No Fuss events have been in touch to let us know entries are now open for the Ski-An-Duro next March (17th). It’s a first of it’s kind race for the UK, with one bike enduro stage using an existing trail, a ski/snowboard stage set above wherever the snowline is at Nevis Range, and a mass start race down whatever part of the mountain doesn’t have snow. Specifics are a little short at the moment, but it seems like the ends of those latter two stages might shift around depending on how much snow there is on the day. They’ve specified that there will be no practice runs and everyone will be racing blind.
Entries are £75 for individuals, and £90 for teams. You can find out a little more and book at their website. Their full release is below:
“ENTRIES for the hugely-anticipated Ski-An-Duro, the new ski/board and mountain bike race, from the summit of Aonach Mor to the Nevis Range Gondola base station, at Nevis Range Mountain Experience near Fort William, on 17 March 2018, open today (12/11/17).
Go to: http://www.nofussevents.co.uk/events/ski-an-duro-2018-march-17 for further details and prices.
The brainchild of the ‘Outdoor Capital of the UK’, Fort William and Lochaber=based events company, No Fuss Events (and an ‘ever so slightly bonkers’ brain it is too!), the Ski-An-Duro will see 150 individuals and a limited number of teams competing on skis, snowboards and mountain bikes for the pride and the glory of being crowned the first Ski-An-Duro champions!
The Ski-An-Duro, being staged along similar lines to events such as the ski-to-sea races at Mt Baker, in the USA, racers from Scotland and the rest of the UK tackle a variety of mountain bike enduro and snowport challenges above and below the snowline at Nevis Range Mountain Experience in Lochaber in March. The format for the Ski-An-Duro is simple: two initial timed stages with the combined time giving racers a grid position for the final mass start race:
Stage one – A classic mountain bike enduro stage utilising one of the many legendary trails at Nevis Range.
Stage two – A snowsport timed stage. This challenging stage, for skis or boards, will present a course as demanding as conditions allow, fully utilising the Nevis Range’s mountain terrain and maximising the snow cover on the day.
Stage three – Following a ‘Le Mans-style’ mass start on foot from as high up the mountain as conditions will allow, participants will run to the first designated transition area to pick up skis and boards. They will rapidly descend the mountain on a thrilling route incorporating the ski areas’ many features before switching to mountain bike. From transition number two racers will have to ride an enduro-style stage incorporating sections of the world famous mountain bike downhill course and other classic enduro routes all the way to the base station, where the podium awaits!
Frazer Coupland, from No Fuss, said: “It could have been a fit of madness or maybe one of those ‘wouldn’t it be great if…’ moments, yet since launching, the Ski-An-Duro has certainly captured the imagination.
“The event has attracted a lot of interest since we introduced the concept back in October and I have no doubt it will be on the must do list for many next year.
“No Fuss is all about pushing the boundaries of fun and making things happen. All we need for our first Ski-An-Duro is a high pressure weekend, loads of snow and The 2018 No Fuss Enduro and Events Season will kick off with bang! ”
Peter MacFarlane, managing director of Nevis Range, said: “It’s great to continue our successful collaboration with No Fuss with the launch of another new and exciting event here at Nevis Range.”
Chris O’Brien, destination manager for the ‘Outdoor Capital of the UK’, said: “Just when you’re settling down for a some gentle 2018 planning No Fuss Events come along with something totally off the wall and get the whole team excited about a stunning new race for the ‘Outdoor Capital’ calendar! We can’t wait to work with Nevis Range and No Fuss to help make this happen every year!””