Trackleaders.com has confirmed all our rental units. Those of you who bring their own SPOTs, please email me (info@thegreatoutdoors.de) following information:

• ESN (serial #) which you will find in the battery compartment and
• the URL of your shared link page (you need of course have your tracking service activated)

With this information Trackleaders.com can add you to the system that is set up for the MYAU and we and everybody else following the race will have you on the “radar”.

All athletes who rent a SPOT as always need to bring their own batteries to run the devices. You will need 4x AAA Energizer Lithium Ultimate (model # L-92). The SPOT will NOT work with regular alkaline batteries! Trackleaders.com does recommend a back-up set of batteries. I know these are expensive batteries but they last significantly longer than other batteries (especially in the cold) and also work with many other products like headlamps, etc.

Trackleaders.com have also offered to upload a photo that will show when people click on your tracking symbol. If you want that, please email a 150 x 150 pixel close-up portrait photo of yourself to Matthew at heymatthewlee@gmail.com. Please send him your full name, distance and race bib number (which is the number you have on the race roster).

Paperwork

I am still missing a lot of originals from paperwork. For those of you from outside of the EU that’s find. Please bring it to the Yukon with you. Athletes from within the EU who have missed the message and still need to hand in originals, please bring these now to the Yukon with you, too. Otherwise, your papers will end up in Germany while I am already in the Yukon.

VERY IMPORTANT: I need the MYAU Medical Certificate signed from a doctor from all ultra distance athletes. General medical certificates do not count. A start without a signed MYAU medical certificate is NOT possible.

Schedule

Just in case you have not seen the schedule posted on arcticultra.de already, I will also show it here:

February 5th, 2015

17:00 – 18:00 Hand-Out of the rental gear and fuel, Coast High Country Inn. If you can’t be there during that time please leave a message for me at the front desk of the hotel or contact me beforehand and we will arrange for a different time.

February 6th, 2015

12:30 – 15:00 First part of the YAU training course (indoor) – for signed up athletes only, Gold Rush Inn

17:00 – 21:00 Second part of the YAU training course, trails near Whitehorse, meeting point in front of the Coast High Country Inn; again, only for athletes who signed up for the training course

February 7th, 2015

08:00 – 09:00 De-brief of the training course, Coast High Country Inn

09:00 – 10:30 Official trail briefing and hand-out of SPOT units and fuel for ALL athletes, Coast High Country Inn

11:30 – 14:00 Gear check for all participants who did not participate in the training course, hand-in of any missing paper work, hand-out of maps, race bibs, Coast High Country Inn

15:00 – 16:00 Briefing for volunteers, Coast High Country inn from

17:00 Pre-race dinner for all athletes and volunteers, Coast High Country Inn

February 8th, 2015

10:30 Start of the Yukon Arctic Ultra 2015, Shipyard’s Park, Whitehorse

Please note that the location for the indoor part of our training course has changed to the Gold Rush Inn. The timing for the training course has been updated, too.

Also, please note that I have included the hand out of Primus fuel on several occasions.

Trail conditions

It is still a bit early to say anything reliable about trail conditions. But it does look like there is a good chance trail conditions will be challenging. The Canadian Rangers who do all the hard work on the Quest trail were out this last weekend. I hope to get some feedback soon. The main problem seem to be the rivers. A lot of jumbled ice and lack of snow make up for a bad mixture. However, we have had perfect trail conditions before and then one week before the race it all went „bad“. It can still snow and colder temperatures can still have an impact.

I will keep you all up to date as I get the news.

I wish all of you a Happy New Year and many great adventures in 2015!

Montane Extreme Smock

The Montane Extreme Smock is one of the first pieces of clothing that our title sponsor put into the market more than 20 years ago. Since then it has proven in countless expeditions that it is perfect kit for extreme challenges in the cold. Over the years it of course has been improved and gotten even better. That’s why it is the first item that is sold with our brand new logo.

Athletes can purchase the MYAU Extreme Smock with a 20% discount. The cost for the logo application is EUR 8.95. Anybody interested in purchasing one, please send me an email to info@thegreatoutdoors.de.

Logo Patches

Thanks to Peter Mild, owner of Peter Mild Design and MYAU 300 mile athlete, we now also have great looking logo patches. At the moment I have rectangular ones with different backgrounds.

Within a week or two I should also get a round one. Prices are EUR 5.95/patch.

