Thunder Rolls 2013 Race report

This was our third year Racing Thunder Rolls 24 Hour Adventure Race. Every Year this Race put on By High Profile Adventures gets even more challenging. We first want to Thank Gerry and all of his team, volunteers and sponsors for helping put this great race together. You all did and always do a stellar job.

This year we were lucky enough to find a great third at the last minute due to scheduling conflicts. Normally Racing with a total stranger can have an ill effect on a team But Rick Schnell did not. He fit right in and we were lucky to pick him up. We arrived at Camp Benson from Colorado/Wisconsin  ready to go. Put our bikes together and got our packs ready and for some strange reason we were ready well over an hour before the Race.  The NEW LUPINE Jersey sent all the way from Germany, thank you Gretta BIkes and Lupine North America, felt light weight and perfect for the team.  At the pre-race meeting, things just clicked and the team got the route plotted and planned quick. We only had to plot Bike sections and TA points. We would pick up our O section maps at TA’s along the route.  Finished up getting our paddle gear to the truck to be transported, then to the start/finish line at 11:30pm for group photo and chatting with other racers. 

Start of the Race, was a sprint to the first Rogaine style O section at midnight, in which Gerry crammed the Reppel and Accent into. Knowing this, we decided to have our climbing harnesses on at the start of the race.  So Firing up our Lupine Wilma’s and making a quick decision on route choice would determine how much of a bottleneck you would be caught in at the ropes. We elected to push the pace and Go in order. We really enjoyed this type of "start" to the race, it took planning, route choice and pure mass SCRAMBLE with everyone going all different directions!  Brilliant Gerry! We hit CP1 with a scramble through the creek and up a rather large embankment with a wire fence. On the way out to CP2 JZ decided to drop down the 10 foot drop unexpectedly and was lucky to land in the creek where it was muddy (this was not the plan but with the hustle and the High grass was unexpected) . Wet Early sucks ass, but the waterproof Wilma shined on. If your around the area there are a pair of kick ass Julbo glasses on the Trails there for the picking. JZ would have never known how much he will miss these amazing shades later in the race. We moved hard nailed CP2 braved a steep re-entrant that saved us a bunch of time our Salomon Speedcross just stuck to the terrain like a hungry tiger wanting a dirt lunch. Quickly to the Accent, bottle necked for about 10 min here, grabbed a rope and we all got up fast!  Pwild did a little Rope tango on the way up with another team on the rope next to us this was a bit of the forbidden dance, but hey we're all friends. You could hear her laughing and the guy saying “sorry”!  Team Lupine got to the top and quickly ran the ridge to CP5 and back to the poison Ivy Repel into the river. Great job to the Ropes volunteers and thanks…they put up with rocks and moss on the head and still had a smile on. We stuck to the river and met up with Wedali at the cave. (tricky tricky Gerry). hit the rest of the O section and headed to the Coasteering section to CP10...Oh this was fun. our shins still feel the exit at the bridge. We jogged to the Paddle put in about a mile and a half up the road. We had a super fast transition and down the bank and into the boat. There were no CP’s along the way but trust us there was enough to keep us occupied along the way. Stump after stump Log jam after Log Jam, tricky fast turns left and right it was almost impossible to eat or drink anything. This was challenging but we could not have had a smoother ride. Rick in the front calling directions Pwild in the middle paddling in perfect sync every time. JZ was in the back steering the team threw all the down trees. You would have thought we practiced paddling before, awesome work!  Getting off the paddle leg before day light!  PWild was chilled from the paddle and took a hour or so to warm up.  On to the slick paddle take out to the Bike TA. We did a quick Point6 sock change and hit the bikes in less then 5 min. on our way to the Bike O….this was where we lost a bunch of time….we elected to do the bike O more from the bikes and some out and backs on foot. Bad idea, so by the time we finished the south section we had lost about 45 min. Live and Learn for sure. Tho the team did have quick stop by a wonderful group of campers that had made some coffee for us, this was a warm welcome for these folks. We dropped them some cash because you can not accept something without giving something….unwritten AR rule in our book.

