Skike Australia Victorian Ski Chase update

On Saturday 26th August the final Skike Australia Victorian Ski Chase event was held at Falls Creek, the Kangaroo Hoppet/Birkebeinere/Joey Hoppet.  Thanks to the amazing team who put on this grand event.

It was great to have the full distance in all events, despite issues with snow accumulation in many places.   We were lucky with the weather too given the wild winter we experienced, with great visibility and only gale force winds to contend with.

Important notice:

• Registrations close this Sunday (4^th September).
• The Skike grand prize, Rochford winery draw prizes, and cash prizes will be drawn next Wednesday (7^th September).
• Please check that your results have been correctly recorded (remember only your best two Falls Creek results earn points).
• Please double check that your Hoppet/Birkie/Joey place was correctly recorded.

The interim results can be found here: Ski Chase draft Final Results 31Aug2016_men, Ski Chase draft Final Results 31Aug2016_women

These results might change if corrections are to be made or if there are last minute registrations.

As the results currently stand it looks like Amy Beanland has won the women’s competition, ahead of Jackie Kildea, Penny Grose, Briana Oldis and Lily Boland.  In the men’s competition Ben Derrick has finished on top, ahead of Kevin Tory, Ian Franzke, Tommi Silvester and Rod Clutterbuck.  Well done to everyone who took part.  Stay tuned for the grand prize draws.

If you know someone who has raced in any of the events, and is not listed in the results, let them know they have until Sunday to register, and be eligible for the draw prizes v07Plus Skikes, $100 Rochford wines gift vouchers, and possibly the cash prizes if under 23.  Register here: http://tinyurl.com/victorianskichase

Any questions? Try the information at http://www.skike.com.au/victorian-ski-chase.html or send an enquiry to victorianskichase@gmail.com.

Skike Australia Victorian Ski Chase update

On the weekend two Ski Chase events were held, Ski de Femme on Saturday, and the Rocky Valley Rush/Sun Valley Ramble on Sunday.  While Saturday was a bit grey and wind-blown snow covered some trails, Sunday was close to perfect with fantastic grooming, under beautiful blue skies. Many thanks to Birkebeiner Nordic Ski Club for putting on these great events.

The interim results Ski Chase Interim Results 18Aug2016_Men, Ski Chase Interim Results 18Aug2016_Women, include only those people who had registered by Sunday 14th of August.  More names will be added to the results as additional people register.

In the women’s competition Amy Beanland and Jackie Kildea have swapped places with Amy now in first and Jackie in second place.  Brianna Oldis has jumped into third place, pushing Kat Paul and Ann Bellingham down to fourth and fifth.  With only four points separating third and fifth places, the bronze is still very much up for grabs.  In the men’s competition, Ben Derrick has continued his steady climb and is now in first place, pushing Kevin Tory and Ian Franzke down to second and third place respectively.  Rod Clutterbuck is holding steady in fourth, and Len Budge has climbed up into the top five.

There is now only one event to go: the Hoppet/Birkebeiner/Joey, Saturday 27 August.  Best of luck to everyone taking part.

Regarding points calculations we’d like to remind participants of the following:

• Participants receive points for their best two Falls Creek events (and all other events of course).
• Points are awarded in preference to the “main” event when multiple sub-races are included in the one overall event. (An exception is given to the Hoppet/Birkebeiner/Joey, which are all treated as individual events.)  How does this work?  Consider the RVR/SVR held on Sunday.  A single place ranking is determined for all participants based on the following race ranking order: RVR classic, SVR classic, RVR freestyle.  RVR classic participants are ranked in their finishing order, SVR classic finishes are ranked immediately below this in their finishing order and so on.

Prize reminder:

Vo7Plus Skikes from Skike Australia (skike.com.au) – Random draw

Two $100 vouchers from Rochford Wines in Healesville (Rochfordwines.com.au) – Random draw

Two $100 vouchers from Rochford Wines – First place male and female

Cash prizes for U23s, donated by Melbourne Nordic Ski Club, and anonymous donors.

Any questions? Try the information at http://www.skike.com.au/victorian-ski-chase.html or send an enquiry to victorianskichase@gmail.com.

Skike Australia Victorian Ski Chase update

On Saturday event 6 of the Skike Australia Victorian Ski Chase the Hotham to Dinner Plain (also known as the Pub to Pub) was held in perfect weather and very fast snow.  Quite a contrast to the torrential rain of last year.  Many thanks to Mick Sinclair and his team of helpers for once again putting on this great event.