I also still have some of the “Wolf Logo Patches” left. These now sell for EUR 2.95.

As with the smock, anybody interested please send me an email to info@thegreatoutdoors.de.

On the menu

The meals at our checkpoints come from different places. In the cases of McCabe Creek and Pelly Farm we get the meals directly from our hosts. The lasagne and the hospitality at Pelly Farm are legendary. One more reason to make it there! And Kathy Kruse at McCabe Creek makes excellent meals, too.

For most of our other checkpoints the meals come from the Deli in Whitehorse. The meals they will prepare for us are:

Rivendell Farm – Soup and Sandwiches, Dessert – made fresh that morning (variety of sandwiches)

Dog Grave Lake – Potato/Ham/Broccoli Soup with european wieners on side, buns, dessert

Carmacks – Beef Stroganoff with broad noodles, Bread, Dessert

Pelly #1 – Chicken Casserole with Rice and Veggies, Dessert

Pelly #2 – Bison Stew, Bun, Dessert Scroggie Chicken Stew, Bun, Dessert

Dawson Baked Salmon Loin, Rice, Veg, Dessert

The size of the portions from the Deli are 16 oz (approx. 470 ml) each. So, if you only have a small cup or plate, please feel free to come for a second serving.

In Braeburn you will eat from the menu. And it’s okay if you are hungry. They serve one of the world’s largest burgers. If you still are hungry after your checkpoint meal or you want to eat again after your rest, you can. Other meals are just not included in the entry fee. So, please take a long a bit of money. You may also want to check out their cinnamon buns. They definitely ARE the world’s largest.

The meals for Ken Lake I need to confirm, yet.

Our assistance point at Takhini Bridge, about half way to the marathon finish is only there for the marathon runners. No meals are served there but marathoners can get hot water and tea, to drink right there and to fill up water bladders or flasks.

Indian River is an assistance point between Scroggie and Dawson. Again, there are no meals but a safe place in case of emergencies and a place where you get something hot to drink.

Drop bags

Drop bags need to be handed in after the pre-race dinner. You do have until about 10 PM to give us your bags. So, you don’t have to bring them right to the dinner. You can finish packing after dinner and bring the bags then.

Please note that the drop bags need to be packed really well. Do NOT use plastic or garbage bags. Also, the bags need to be clearly marked with your name, bib number and the checkpoint. Do not just put tape on the bag. This may work fine in a warm hotel room. As soon as the bag gets into a cold trailer, tape comes off. So, please keep in mind that the marking needs to withstand the cold and handling of the bags.

The bags will be transported in an enclosed trailer. So, they will be in the cold for an extended period of time and they will be piled on top of one another. Therefore, please do not pack anything that can break easily or will be damaged by cold temperatures.

Drop bags once used by athletes will not be transported north. When you are done with a bag it will be stored at that checkpoint and transported back on one of our trips to Whitehorse. If you need to stop your race at an earlier checkpoint we will try to get your bags which are further north to Whitehorse as soon as possible. All drop bags will be brought to the storage room of the Coast High Country Inn.

Internet and electricity

I often get asked if checkpoints have internet access and electricity. The answer is: „It depends“. Internet you really only get in Carmacks. And there is only one computer. So, if many athletes want to use it at the same time, it may be a bit difficult.

Electricity is available in more places, i.e. Braeburn, Carmacks, McCabe and Pelly Crossing. Especially at Braeburn availability may be tight when there are many athletes at once.

In a few places there are pay phones. In Whitehorse you can get calling cards and then use these phones for very little cost per minute to call back home. Places with pay phones are Braeburn, Carmacks and Pelly Crossing. Of course we will also make frequent news updates and there is the SPOT tracking. So, friends and family have an idea where you are and how you are doing.

GPS-track

I also often get asked if we provide a full GPS-track of the trail. The answer is „no“. Mainly this is due to the fact that the trail can change from one year to the next. And it even may change on short notice – due to overflow or other reasons. Athletes who are tired may make the mistake to follow their GPS rather than focussing on the trail ahead and the trail markers. If they do that, they can get into some very dangerous situations. It is still good to have a GPS, though. It can tell you at what speed you are traveling at. Which in turn will allow you to take a better guess as to when you reach a checkpoint, when to take a break, etc. Also, if you really do get lost, you can back-track with the GPS or find a way to a checkpoint (as we do have the co-ordinates for checkpoints). But please keep in mind that walking off a trail and cross-country to a checkpoint, certainly when it is still far away, should be your last resort. Don’t forget, if you do have a SPOT and even after a good rest you are sure you won’t find back to the trail, push the help button.