Pikes Peak Adventure Race 2013

This was our first Team Race in The Rocky Mountain Region. This Event was put on by BMAR (Big Mountain Adventure Racing). Being new to this area we had no idea what to expect, race wise. All we knew is that it was at the foot of Pikes Peak the 30th Highest 14er in Colorado at 14,110 ft. So we knew with start at about 7700ft we knew there would be some heavy elevation gain along the course.

Teaming up with a local racer named Ari, with the middle name Lupine, seemed to be a great fit....and it was.  Team Lupine arrived friday night at the S/F for check in.  And to our surprise we got the full pre plotted map(huh?), clue sheet and passport.  We looked at each other and said, wow, really?  Cool.  Did not make the course elevation any easier but the navigation seemed to be pretty straight forward so Not much excise for our Suunto Compasses this time around. 

The break down went like this with of course some “Skip CPs as needed in order to make time cutoffs” and you could do the CPs within the legs in any order not to return to the leg before.  Leg 1 was a short 2 mile run down the road and then a 1 mile climb up lower Pikes Peak on a dirt trail...then we started to tackle each cp A, B, C, D and then to the Boats at E(TA).  We estimated a 3 hour window for this run and did just fine arriving around 11am. Being a 3 person coed team we had to take 2 boats.  We immediately took the bungy and tied the second boat that had PWild and our packs, onto our boat.  The crosswind was not our friend on the paddle going out but the ride back was awesome, getting all points way ahead of our goal time.  Way to go TEAM!  PWild as usual was yelling “Punch and GO!”  The heat and altitude seem to take a toll of JZ and PWild but thanks to our Mule Ari (aka. Doc) he was helping the team push thru.  PWild even gave two other teams cramping electrolyte pills on the go. :)  We had to leave the TA off the Paddle by 1:30 with no penalty, NO problem.

 Now off to the bike leg, we were told this could take up to 9 hours for some teams.  CPs a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h(mystery event with extra points if made to before cut off of 4pm) and i(TA).  We were off on a short road ride straight to a flowing single track section.  Coming up other racers and enjoying the camaraderie.  The trails never seem to end!  Climbing higher and higher as we go, just as we think we are going down we turn and go right back up.




  :)  We get to the mystery event with some team struggles along the way, with altitude some sickness but we push thru.  This is when the real language of stories to tell started and will remain out of this race report to help keep it clean.  The mystery event was a series of team balancing obstacles and such. We knew the clues for the CPs of the mystery event bonus points but didn't get the map locations until we completed the mystery event.  This took some crucial time as there was a large bottleneck of teams here. We got the challenge done and got to transfer the 7 bonus cp points to our map and take off.  We thought we might be able to do them on foot(before we saw the map) but realized quickly that back on the bike we we go. 

Our favorite CP was the one in the “Gold Mine Shaft”, now we know why we needed our Lupine Headlamps as part of the race mandatory gear, I bet the miners would have loved having a Bright headlamp like the Piko or Wilma to find there treasure.

 

 Looking at the clock we had to be back at i(TA) by 6:30 or “harsh penalty” and we were at the farthest part of the course map right now.  Pushing up and down climbs on our bikes we grabbed the last bike points (d and a) and hit i(TA) before the cut off.  At this point we have cleared the course, leaving 4 bonus points.  We had i, F and Finish line to get now.  We made it back to the TA on bike after a very fast ride on sandwash bike trails down lower Pikes Peak.  PWild wrecked twice and got a bloody nose and pushed on (What a trooper)! LOL  JZ and ARI were loving it!  Got to the TA, changed quickly out of our bike gear, turned in our bikes and bin and headed out for the last few points making it way before the cut off.  

We took a short cut climbing down a large re-entrant that was cliff like and lots of boulders bigger than we were. Our Salomon Speed Cross and Slab Wings kept us sure footed on the way down, no problem. Thisway did not seem to take much time off, but what a VIEW on the way down. following the waterfalls all the way down :)  

 Coming into the finish we had a great time.  Team Lupine #902 (10....oh that's our number) finished in 10 hours? with bonus finish time was 9:08......

