Ty Stevens

In the words of Todd Branham, Swank 65 race director ”it’s the most laid back, serious MTB race in the Southeast”. Well, I guess so, if you consider 40 miles of gnarly downhills, fast twisty single track, long steep climbs and sheer rock drops, all within the backdrop of epically scenic Pisgah National Forest, a fun way to spend a day. I sure did.

Todd founded Blue Ridge Adventures in 1998 as a bicycle guide and race promotion company. His company now comprises of 3 premiere and highly respected mountain bike races in Western North Carolina. As well, his company represents the Carolina Youth Mountain Bike League, or CYMBL, a series of low cost races for kids held throughout the Summer. Each event is coupled with an educational clinic to teach kids about nutrition, trail etiquette, bike maintenance, and stretching.

Swank 65, considered by its participants to be a truly authentic mountain bike race experience, has been bringing riders to tears and to Western North Carolina for 13 years. This race dishes up some of the best and most iconic riding Pisgah has to offer. Riders can expect mixed terrain single track sections, multiple creek crossings, lengthy fire road climbs and unpredictable downhills – some technical, some sudden with rock gardens and ledges, some flowy and FAST. It’s not uncommon to expect a good deal of hike and bike at certain times through the race. And you will get dirty.

“The key to being successful at Swank is the ability to flow” says Todd, “the course is designed to flow, if you’re not flowing, you’re not having a good day out there”.

Whether you are flowing or not, it’s you against the elements in effort to pedal your way through and earn a spot amidst the Pisgah mountain biking gods and godesses, so to speak. In the end, the reward; cold brew, fresh off the grill burgers, some of the most beautiful scenery in all of Western North Carolina.. and of course, serious bragging rights. I’d consider Swank, or any of Blue Ridge Adventure’s hair raising mountain bike races, a right of passage of sorts.
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The first annual Winter Teva® Mountain Games presented by Eddie Bauer (WTMG) will award $60,000 in cash prizes to the top pro and amateurs competing in a dozen human-powered adventure sport competitions. This on-snow version of the decade-old summer Teva Mountain Games will be held February 10 – 12, 2012, in Vail, Colorado.

“In partnership with Teva, Eddie Bauer and Vail, we’ve built upon the success and great reputation of the summer Teva Mountain Games with a complimentary event that celebrates winter adventure sports, music and the mountain lifestyle,” says Mike Imhof of the Vail Valley Foundation, organizers of the event.

On-snow bike events include the Teva Dual Slalom Bike, Teva On-Snow Bike Crit and on Saturday evening, the Teva Best Trick presented by Thule, boasting a $10,000 prize purse. In this unique event, freeride mountain bikers huck themselves off a massive snow feature, scoring points for big air, trick difficulty and distinctive style. Making this a dual-action event, the Teva Best Trick Bike competition will be run simultaneously with the Thule Telemark Big Air presented by Chipotle at Golden Peak.

The Eddie Bauer Ski Mountaineering (skimo) competition, an extreme uphill and downhill tour of Vail Mountain, boasts a $5,000 prize purse, the largest ever presented at a U.S. Ski Mountaineering Association-sanctioned race. “Keeping in line with Vail’s reputation as a world-renowned ski destination, we designed a challenging course with the kind of distance, vertical, ski terrain and prize money that rival the prestigious European skimo races,” says Pete Swenson, director of the U.S. Ski Mountaineering Association and Specialist for the Mountain Games. Continue Reading

On Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011, Montrail athlete Dakota Jones set a new record for the Grand Canyon Rim to Rim to Rim run, also known as the Double Crossing. Jones ran from the South Rim to the North Rim to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on the North and South Kaibab Trails in 6 hours, 53 minutes and 38 seconds, breaking the old record by six minutes. This was the second time Jones completed the 42.5-mile run with 10,500 vertical feet of climbing – he first ran it two years ago in 8 hours and 40 minutes.

For more about Dakota, check out his blog.

We have been juggling the idea of a team ranking for a few years and have finally decided to pull the trigger. Our panel has based our inaugural rankings based on an informed opinion of team’s performances at key races in the US (and a few international ones where relevant). This will be a monthly addition to the site so race hard and perhaps you will see your team’s name on the list (if not already) moving forward.