We do give out maps of the trail but like the GPS these are for rough orientation only. Since the trail on the maps is based on a GPS-track that is not updated every year, the trail can be different. So, like I say every year: follow the trail markers and use common sense.

Buying gear in Whitehorse

With Coast Mountain Sports there is a great outdoor and sports store in down town Whitehorse. Many athletes go there every year for some last minute shopping. If you need something specific like Neo overboots, snow shoes, larger quantities of expedition food, etc. it makes sense to contact Coast Mountain Sports as soon as possible. That way they have a chance to order missing gear in time for the race and reserve it for you. Your contact there is Corina Zumer (corina@cmsyukon.ca).

Dr. Mathias Steinach who will be with us for the second time to study the effects the 430 mile race has got on runners is still looking for athletes. He already came for research in 2013. In 2015 he will be back to get more data. Mathias works for the renown Center for Space Medicine Berlin which is part of the University there. Athletes who participate not only help understand better what extreme environments do to us humans in general. They will of course also gain very interesting insight on how our race affects their body.

The premiere two years ago worked really well. Mathias found a way to get all the data necessary without interfering with the race rhythm of the participants. He is looking for four more athletes who would like to be part of this. So, if you are interested, please send me a quick email (info@thegreatoutdoors.de) and I will send you more detailed information on what exactly will be done.

Medical Certificates

I just want to remind all participants of the MYAU 2015 not to forget their medical certificates. A start without this certificate signed by a doctor is not possible. It may be possible to get the certificate in Whitehorse but of course having to run after this just days before the race causes stress and can be costly.

Application & Waiver

In order to spend less time with paperwork in Whitehorse I would like to ask all athletes from European countries to send their original Application & Waiver and all the forms it contains to the following address:

Robert Pollhammer
Rathausplatz 14
82467 Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Germany

Please keep a copy in case the envelope gets lost in the mail. Take your copy with you to Whitehorse just in case.

All athletes who are from countries outside of Europe, please take your original paperwork with you to Whitehorse and hand it in there. This also goes for pages 1 to 4 of your Application & Waiver which you may have sent in by email already.

Training course

So far we have very few athletes signed up for the training course. Therefore, I just want to remind you all that the training course is mandatory for all those without previous cold weather experience. If most of you have the experience and that is why you have not signed up, that’s awesome. If you have not been out in temperatures below – 20 degrees Celsius please sign up by emailing me until January 1st. I need to have the numbers as I need to confirm the room booking and catering. Showing up on short notice won’t work I am afraid.

MYAU documentary on Japanese national TV

At the MYAU 2015 the Japan Broadcasting Corp. (N.H.K.) will film for a 100 minute sport documentary. It will be part of a series that also covers some of the world’s most amazing races.
To fill 100 minutes of documentary you need to tell interesting stories. And that is why the production team would like to get to know our athletes a little better. So, if you don’t mind, please take a few minutes to answer the below questions and email this to info@thegreatoutdoors.de. I will then forward it to the production team.

Your Name:
Contact (email) if it is okay for them to contact you:
MYAU experience (past participation):
1) Please tell us about your personal aim in the race?
2) What motivates you to this extreme race?
3) What do your family or friends say about your participation?
4) During the most difficult situation or challenging part, what would emotionally support you to keep going?

Race Photography

In a previous news update I had already told you that in 2015 Yann Besrest-Butler will be our official race photographer. We will do our best to get Yann out on the trail as often as possible and that he can take pictures of everyone. If he catches up to you and manages to take some photos, it is possible to purchase photography from him. He will provide one image for GBP 25.00 and 5 images for GBP 100.00. This is an offer of course. Should you not want to spend money on photography you can always ask checkpoint crew or other athletes to take your picture.

If you want to see some of Yann’s work, please check out his website www.yannbb.com.

Swedish company Primus has been creating products for outdoor use since 1892. They have been tested on expeditions by such pioneers as Fridtjof Nansen, Roald Amundsen and Sir Edmund Hillary. Today, Primus is known for its reliable, safe and innovative products that make people enjoy their outdoors adventures – both big and small. The focus is on creating environmentally friendly, easy to use and lightweight products. Primus Marketing Manager Johan Sollenberg says: “The MYAU is extremely tough and challenging – exactly the conditions where Primus feels at home.”

