Day 2 Pierra Menta

5:50 am Wake-up

6:00 Breaky

6:50 Ski down to the start

7:30 Spandex stampede part deux

7:35 The disappointment that the cheer-leading goat isn’t supporting the race today

7:40 ish (all will be ishish from here on…) Ski down to the village of Areches

7:45 Run 1.5km in ski boots through the streets to get to the snow further up the valley

7:55 Commence 1000m climb

8:00 Pass the old dude that plays the Harmonica at various points throughout the day’s race

8:30 Crest the ridge to 100+ supporters, cow-bells ringing, sun in the face, and a wee-bit o’ “carton” on the way down

9:00 After a bit of skating, it was skins on for the flattest section of a course I had bee on yet, yet.

10:15 Top of the second climb, staring directly at the “Pierra Menta” (namesake summit of the second stage)

10:45 Commence what we thought was going to be the toughest climb of the day.  Hot.  Sunny.  But passing people gave us more energy.

11:30 Transition on the summit of Mont Coin, it what was the biggest group of supporters yet.  Scrambling along a boot pack to the summit, with plenty of fan-fare to keep you motivated.

11:45 Skiing back through farmhouses through the valley, around a lake and dam not too far from town

12:00 Putting the skins on for the last time after running down a couple more roads.

12:10 Realizing we put on great climbing skins when we should have put on great gliding skins.

12:11 Cursing the skin choice

12:20 Pungee sticks and more frozen feskew for the ride back over to the final skate across the road

12:30 Finish Line (2900m by my watch…but my watch likes to tell fish stories.)

But…then there was the wine, and cheese, and ultra-light ski gear, and the “Crazy” booth, and the new Movement race skis, and the Chateau-Neuf-Du-Pap, and the Beaufort Cheese, and massages.

Promising some phot0s…eventually.