Last Saturday – February 25 – I competed in my first XC ski race called the Payakentsut. The Payak is a 50km loppet and climbs up a never-ending series of hills. It’s not for the weak of heart and makes bike racing feel easy by comparison of energy expended per kilometer. I wasn’t the only mountain bike racer at the event… Alison Sydor was out there crushing souls as well.

I surprised a few people with my second place finish. Skate skiing came to me very naturally and I can only assume I acquired the necessary skill sets from a number of background sports. The most obvious being cross-country mountain bike racing where I learned how to recover and relax at speed. Momentum can be carried into a hill, lost, and regained over the crest of the hill with great similarity between bike and skis. As for the act of skiing itself, I was skiing whistler/Blackcomb weekly as a youngster and have experience in the tamest of backcountry settings. In my earliest sporting years I was a competitive figure skater, which is essentially the same motion as skate skiing. Rock Climbing and slack lining have given me the core strength and balance required for good glide. So although this was my first winter skiing and my first ski race, I would like to make the argument that I have had a lifetime of preparation. After reading this you can perhaps understand that my second place finish was not a surprise to myself. I was racing to win on Saturday and fell short but I’m still proud of my effort. I know of several things I will do differently at next years Payakentsut and I am confident I should be able to shave minutes off my time in 2013. For those wondering… Payakentsut comes from the Squamish Nation… a place to trains oneself physically.

Results from the Payak can be found here

I would like to thank Munny Munro for waxing my race sticks with highly toxic wax that is allegedly superior to Ricky Federau’s preferred Tea Lights. I also owe a big thank-you to Alpina for the ski boots, Peltonen for the ski’s, and Yoko for the poles. Answers to my many ski questions were kindly provided by The Nordic Shop in Squamish, and Sigges’ in Vancouver. Ryders Eyewear kept the snow out of my orbits.

My sister raced the Payak too and the following day she was off to Maui with her fiancée. They left a 14-year-old cat named Rex at my house while they are away. He cannot Meow, has one tooth, looks like a giant ball of orange fluff and really likes me. I love cats but suffer from Cat allergies. It’s not a problem unless I touch the cat, which is really hard not to do! It’s so cute and it doesn’t hide the fact that it wants loves… I have been feeding him salmon treats, hair elastics and reading to him.

My new mountain bike arrived yesterday!!!!! S-Works Epic 29er. The best cross-country race bike on the planet. I am spoiled, lucky, and excited to ride this thing! I am going to build it tonight with the help of Pat @ Corsa Cycles and can’t wait to get out on the trails. It’s very flash so hopefully I can rip it up and get my new podium shoes onto a podium…