AR Power Rankings:

1. Tecnu Extreme/Staphaseptic—Strong showing at both CPT and USARA Championships (2nd at both), winners at Gold Rush, 12th at the AR World Championships in Tasmania (top North American team there), strong showing at APEX Switzerland race, 6th at RTNX — Kyle Peter is poised to be the first big AR star of a new generation of athletes, in our humble opinion
2. Dart-Nuun-SportMulti—1st American team at APEX in the Swiss Alps, 3rd overall at Gold Rush and 3d overall at RTNX — Tecnu beat them head-to-head at Gold Rush in Sept and that’s good enough for us to place them under Tecnu
3. Wedali—Won the CPT Nationals race, 3rd at USARA Nats (behind hybrid of Tecnu/SOG teams); 9th at RTNX; overall body of work for 2011 too impressive to bump them out of our top 3
4. Team Bones—3rd at Expedition Idaho (1st American team), 16th at the AR World Championships (2nd American team) has them in our 4th spot. They rarely race the shorter events, but for the big epic races you can count on Team Bones powering through the course
5. GearJunkie/YogaSlackers—Despite a 6th place finish at CPT, they took 2nd at Gold Rush, 4th at Exped Idaho (2nd American team), and 5th at RTNX (2nd American team). Perhaps the best performance by this team was their 2nd place finish this year at what may be the hardest race on the planet, the Wenger Patagonian Expedition Race. The longer and tougher the race, the more money I’d put on these guys. I have no problem slotting them in at #5.
6. Team SOG—They won USARA Nationals and took 2nd (on a hybrid team) at CPT Nationals — so maybe they should be ranked higher, but their inconsistency in race personnel made us uncomfortable placing them above this 5th spot. Their 6th place finishing Expedition Idaho team, for example, was vastly different than their USARA Nationals team. Still, 6th place on this list is pretty darn good!
7. Odyssey Adventure Racing/ ImONPoint.org—They won the USARA Nationals Masters division (finished 4th overall) and took 3rd at CPT Nationals. No expedition race results of note for this bunch in 2011 (although Mark Lattanzi has had a great race at the World Championships in Tasmania on the “Dancing Pandas” team) Continue Reading

By Cyril Jay-Rayon

After completing an expedition length adventure race, you find yourself reliving parts of the race for weeks following such an intense experience. The journey you go through is so profound that memories percolate at random times after returning to normal life. You might be engaged in such a mundane activity as grocery shopping when a vivid memory pops into your mind. Sometimes you don’t know why the memory surfaces while other times you see the connection. The simple sight of an eggplant might trigger the memory of the purple bruise on your teammate’s leg after an unwelcome crash or the hallucination you had one night that eggplants were hanging from trees (I’ve had stranger hallucinations). The vivid memories that inhabit your mind bring back all sorts of emotions and feelings you experienced during the race. Joy, awe, satisfaction, exhilaration, camaraderie, disappointment, frustration, and pain are only some of the sensations that weave themselves into a tapestry of emotional ebbs and flows. During these long races on little sleep, it is not uncommon to experience emotional extremes in a matter of just a few hours.

The Gold Rush Mother Lode World Championship Qualifier was no exception in the sense that it brought about strong emotions. What was different though, for me, is that after the first day, only three emotions permeated my world and these were at the less enjoyable end of the spectrum, misery, frustration, and disappointment. I felt miserable because halfway through the race, I could no longer take full breaths, my throat was on fire, and coughing sent pain throughout my weakened body. I felt frustrated because my mind was still clear but my body produced no power, and I felt disappointment because I ruined my team’s chances of winning the race after leading it early on.
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Team “HT-18” from Helicopter Training Squadron EIGHTEEN (HT-18), from Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Milton, Fla., were named the 2011 All-Military Wilderness Challenge champions, October 8, with a winning overall time of 7:30:47. Team “Motor City Racing” from Coast Guard Medical Clinic in Detroit, Mich., came in second with a time of 7:34:08 and Team “Paradoxical Trinity” from Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., was third with a time of 7:40:17.

The challenge was sponsored by Mid-Atlantic Region, Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) Department, Naval Weapons Station (WPNSTA) Yorktown and ACE Adventure Resort, West Virginia’s largest outdoor outfitter. More than 100 military personnel representing all five branches of the armed forces competed in a series of five outdoor adventure races over two days in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains and on the New and the Gauley Rivers in West Virginia.

“We wanted to finish first,” said Cmdr. John Quillinan, U.S. Navy, HT-18 Team Captain. “At the end of the first day we were up by three minutes, so we started thinking we can do this. On day two, we pushed ourselves hard to get to the finish.”

Teams participating in the Wilderness Challenge competed in an 8K mountain run, a 10-mile mountain bike race, a 15-mile forced hike through the mountains, a 14-mile whitewater raft race on the Gauley River and a 7-mile kayak race on the New River…more than 50 miles covered in two days.
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By John Reed

From International Adventure racers to some of the province’s top senior athletes, the City of Trail is the ultimate host.

