Certainly weary of the dreaded trademark trumpet, the Vuvuzela!

If you’re looking for an escape and some peace and quiet I have the answer. Rock climbing. Almost wherever you are in this beautiful country you will find somewhere to climb. Just take a look at this map:

From South Africa Rock Climbing Routes Wiki

There’s a wealth of stuff out there.

Oudtshoorn crags are limestone with hanging stalactites and tufas. The Cederberg is compact sandstone with ledges that offer solid gear placements. There is great sport climbing in Montagu, a small Klein Karoo town, where it is almost always dry, and there are loads and loads of bolted routes (about 400) of all grades. Waterval Boven is probably the most developed sport climbing area in the county with about 600 routes in a most beautiful setting. In the Free State, Mt Everest and Swinburne offer sport and trad climbing and awesome bouldering. The famous Wave Cave at Shongweni is just outside of Durban and has hard overhanging sport routes. You can do seaside cliff climbing at Morgan Bay. There is world class bouldering at Rocklands  in the Cederberg, remote multi-pitch trad climbing at Magaliesberg and the Drakensberg Mountains.

Need I go on?

And the beauty of climbing in this country is that you can be sure there wont be enormous crowds of climbers everywhere…

Since I’ve begun a series on bouldering I shall investigate what South Africa has to offer in this field.

We’ll start at Rocklands and thank Chuck Fryburger (Dhaulagiri247) for the great video:

First thing you need to know is that daily permits are required to go anywhere at Rocklands as it is a World Heritage site with a very fragile eco-system.

Rocklands was first established in 1997 and development still continues – so successfully I might add that there are in excess of 1,500 problems here. In 2005 Klem Loskot and friends opened up a whole series of problems. The ‘Champagne area’ was discovered in 2008 by Nalle Hakkataival and established in 2009 with Chuck Fryberger. Also in 2009 new areas included ‘De Hagen aka The South African area’ established by Guy Holwill,  ‘Lorraine’ and ‘Ernies’ established by Walker Emerson, Jesse Brown, Simon Fitting, Collin Horvat and Anthony Chertudi as well as ‘Hoeksonderkoffie’ established by Scott Noy.

In just a few years Rocklands bouldering has achieved world class status and every year top international boulderers visit or revisit this bouldering mecca. The huge choice of developed problems are quite enough to unravel any football frustation. It offers the quantity, quality and variation of bouldering that will suit any style or grade.

When asked what his favourite bouldering problem was at Rocklands, Scott Noy said “Very hard to say but Maniac 7B at Fields of Joy has everything a good line should have”.

There is currently no guidebook for climbing at Rocklands so it’s quite hard to find your way around and a lot of the climbs you will never hear of except by word of mouth. However, Noy is currently working on a book which he hopes will communicate the history and culture of Rocklands and provide information on codes of conduct and access as well as showing you how and where to find the wealth of problems.

The Red Hill mountains overlooking False Bay is another much loved bouldering area and easily accessible to all Capetonians.

Some of the problems to be found here are Panic Room 7C+ and Pandemonium – an 8A with possibly the best problem of the grade in the entire country. Elfen Lied another 8A, and Tears of a Rapper 7C+, Flaming Pig 7C, and Chaos 8A.  Storefront Cemetery 8A, No Room for Authority, a burly one move 7C.  A hanging prow called The Pursuit of Happiness is there. It took climber, Marijus Šmigelskis, about a week’s worth of effort over two months to unlock the complex 13 move compression sequence on this climb and he reckons the problem’s difficulty lies somewhere between Black Shadow and The Vice, both classic 8B’s Rocklands of a similar style. High Maintenance, Flaming Pig, and  Queen of the West are all 7C’s.

That’s enough on Redhill. How’s about Topside’s Echo Valley?

The signature problem here is called Captain Graffiti 8A. It received it’s fastest ascent to date when Benjamin de Charmoy sent the line on just his second session in two months! This marks the 4th ascent of the problem and Benj rates it his hardest send yet despite the grade.

The popular Ponder 7B is also here. It received it’s first female ascent in February this year.The climber was Julia Chen . She fell off the final move on her first session working the line, but climbed it easily after a rest day and a few more tries.  Low Flow and Two Stroke both 7A’s are here.  Powerlines is a 7B. This classic roof test piece has spat off many dedicated male boulderers and is widely regarded as a sandbag for the grade, making Julia’s first female ascent of this problem too all the more noteworthy.

If you’re only visiting South Africa, I think I’ve given you enough to think about even though I haven’t even touched on the awesome bouldering in the Free State for example. If you live there, well then… perhaps you’d like to feed me with some more climbing information?! Might I be cheeky and say thank you in advance?

