The silence of the North - Canadian Rockies along 93N

The Silence of the Canadian Rockies

When people ask me "What is back-country skiing", they don't seem to understand my answer.

For me back-country skiing is heading out into the wilderness for an adventure on skis. True adventure is often difficult to find these days. It's about stretching your comfort zone and etching memories in your mind that will last a lifetime.

After you leave your car behind on the highway and enter the domain of the Canadian Rockies you are now committed.

In this area there is no reliable cell service,  rescue is possible but at the end of the day, you need to be prepared to self rescue for all situations. That's a big part of the adventure.

If you fly into Calgary Alberta Canada and take the Trans Canada highway west toward Banff and Lake Louise, you will see the turn-off for highway 93N.

The Icefields Parkway

The Icefields Parkway (93N) runs deep into the Canadian wilderness through valley of 3000 meter peaks. This section of highway from Lake Louise to Bow Summit is stunning.

There is an amazing guide book available for the area.

Confessions of a Ski Bum
The Icefields parkway
Lake Louise to Bow Summit
Author: Marcus Baranow

February 2019, I used the book to ski from Mosquito Creek. I parked in the hostel as per the guide book and found a set of tracks heading toward Bow Peak.

It was -22C and the snow was squeaky dry.  10 minutes into the ski we are taking off a layer before we started sweating. When we stopped the Silence, the Sun and the View were perfect, on the way back my Ski partner form Toronto said "I feel amazing" confirming the Silence of the Canadian Rockies can tame a City Slickers hardened sole. 

There is a life time of adventure in this area.
Peter

Separating the Mind from the body in Zone 2

In April 2019 I will be racing the "Iowa Wind and Rock" gravel bike race.

I will have 34 hours to complete the race as a solo rider self supported. The route and distance are unknown until race day.

Getting lost and not being able to finish the race would be terrible. The navigation is done with cue cards, a new cue card is given to you at the check points. The cue card direct you to the next check point.

The mission for the race will be to try and stay focused until the finish line and not get lost!

The preparation for the race requires a weekly long ride which I do on a old school CompuTrainer, for 6-7 hours at Mindset Cycling in Toronto.

Riding for 6 plus hours, in a predetermined manner requires no bullshit discipline. You set the goal, and stick to it, for the entire 6 hours.

I have determined my "all day pace" is heart rate driven. A lactate test showed my sweet spot for ultra distance racing is 135 bps.  This means I can ride at 135bps essentially forever provided my mind has the will.

Last Saturday, the plan was to ride the Kona Ironman course on the CompuTrainer. The Ironman course is 112 miles, so I figured I would try and make it to the end  keeping my heart rate at 135bps.

Sounds easy eh! I am fortunate that one of my Teammates from the "Race Across the West" team works at Mindset Cycling where I train. This is where the no bullshit discipline comes in, before the training session starts, Wilson, my teammate, asks me to describe the training session.

The session goal...
 Hold 135bps for 6 hours.
Ave Heart Rate after 6 hours 135

Results
I was able to hold the 135 bps for 5:55 minutes, and spent 11:23 minutes above 135bps.
This was only possible because my Teammate, Wilson,  watched me and stopped me if I started pushing to hard.

At the end of the day I rode 97% of the time in Zone 2.
Next week I get closer to the goal of 100% zone 2 for 6plus hours.

What I learned...

After about 4.5 hours my heart started to rise and I kind of lost control over my HR.  I could get it back down but my average wattage plummeted. This is where the mind is separating from the body.

I realized ultra distance cycling is all about zone 2.
The fastest rider will always be able to stay in, his or her, zone 2 the longest, will win the race!

Also Cadence I averaged 90 rpm for the 6 plus hours.

In the last hour I had to hold myself back, but thats where the no bullshit discipline comes in...I worked on getting the mind back in control of the body.

I really wanted to finish the 112 miles but at 135bps I only made it to 96 miles.