Located on the banks of the mighty Columbia River with a history rich in exploration, mining and sport, Trail, British Columbia, in the heart of BC’s West Kootenay region is commanding attention.

Recent host of this summers’ Raid the North Extreme 2011, a six day, 500km adventure race that is part of the Adventure Race World series, and co-host of the BC Senior’s Games, which brought 1000’s of competitors and their families into the region, Trail excels in hosting National level sporting events and, in producing world class athletes.

Former NHL players and Stanley Cup winners Dallas Drake of the Detroit Red Wings, and Adam Deadmarsh of the Colorado Avalanche, along with New York Mets outfielder Jason Bay and sister Lauren (former Canadian National Softball team member, and current pitcher with National Pro softball team – the Philadelphia Force), are just a few of the sporting greats of note who have deep roots in the Greater Trail area.

The city’s tagline “Explore your Trail” is very fitting given the backdoor access to walking and hiking trails found throughout the area. Everything from riverfront Gyro Park, to access to more than 135km of beginner to expert trails keep locals and visitors outside, fit and active. And for those who really like to test their mettle, check out the internationally acclaimed, “Seven Summits” ridgeline mountain bike trail for 32km of some of the best single track riding found anywhere, in nearby Rossland.

So whether you’re thinking about your next holiday, planning a major sporting event or training for the next big race, Trail’s back door access to wilderness and riverfront is not to be missed.

For more information on this great destination contact the Trail Chamber of Commerce at (250) 368 3144
or the City of Trail Parks and Recreation at (250) 368 6484.

Photo Credits:
• Trail at Night-City of Trail (Larry Doell)
• Gyro Park-City of Trail (Brian Findlow)

By Paul Cox

The first annual Kawnivore lived up to its billing

Those of us who rush to paddle our local rivers after work and every other chance we get do so, I’m guessing, because we enjoy the rhythm of the paddling motion. The sensation of propelling yourself through the water as quickly as you can by channeling your effort in the most efficient manner is energizing. The sound of the paddle jabbing the water, the blade slicing toward and away from you as you rotate in the seat and pull, and the clean swishing sound the water makes as it slides off your paddle as you lift is joy. Repeat. Repeat. It’s a good feeling … but, unfortunately, there would be very little of that during the first annual Kawnivore paddle race July 22-23. At least there wouldn’t be much of that in succession.

The temperature in Manhattan, KS, according to the digital sign at a local bank, hit 105 degrees a few hours before the start of the race. God knows what the heat index was. I was too scared to find out. Even though we’d race through the night, I knew there would be enough time for the heat to melt my will to paddle in the incredibly shallow water of the Kaw River.

Because the Missouri River has been at flood stage for so long, the faucets essentially had been turned off in those rivers that feed it. The Kaw River (the Native American name for the West-to-East ribbon of water that now is named the Kansas River) dumps into the Missouri, so paddlers knew this race would be no float trip. We were going to have to earn every one of the 94 miles.

Still, more than 124 boats had registered for the race. Paddlers lined up for the start in the Blue River maybe 100 meters from its confluence with the Kaw in Manhattan. The race would end in Lawrence, KS. The multi-person and solo female boats began at 5:30 p.m. The solo males — my group — took to the line at 5:45 p.m. and sat in our boats waiting for the 6 p.m. start. I figured those in my group would burst off the line in an all-out sprint to catch a ride on the wake offered by the fast tandems that had a 30-minute head start. I prepared to suffer. Then, as nervous energy built, I began tightening and tinkering around with my rigging, lighting, GPS, etc. Bad idea. The start was just a few minutes away when I snapped my bow light clean off! Good Lord!! I couldn’t possibly miss the start! I paddled my kayak to the shore where, thanks to the generosity of another racer who happened to be stowing a full roll of duct tape in his cockpit, I was able to tape down my light just good enough so it didn’t drag in the water. Good for now, I thought.
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By Grant Killian

So I didn’t scare you away with this previous piece and you’ve now got a big race on your calendar. It’s time to get serious about your preparations.

I’m going to use the Untamed New England Adventure Race as the model in this material, but really most any good adventure race would suffice as a goal. I’m fond of saying that if you’re not at least a little bit scared at the starting line, you need to find a different race . . . so be sure to have an event in your sights that’s a challenge.

Untamed New England features trail running/trekking, mountain biking, paddling, ropes, orienteering, packrafting, and whitewater rafting. It makes sense to tackle each of these disciplines, but I also want to touch on safety, nutrition, packing, sleep strategy, and all the other facets to expedition adventure racing. In the months to come, I will target specific steps you could take to prepare in each of these areas, and throw in some other training thoughts along the way. I’ll try to cover as much as I can!

