International Association of Worldloppet Skiers

Wow what a day! Hoppet day dawned clear and still, such a contrast to the previous 6 weeks when strong winds, heavy snowfalls and blizzards had been blasting Falls Creek, a small ski alpine area 4 hours north east of Melbourne, Australia.

Over 1,000 skiers from 25 nations and 4 continents gathered at Falls Creek to participate in the 28^th Kangaroo Hoppet.  Great weather and deep snow enabled the full 42km course to be exceptionally well-groomed. Where possible the track is groomed double width especially on the exciting descent down the “Bladerunner” off Heathy Spur.

The Kangaroo Hoppet comprises of 3 simultaneous races; the 42km Kangaroo Hoppet main race that qualifies for a gold stamp in the Worldloppet passport, the 21km Birkebeiner (the Birkie) which qualifies for a silver stamp and the 7km Joey Hoppet.   All 3 races had increased participant this year.

At 9.30am the elite and fastest hundred Hoppet skiers flew across the start line. 1 minute later the next 100 skiers rushed forward and onwards every minute until the 5 Hoppet waves had begun.  1 minute between waves doesn’t sound like much time but it certainly spreads each starting field and decreases the chance of skiers crashing into each other, breaking poles, skis and bodies.  Birkie skiers start from 9.40am in waves with 1 minute breaks and Joey skiers begin at 9.50am in a similar fashion.  By 10am all skiers were skiing as fast as they could in stunning conditions.

Overnight the temperature lowered to -2 degrees (Celsius) and warmed to 4 degrees so it was crisp fast snow at the start with softening conditions by the second lap for the majority of Hoppet skiers.

All skiers initially headed out to Sun Valley for the first 7 kilometres which is mostly flat and a good way to warm up.  Joey skiers consisting of all ages from tiny babies being towed in pulks participating in the Pouch class to toddlers just beginning to walk then head back to the Nordic Bowl to finish their event whilst Hoppet and Birkie skiers skied across the magnificent dam wall high above the frozen water of Rocky Valley Reservoir.   The next 3 kms to Watchbed Creek is flat and great to get into a comfortable rhythm as skiers are found their pace.

Just after Watchbed Creek drink station, Birkie skiers turn left and head up towards the infamous Paralyser whilst Hoppet skiers turn right and have another 2kms of cruising before re-joining the Birkie skiers and begin the slow 3km climb up the Paralyser.  The snow is now slow so skiers had to find a comfortable rhythmic groove and just keep on plodding and grinding up that long hill.  Finally, the course breaks out of the beautiful snowgums (an alpine eucalyptus tree with knarly shaped trunk and branches)  into a large open area known as The Park and the gradient eases.

After The Park drink station the refreshed Hoppet skiers turn right and complete an extra loop around Johnsons for some superb views of the Snowy Mountains including Mt Kosciuszko ( the highest mountain in Australia – 2,228metres/7315feet).

Just after re-joining the Birke skiers a final, treeless climb looms.  On reaching the crest of Heathy Spur, you feel on top of the world looking around and seeing snow covered mountains in all directions and…. knowing there’s lots of downhills ahead.  Yeah.  The exciting downs continue along the broad Heathy Spur with one final climb ‘til the Bladerunner, a series of tight downhill corners which most people brake, skid, plough, step turn to go around and down.   Finally, the shaking legs get back onto flat ground for a relax and the cruising speed increases as the dam wall is crossed and back into the Nordic Bowl starting area.

The Birkie skiers can relax as they cross the finish line, however Hoppet skiers having skied some 26kms head out for another 16km of skiing.  Out to Sun Valley again, then across the dam wall, along the flat Bogong High Plains Road again, past Watchbed Creek (and a refreshing drink & food station) but this time instead of heading up the Paralyser it’s a much gentler series of undulations along the Pauls Track for the final 5 kms back to the finish line.

The Nordic Bowl was a hive of activity with skiers standing along the edge of the downhill finish area and around the BBQ in the sunshine cheering family and friends across the finish line whilst discussing race experiences and attempted tactics with fellow skiers.

Congratulations to the race organisers and volunteers who gave up a significant amount of time to prepare a superb course and arrange a great race. Well done to the Hoppet skiers who stopped during the event at the 35km mark to assist a Russian skier who had collapsed. The racers performed CPR whilst waiting for the Ski Patrol to arrive with a defibrillator.  The medical equipment enabled the successful restoration of the skier’s heart rhythm.  I very big thanks to those involved and the equipment used to save this skier’s life and facilitate his recovering in a Melbourne hospital.

