March 17, 2011 (Burlington, VT) – Forty-five adventurous skiers from throughout New England and New York stood on the starting line at Trapp Family Lodge for the 4th Annual Catamount Trail Backcountry Challenge Race and Tour on March 13th.

As the valley residents were experiencing rain in the lower elevations, these hardy backcountry participants were treated to lightly falling snow and up to five inches of fresh cover in the elevated mountainous areas. Unlike other Nordic ski races and tours, the participants were totally self sufficient on this remote backcountry trail. The 17km course in one of the most famous and well used sections of the Catamount Trail, generally skied from South to North. Race and Tour participants skied it in reverse fashion, which entailed a 2300 ft vertical climb and a 1300 ft hair raising descent off Bolton Mountain to the Bolton Valley Nordic Center below.

The touring division was given a head start before the competitive skiers raced off the start line 90 minutes later. While the touring division was able to enjoy the incredible scenery on their leisurely tour up and over Bolton Mountain, the racers were giving 100% of their effort to reach the finish line in the shortest possible time.

In the hotly contested field of elite racers, it was Eli Enman of Huntington Vermont who broke free of the main pack early in the race to set a new course record of 1:30:30, improving on his winning time and record from the 2010 race. Olympian Marc Gilbertson of Hyde Park and Eric Tremble of Jericho raced head to head down the mountain with Gilbertson making up ten seconds in the last kilometer to place second while Tremble nailed down the third position in 1:34:50.

The women’s race developed into a similar scenario as the men’s competition with Kate Crawford of Essex breaking free from the pack early in the race and setting a new course record in 2:05:22. The second and third positions were up for grab as Brie and Tyne Pike-Sprenger of West Dover, Vermont raced head to head throughout the entire race. Brie’s alpine racing experience paid off in the final descent, edging out her sister Tyne by two seconds to take second in a time of 2:13:13.

Following their heroic efforts over the grueling course, all participants were treated to a meal and over $2000 in donated raffle prizes and awards. Sponsors included Outdoor Gear Exchange, Rossignol Ski Company, Darn Tough Socks, Seventh Generation, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters and Silverwear Jewery. A special thanks goes out Trapp Family Lodge, Bolton Valley Resort, and the Bolton Valley Ski Patrol for making this Catamount Trail Association event so successful. Proceeds from this event will help protect the 300-mile Catamount Trail.

Full results HERE.

February 21, 2011 (Gatineau, QC) – Close to 700 skiers showed up on Sunday morning for the 51km and the 28km freestyles. Unlike yesterday’s mass start, Sunday’s took place under a magnificent blue sky and bathed in brilliant sunshine. The winds had slowed and the temperature was a crisp 16 below.

Canadians Sweep 28K Freestyle Podium
Sean Thompson from St-Bruno had good reason to be proud as he took the first place spot on the podium for the second time in two days, this one with a time of 1:08:30.6, and yesterday’s victory being for his win of the 28 km classic. For a second consecutive day, Sacha Desfossés from Prévost finished in second place, but with a better time of 1:11:49.9. He was followed one one-hundreth of a second later by Julien Lamoureux from Sainte-Julie, who took third place with a time of 1:11:50.0.

In the women’s category, Ottawa’s Adele Lay won the top spot with a time of 1:17:51.4. Kate Crawford from Essex Junction, U.S.A. earned the silver medal with 1:20:42.5. Montréal’s Annie Chénard took home the bronze, with a time of 1:24:35.1.

Electrifying Finish in the Men’s 51K
Spectators at the finish line were treated to a phenomenal finale, as the five skiers finished in a space of only 7 seconds. Ottawa’s Aidan Lennie was in the lead with a time of 2:07:52.1, for which he won the $1,200 purse. Eli Enman, from Huntington, U.S.A. was two seconds behind, with a time of 2:07:54.0, which earned him the silver medal. One second later Canmore’s Erik Carleton secured the third spot on the podium and a swig of champagne for his 2:07:54.9. These three skiers were only slightly ahead of Marc-André Bédard from Valcartier, who made it in 2:07:55.0, and Karl Saidla, a member of the event’s board of directors, who came in fifth with 2:07:59.1.

Kamila Borutova from the Czech Republic made it to the top step on the podium for the women’s race with 2:25:04.2. This win was doubly sweet after her previous day’s gold for the 28 km classic style. Calgary’s Eva Szabo, who had finished 3rd in 2009, took 2:27:13.2 to earn the silver medal. Ottawa’s Sheila Kealy, who won the 53 km classic style in 2010, was exactly 2 seconds behind, with an impressive last-minute sprint, bringing her time to 2:27:15.2.

Dazzling Performance by Young Skiers in the 10K
The 10 km is always good for some fancy footwork by local young skiers. This was once again the case, with 5 of the 6 steps of the podium going to local skiers.

In the women’s category, Gatineau’s Noémi Bérubé, who had come second in this same race in 2009, slid to victory with a time of 27:28.3. Claudia Cameron, from Metcalfe, finished in 28:43.1, followed by Emma Underwood from Kattskill Bay in the U.S.A., who only yesterday had won the 5 km classic.

Among the boys, the first two places went to Gatineau residents Xavier Bouchard (23:46.6) and Dominique Mancions-Groulx (23:47.0). Third place went to Ottawa’s Benjamin Wlkinson-Zan (23:48.8).

The Mini
Close to 200 children, accompanied by their parents, showed up for this 2 km race, which we remind you is not timed. These young athletes in the making proudly crossed the finish line to the applause of their emotional fans. Inflatable structures, cookies and drinks awaited them. Gatineau’s 11 year-old Stéphanie Girard was the first to poke through the finish line, followed by 10 year-old Wade Clemenhagen, of the Chelsea Nordiq club. A big high five to them all!

A New Course?
Throughout the three days of the event, skiers were invited to fill out a survey to indicate their interest in a point A to point B event instead of the current loop. The feedback was very positive, and it will probably take a while to analyze the results. There are some obstacles, particularly in regard to funding and organization, but the skiers’ responses were enough to urge us on.

An International Event
With 22 participating countries, clearly the Gatineau Loppet is an international event. Several embassies wanted to mark the presence of participants from their countries. Thus, the 16 km starting signal was given by Sweden’s Ambassador, His Excellency Teppo Tauriainen. The 5 km was kicked off jointly by His Excellency Karel Žebrakovský, Ambassador of the Czech Republic, and the Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Estonia, Riho Kruuv. The First Secretary of the Embassy of Switzerland, Bernadette Hurschler, handed the prizes to the winners of the 16 km and chocolates to all of the participants in this race. Robert Moulié, representative of the Embassy of France, was also at the Worldloppet cocktail, which celebrates our international participants. Special treats for the evening were arranged by the Embassy of Estonia, which provided beer samples, and the Embassy of Sweden, which offered blueberry soup, the customary refreshment at their feeding stations. Talk about getting a taste for exploring the world!

“In this first year as President, I had the privilege of seeing the incredible work done by the beautiful big Gatineau Loppet team. I am particularly proud to see that none of these people shy away from a challenge, and that “success” is their single currency. All of this came through very clearly at this 33rd edition,” indicated President Yan Michaud.

The organizers of the Gatineau Loppet would like to thank the 2,153 local and visiting skiers and the thousands of spectators who made this 33rd edition a resounding success right down the line. A special greeting to the 3 year-old, who was the youngest, and the 84 year-old, the event’s venerable patriarch.

Congratulations to all of the skiers. We hope to see you again next year for the 34th edition, from February 17 to 19, 2012.