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COSMIC series
Dear friends of skiing,
I've started a ski mountaineering series with five races, fun courses and good prizes - the COSMIC series (Colorado Ski Mountaineering Cup). If this is new to you it goes like this: skin up, remove skins, ski powder, put your skins back on, ski up to another run, ski down and repeat. We try and include the steeper skiing and the most interesting skinning terrain. The whole course is flagged up and down. It's similar to doing a 2.5 hour mountain bike race.

Temple Basin (NZ)

The Temple Basin Randonnee Rally was held in Arthur's Pass on Saturday the 30th September. Despite Temple Basin Ski Area being closed for the season, almost all of the snow being blown or rained away and the race day being less than perfect, 8 hardy competitors turned out for the first ski mountaineering race to be held in New Zealand. The course was shortened from the planned 1000 vertical meters of climbing, to 2 laps of around 300 vertical meters because of snow and weather conditions. Everyone had a great day, with all the racers and marshals walking away with some great prizes from sponsors of the race.

This weekend was celebrated the 2nd Japan Skimoutaineering Championships. 27 racers (25 men a 2 women) from Japan, Korea and China came to the event. The winner was Yokoyama, who did the 1215m uphill itinerary in 1:32:12, followed by Seiji Yamada and Yoshijuki Satoh. Miyuki Fukumoto, the first woman, did 1:58:39.

The first norwegian race took place the 28th of January at Oppdal. Due to bad weather the race had to be shortend a bit. 30 competitors came to the start. Men and ladies had the same route, level 1210m.