Free LPG Winter gas canisters or white gas

Needless to say that I am very happy and proud to get such a great company to support our race. As the Official Fuel Supplier, Primus will supply the participants with either LPG gas cartridges or, for colder conditions, white gas. LPG Gas? Yes! For this winter season, the Swedes have introduced their new Winter Gas. Its secret is the Vapor Mesh, a special absorbent paper on the inside of the LPG cartridge. Increasing the surface from where the liquid pressurized gas can evaporate, it can be used at temperatures down –20° C (–4° F) compared to –12° C(+10.4! F) with conventional canisters. Although we do not recommend LPG gas stoves for the MYAU, we are fully aware that some athletes prefer this kind of set-up and have used it successfully. The innovative Primus Winter Gas will make this type of stove more reliable and it is of course great that we can give it out free of charge. But don’t worry that only LPG cartridges will be for free. Everybody who uses a stove that runs on white gas will get Primus PowerFuel free of charge, too.

New rental stove packages available

Another service we can now offer is rental stoves. It is hardly possible to get liquid fuel stoves so clean that they actually don’t smell anymore. So traveling to Whitehorse (or back home) can be bit of a headache: There is no guarantee that security check at the airport are not going to keep your stove anyway. Not having to buy a stove can also help keep down cost and decrease luggage weight and volume. We rent out the Primus OmniLite Ti. It is light, state of the art and expedition proven. The rental package will also include a Primus Eta pot 1.0 l and the Primus Powerlighter. The recommended retail price of this package is EUR 284.85 (stove = EUR 229.95, pot = EUR 24.95, lighter = EUR 19.95). The rental fee will be EUR 99.95. If you are interested in renting, please send an email to info@thegreatoutdoors.de.

Primus OmniLite Ti

The handing out of the stoves and fuel will happen at the Coast High Country Inn February 5th from 17:00 to 18:00. For all those who are not there that day, we will also provide the equipment on February 7th at the gear check from 11:30 to 14:00. Same location. If you want to read more about Primus and their products please check out www.primus.eu.

In 2015 we will work with SPOT satellite tracking devices again. As with any technology, there are pros and cons. But overall the positive aspects are more than the negative ones. The main reason we have SPOTs is for their 911 function. And thankfully, so far it has only been used once. The 911 button to us means there is an absolutely life threatening situation. This also means if there is no life threatening situation, IT CAN’T BE PUSHED! Please keep in mind that the cost for a 911 rescue operation can be enormous and it has to be paid by the athlete or his/her insurance. Obviously, if life is at risk it just has to be done. But if you are lost, tired, exhausted or have any other problem that a good rest and common sense can solve, do not push that botton. If a good rest is of no help, there is a button on the SPOT that is called exactly that: „Help“. It is a signal to the race organisation that you do have a problem and want to end your race then and there. But otherwise you are fine and will wait for us to come.

The third function that is great for us and all those following you at home, is the tracking function. If your SPOT has got good exposure to the sky it will send your position to us several times per hour. This will then be updated to a MYAU section on Trackleaders.com.

The cons are that of course sometimes people use the „Help“-button when they really could have solved the problem themselves. Or they decided to use that button rather than going back to a checkpoint. Mind you, if you can’t walk anymore, that’s fine. Push it. But being tired is no reason. Please just take a good rest and decide then. Because if we have to „rescue“ someone who is actually perfectly fine and at the same time something serious happens, it is bad to have resources bound.

Another con is that it’s technology and it does not always work. Usually this is due to not operating the SPOT correctly. But it also may be technical failure. It means we don’t get a signal and people back home start to worry. In most cases race headquarter knows what’s going on, e.g. because we got in-/out times of a checkpoint or just recently had contact with the athlete.

Anyway, over all I would say the safety that SPOT brings to the race make it worth its while.

For 2015 the rental fee (tracking service, shipment and set-up included) is EUR 50/unit. If you bring your own SPOT, the set-up fee is EUR 20/unit. All those of you who bring your own SPOT and did not tell me that already, please email me by December 10th. If I have not heard from you I will assume you need a rental unit and I will order one for you.

Regarding the 100 mile race, I will have to wait until after December 10th to decide if SPOTs will be mandatory here, too. Interestingly, in our Facebook group in a small survey I did, there was a majority of people in favor of making SPOTs mandatory for the 100 miles. But I won’t know until mid December if I can get enough additional rental units. In any case, if you do the 100 miles and know already that you want to rent a SPOT or if you want to bring your own, please let me know.

Rescue Missions

Above I already talked a bit about SPOT and rescue. Now I just want to make sure everyone understands that no matter if it’s a „Help“ or a „911“ message, rescues in the winter wilderness of the Yukon will likely not be as quick as you would think.

If a „Help“ message is sent or a checkpoint calls us and asks for transportation of an injured athleted from a remote checkpoint, it depends on various factors as to how fast we can be. If for example an athlete is in relative saftey at that checkpoint and the weather is extremely cold and it would be a risk to send a ski-doo guide, then it will take as long as there is no more risk. In places like Scroggie Creek (430 miles only) there may also be the need for air evacuation rather than ski-doo. Depending on the circumstances it can be safer and quicker for a plane to do the rescue there. PLEASE note that air rescue to 100% has to be paid by the athlete! Also, we try to avoid ski-doo rescue at night. So, if you push the help button in the middle of the night it is very likely that only in the morning you will see us arrive.

Even a 911 mission can take hours. And again, if the weather does not permit, there is no air rescue at all. That is also, why it is so important to have basic survival skills, enough food, warm clothes and the right sleeping system.

I will not talk about survival skills or what to do or not to do in serious or dangerous situations. There is a lot of interesting literature on the market and pretty likely you have read at least one of these books already. Or you may even have had survival training. In any case, it’s good to be prepared and think about certain scenarios and what you will do.

We got a new logo for the MYAU pretty much one year ago. And it was a nice one. However, I have not been 100% happy with it. Due to lack of time I used it anyway. With the help of MYAU competitor Peter Mild from Sweden, I re-started the project some weeks ago. We tried many versions and even had a look at the “wolf” idea again. But we decided that it’s athletes that stand in the centre of everything and that’s what it should be like in the logo. I think it turned out really well and I also like the maple leaf as a symbol of where we are. I hope you all agree with me.

Thank you Peter for the great job and your patience with me! If any of you ever need a really professional agency for corporate branding and graphic design, please check out Peter’s company www.milddesign.se.

Entry deadline approaching

This is just a reminder for all athletes who plan to enter the 2015 MYAU that our deadline for race entries is November 30^th, 2014. This goes for the 100, 300 and 430 mile distances. Since sometimes people cancel on short notice please feel free to contact me also after this date. If the numbers on the race roster permit I may be able to accept your entry. People wanting to do the marathon can also sign up until mid January.

Sat phone rentals

Once again Total North, a communication specialist company based in Whitehorse will supply the satellite phones for the MYAU. These phones play a vital role for our communication and thus for the safety of all participants. With the phones and the service we get from Total North, we know things will work perfectly.

They also offer sat phone rentals for participants. The daily rental fee is CAD 25. If you rent for a week it is CAD 125. Air time is CAD 2.50/minute. Alternatively, you can purchase air time bundles.

Sat phone are not mandatory for the race. However, I do strongly recommend it for the 300 and certainly for the 430 miles. The SPOT units you will carry will allow you to alert us. However, you will not be able to get a clear message through to us as to what the problem is. And of course it is a great option to share some magic trail moments with friends and family back home. Should you be interested in renting a sat phone, please get in touch with me (info@thegreatoutdoors.de) and I will forward you the Total North sat phone rental form. And make sure you don’t wait too long as during our race and the Yukon Quest rental sat phones are in high demand.

Rental gear

Just a quick reminder for everyone to please let me know if you wish to rent any gear (sled, sled bag, harness, sleeping bag) asap. Especially the amount of rental sleeping bags is limited and on short notice I may not be able to help.

Gear checks

Also I would like to remind all participants about our gear checks. We will look at your sleeping system (i.e. mat, sleeping bag, bivvy or tent) and we want to see if you can light your stove. Stoves that work with gas canisters are not recommended. It remains your decision if you want to take one anyway. The problem with these stoves is that depending on make and model they may not work in temperatures colder than – 20 degrees Celsius. So, if you take one please make at least sure it is a product that the manufacturer does recommend for extreme conditions. If you want to be on the save side, take an alcohol stove (like Trangia for example) or take a multi fuel like the MSR Whisperlite.

A very important part of your gear is the sleeping bag. Not only does it have to have the right temperature range. It also needs to have enough loft! If the label says “Extreme Temperature -40 degrees C” but the bag has no loft, it will not be accept. That is for your safety! If you are not sure about what condition your bag is in please check with a good outdoor retailer or friend who frequently uses down bags. Also, please note that using two down bags which each do not have any loft, will not result in a better solution.

Down jackets will not be checked but I want to mention some feedback I got in our facebook group when asking what type of down jacket people have used in the past. The main opinion was that for the MYAU you definitely should have an expedition type down jacket, like the Montane Deep Cold Down Jacket or similar. It’s not so much for when you are walking. Your other clothing should have you covered for when you are on the move. This jacket is more for your breaks and in case of an emergency. Also, this type of down jacket can help you get more out of your sleeping system. If you wear it on the move and sweat a lot, it won’t be of much use when you get in trouble.

SPOT

As always all 300 and 430 mile athletes will have to carry a SPOT unit. If you already do have a SPOT, please let me know as soon as possible as it will help me give Trackleaders.com a more accurate guess as to how many devices I need. If you use your own SPOT there will be a small set-up fee to include it in our tracking. If you don’t have a SPOT you will be able to rent. More info on this soon.

100 mile athletes do not have to use SPOTs. However, you are welcome to get connected with your own unit or you can rent one from us, too.

Yann Besrest-Butler will be official race photographer of the MYAU 2015. He already helped with race photography in 2011 along with Mark Gillett. In 2015 Yann will be back and once again take great pictures. If you want to see his work please check out our photo gallery. Apart from taking pictures at great adventures, Yann also likes something a bit more calm. Although, thinking about it, it’s probably just as much of an adventure … just different. Yann is a really great wedding photographer. Check out his website and you will see what I mean. So, if you are planning on getting married anytime soon or know someone who does, he is your man.

Downtown official MYAU hotel in Dawson City

Like in all past editions the Downtown hotel in Dawson City will be our partner hotel. As is the case in the Coast High Country Inn hotel in Whitehorse there is a discounted rate available for MYAU participants. All athletes need to make their own hotel arrangements for Dawson please. Bookings can be done via email to Sarah Edwards (sarah.edwards@yukonhotels.com) or contacting the Downtown hotel directly. Either way, please make sure you mention you are with the MYAU. Then you will get your discount. The Downtown hotel rates per room for the MYAU are:

Single/Double: $112.00
Triple: $127.00
Quad: $142.00

Rates are without tax and breakfast is not included.

Make sure you visit their bar and try the world famous Sour Toe Cocktail – after 430 miles of Yukon Quest trail it will be the grand finale of your adventure!

Reduced rental car rates at Driving Force

Once again Driving Force will provide the rental vehicles for the MYAU. As is the case with hotel accommodation athletes, friends or family can get a discount. In this case it is 10%. You can make your rental car booking by emailing Nikita Hryniuk (nhryniuk@drivingforce.ca) or Roxane Pike (rpike@drivingforce.com) or call (867) 456-2277, (867) 668-2137 or booking online via www.drivingforce.ca. If booking online please  write in the notes this is for “Montane Yukon Artic Ultra”.

First of all, I want to welcome all athletes who have signed up for the race so far! I hope you all enjoy your training and preparation phase.

Less than 6 months to go. About time for another update. The reason why it has been a bit quiet on this website is the re-launch of Racelite.de. Our online-shop needed an update and I more than happy with the result. Unfortunately, the new design so far only is in German. English will hopefully follow before the end of the year. Until then you can check out our range of clothing and gear at the „old“ Racelite.com.

20% discount on Montane products

Talking about gear. All MYAU participants can get 20% discount on Montane products bought through Racelite.com. If you prefer you can order products also by phone or email. In a couple of weeks the new winter range will be available. So, make sure you check it out. Montane has got many items that are perfect for an incredible adventure in the midst of Yukon winter.

Entry fees will go up after end of August

After the end of August entry fees will go up. Therefore, if you know for sure you want and can join us, you should use the opportunity to save some money.

Pre-race schedule and travelling to the Yukon

Now is also a good time to book your flights and hotel. Flights are more affordable than closer to race time. And because of the Quest being in Whitehorse with us you should organize your accommodation as soon as possible. Our partner hotel as always is the Coast High Country Inn. Information on room rates and the group booking number you will find here.

Earlier than normal I put online the preliminary schedule leading to our start. It should help you decide on your timing. One important part of that timing is our training course. Please note that you need to participate in case you do not have any prior experience with the extreme cold.

In general please keep in mind that it helps not to arrive last minute. Every year a few athletes have the problem that their gear does not arrive with them. If you then only have 1 day to sort everything out, it can become a bit of a nightmare. One possibility for you to get your gear to Whitehorse without problems is to book an Air North flight from Vancouver. They have bigger planes than Air Canada and thus less problems with bulky and/or overweight luggage. The only risk there is that your flight to Vancouver can’t delay and of course gear can always be stuck in other airports prior to Vancouver. Having said that, so far Air Canada has always managed to get „lost“ baggage to Whitehorse in time. So, no reason to panic.

Rental gear

As always we will have rental sleds, harnesses, sled bags and sleeping bags. Information on rental gear you find in the service section. Supply is limited. The sooner you book your rental gear, the better. If you have questions regarding gear rental please let me know.

Support team

The MYAU has always been very lucky in having an awesome support team. And I am really happy that for 2015 many of the key crew members have confirmed already. Diane will once again co-ordinate the medical and volunteer teams. With her will be her friend Lucy who already was with us in 2013. Gary will do the same for the ski-doo guides. One ski-doo support team will once again be Glenn and Spencer. Mike and Jessica will not have time to prepare Dog Grave Lake checkpoint but they will be at the checkpoint during day 1 and 2. Mark (Hines) and Murray will take care of Scroggie Creek. Gerard will be in charge of Indian River. Libby Gregory who is new to the team will help me with the race headquarter. That way we can inform local and international media better during the race. Also, Libby will support me with race updates for the website.

I will introduce more staff and volunteers as they confirm.

Der Montane Yukon Arctic Ultra 2015 startet am 8. Februar. Die Teilnehmer werden dann auch wieder die Chance haben, am 7. Februar den Start des härtesten Hundeschlittenrennens der Welt mit zu erleben. Denn an diesem Tag starten die “Musher” und ihre Hunde zum legendären Yukon Quest.

In 2014 mussten wir aufgrund schlechter Trail-Bedingungen auf den ersten 20 bis 30 km den Start nach Takhini Hot Springs verschieben. Nächstes Jahr ist der Start wieder ganz normal für Shipyard’s Park in Whitehorse geplant.

Ich werde nun das Anmeldeformular fertig machen und ab Montag zum Download in der Rubrik Anmeldung zur Verfügung stellen. Sehr gerne verschicke ich das Formular auf Anfrage auch per Email.

The 11th edition of the Yukon Arctic Ultra is history. Once again the Yukon has shown us everything it has in store. From warm temperatures down to – 40 ° degrees, ice and open water, sun, snow, northern lights and endless wilderness. It was a great race and I want to thank all athletes who came to test their limits.

I also want to thank the entire support crew: Gary & Josh, Glenn & Spencer for the endless hours on their ski-doos and the effort to always be there when needed, the volunteers, staff and checkpoint crew Jessica & Mike, Debra, Marta & Graham, Bernard, Laure-Anne & Anaïs, Nic, Mei, Libby and Diane.  All you guys have once again created the atmosphere for the athletes which makes the YAU different and special. Thank you for that and for putting up with long days and lack of sleep. I hope to see you all back!

A special thanks also goes to Don from Scuttlebutt Lodge (still thinking about that Pizza!), the Kruse family and Pelly Farm for opening your homes to us and supporting the YAU year after year. Thank you Takhini Transport and Takhini Hot Springs for helping us out in a very uncomplicated way with our start change. And thank you to all our sponsors and supporters – locally and internationally.

Last but not least, thank you to Matthew from Trackleaders.com for getting on a plane and spending a lot of time and money to get the SPOT units to us in time. It was much appreciated and I know that people back home really enjoyed following everyone online.

It seems the YAU every year is a bit different. In 2014 for the first time trail conditions due to unseasonably warm weather meant we had to change the start line. Rather than starting at Shipyard’s Park in Whitehorse, we went to Takhini Hot Springs. The entire team there and the Cafe Balzam were great hosts and it worked out just fine. Of course it is a bit less fun to do an out and back but if the alternative is to go for a swim in the Yukon River, there is really not much choice. And I got the feeling that everybody had a good time nonetheless. And how many marathoners can walk straight from the  finish line into hot springs?

Apart from some soft spots it also became obvious that the trail is hard and that we would have a pretty fast race. We saw some very good marathon times, Stefano Gregoretti from Italy being the overall finisher with 3 h 35 min.  Kristin Daniel took first place in the women’s category with a time of 4 h 12 min.

One of the great surprises of this race was the fact that we had no athlete scratch at Dog Grave Lake. Normally we have to make several trips to get exhausted or injured athletes out of there. So, my congratulations to all athletes for making it safely to Braeburn through this remote part of our race course.

After some very warm days leading up to the start we also all felt that temperatures would change. Even on day 1 it was amazing how much colder it was just those few kilometers out of town.

Paul Trebilock had great time on his bike. For him conditions could not have been better. He flew down the trail and arrived at a time that will be hard to beat in future years. Second came local athlete Karl McEwan who litereally sprinted to the finish line, overtaking Simon Donato and placing 2nd overall and 1st on foot. Simon was on xc-skis and placed 3rd overall. Apart from being 3rd it was a great achievement to finish the 100 miles on his first try. So far all 100 mile xc-skiers needed to come back for unfinished business. Maren Kraft from Germany was the first woman to arrive in Braeburn. She had entered the race with her husband Mike as team True Love. And they really must love each other because we do not get too many teams reaching the finish line togeter. Let alone couples 😉

Only one 100 mile athlete did not reach Braeburn. David Bohn had problems with his water bladder and decided not to risk anything. David was going strong and physically he would have had no problem to get there. So, we all hope to see him come back.

For the 300 miles things were looking good, too. Unfortunately, Daniele Modolo from Italy had to scratch after the marathon distance and his fellow countryman Davide Ugolini who was in the lead at the time had to stop in Braeburn due to injury. Everybody else left Braeburn Lodge in good spirits, trying to reach Carmacks before the 4 days and 12 hours cut-off.

Whilst the first 100 miles went really well for all athletes on the way to Pelly, the trail to Carmacks took its toll. Ali Bajway, Linda Pomeroy, Jorgen Thorsted, Stefan Zahlten and Tim Wilks had to scratch. Very bad blisters, back problems and other sports injuries were some of the reasons. All these athletes still enjoyed the challenge and it looks like we will see them back for another try.

Pietro Trabucchi and Gebriela Monti from Italy did reach Carmacks. However, it was just over an hour after the deadline. I felt bad about it but did re-enforce the rule as I think any other decision would be unfair to athletes who had the same problem in past years. Both were very understaning and appreciated the offer to continue unranked one stage further down the trail.

At that point in time Johnny from Denmark was already pretty close to the 300 mile finish. Even though we had to hold him in McCabe for safety reasons, he won the race and set a new record. 2nd came another Dane, Torben Jensen. He had demonstrated great determination as for a long time already he was on the move with shin splints. Rank 3 went to Brian Bell from Ireland who not only entertained us with his stories and funny race slogans („It’s further than you think …“) but also was in great shape when he finished. A strong candidate for our 430 miles … James Binks and Robert Hodges came in 4th place. To see James Binks age 69 and Robert Hodges age 62 finish the YAU 300 miles was very inspirational to all of us. It actually seemed that James and Robert got better and better with every mile. Awesome achievement! Next time somebody tells me he or she is too old for something I will have story to tell them.

Next to finish were Eliot Caton and John Greenslade. John had been in pain for quite a while with some very bad blisters on his toes and swollen feet. The latter likely due to dehydration. But John had gotten this far and was not going to stop. This also meant that they were able to finish as team Eliot Edward Endurance. Possibly they are the only team ever to manage this. I still need to check my records in order to confirm.

Pietro and Gabriela also reached the 300 mile finish. They left out the Carmacks to McCabe stage but I have no doubt they would have been able to go all the way. And to proof it we will likely see them back next year, too.

To me one of the highlights was once again Pelly Farm. It’s always been a magic place with incredibly nice people. When I am there, see the athletes come in and how they are welcomed I feel a great sense of happiness. It’s like a therapy from the stress of every day life and you learn again what should matter in life: family, friends, a culture of hospitality and to have time for all these things. Thank you Sue and Dale for this lesson. And to make things even better Pelly Farm switched on the Northern Lights for all of us. What a great way to end the YAU 2014.

I still need to finalise the results table. Bare with me.

As for next year’s YAU, it should open for entries soon because the Quest set their start date already. I wish all the athletes a quick recovery and many more adventures in 2014.