Overall the Kangaroo Hoppet was a huge success with many skiers skiing their first Hoppet, Birkie or Joey race.  The after race evening celebrations and festivities were again held in the community hall in Mount Beauty.  A great get together of rested participants.  Well done to all the skiers who participated in this magnificent event.  See you all next year!

By Marg Hayes & Bruce Wharrie

The snow was abundant and the weather glorious. What more could you want for a 54km trek across the Norwegian mountains?  The views were stunning, the snow-clad trees looked like fat snowmen squatting in the snow.  What a magical day?

Staying in Lillehammer at the hostel above the train station is highly recommended as it very convenient when arriving by train.  Also, the buses to the Nordic ski trails of Sjusjeon and Nordsetter depart from outside the station allowing skiers to prepare on the last third of the race course or just enjoy the 200kms of trails in the mountains above Lillehammer without having to climb up the 600+ vertical metres from Lillehammer.

The only disadvantage to staying in Lillehammer was that we missed the Worldloppet Masters’ pasta party as it was held in Rena, 2 hours drive away on the Friday evening.

Bib pick-up was available in either Rena or at Hakon Hall, Lillehammer on Thursday afternoon.   At Hakon Hall there was also a huge clothing and equipment sale that was well patronised by Norwegian skiers grasping overflowing shopping baskets full of bargains. Continue reading →

On Sunday 11^th March the 50^th Engadin ski marathon was held in the spectacular Engadin Valley in Switzerland.  Many aspects of the race were organised to celebrate the 50 years of the event; in the St Moritz Elevator Gallery there was an art display of pictures from previous races, the 42km race course made a “50” groomed race circuit shape in the snow which would have looked brilliant from above and near Silvaplana there was a billboard display with children wearing a separate race bib for each year of the Engadin marathon.

Leading up to the race we were extremely fortunate to have a couple of days of sunny warm weather to explore the race trails up and down the valley.  We also skied the trail to Mortertasch Glacier which is a highly recommended diversion from training on the race course.

Bib pickup started on Thursday and was highly efficient at St Moritz Bad Health Centre where a large ski expo lined the sides of the cross-country ski trail.  The expo area became extremely busy on Saturday afternoon as some 20,000 skiers and friends converged on St Moritz.

On the Saturday afternoon there was a Worldloppet Masters’ Reception attended by about 80 people.  It was a great opportunity to socialise with like-minded skiers from many different nations over wine and nibbles and to recognise the efforts and persistence of new Worldloppet Masters.

Catching the bus on race morning from St Moritz Bad was a time-consuming task as there were hundreds of skiers lined up at various transport pick up spots and only buses fully laden with skiers passing by.  I recommend allowing plenty of time ( 1 hours +) to wait for transport to the race start and be prepared to stand on a crowded bus for more than 30minutes.  As we alighted from the bus at the race start at Malorja it was lightly raining and skiers were dashing about trying to find plastic bags to use as temporary rain jackets and heading to the 2 large heated tents.  Fortunately, the rain was short-lived and very soon turned to wet snow for the next hour or so.  Our ski gloves were no sodden and cold.  By the time the race started it was mostly dry however remained cloudy and ominous for the rest of the day with the slower skiers experiencing more rain later in the day.  The temperature fluctuated around zero – 4 degrees for most of the day.

As we prepared our equipment at the race start, we noticed there were many skiers in fancy dress teams including a large group of smurfs, a collection of Mexicans, a few apes and ducks were spotted, a couple of pirates and an assortment of tutu costumes.  Some of the costumed racers also had some great music emitting from their outfit.  It all added to the race birthday theme.

At the start there was a significant number of well-labelled trucks, where skiers deposited their race bag with spare clothes that was transported to the finish. But it was a very busy area with surging crowds of bag and ski laden participants going in opposite directions and the occasional urgent skier pushing through.  The luxurious clothing bags that were handed out with the bibs were a great idea instead of the usual plastic bag that is thrown away after the event.  Skiers could take these sturdy colourful bags home and use them as reusable shopping bags as well as a souvenir of the race.

The race began with “Happy Birthday to Engadin” being played over the loud speakers.  The elite had a mass start but as there were some 22,000 citizen skiers following in the gold 42km race and silver 21km race awaiting in steel fenced ‘paddocks’ in an ideal start format.  This allowed everyone to commence skiing in a safe and relaxed manner.  Citizen skiers went into paddocks holding their skis and when your start time arrived you walked into the start zone and had 5 minutes to put your skis on and begin skiing.  Friendly helpers with devices to clear snow from ski boots were there assist. Your time began when you crossed the start line.