2nd Place Coed Team just 23 minutes behind first place coed team.                                                                                  Way to go Team Lupine Racing!

We found it a very different type of Race. This was a more point to point race and you had to make a choice of picking and choosing your points as a team. There were not too many teams that were out there for the full 12 hours due to harsh on course TA penalties. We had a great time out there and thank you to BMAR for putting on the event. 

New Salomon Speed Cross 3

Salomon Speed cross 3 is awesome!  Love Love these shoes.  The quick lace system, the wicking of the material works great with my Point Six socks.  I thought the shoe would be too narrow to accommodate my inserts but they work awesome with them. Thank you!  Forever a fan!  We use the Salomon LAB gators while in the back country of Colorado and it helps keep our shoes dry as the snow powder just falls (bounces) off as we run/jog/walk and snow shoe. 

PWild

Fourth Annual Jim Plant Memorial Ski-O & Snowshoe-O at Frisco Peninsula

Our first "race" in Colorado for Team Lupine. Our first training Orienteering meet was on a day that could have not been better. Day started at 9 cold degrees and would end up being about 26 and sunny.  This was our second time on snowshoes for any event and found that it was true that it only takes about 5 min to go from beginner to advanced snowshoe'er. We Got to Frisco about 10 min to 9am. Seemed that at least we won this portion "we were the first in the parking lot". went into the Frisco Nordic Center to meet our new club members.  Registration started at 9 and course open at 10. Pwild went with her Osprey Kobe 30 pack and was using the MSR Evo Accents and Zorilla packed his Salomon Advanced Skin 12 Pack and broke in his brand new MSR Lightning Accents 25's. 

 The options were the normal three, short, medium, and long course. Tho, things became challenging for the snowshoe option as we could not use ANY of the Nordic trails because of the lack of snow. We would have not known the difference as we had plenty of snow off trail. We pretty much stayed with a good trekking pace as we were learning about our HR and Temps as far as clothing choice. As we shed layer after layer, 24F and sunny started to feel like 80F the sweat was poring.

We started the course and due to the no trail issue decided on point to point Nav. We were the first on the course for the long course. We nailed every CP along the way. This being a month after we moved here we had some times of huffing and puffing. We really didn't relize that shoeing would take so much more effort then what we are used to. Pwild got a little shaky and we stopped to share some Honey Stinger Chews that really work fast for energy, oh and they taste good....like candy.  Some parts of the bushwacking on the course the snow was up to our knees. RMOC uses the memory stick logging setup and this makes for really quick punching. And after your done with the course you can print out your times right there. Things started off pretty cold and our Point 6 socks did there Job of keeping our feet warm and comfy inside our Salomon's, even if when you get done and take them off  you find you forgot to put insoles in (PWild). Rocked the first map then on to the second. The second map we wound up crossing our and others paths quite a bit and the nordic trails were getting busy with People out for some CC skiing. Many of them stopped us and asked what was going on. The last couple of CP's there was some good ground to cover. Making our way to CP 7-77 and Zorilla knowing we were right on it....double checking his map when Pwild disided to scout around the large mound of debrit for the ash borers that had done there damage to the area some years back. And yup sure enough we were right on it...Damn xray vision wasn't working. the rest was down hill and our final sprint to the finish to Keep our three hour goal in check.

Team Lupine winners of the Long Snow Shoe O (we'll take what we can get lol)

We had a great time for our first snowshoe O, and can not wait to get back out there and do another one. Next one Team Lupine will be a little more refined and ready for this new type or Orienteering. Wow this is a fun and just plain amazing way to race. We want to thank Rockie Mountain Orienteering Club and look forward to racing and working with you all in the Future.

Zorilla, Sharon(RMOC), and Pwild

Electronic Chip Control Point with a photo bomb of Salomon Spikecross's with SLab Gators.

