German Championships in Ski Mountaineering
11.02.23: Vertical Race
12.02.23: Individual Race
After my last race that was a bit of a bummer I went online to find a pair of SKIMO racing skis, bindings and skins- I was lucky. So this time its all about my performance, only 55 minutes by car I drove to Berchtesgaden in Germany to compete at the Jennerstier. Like at the Austrian Champs they also offered a vertical + an individual race.
Vertical
The course had 582hm and 2,5km with the finish at the top
The whole venue was awesome, there was a huge parking lot at the bottom of the Jennersbahn which made it easy to get all the gear sorted before the start. It was a vertical race again. With only just under 600hm it was similar to my home mountain in Altenmarkt im Pongau where I trained for this race. Also the gradient of the slope was pretty similar. With full motivation and my new gear I could hold back and pushed from the start line. I couldn't believe how nice and easy these new skis were to race on. I tried them at home, but with the other competitors in front of me I could push even harder. It was awesome, I found myself in a good rhythm and a good pace. My heart rate was still from another planet but who cares? The race only took me 26:30 minutes and I finished in the TOP 20. What a fantastic start into this weekend of racing.
Individual
The course had 1210hm with multiple uphills, downhills and a ski carrying passage.
With my great result from the day before I started into the Individual race on Sunday. In the back of my head still the problems with the skins from my old setup I was very patient about it and watched every step I did. Still pushing into a decent race pace trying to follow the other racers. The course was awesome, very technical and steep climbs with a lot of switch backs followed by even more technical downhills. The weather was amazing and people were all over the course cheering for every single one of us. This time my dad came with me to support me during the race. He took awesome videos of the downhill while following the race out the gondola.
My setup was perfect and the snow was nice and packed. My skins worked perfectly and with my new binding I could take them off without taking my ski off which made a big difference on all 7 transitions. I didn't loose too much time and could enjoy my race to the fullest. The downhills were really fun and even the uphill with the skis on the backpack was a blast.
When I made it to the top of the last climb the atmosphere was amazing, everyone was shouting, whistling and ringing multiple cow bells to push us athletes even more to the limit. I made it to the finish line in 1:31:27 and finished 34th. What a great day in the mountains- I will be back in the future.
