XC Skiing race 7:52:00 [3] 43.0 km (5.5 kph)
CNYO Snowgaine with Bash
We decided to ski day 1, and the hard crust was quite cruise-able.
Fast on hard trails, very treacherous in the bush on downhills and creek crossings. No major crashes, and Bash's nav was very precise, so we picked up much of what we hoped for.
On the snowmobile trails we could skate a little, but fast traffic meant we couldn't fly down the steep hills without being able to bail. We tended to go in and back out to snowmobile trails, while our friends on snowshoes could go straight through the bush.
We cleared up the North West part of the course, picking up 19 controls over 42km. The fast snowshoers got more controls over less distance, but skiing was fun and knee-friendly.
Note- breathable top with a vest was perfect. Pocketfuel nut-butter race food went down really well- I'll be getting more of them.