"See You Out There"

Kode 30 WINTER Series Osprey

The Kode Series is dedicated back country snow play packs featuring wet/dry gear organization, insulated hydration compatibility and the exact features needed to carry a variety of snow toys/tools.  I have the medium size with a capacity of 38L and weights 3.7lbs.  The suspension systems consist of HDPE framesheet light wire peripheral alloy frame, thermo-sculpted snowshed back panel and foam padded.  Sounds heavy but its not and helps keep my back warm.  The ski carry loops(and snow board) also adapt to carrying my snow shoes.  So many great features on this pack....I was skeptical about the internal sewn in hydration sleeve with reservoir hanger and fully insulated, dual zippered harness router with hypoallergenic stretch garage for the mouth piece as well.....it was well below freezing at 10000 feet with wind blowing and my water did not freeze!!  Another great feature is the micro fleece goggle/sun glass pocket to keep eye wear scratch free and easy reach.  Top load helmet carry, back panel entry access to bladder and dry gear section of pack!  Check it out!!  I LOVE THIS PACK.  I have several Osprey packs and this one is the winter bomb!

PWILD

Burton Gore Tex Gloves vs Below Zero Temps in Colorado MT'S

So NO glove I tried in Colorado keeps my fingers warm.  I mean nothing!  Until I found these  Burton Womens Gore Tex Glove with Removable Liners. The tips of my fingers would get so cold to the point of being painful while out in the back country of the Colorado mountains or riding my MTB.  Between the temps and wind the temps are well below zero.  We found these gloves at REI after trying a few pairs from our local bike shop with no good results.  These Burton gloves have a outside pocket that a hand warmer fits in nicely.  The two straps to tighten the gloves around the wrists are perfect and keep cold air and snow out.  I love them.  Just wish they were not so "bulky" but I will trade that for warmth!  Thank you

PWild

2012 GoLite Black Mountain Thermal Wind Pant "I do more with less, Therefore I GOLITE"

Gear review for the GoLite Black Mountain Thermal Wind Pant at Walker Ranch in the Mountain just west of Boulder Colorado.  Temps: Partly Cloudy, High 35, chance on snow later in the Hike.  Winds would pick up to over 20mph.

It was really cold that morning so we layered our running apparel.  Jason wore just the GoLite Black MT Thermal Wind Pant on bottom and I wore my thermal underwear under my GoLite MT Thermal Wind Pant as I tend to get cold fast.  Hats, Gloves, buffs covering our necks, multiple layers on top and full packs with 100oz of water OFF we went.  This was a very technical trail run over 7 miles with climbs with a range of 1100 ft elevation change.  All at or around 6700 elevation or more. 

I have to say that I really thought there was too much material around the mid section of the pants from just trying them on.  But after running, trekking, bushwacking, bouldering, jogging in them for hours I had NO PROBLEMS with feeling "free" to move in them.  The 3 layer strech construction is awesome with the inside brushed fleece back panel makes them so comfortable!  AND I do NOT need the thermal underwear on under them, I was too warm at this point.  We felt no wind thru the panll ts(Laminated Soft Shell with the windproof front panel) and were comfortable the whole time.  The "clamshell" knees for ease of movement really held up to that...I felt no pulling down of my pants as I raised my knees to run or climb.  The pants did not feel damp on the inside and they did not stick to me the harder I worked out.  Proves they are waterproof and breathable. 

We would recommend these pants for wind protection and comfort....no more multilayer for the legs in cold weather!!  This pant does it all.  THANK YOU for making such a great product!!

See you out there!

PWild

Zpole Conversion to snow basket

So have gotten into the winter training season and have invested in some snow shoes (reviews of those to come later). We are going to be doing our first snow shoe O meet (http://www.rmoc.org/) this month so we are brushing up our skills, it is known that the difference between a beginner and advanced snow shoer is about five minutes. We would say that is close to true. It is not hard to keep busy here in Colorado learning new skills. 

Now when it came to poles we already had our favorite poles made which are the Black Diamond Carbon Fiber Zpoles.We know we could have gotten another set of the Compactor Zpoles that have the baskets we wanted but what fun is that...and we love the weight of the Carbon ones. So below is the Video Link we made to show you how.