The first 10 kilometres or so was across frozen lakes, before reaching the first uphill where the pace slowed to a stop as skiers 6 wide herringboned up the steep incline. Then a short downhill and a little flat terrain and the course went right through the middle of the ski expo with lots of spectators and a brass band playing.  Next was the climb out of St Moritz where the progress ground to a snail’s pace, however enthusiastic spectators plied skiers with bananas, drinks and glucose tablets.  This really exhibited the local community’s support for the event.  Beyond the climb out St Moritz, the views were spectacular as some peaks tried to break through the cloud.  The course wound through a forested section before descending down the famous “Mattress Hill,” so named because the trees close to the race track are wrapped in orange mattresses to protect skiers who crash at speed weaving around the trees.  There is also a safe walking route option around this steep section as it does get very busy with skiers of varying skill levels trying to ski down the hill as fast as possible, resulting in some spectacular crashes at speed.  Hurtling down the hill beyond the trees and it’s a quick ski across the trains tracks before the final descent into Pontresina where the 21km half marathon finishes.

Now, I thought the trail might become less congested however this was not to be as the groomed trail narrowed to 2 skiers wide for a few kilometres with some more short sharp ups and downs.  Near Samedan the route flattened and widened, finally giving an opportunity for faster skiers to overtake safely before skiing the big 50 ‘shape’ in the snow.  The final third of the course was undulating and passed directly through several villages where spectators weren’t deterred by the threatening weather conditions and turned out in large groups to cheer weary skiers along.  The last few uphills I actually had to skate up, rather than herringboning as the crowds of skiers had thinned in the final rush to the finish line.  Finally a sharp left turn, down to cross the river and up to the finish line to join the thousands of skiers who had got there before me and were celebrating their success with drinks and food.

Having race bibs with my name printed on it, meant that on many occasions spectators and other skiers called out my name.  I also had an Australian flag on my bib which was a conversation point for other skiers.  A suggestion for race organisers would be to have the skiers’ first name and their country printed on bibs rather than first name and family name as is the current practise for this event.

The race was run in very good spirit with a lot of cooperation and politeness amongst skiers.  At many squeeze points especially uphills, or a narrowing of the track progress was halted yet the vast majority of skiers patiently waited their turn.  In one particular situation beyond Pontresina, as we waited, friendly conversation broke out amongst skiers and I convinced 2 swiss skiers to consider visiting Australia for the Kangaroo Hoppet, Australia’s Worldloppet ski race.

The majority of skiers skate the Engadin however classic tracks were laid and in the early stages of the race, a 40cm snow berm separated the skate lane from the classic tracks.  The classic tracks remained intact for most of the race with skate skiers mostly avoiding skiing over the classic tracks. Some skate skiers used the classic tracks to double pole as in some spots it was faster and also gave the legs a break from the skating technique.  The classic tracks were also a good way to overtake slower skaters when it was congested.  Overall the grooming was excellent, though in the flat light it was tricky to see where the skate lane finished and I found myself off the packed track and in soft snow a few times especially when overtaking.

At the refreshment stations there many friendly volunteers who had trays of drinks, bananas, muesli bars and chocolate that was well-spaced, so there were lots of options to obtain a drink, food then another drink even though there were significant numbers of other skiers trying to do the same thing.  Well done!

Bands playing music at several locations throughout the race were a welcome distraction, creating a light-hearted party atmosphere.

All in all, the Engadin lived up to it’s reputation as a popular extremely enjoyable race on the Worldloppet calendar.  It contains a collection of flat sections, undulating sections, meadow sections and some more challenging climbs and descents.   Just remember to look up occasionally at the surrounding white peaks.

Marg Hayes, Australia

Thanks to Alan Levy for some of the photos.

Poland certainly puts on an extensive array of races at the Jakuszyce cross country trail area including 3 Worldloppet races, being 2 silver and 1 gold as well as some shorter races.  Friday 2^nd March was the 30km freestyle (silver), Saturday 3^rd March (gold) was the 50km classic and Sunday 4^th March (silver) was the 25km classic race.

Our last visit to Jakuszyce, Poland was in 2014 when the snow was extremely marginal causing the Bieg Piastow Worldloppet races to almost be cancelled.  Races were run,  just, but were significantly shortened to just 10km with a lot of unavoidable brown snow and stones in the finish approach area.  This year we were absolutely delighted when we peered out of the train windows as we left the Czech Republic and approached Jakuszyce, Poland to see an awesome snow cover.  We couldn’t wait to get our skis on and explore the well-groomed trail network for several days prior to the races.

Whilst skiing around the tracks we kept meeting up with other Australians who we didn’t know were coming to Poland.  In the end we counted 12 Australians so we all had dinner together one night in one of the many affordable restaurants in Szklarska Poreba.  It was great catching up with Aussie friends and news as we had flown out of Australia on Xmas Day heading to China on our Worldloppet extravaganza.  It was hard to believe there were so many Australians who had come so far to ski the Bieg Piastow.  Between us we were skiing all three Polish Worldloppet races, so we had a good cheer squad as well.