I will assume you’re reasonably fit; by this, I mean you could go run a 1/2 marathon this weekend without injuring yourself or needing to walk — your pace isn’t a concern as much as your overall fitness level and ability to exercise continuously for at least a couple hours. I presume you’ve got a good base of endurance and aren’t a couch potato. If this sounds like an unreasonable assumption for you, you should consider volunteering at the Untamed New England race to see first-hand what’s involved. Gradually build up your exercise level over the next year or so until that 1/2 marathon threshhold is a comfortable distance.

With that lone assumption out there, let’s look at specific steps you could take this November to better prepare for the Untamed New England race next June. I’ve organized tasks into 3 groups: 1 is Non-physical, one is Physical, and a third section I’m calling the “Untamed Aspect” where I go into detail on some really Untamed New England specific material.
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The Untamed New England Adventure Race has opened registration for their June 2012 edition; the race website has been updated with the relevant details, but let’s run down some highlights:

1) It’s a 4-day race, one day longer than previous versions (for some background on this decision, read Breathe Magazine’s write-up on a conversation with race leadership)

2) It’s based from Northern Outdoors at The Forks, Maine — the same venue that worked with Eco-Challenge 16 years ago when it was run in Maine as part of the X-Games.  This is the only locale to ever host an Eco-Challenge East of the Mississippi, so it’s a special kind of place.

3) Race disciplines will have the usual mountain biking, paddling, trekking and for this year pack-rafting has been included, along with whitewater rafting.  Back-country navigation is a signature element of Untamed New England, and this year will be no different.  Expect lots of strategic route choices.  The rope(s) sections advertise rappelling, ascending, and a tyrolean traverse.

4) The race is once again a Qualifier for the AR World Championships; in 2012 this will be in the French Alps in late September, so teams looking to compete on the highest of international levels have this race to circle on their calendar.

The ExploreCompeteLive website is going to start running a regular segment on preparing for the Untamed New England, targeting teams newer to multi-day racing.  A good place to start is on the UntamedNE.com website, with a piece titled “So you’re thinking about Untamed New England…”.

The Untamed race slogan is “more an adventure than a race” and participants need to be ready for what Untamed New England can throw at them . . . that means serious wilderness, with real navigation, and handling the consequences of your race decisions . . . our goal is to help you arrive at the starting line as prepared as possible.  But you’ll never be prepared enough.

Finally, here’s a nice video clip Breathe Magazine did on the Untamed New England.  Let’s get pumped for those Fall races and workouts — and start thinking about June 2012!

It was mid-summer, 4:30am in the Green Mountains of Central Vermont. Prime adventure race time. This was GMARA‘s summer event, the 12-hour MVP Health Care Bitter Pill adventure race.

The captains meeting took place in the dark, and teams got about 10 minutes to look at their maps before a 5am start. Teams took off on foot, trekking to 6 points in any order — some beautiful sunrise vistas, a huge field of wild blueberries, and then teams returned to the start to pick up their bikes for some fun logging roads and hike-a-bike out to a reservoir. There teams trekked and swam to pick up four points. Comments from the local fishermen seeing teams of three swimming the reservoir towing drybagged backpacks were priceless!

More biking, followed by some bushwhack to a surprise mountain climb, and teams enjoyed one truly incredible view over Lake Dunmore. Another swim/trek leg, this time around Vermont’s Silver Lake, and then teams completed more mountain biking to the finish.

In the words of race director Tim Curtin, “At the end of the day, team Untamed New England was unstoppable, turning an early lead into a course-crushing 9 hours 56 minutes – finishing an hour and a half faster than the next team.” GMARA president, Chris Yager, observed how the Untamed New England team were “Consummate professionals and great ambassadors of the sport. We loved having them on the course.”

The Untamed New England race team consisted of Dave Lamb, Molly Housman, and Dave Romilly. In winning the race, they earned a place at the USARA National Championship race later this year. Continue Reading

A portion of the tagline for Atmosphere Raid the North Extreme (RTNX) reads “Real Wilderness.” After more than three days of racing the RTNX unmarked course in BC’s West Kootenay, participating teams have no doubt that they are being tested in some of the most ‘real wilderness’ imaginable. And they have to be prepared for it physically and mentally.

Challenging weather earlier in the week took its toll on some racers, leaving teams to deal with ill and injured teammates. In these cases, teams have to decide whether to rest and hope time heals; call for help, take care of the injured teammate and continue on as a smaller team; or, return to the last major transition area and withdraw from the race.

