We are very excited to announce our 2022/23 Skimo Alberta Citizen Series Race schedule at Mt Norquay, just outside of the Town of Banff.
You can sign up on Zone 4 here, https://zone4.ca/event/2023/B93C1492/
The Citizen Race Series is made up of four, 60 minute races, taking place at Mt. Norquay Ski Resort. The winner of each race will be the person with the most vertical at the end of 60 minutes. Racers will use alpine touring equipment, telemark, or split boards to climb uphill and ski down. Skins are used for climbing and removed for the downhill. The course will have a short boot pack section where racers must attach their skis to their backpack and hike uphill. After the 60 minutes, we stop the race and count up all the laps, afterwards meeting in the lounge for food and prizes.
The first race will be on the evening of Saturday, January 14th. The following races will be on January 28th, February 11th and February 25th.
There will be standings and prizing for the full series. Overall series leaders will receive awards after the final race in February.
The course will be made to be approachable for beginners, with the skin track (incorporating a few kick turns) on the side of one of the ski runs, and the descent on an easy blue groomer. Each lap will be around 125-135 meters.
Timing will be done the old fashioned way – by us, with our reliable and honest hands.
The name of the game is getting people out to push themselves and have fun; Whilst also building community and bringing people to the sport of skimo.
Registration will be $17.50 for each individual. If you do the series it is $12.50 per race.
There is no need for a beacon/probe/shovel for these races as they are on piste (resort). If you are racing the Canada Cup qualifier on Jan 28th, you will need to carry this gear to qualify (no brakes needed this year though).
Required Gear:
Skis: Touring Skis, Telemark Skis or Spilt Boards. Metal edges required. Skins required for going uphill. XC skis are not allowed.
Helmet: Ski, Bike, or Climbing helmet mandatory
Pack: You need a backpack that you can attach your skis to for the short bootpack section each lap. Carrying skis in your hands will not be allowed.
Food/Water: There are no aid stations so you need to bring your own.
Clothing: This is Canada, it can be cold! Bring layers that you can quickly take off and put on to stay warm.
Head Lamp: The transition area at the top has poor lighting. A head lamp is recommended but not required.
After the race we will get together inside the day lodge for food and beverages. There is no food voucher as the servers (and likely you as well) found it too complicated so we lowered the prices of the race by that amount.
If you want to reserve demo skis from SkiUphill you can here, https://skiuphill.ca/search?type=article%2Cproduct&q=skimo*+demos*
Thank you and see you all on January 14th.
Skimo Alberta
Alberta Skimo Association 