Mick’s team of shovelers did an excellent job filling in the holes Mick warned us about earlier in the week.  In fact many skiers were not even aware of where these holes might have been.

The interim results, which include only those people who had registered by Sunday 7th of August can be found here:Ski Chase Interim Results 10Aug2016_women, Ski Chase Interim Results 10Aug2016men.  More names will be added to the results as additional people register.  In the women’s competition Jackie Kildea and Amy Beanland have taken over the top two places after good results at the Pub to Pub, pushing the previous top three, Kat Paul, Ann Bellingham and Lily Boland, into third, fourth and fifth place respectively. In the men’s competition Kevin Tory[1] is now being challenged by Ian Franzke for first place, and we see Ben Derrick rising into third place. Rod Clutterbuck continues his upward climb into fourth place, and Greg Beanland has jumped to fifth.

This weekend there are only two ski chase events to be held, both at Falls Creek (Ski de Femme—Saturday, 10 AM, and Rocky Valley Rush/ Sun Valley Ramble—Sunday 10:30 AM).  Unfortunately, the Tullicoutty/St. Phillack Cup events at Mt. Baw Baw had to be cancelled due to insufficient snow (although an unofficial event of some sort will be held for those on the mountain).

After this weekend the final event of the series will only be two weeks away, and that’s the Hoppet/Birkebeiner/Joey.  So to maximise your points and increase your chances of winning the prizes, make sure you turn up to as many events as you can.

Thanks to our sponsors, Skike Australia, Rochford Winery, and our donors for the U23 cash prizes, Melbourne Nordic Ski Club and anonymous donors.

Any questions? Try the information at http://www.skike.com.au/victorian-ski-chase.html or send an enquiry to victorianskichase@gmail.com.

[1] Not eligible for prizes.

Skike Australia Victorian Ski Chase – Event 5 report

Unfortunately the fifth event of the Skike Australia Victorian Ski Chase, the Bullfight Charge (Sunday 24^th July) had to be cancelled due to insufficient snow.   However, an unofficial fun event was scheduled in its place.  Thanks to Alan Eason from the Lake Mountain Alpine Resort, who recognised that many of the Lake Mountain trails can offer great skiing on as little as 10 cm of snow, the unoffical event was able to be held.  It was an unconventional course beginning at the machine shed (only 50 m from the car park) and finished with a lightning descent of Royston road.  Many thanks to Alan and helpers for making this happen.  In keeping with previously held unofficial replacement events, all participants will be awarded 50 ski chase points.

The next event is the Pub to Pub (also known as the Hotham to Dinner Plain) just under two weeks away (Saturday 6 August).  Race start 11am, 12 km, Freestyle technique.   This is one of the most popular races on the calendar, run by Mick Sinclair.  Keep an eye on Mick’s website for condition reports, and pre-race day entry details: http://www.dbstrategies.com.au/pubtopub/

Any questions on the ski chase? Try the information at http://www.skike.com.au/victorian-ski-chase.html or send an enquiry tovictorianskichase@gmail.com.

Thanks again to our sponsors Skike Australia (skike.com.au) and Rochford Winery (Rochfordwines.com.au).

Skike Australia Victorian Ski Chase – Events 3 and 4

This weekend the third and fourth of the Skike Australia Victorian Ski Chase events, the Snow, Trek & Travel High Plains Tour, and the YMCA Howmans Gap Victorian Relay Championships took place.  Many thanks to the Howmans Gap Allstars for all their hard work putting on another great weekend of races.

After a wet week we were lucky to get an overnight freeze, and some great racing conditions for Saturday, with over 100 participants.  On Sunday the weather turned, and only a small number of teams braved the fog and light rain.

The interim results can be found here, Ski Chase Interim Results 13July2016_men Ski Chase Interim Results 13July2016_women, which include only those people who had registered by Sunday 10^th of July.  More names will be added to the results as additional people register.

Note, all participants in the relays earned 50 points.  However, only the best two Falls Creek events count in the points tally.

In the women’s competition Kat Paul has taken first place, with Ann Bellingham only two points behind in second place, and Lily Boland in third.  Briana Oldis and Ella Jackson have dropped a few places to 4^th and 5^th place.  In the Men’s competition there has been no change in the top two places with Kevin Tory and Will Middlemiss still in 1^st and 2^nd.  Nick Montgomery has jumped to 3^rd, Mark Pollock is holding 4^th, and by registering during the week Bob Cranage has taken over 5th place from Rod Clutterbuck.