To get to Poland we had flown into Prague, however there is no straight forward route via public transport from there. There are slow trains, often with numerous changes, however we caught an express bus to Liberec then the scenic train to Szklarska Poreba. The journey took about 4.5 hours. However, we learnt that there is now a direct train from Wroclaw Poland to Szklarska Poreba taking just 2.5 hours so that maybe worth investigating.

There are a few hotels at Jakuszyce where the cross country trails are, but we chose to stay in an apartment at Szklarska Poreba to enjoy the atmosphere and facilities of the friendly small tourist town less than 10km from the skiing.  The train departs every hour or two for Jakuszcyce and is very inexpensive, i.e. $3AUS.  On race days regular free buses are provided from Szklarska Poreba (and beyond) to the race start area for skiers and spectators.

At bib pick-up a detailed colour course map for each of the distances was included in the race bag so it was easy to know the exact course before the event and get to know where the tricky downhills and long uphills were situated.

The Polish race organisers invited all Worldloppet Masters to a delicious free dinner on Friday 2^nd March at the Bornit Hotel in Szklarska Poreba.  It was great to meet up with skiers from many different countries.  The Polish Worldloppet Masters’ Reception is certainly hard to beat with food and local presents.

The 30km and 25km courses were very similar with the 30km course having a tough extra 5km that wound up and down some hills.  The 50km course went in reverse to the shorter courses and included some extra distance on further out loops.  All of the courses involved quite a few hills with the longest and steepest on the 50km course.  It was an extremely interesting course with a variety of terrain from forested tracks to high points with views across to snow covered peaks. The 50km course seemed to twist and turn, up and down and I felt like we visited every track junction on the trail system and more.

The cold temperatures continued for the first few days with the thermometer hovering between -10 and -15 degrees, however there was little precipitation like in other parts of Europe.  Friday dawned clear and cold with a frosty start for the 500 freestyle racers as they tried to stay warm before the race began.  Classic skiers (approximately 30) appreciated the one classic track being provided despite most skiers being skaters.

On Saturday it was another cold start of around -14 degrees though by the time the 2 000 skiers had skied the first 4kms uphill most people had warmed up.  The bag deposit and change tents were right next to the start area so it was easy to stay inside until a few minutes before the race began.  It was mostly cloudy during the event apparently warming up to -8 degrees though with the cool wind I felt it was much colder in the forest.  Nearing the finish I skied into a sunny patch and instantly warmed, mmmm …nice!.

Sunday’s 25km race had approximately 1200 skiers who thoroughly enjoyed the warmer temperatures of -4 degrees and sunshine, though a cold breeze was blowing during the afternoon. There was a significant number of slower skiers requiring faster skiers to regularly change lanes. Race organisers could encourage slower skiers to stay right unless overtaking by displaying a few signs with arrows indicating this, as the Vasaloppet does.

The races started in waves of approximately 250 skiers with 2 minute intervals. This was just enough time to spread much of the congestion, though the tracks were busy for much of the race in the classic events.  For instance, the 25km race was very congested until the Orle drink and food station, about half way into the course.

There were regular drink and food stops attended by friendly volunteers.  It was great to have a variety of food available at refreshment stops such as banana, chocolate pieces, orange segments, muesli bars and biscuits.  A suggestion for organisers is to place rubbish bins or rubbish collection structures 20 metres along the track after the station so skiers can throw their rubbish in bins rather than creating a mass of cups and a hazard all over the tracks as well as being a big mess to be cleaned up afterwards.

Whilst the races were in progress the cross-country ski tracks were officially closed to other skiers. This meant there were few non-racers on the tracks but also meant there were very few spectators along the race course except at the start and finish. Due to heavy security that wouldn’t allow you on the tracks even an hour before the races began, it was extremely difficult to have a ski and cheer for our Aussie team mates when we weren’t racing as we would usually do.

As I skied the 50km race I ticked off drink stations from last week’s Oppet Spar and found the course to be so short and easy compared to 90km of less than a week ago.  It was great to reach the finish stretch with energy and mindfulness to sprint double pole the last 3 kilometres to beat another skier who had been on my tail for kilometres. There were masses of people lining the finish shute, cheering as I crossed the finish line.  It was a great feeling to have notched up another gold Worldloppet race.

I highly recommend the Bieg Piastow to other Worldloppet skiers because of the interesting varied course (no boring repetitive loops), great organisation and the warm welcome that Worldloppet skiers receive.

By Marg Hayes

Australia