CraigieBurner This Weekend!

The CraigieBurner will take place this weekend in what will be near perfect conditions. The Craigieburn Range has been hammered with weather over the last 2 weeks now and things are looking great, with over 50cm of new snow!

I won't go into a heap of detail as there is a load of info on www.craigieburner09.blogspot.com

There are 2 course's, "Lifts" and "Lunges".

The CraigieBurner will make for great preparation to The Tour in 2 weeks time.

Looking forward to seeing you all on the start line.

Gasherbrum II ski Winner!

Congratulations to John Henson in winning the Gasherbrum II ski raffle. No doubt John will be running around at The Tour with the Gasherbrums on his feet.

A big thanks to everyone who supported SkiMoNZ and the 2010 NZ team that will race at the World Ski Mountaineering Champs in Andorra.

2009 'Burner

The 2008 CraigieBurner winner and organizer of the 2008 Ohau Backcountry Blast, DuncanSherratt, will be organizing the '09 Burner.

The word from Duncan-

"The Scarpa Craigieburner ski mountaineering race will be taking place this year on the 5^th of September at Craigieburn Valley Ski Area. As the oldest race of it’s kind in New Zealand it is certainly unique. Competitors will have the chance to use the lifts or their own steam to race around the mountain. It is

essentially a day’s ski touring or club field skiing condensed into

about 1-2 hours. The event has a really good vibe as only you could get at a club ski field in New Zealand.

Gary Mac getting his Burn on

We’re again lucky to have awesome support from Scarpa, Marmot and Craigieburn Valley. Scarpa have generously offered two pairs of Scarpa ski boots for prizes. As they say you have to be into win so we hope to see you all there on the 5th of September. The ski boots will be given away as spot prizes. So all the more reason to turn up and ski quite quickly (up and down).

The scene at the finish line of the '08 Burner

The race will be kicking off at 10am. We’ll be up there from 8.30am taking registrations. We’ll have a few beers and laugh about the day later on in Koroheke Lodge.If you have any questions about the event check the blog, www.craigieburner09.blogspot.com. The blog will be updated with information, course details and entry information closer to the event."

Cheers Duncan

THE TOUR- entry open!

Entry for The Tour Backcountry Ski Race is now open!

Click HERE for the entry form.

Expect the young fellow in the white & red suit in the photo above to be near the front of the pack at The Tour

Scarpa CraigieBurner

Scrapa has again come on board as a sponsor of the CraigieBurner and this years organiser Duncan has set up the following blog for the '09 version- www.craigieburner09.blogspot.com

SkiMoNZ/Dynafit Raffle

SkiMoNZ/Dynafit Raffle-

Ski Mountaineering New Zealand, in association with Dynafit, are raffling off a pair of Dynafit Gasherbrum II skis, as a fund raiser for the SkiMoNZ race team that will compete at the 2010 ski mountaineering world champs in Andorra.

Raffle tickets are only $15 each; with all proceeds going to the 2010 SkiMoNZ race team. The lucky winner will get a pair of 172cm Gasherbrum II ski's (dimensions 102-73-89).

To get your ticket go to deposit $15 in to the SkiMoNZ bank account, using your name as the reference/code.

SkiMoNZ bank account details- 06-0954-0050957-00

Please also e-mail us at nzinfo@skimo.org and let us know that you got a ticket (or 2!), so we know who's got what and how to get intouch with you when you win!

The draw will be made mid August.

Dynafit Gasherbrum II Ski

The Gasherbrum II 172cm ski, dimensions 102-73-89 and 1190gr are the perfect blend between weight and turnablity. Certainly on the skinny side in this day and age, the Gasherbrum excels on light and fast missions. Whether its speed climbing an 8000m peak and skiing its 50 degree slopes, competing in The Tour Backcountry Ski Touring Race, or anything in between, the Gasherbrum is your ski. More details at www.dynafit.co.nz

2009 SkiMoNZ Race Series

The 2009 Ski Mountaineering New Zealand (SkiMoNZ) race series is shaping up to be a cracker, with new race formats and world class racers set to lift the leave of ski mountaineering races in New Zealand.

Both the CraigieBurner and Ruapehu Ripper, now well established races, will return, with The Tour, a multi day, team’s race rounding out the calendar.

A date is still to be confirmed for the Ruapehu Ripper, with the CraigieBurner taking place on the 5^th September and The Tour, based out of Cheeseman, over the 19^th and 20^th September. Interest in the ’09 series has already been high, especially for The Tour, which has limited spots when entry opens in late June.

The SkiMoNZ race series will act as a trail for those who are looking at making the 2010 SkiMoNZ Race Team for the Ski Mountaineering World Champs, to be held in Andorra in March next year.

New Zealand racers will be fortunate to pit there skills against some of the top racers from around the world. Current World Cup winner and top female French racer Laetita Roux will spend the winter in NZ, racing and training. While Spaniard, Javier Martian, who recently ranked 5^th in the Europe Champs will be in NZ for all of September. Other international racers, top Britain Carron Scrimgeour and recent Canadian Cup winner Reiner Thoni will also be racing in NZ.

This top level of international competition will no doubt give 2007 and ’08 series winners Gena Sbiva and Jane Harper, as well as some strong up and comers, great race experience, as well as making for a great spectacle. 

Support for the 2009 race series has been strong, with sponsors quick to jump on board. The big news on this front is Singapore Airlines confirming their support via assistance with travel to Andorra for those who get selected for the World Champs.

Other sponsors are the New Zealand Alpine Club, The Climber Magazine, MountainZ.co.nz, iclimb.co.nz, Dynafit and Buff.

For more info please visit www.skimonz.blogspot.com

2008 SkiMoNZ Series Results

These have been a very long time coming, so apologies for the delay!

Gena and Jane both defended their series titles. Of interest was the tight race for 2nd and 3rd in both the male and females categories. Also of note is that both Duncan and Jane only raced in 3 races, out of a possible 5. Only the top 4 results counted.

2008 SkiMoNZ race series results
-Male
1st- Gena Sibaev- 130 pts
2nd- Duncan Sherratt- 104 pts
3rd- Tim Ensor- 100 pts
-Female
1st-Jane Harper-120 pts
2nd- Kath Conlan- 97 pts
3rd- Gillian Ensor- 92 pts

Ski Mo Races- Euro 2009

Unfortunately there are no Kiwis (no we know about, are you there??) racing in Europe this winter, but there are plenty of races taking place and you can keep up with all the action at www.skimo.org
One video worth checking out is

Coupe du monde de ski alpinisme 2009 (Civetta)
Uploaded by FFME

For summer updates I am up dating my personl blog- www.skirunnernz.blogspot.com

Cheers
Grant