By Wednesday morning, four teams had faced setbacks that left them at TA3 at the end of the first paddle on standby to complete a shortened version of the course: Adrenaline Rush, Blue, HTFU/Sunovion, Nord Vrai, Suburban Rush. Cranksports Team Currahee, the last on the paddle, arrived at TA3 mid-morning, greeted by staff and Shaw TV and were able to proceed onto the shortened course in the afternoon. Though HFTU/Sunovion set off on the short course, they returned later that night to TA3 due to one team member being ill.

Custom Cellular had made it into the high alpine of Valhalla Park and were in second place when cold, wet weather, including ice pellets, exacerbated a previously existing medical condition in one team member, so they elected to return to TA3. The team arrived early morning visibly disappointed but safe. Pentahlondesneiges.com elected to move forward as a team of three from TA3 after some irreconcilable differences with a teammate. SOG was at CP8 Ice Creek Lodge when one of their members elected to withdraw from the race. The team moved forward as a team of three. Dancing Pandas, after 20+ hours in Valhalla Park, elected to return to TA3 and take on a shortened course so that they would be able to experiemce as much of the course as possible rather than risk missing a cutoff while in the Park. The Pandas rested at TA3 for a few hours and set off again at midnight. Climb4SMA (Torti) was at the base of the trail up into Valhalla when one of their team members fell ill and they elected to return to TA3.

The remainder of the field is working their way through Valhalla Park and into the rest of the course. There are incremental cutoffs in place at various CPs to expedite the flow through the course as the finish line cutoff creeps closer. This allows teams to continue to move through the course, experience its challenges, and make their way to the finish line unassisted.

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Mother Nature added an extra layer of complexity to the Atmosphere Raid the North Extreme day two challenges as racers worked their way through the Slocan Valley and into Valhalla Park. The weather fluctuated between brilliant blue skies and epic proportion downpours throughout the day and well into the night.

Current race leaders, Team WildernessTraverse.com are living up to their reputation as a team to watch during this RTNX event as they have a commanding lead over the next ranked team. Team WildernessTraverse.com were seen in Kootenay Lake paddling and testing out the demo canoes after Kaslo’s Welcome Dinner. WildernessTraverse.com were through the third transition and into canoes very early on Monday. Chasing after them are Team Custom Cellular and Team GearJunkies.com/Yogaslackers.

Meanwhile the remaining teams continued to work their way to the transition area at Retallac over the course of the day. A few gear, navigational and medical issues affected some of the teams, which caused several delays in the estimated arrival time for many. Some teams came into Retallac with a quick turnaround strategy; as the day wore on and the longer teams were out on course, the more transition time they would elect to take. Event medical staff kept busy attending to blisters, scrapes and bruises from the trekking section. The overgrowth of aggressive plants like Devil’s Club and Alder are making the treks very arduous in some places. Foot care is of the utmost importance during events of this intensity and these are early times as yet.

Local team Kootenay Kaos arrived at the paddle transition in Silverton after 9pm, in the dark, in the midst of almost monsoon rains, and to the supportive cheers of friends and family. They would have spent 5hrs on mountain bikes riding in less than ideal conditions and were preparing to trade their bikes for canoes to paddle 20km down Slocan Lake to the next transition. As they changed clothes, fueled and got organized for the paddle, more teams continued to arrive by headlamp in the dark, damp night. Despite the challenging conditions, teams’ spirits were amazingly high with anticipation of the paddle and subsequent stages that lay ahead.

As weather conditions deteriorated throughout the night, more and more teams were suffering from the side effects and were spreading more thinly throughout the course. A few teams lost racing companions due to injury so substitutes were made (or in some cases not) to enable teams to go on and complete the course as uncategorized or unranked. Some injured or sick racers elected to press on, with the commitment of first aid check-ins at each possible checkpoint and transition area.

At the Silverton transition, some teams opted to wait out the weather and get some rest before moving forward. Other teams were gone within 30 minutes.

The next series of challenges arise in the much-anticipated Valhalla Park area where racers will be visiting heli-accessible Ice Creek Lodge high in the alpine. And snow.

A year’s worth of training and preparation were put to the test today for 120 athletes from around the world as Atmosphere Raid the North Extreme (RTNX) kicked off at 10 am in Meadow Creek, BC. Blue skies and sunshine smiled down on the prominent start line arch as racers cycled though.

