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travel / adventure zone
| The Adventure Zone |
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| Photo courtesy Northern Canadian Adventure Racing |
Yellowknife’s Rock and Ice Ultra
At this Far North endurance race, sissies need not apply
By Tracy C. Read
Nestled on the north shore of the vast Great Slave Lake, Yellowknife, NWT, is just a few
hundred kilometres south of the Arctic Circle. That northerly latitude means this community
of 18,000 happily basks in more hours of summer sunshine than any other city in Canada. The
long frigid winter — with record-breaking deep-snow cover, extreme wind chill and sub-zero
temperatures cold enough to freeze unprotected skin — is another story. That’s
what makes Yellowknife the perfect setting for one of the most demanding endurance races
in the Far North — the Rock and Ice Ultra.
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| Photo courtesy Northern Canadian Adventure Racing |
Adventure racers are hard-wired to dig deep, and the third edition of the Rock and Ice
Ultra, launched in 2007 by Scott Smith though his company Northern Canadian Adventure Racing,
will demand no less. From March 21–26, some of the toughest men and women in the world
will discover what they’re made of as they compete in one of the event’s three
gruelling races.
A continuous 55-kilometre sprint for runners, snowshoers or cross-country skiers, the fully
supported, one-day Cold Foot Classic follows an ungroomed but well-used snowmobile trail
that crosses frozen lakes linked by taiga portages. The competition is fast, flat and furious,
and racers are well advised to bone up on GPS navigation and map and compass use. The three-day,
staged K-Rock Ultra stretches roughly 135 kilometres over the same kind of terrain. The race
is also fully supported, with competitors’ gear boxes transported by staff to the three
stage camps. Participants are likewise encouraged to have orienteering skills at the ready.
But the event that separates the weak from the chuffed is the self-supported six-stage,
six-day Diamond Ultra, where racers carry a ski pulk with all their own gear and food over
the 225-kilometre course (there’s an option of re-supply at the mid-point). In 2007,
the race’s inaugural year, fully two thirds of participants dropped out before crossing
the finish line, overwhelmed by the challenges of the brutal temperatures, deep snow, frostbite,
snow blindness, self-doubt and sheer exhaustion. For the winners of the two staged races,
however, victory is forever: prizes are diamonds, donated by sponsor BHP Billiton.
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| Photo courtesy Northern Canadian Adventure Racing |
Race director Smith, who worked for 15 years in mining exploration, is no stranger to rugged
and remote, and as a skier and long-distance mountain biker, he has tested his own strengths
against the elements. That’s the spirit of challenge and celebration Smith brings to
the Rock and Ice Ultra, along with a deep respect for the land and its traditions. “Race
well, be safe, and tread lightly on the land,” is his mantra — but the meek and
mild should look elsewhere for their fun.
For more information, visit www.rockandiceultra.com
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