The next event is the Bullfight Charge at Lake Mountain on Sunday 24 July.  Race start 11am, 8/3.5 km (Freestyle technique).  If you are pondering which distance to ski, remember the longer distances earn more points.

Any questions? Try the information at http://www.skike.com.au/victorian-ski-chase.html or send an enquiry to victorianskichase@gmail.com.

Thanks again to our major sponsors Skike Australia and Rochford Wines.

All the best,

Kevin and Andrew

Vic Ski Chase organisers.

 

P.S. Please let me know by responding to this e-mail if you notice any errors, or if we have missed anyone, and remind your friends and relatives to register here http://tinyurl.com/victorianskichase if you can’t see their names in the results.

Skike Australia Victorian Ski Chase – Birkie Classic results

On Saturday 2nd July the second Skike Australia Victorian Ski Chase event (first to be held), the Birkie Classic, took place in foggy conditions, but great snow cover.  Many thanks to the Birkebeiner Ski Club for putting on another fine event.

A good field of almost 60 skiers opened their wax boxes and got to test their waxing technique and early season fitness.  Although, increasing numbers opted for no wax options, such as scales, zeroes, mohair or just grunting it out double-poling.   I think double-poling won the day at least for the men.

First up, a reminder of how the place points are calculated for events with varying distances.

Skike Australia Victorian Ski Chase Poster

For information on the Skike Australia Victorian Ski Chase, check out the latest poster here: SkiChase2016PosterV2

Feel free to post, share or distribute.  Hopefully we’ll see big numbers at the Birkie Classic on Saturday.

Skike Australia Victorian Ski Chase: Event 2

This Saturday is the second event of the Skike Australia Victorian Ski Chase 2016 series – The Birkie Classic, which will be held at Falls Creek, start time 10 AM.

I’m reliably informed that the conditions are fantastic up there, and we should receive a bit more snow during this week.  Hopefully everyone can make it to enjoy this great start to the season.

Note, all previous Ski Chase participants are automatically registered in the 2016 competition.  For new registrations, follow this link: http://tinyurl.com/victorianskichase.

See http://www.skike.com.au/victorian-ski-chase.html for more details on how the event works.

Thanks to our major sponsors Skike Australia (skike.com.au) and Rochford Winery (rochfordwines.com.au).

Here is the full 2016 Ski Chase calendar, so that you can arrange your season to take in as many Ski Chase events as possible:

1.                   1 May—Victorian Rollerski/Skike Championships, Lake Mountain

2.                   2 July –Birkebeiner classic, Falls Creek

3.                   9 July –Snow, Trek & Travel High Plains tour, Falls Creek

4.                   24 July—Bullfight Charge, Lake Mountain

5.                   6 August -Hotham-Dinner Plain, Mt Hotham

6.                   13 August -Ski de Femme, Falls Creek

7.                   14 August -Tullicoutty/St PhillackCup, Mt Baw Baw

8.                   14 August -Rocky Valley Rush/Sun Valley Ramble, Falls Creek

9.                   27 August -Kangaroo Hoppet/Birkebeiner/Joey Hoppet, Falls Creek

2016 Melbourne Nordic Gear Sale

The 2016 Melbourne Nordic Gear Sale will be held in Kew on Tuesday 24 May, from 7-10 pm. For more details see the linked PDF below or head to the MNSC website.

MNSC Gear Sale 2016

 

Skike Australia Victorian Ski Chase – Event 1

 

They say “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry” and it was certainly true on Sunday.  The inclusion of the rollerski race in the Ski Chase was to provide at least one guaranteed event that would never be cancelled due to poor snow conditions.  Unfortunately, we didn’t account for Storm Force winds and torrential rain/hail and sleet that brought about the inevitable cancellation.

Interestingly, there didn’t appear to be anyone overly disappointed about the decision, which is perhaps a reflection of how nasty the conditions were.

During a break between thunderstorms, the juniors put on race bibs and had a race of their own.  A few of the oldies went for a run around the ski trails where the hail lay on the ground like a thin layer of snow, and one keen Skiker, decided to ski the full 10 km course, including a wet and icy roll back down the mountain to his car.

The next Ski Chase event is now just 2 months away, the Birkie Classic, scheduled for 2 July at Falls Creek.

Also, don’t forget the new and improved SprintX at Lake Mountain on Saturday 25th June.