The introduction to RTNX was a lengthy, challenging mountain bike stage on a forest service road that gained 1000m of elevation over 15km. This seemingly short distance was taking some teams as long as 4hrs to complete due to the elevation gain. Such a challenge early in the race saw racers employing teamwork tactics to conserve energy. Stronger climbers towed weaker climbers, stronger riders pushed their teammates, and fatigued racers pushed their bikes up the steep inclines. With a 500km unmarked course to cover, racers will employ a variety of strategies like these to ensure each team member has the fitness to tackle the rugged terrain ahead.

A big factor in teams’ success yesterday was proper management of hydration and exposure to the sun. With temperatures climbing to normal summer highs and teams climbing to higher and higher elevation, heat from the sun became quite oppressive at elevation. One racer was overheard saying that it was “nice, beautiful weather for suffering!”

The first transition stage was located at Retallack Lodge, a cat-ski lodge located in the area of a former 19th century mining town. RTNX Base Camp relocated to the Lodge and awaited the first team’s arrival. Retallack provided very comfortable and welcoming accommodations for race staff and crew as they supported racers coming through the transition area. The first team arrived into Retallack at a little before 1am. Team WildernessTraverse.com spent approximately 30 minutes refueling, changing clothes and donning equipment to transition to a mountain bike stage in which they would eventually make their way, sometimes through snow pack, to the top of Idaho Peak, which is renowned for its vistas. From the top of Idaho Peak, racers will ride the historic Wakefield Trail, which zigzags its way down from the peak with extreme exposure, which can be an intimidating factor for some.

Teams will eventually make their way to the second transition area for a 20km paddle south on Slocan Lake from Silverton to Slocan City.

Team Nord Vrai is currently in Nelson, BC getting ready to start the check-in process for this year’s Raid the North Extreme. This team consists of 3 Coloradians and one New Yorker. This will be the first time this team combination will race together.

Who are the team players for this year’s RTNX?

Chrissy “The Greek Freak” Nacos
Age: 36
Biggest asset to the team: Chrissy greatest asset is her Greek determination. As a chemical engineer, let’s just say she is the “organized one of the bunch. This special skill is highlighted in everything from her final preparation including labels to her meticulous training schedule down to the minute. As a single parent with a full time job, we all know how challenging it is finding enough time to train. Yet she still crushes her team mates.

Lisa “Bone Crusher” Lieb
Age: 41
Biggest asset to the team: Bringing “Foxy Roxy – the Trek Top Fuel 99” – one hot Mountain Biking chick that can hammer. She is a professional mountain biking guide from Colorado who gets to ride incredible terrain on a daily basis. As an ex – Xterra Athlete, she has the ability to downhill while texting multiple people. Her experience base will come in handy as she is towing her boys up the mountains. Lisa has been known to practice crashes just to prepare for a race to toughen her up, thus the reason they call her the “bone crusher.”

Scott “The Mule” Cary
Age: 37
Biggest asset to the team: Lead navigator. He has spent time with local animal trackers, Indian spirit guides and other non orthodox ways of making sure we can successfully navigate the local landscape by all means possible. Scott has been known to find secret passage ways and short cuts just by tasting the land. Recent reports out of Colorado has confirm another sitting of Sasquatch, however we know it was just Scott in the back country. Although he tells us he has trimmed so he does not scare the local kids. Scott “the Mule” is known for carrying large loads and eating everything in sight, but don’t call him an a$$.

Keith “Krash” Ash Continue Reading

Anticipation continues to build for the 120 exceptionally fit and skilled adventurers who have signed up for the 2011 edition of Atmosphere Raid the North Extreme (RTNX). After a comprehensive registration process, including skills tests, racers received the course maps on Friday night and were given 36 hours to research and plot their strategies.

Today was the second and final pre-race preparation day during which the racers, their gear, and the entire RTNX Base Camp were relocated approximately 1 hour north of Nelson to the beautiful, welcoming Village of Kaslo. Here racers had access to their bikes and gear boxes for the last few hours; received SPOT tracker radios, which organizers will use to track each team along the course via GPS (the live tracker map is accessible at the Live HQ for the race www.raidthenorthextreme.com); and attended a final course and safety briefing where they had their last opportunity to ask questions and clarify concerns.

Later in the day, Kaslo Mayor Greg Lay walked throughout the waterfront Base Camp location, greeted racers, spoke with the local team, Kootenay Kaos, and extended a warm welcome to racers during the racer briefing.

Atmosphere RTNX made closer connections with the Kaslo community last night by partnering in a fundraising dinner with parents of a local group of 5th graders from JV Humphries School. The fundraiser contributes to sending the children on a school trip to Fort Steel Pioneer Village, approximately 4hrs away, near Cranbrook BC. The pasta and salad buffet was entirely prepared and served by the children’s parents. Anyone interested in supporting the fundraiser efforts can email sinclairjsarah@gmail.com

With full bellies and a tight timeline Racers donned headlamps and huddled around their maps until well after dark as it was their last chance to transfer additional information onto their race maps. Quiet time hit close to 10:30 pm as this would be the last solid night of sleep teams will see for several nights.

Tomorrow morning racers are transferred to Meadow Creek for a 10 am start.

Checkpoint Zero/Tech4o heads into Raid the North Extreme as the points leader in the Checkpoint Tracker Adventure Racing Series with the National Championship just a few months away.

Who are the team players for this year’s RTNX?

Michele Hobson, 42, Tough as nails competitor willing to drag the team to the finish line if necessary. Good with a bo staff.
Paul Humphreys, 37, Strong on foot, great team motivator, and ropes expert. Token kiwi of the team. Nunchuck expert.
Peter Jolles, 35, Lead navigation, strong mountain biking, and computer hacking skills.
Chris Brown, 37, Expert mountain biking skills, top notch navigation skills and long race experience. Can dance like nobody’s business.

What is your team doing to prepare for the big race?
Peter Jolles:

Most of our training has been as individuals as we all have different schedules and live fairly far apart. Most recently we used the two day Endorphin Fix as a training race. We learned a few key things there that we hope will help us in RTNX.

In a longer race you’ll surely need to catch a bit of sleep; can you talk about your sleep strategy?
Peter Jolles:

This race will be slightly difference from the other long races I’ve done, so I’m not really sure how we plan to address sleep. In past races we’ve pushed hard until we can’t go any further, and then take a bit of rest. That works in 2-3 day races, but in a longer race we’ll need more. I’m hoping that 2-3 hours a day will be enough to keep us sharp, but not slow us down too much.

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WEDALI, the 2010 winner of the USARA National Championship is on the ground in British Columbia and prepping for the start of tomorrow’s Raid the North Extreme. Justin Bakken sent his answers that he typed via his iPhone while traveling yesterday.

Who are the team players for this year’s RTNX?

Scott “Erl” Erlandson, 42
Team sweeper. Keeps everyone together. Stays awake to drive us home safely.

Fredrik Goransson, 35
Woods walker. Speaks in Swedish to the wildlife. Carries food in beard to “save it for later.”

Rachel Furman, 28
Whipper snapper. Bushwhacker. TA fire cracker.

Justin “Biz” Bakken, 31
Moonlit walks on the beach with map and compass. Can time travel.

What is your team doing to prepare for the big race?

We put on a Sprint AR two weeks ago to limit our training as much as possible. We did a lot of armchair AR involving watching RTNX DVDs, visualizing, and harnessing the power of hope. A little trekking, biking, and paddling to spice things up. We’ll be sitting in a car for three days to taper as well.

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The picturesque city of Nelson today played host to more than 120 racers from North America and beyond as they completed a detailed registration process and attended the Opening Ceremonies for the 2011 edition of Atmosphere Raid the North Extreme (RTNX).

Atmosphere RTNX, Canada’s premiere expedition-style adventure race takes place from July 23 to 31, 2011 in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia. Four-person co-ed teams will face extreme challenges including a rugged wilderness, team dynamics, sleep deprivation and gear failure as they bike, trek, paddle and use ropes to navigate more than 500km of unmarked terrain through the Selkirk, Purcell and Monashee mountains over six non-stop days.

The inherent risk in a race of this nature means teams must bring a high level of skill and endurance to the start line. Atmosphere RTNX designed a comprehensive mandatory registration process-including navigation and rope skills testing, bike and first aid gear checks, medical and insurance paperwork, and more-to ensure that racers have what it takes to safely challenge the course.

“A number of teams were exempt from some of the mandatory skills tests today,” said Race Director Geoff Langford, “which really speaks to the caliber of competitors attending this race. It’s going to be an exciting week!”

Following registration, teams gathered together for the Opening Ceremonies, which included a welcome from Trail, BC (the finish line location) Mayor Dieter Bog, race staff introductions, and a mesmerizing Cirque de Soleil style demonstration of “acrobatic yoga for adventure racers” by members of Team GearJunkie/YogaSlackers.
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After winning the 2010 Checkpoint Tracker Adventure Racing Championship, Odyssey Adventure Racing/ImOnPoint.org is heading to British Columbia for Raid the North Extreme. They are currently in 2nd place with the 2011 Checkpoint Tracker rankings and 3rd with the USARA National Rankings.

