North Star Skimo Canada Cup Races
North Star Ski-Mountaineering Race January 31, February 1st and 2nd, 2025
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN – https://zone4.ca/event/2025/QBJMlk/
Hosted at Kimberley Alpine Resort, a weekend of Ski Mountaineering Racing (Skimo for short) is the second stop on the 2025 Canada Cup circuit.
Skimo Canada (smcc.ski) is the National Sport Organization for Skimo in Canada and sanctions a series of Skimo races each winter. Sanctioned Skimo race results count towards an athlete’s National rankings and their chance to be named to the Canadian National Teams. The sport of Skimo will be in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games and National Team members are racing World Cup events in Europe winter 2025 hoping to secure a spot (or two) for Canada.
Kimberley has a rich tradition of ski touring and our own annual skimo race up Boundary on North Star Mountain. We are thrilled to welcome Canada Cup racing to Kimberley, giving the locals a chance to participate in the different Skimo disciplines.
The North Star Skimo weekend will feature three different disciplines; the Vertical, Sprint and Individual.
The Vertical – Friday January 31st is very similar to the traditional Kimberley Skimo race with a couple of twists. It is further and higher, going from the base to the top of Easter. It is also a “fastest to the finish line” event and involves no downhill skiing.
The Sprint -Saturday February 1st on Rosa just below the Kootenay Haus. The Sprint discipline is much shorter (70M) and involves climbing with skins, boot packing and descending on skis through gates. Athletes race solo at first to obtain their qualifying time on the course, then they are seeded into heats and race against 3-4-5 other athletes simultaneously. The heats see athletes race side by side, a bit like roller derby on skis.The Sprint discipline is a super friendly spectator event.
The Individual – Sunday February 2nd; as the name implies racers take on the course solo. Two divisions are in play; a recreational division for those new to the sport and for those that use heavy metal gear, split boards or Tele set ups. The recreational route is a little shorter and has slightly less Vertical.There is a competitive division too, for folks that want a longer, harder and more technical route. Usually on Skimo race gear (light skis and boots/bindings) the competitive athletes line up at the very same start line as the recreational athletes. The gun goes off and so do the competitive rabbits wearing skin suits!! There are at least 3 separate ascents on skins, an equal number of descents and one or two bootpack sections. The route will effectively circumnavigate the ski hill with between 1300-1600M vertical and approximately 6-8Km in distance.
Come on out to participate or as a spectator as Kimberley hosts a weekend of Canada Cup Skimo racing.
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