Whilst we sit here in our salubrious surroundings, 154 people (125 men and 35 women) have already completed registration and have been been taken to Camp 1 at Gaoyachun village for the official start tomorrow.

A quick reminder about this RacingThePlanet ultra-marathon:

• The Gobi March (China) is part of the 4 Deserts series.
• The Turpan Basin, where the Gobi March (China) 2010 takes place, is China’s lowest point of land on earth (and the second lowest in the world, first is the Dead Sea) , the hottest place in China and the most distant point from an ocean in the world.
• Temperatures for the Gobi March (China) can vary greatly – in 2010 average temperatures will be about 10°C / 50°F on the early part of the course and 35-40°C / 95-104°F on the later stages. It could rise to 50°C.
• The terrain will be a mixture of dry rocky river-beds, dusty tracks and sand dunes – roughly 20% of competitors will run the entire course, 60% combine running with walking, and 20% will walk the entire course.
• The fastest completion time is expected to around 25 hours and the slowest around 80 hours.
• The average backpack will weigh 8-9 kilograms / 20 pounds.
• Thirty (30) countries are being represented in the Gobi March (China) 2010 with approximately 1/3 from North America, 1/3 from Asia and 1/3 from Europe. Some countries represented include Afghanistan, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Bangladesh, China, France, Hong Kong, India and the State of Alaska in the United States.
• The average age of the competitors for the Gobi March (China) 2010 is 39.
• The youngest competitors in the Gobi March (China) 2010 are Emma Fergusson from United Kingdom and Shuhan He from the United States. Both are 22 years of age.
• The oldest competitor is 61 year-old Kumi Murakami who is a swimming instructor from Japan.Approximately 20% of the competitors are women and 80% men.
• Competitors will be required to pass through up to 30 checkpoints throughout the seven-day event.
• A full medical team will be working at the race. In addition to treating competitors, the medical team will also be conducting medical research on blister prevention.
• During the Gobi March (China) 2010, competitors, volunteers and staff will consume more than 16,000 liters of water over the seven days of the event. Coca Cola will be providing the water for the event.More than forty (40) charities will be supported through the Gobi March (China) 2010.

This is one serious ultra-marathon. It has again been named by TIME magazine in 2010 as the #1 footrace in the world, and as one of the world’s top 10 endurance events.

Stan Lee, a 50 year dentist from Canada, is not content with doing just one of these formidable ultra-marathons, but plans to become the first person ever to do all 5 in just one year. RacingThePlanet have 4 classics each year and one roving marathon – this year it was in Western Australia.

When Lee was nearing his fiftieth birthday, he came up with the idea to attempt all five races. “I woke up one morning thinking that I wanted to do something significant in my life, so I decided to kick it up a notch. I turned 50 about six months ago and thought that doing five races would be appropriate. Running is like a drug and you always want to do more.”

Unfortunately Lee contracted a particularly vicious dose of bronchitis on the last day of the Western Australia event which took 7 weeks, 4 doctors and 2 courses of antibiotics. “I was off running for seven weeks so this is somewhat of a crash course. But I think I should be ready.  I am pretty confident I can do well despite the lack of training,” he said.

Australian Peter Jong, 33, is also going to give it a go… After deciding that he was going to join the 4 Deserts Club, Jong got talking to a representative of RacingThePlanet who had told him that no one had ever completed all five races in a single year.

That was all the incentive the Aussie needed.

“Naturally, if I was going to complete the 4 Deserts Grand Slam, then why not do the roving race as well, especially when it was being held in Australia?” says Jong. “In my mind, it was inevitable that I would compete in all five races in 2010.”

We have talked before about the comradeship that you find in events like this. Sure it’s nice to be first over the finish line, but these ultra-marathons are about a whole lot more than that. And the people who are with you on the trail, the friendships that are made, the hardships that are endured together, the desire they all have to cross the finish line, makes these events into something a lot more than a race you want to win.

Lee and Jong first met during the Atacama Crossing 2010 and hit it off immediately. While there were other competitors who had intended to complete all five races in a single calendar year, only these two have so far managed to stay on track. During the race, the pair ran the final 30 km of The Long March together, motivating one another to keep strong and finish.

Explains Jong: “I first met Stan halfway into The Long March in Atatcama. I was hungry and he had a packet of dried mango. How can you not be friends with a guy that offers you noodles and dried mango? At first, there probably was some competitiveness between us, but as time goes on, we’ve become good friends. Where we place and our times are second to helping a friend cross the line.”

The very best of luck to the pair of them and to everyone else who will be sitting in camp right wondering how the next few days are going to go…

It’s interesting to meet some of the volunteers: