Here are notes I wrote after the 2013 GT for rookies. The course had surprisingly technical aspects. A few challenging downhills in the East River Valley. Coming down from Star Pass is tough. Some of the stream crossings, when covered with snow bridges, are narrow after a steep drop. None of these downhills are that long (except at CBMR & Aspen Mtn, which are groomed), but some people who do it in nordic gear say never again. I dont think kick wax is the most efficient mode of transport for the EMGT. The route is too hilly and snow conditions are too variable for kick wax. (Maybe some years with fresh cold snow it works.) Learn how to make your skins fast. (Four tips: mohair, skin wax, two types of skins, learn to rip skins off without taking your skis off. ) Many people have two types of skins: normal serious climbing skins, and a set of lighter, faster skins. For faster skins, you can buy kicker skins, or you can rig your own thin skins. Buy thin mohair skins, make a tip using a washer, cut them ~10cm past your heel with no heel clamp, trust the glue. blackdiamondequipment/en-us/shop/ski/skins/glidelite-mohair-mix-kicker-skins/ or camp-usa/products/backcountry-ski/skins-100.asp Note that the East River Valley route changed dramatically starting in 2012. Its much harder. It may change again. The route over Star Pass and Taylor Pass seems to change a little every year based on snow cover and safest avalanche route. Practice, practice with your gear. Know how well your skins grip and how to keep them from icing up. Know how to avoid blisters with your boots. Make sure your clothes work in 50mph winds. Expect 30mph winds on Star Pass and for 1-3 hours around Taylor Pass. Learn to keep your skins in your jacket without them falling out. A main reason for not finishing is blisters. Stress test your boots, your socks, and your Bunion cushions/2nd skin. Cover any hot spots immediately. The other reason for not finishing is getting snow all over your skins. This is another reason to have a second pair. The main traverse cut-off time is getting over Star Pass by 8:00am. If you do that, getting to Barnard hut by the 2:00pm deadline should be easy, assuming you dont have a physical or equipment problem. For the 2013 route, by my GPS, Friends Hut was 14.75 miles from the start, Star Pass another mile but 1000 vertical that takes 45-70 minutes. In 2013, the 4pm deadline at Aspen was just a suggestion. If you arrive later, the finish line people are gone and you have to call and report your finish. Most years, there are some wet creek crossings. (Not in 2013 & 2014) People put thick plastic bags over their boots to wade across. I dont know what kind of bags. Most years, 0.2-2 miles of the course has no snow? This wasnt in 2013 and probably wont be in 2014. It sounds like a pain, but its not that bad. This traverse isnt a cruise. No one mentions the possible need to poop along the long traverse. Eat low fiber meals on Friday. Bring toilet paper. The single potty at Friends hut may have a line. The course is not that steep. 7000 of vertical spread over 38 miles. Its not like some of the Rando races at ski areas or typical back-country climbing when getting nice powder runs. Much of the course is gradual uphill with a few steep downhills. Respect the gear list. Its reasonable. It can be brutal up there. The check-in will carefully look at every item. The CBMR downhill slopes was dangerous. The slopes were too narrow for the amount of people and the speed. If you live less than 7000 ft, get altitude acclimated. Much of the traverse is above 11,500 ft. The climb up Star Pass will be brutal if you arent acclimated to altitude. Train at altitude. I also used an altitude mask during my 2x 30 min daily commute, which helped: amazon/Elevation-Training-Mask-Altitude-Simulation/dp/B008B91KH4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365443764&sr=8-1&keywords=elevation+mask We lost ~30 minutes waiting for bottlenecks getting up to Friends hut. Perhaps 2013 was unusual with the breakable crust. The bottlenecks were at several places in the East River valley, at Death Pass, and a tricky creek crossing. Be patient. The movie of the 2009 race was well done and is available from fofproductions.weebly/index.html . Its worth the $15. If the weather is any bit reasonable, bring a camera for the Taylor Pass area and the hill just before Aspen. Its a great route.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Mar 2014 20:44:27 +0000
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