Dogtooth Dash 2013



This weekend a sizeable group of friends and I (there were 8 of us total) went to Golden, BC's Kicking Horse ski resort for the second time to do the "Dogtooth Dash" ski mountaineering race.  Somehow I was able to convince my friend Emily, pictured below on the left, that she should come do the "rec" division, even though she only started skiing this season and only began tentatively trying blue groomers.  It seemed to me, and I was correct, that she could side-slip the tougher downhills on the course and would enjoy the race.  I'm not sure she enjoyed it, but she finished it with a smile.

friends!

Having convinced her to go, I agreed to do the entire race with Emily and stick with her (unless she wanted to go ahead on the uphills -- she's a fast and super strong athlete).  I'm not sure she had ever done a kick turn before, but she was doing them by the end of the race (nothing like baptism by fire).  She achieved quite a lot for someone in her first season.  She dropped into a steep bowl, got down the double black diamond run (which she had been permitted to believe was not really going to be steeper than a blue run), made it up some gnarly skin track, boot packed with less than awesome steps pre-kicked in, skied giant icy moguls/bumps and generally amazed me.  I can assure you that I would *not* have been doing that in my first season (this being my fourth).  I wasn't totally sure I wanted to be doing it on Saturday, really.


not a blue run (and steeper than this pic makes it look, at least up higher is much steeper)

Meanwhile, Amber stepped things up and did the Elite course, which featured 6,000 ft of vertical climbing (which is a lot) and some impressively sketchy downhills.  For the first time in her skiing career she was side stepping down a run (which she described as a "death chute" -- "%&$ that!" she reported).  I am glad I am not so ambitious.  She is super badass.

definitely not "blue" in those cliffs

Since I have White Mountains 100 next weekend, I was hoping I would not have to do any more than was minimally necessary to make sure Emily didn't die.  I nonetheless chose to use my "heavy metal" setup, with a combined ski/binding weight of 12 pounds (boots add another 6.5 pounds or so), and am now (not surprisingly) a bit sore.      

Amber is my hero

I made sure we enjoyed some Caesares, the national Canadian drink (I am making that up but if it isn't it should be).  It was a really fun weekend and it never caesares to amaze me how cool my friends are.

my contribution to the idea pool (stop skiing, get Cesares)

On the subject of White Mountains, I am mentally getting prepared this week by making lists and being generally distracted at work.  This seems to be the extent of my pre-race routine... I will admit to being very nervous having never done this course before.  I am also incredibly wiped and hoping I get over whatever malaise is consuming me.