Who are the team players for this year’s RTNX?

Charlie Roberts, age 37.
Biggest asset to the team: Charlie is an excellent navigator, an incredibly gifted athlete and is very strong in all the AR disciplines.

Sara Dallman, age 42.
Biggest asset to the team: Sara is a fast racer and she brings the most racing experience to the team. She has raced all over the world, and that will be a huge resource to draw on as the race progresses. She will also be the team “doctor” watching out for all of us – especially late in the race.

Jen Moos, age 28.
Biggest asset to the team: Jen is insanely fast, extremely motivated and always positive. Whether it is in a TA, on the bike, paddling or on foot she doesn’t stop.

Shane Hagerman, age 41.
Biggest asset to the team: I am the Captain. That means I should have a cool hat. Unfortunately, I don’t have a cool hat and even if I did they wouldn’t let me wear it.

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Joshua Tree National Park and the Friends of Joshua Tree release ‘Save the Date’ info for Climb Smart Festival, October 21-23

Joshua Tree National Park and nonprofit group Friends of Joshua Tree (FOJT) invite climbers of all skill levels and fans of Joshua Tree National Park to ‘Save the Date’ for the 2011 Climb Smart Festival, to be held October 21-23, 2011 in Joshua Tree, Calif. This year’s event celebrates the 75th anniversary of Joshua Tree National Park and kicks off the climbing season with fun, education, service and support for key services around the Park. Event registration available at www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=220907.

The 2011 Climb Smart festival, including climbing clinics, camping, park projects, multimedia and athlete presentations, vendor fair and more, is the perfect event for kicking off the climbing season, connecting with kindred spirits and giving back to the park. Presenting sponsors are Black Diamond, prAna, adidas Outdoor, Evolve Sports, Sterling Ropes, Joshua Tree National Park and Adventure 16.

Clinics for all abilities will be led by American Mountain Guide Association (AMGA) accredited guides from Wilderness Outings, Uprising and Vertical Adventures as well as top sponsored and legendary climbers of yore.

During the Climb Smart festival, climbers and park supporters will also have the opportunity to learn about and shape Park policy as the Park’s long term General Management Plan goes under review this year. Park policy toward climbing nationwide is heavily influenced by Joshua Tree, one of the world-renowned climbing destinations in the United States.

A one-time fee, $105 ($85 early bird), will give attendees an all-access pass to the weekend event’s festival, clinics, camping and fun at the new festival location, Joshua Tree Lake Campground. To register for Climb Smart 2011, register at www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=220907.
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Atmosphere Raid the North Extreme (ARTNX), Canada’s premiere expedition-style adventure race, is proud to announce a new media strategy that focuses on gaining maximum exposure for all stakeholders through a unique online experience that evolves in tandem with the race itself.

“Adventure racing is a dynamic and exciting sport and we have chosen to move away from our traditional media approach to develop a content-rich, in the moment, online experience including daily videos, blogs, social media feeds, and interactive message boards.” said Geoff Langford, Race Director for Atmosphere RTNX. “This bold new move allows us to share all of the race week excitement and drama with as many people as possible, as close to real time as possible.”

Atmosphere RTNX’s innovative media strategy will allow viewers to be immersed in many aspects of the race – from watching daily racer videos and tracking their locations on an interactive map, to catching a rare glimpse of behind the scenes action – as it unfolds. It will be the next best thing to being there.

The newly designed race week portal is now live at www.raidthenorthextreme.com with pre-race information and updates. Live action race feeds will commence with the crack of the starter’s pistol at 10 am on July 24th, 2011.

Atmosphere Raid the North Extreme, the six-day, non-stop expedition race, takes place from July 23 to 31, 2011 in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia. It will feature four-person co-ed teams from around the world as they navigate more than 500 kilometres of unmarked terrain through the Selkirk, Purcell and Monashee mountains. Teams will face extreme challenges including a rugged wilderness, team dynamics, sleep deprivation and gear failure as they bike, trek, paddle and use ropes to navigate their way to the finish line in Trail, BC.

ABOUT FRONTIER ADVENTURE SPORTS & TRAINING INC:

Frontier Adventure Sports & Training Inc (Frontier) is the leading adventure racing company in Canada, operating the popular Raid the North adventure racing series. Now in its 14th year of operation, Frontier has an international reputation for solid logistics, challenging courses and events built around the history and tradition of each region. Atmosphere Raid the North Extreme is one of just two qualifier events in North America for the Adventure Racing World Series to be held this year in Tasmania. Each Raid the North race always remains true to its slogan: Real Wilderness. Real Navigation. Real Adventure.