7th Annual Sunshine 500 / 2011 Canadian Ski Mountaineering Cup Race (CA)

The snow is falling and the party carries on! Check your mid-season skiing, skinning, and conditioning with a visit to the 7th annual Sunshine 5000 skimo race, on 5th February at Sunshine Village Resort, Banff, Alberta. this race starts the individual format races of the 2011 calendar for ski mountaineering competition / compétition de ski alpinime Canada and helps determine the overall ranking of skiers for winter 2010/11.

These events are designed for everyone who knows which side of their skis go on the snow, with citizen and elite category races, prizes, awards, fun, and terrain to prove the skills of beginner and national team member alike. call up, log in, register, and come out for a great time!

Some slight changes to the schedule from past years will see the pre-race TECHNICAL MEETING and registration held the evening before the race, in the Skier Services Room in the renovated Gondola Base Facility at Sunshine Village (where you used to check in on race mornings). The ski area has graciously offered discount accommodation in the Village for those who are interested in staying overnight on the hill before the next days racing. Bookings can be made directly through Megan Hutchinson megan.hutchinson@skibanff.com and 403 762 6505. Check-in, and last chance registration will be at the Gondola Base 07:30 a.m. Saturday morning, and we’ll be skinning away from the start line shortly after 9 a.m.

Following races at Canada Olympic Park in November, Golden Alpine Holidays in December, and Kicking Horse Mountain Resort in January, visits to USSMA competitions south of the border, and trips to the World Championships in Andorra, our Elite category racers hope to improve their individual standings at this high quality event close to home. At the same time, our Citizen/Recreational skiers, experienced or otherwise, will be able to have fun, challenge their backcountry skills, and win some great prizes over a shorter, but no less interesting, route. Both will start and finish together, near the Goats Eye mid-station, and celebrate afterward with awards and rehydration in the new gondola base, where the whole crew will convene later Saturday.

The overall Sunshine 5000 winner will be declared following the final tabulations after the competition. Prizes will be offered across the spectrum, from the new Junior (under 18) class, to 40+ and 50+ years Masters skiers.

Advance Registration and information on rules, schedule, the courses, required equipment available from HUwww.alpineclubofcanada.ca/ccc/ismcH and HUwww.skimocanada.orgUH. Onsite registration will be possible prior to the racers technical meeting at 7 p.m. Friday 4th February at the Gondola Base, Sunshine Parking Lot. Your $50 entry fee will line you up for a great course, National-level ranking, cash and gear prizes. Additional Nordic lift pass purchase required.

This is now a traditional Bow Valley winter event. Come out for a great time, good people, and a fun challenge. Invite your friends and family. Spectate. Ski. Race. Party.

The race series for 2011 are set and organized by groups led by the Alpine Club of Canada, and run under slightly relaxed ISMC rules – a competition format that highlights ski skills on both the ascent and the descent, employing skins and Alpine Touring, Telemark, or split Snowboard gear. Competitors must carry necessary backcountry safety equipment such as avalanche transceivers, probes, and shovels, as well as supplementary clothing and emergency supplies over the course. Numerous changes in terrain reward technique and versatility equally with fitness and downhill ski skills.

Full result details, times, and current national rankings will become available before and after the races via the SMCC website, at HUwww.skimocanada.orgUH and HUwww.alpineclubofcanada.ca/ccc/ismcUH