 |
:: Contact :: Subscribe |
|
|
Yukon Arctic Ultra March Newsletter 2006 Hello everyone, YAU gets a summer sister race! Check out the new summer race from the makers of the YAU. Let your Quest begin and participate in the YUKON GOLD ULTRA (YGU) which starts on August 19th, 2006 in Whitehorse. Shelley Gellatly from the YAU organising team is in the lead for this project. Her experience and her enthusiasm will make this another great race for ultra athletes. There is a choice of 50 or 100 miles this years. Longer distances will likely follow in 2007. The disciplines are running or mountain biking. For all the informaton please check the website www.goldultra.com.
Stephen Reynolds from the Yukon Quest office informed me last week that the Quest 2007 will very likely start on Feb 10th. However, he can only say for sure end of March or beginning April at the latest. So, we still have to wait to announce the start day of the YAU 2007. In any case we will begin our adventure one day after the toughest sled dog race. Next winter will be very busy in the Yukon as the Canada Winter Games will take place there from Feb. 24th to March 10th. Therefore, we strongly recommend athletes to book flights and rooms for the next YAU asap.
Most athletes in the past have arrived in the Yukon really well equipped. If there has been a problem it was more people having too much gear and suffering as a consequence from a heavy load. However, there have always been a couple of participants who had gear that was not sufficient. For an organiser this is always a tough call. Sometimes athletes are very experienced. Other times the stategy is not to sleep between checkpoints. The problem is that gear needs to be good enough to survive in a real emergeny, i.e. when strategies need to be changed and even experienced athletes suffer. Therefore, we have decided to have a mandatory gear list which is specific on such important items as the sleeping bag. For the complete list please check the latest News Update on www.arcticultra.de or Rule 6 in the respective section of the website.
If you wanted to infiltrate Alaska by foot, in winter you?d strap on your pulk and start walking. And that?s exactly the plan as a terrorist signs on for the Yukon Arctic Ultra in Terror in the Arctic. In a fresh manuscript by Jessica Simon, checkpoint volunteer and
auxiliary RCMP officer, Markus Fanger propels the reader off-road
and into the frozen Northland on the trail of a madman. Against
a backdrop of the North?s beauty and brutality, within the tension
and action of a daring endurance race, modern terrorism meets traditional
justice, and loses. ?I was sorry when the candles went out and I couldn?t go on reading. The story really gripped me,? said volunteer medic Diane Patrick at Dog Grave Lake. Jessica, together with the Nancy Ellis Literary Agency, is currently seeking publication of Markus Fanger?s debut adventure in the Log Cabin Adventure Series. YAU fans can contact the author directly at yukonwriter@lycos.com or check this website for updates.
You will find Mike's very good description of the trail from Pelly Farms to Dawson on arcticultra.de in the section "The Trail" which is a sub menu of "Race Info". I would like to take this opportunity to thank GARMIN for providing me with the excellent GPSMAP 76CS to improve GPS data for the race. Like all GARMIN GPS it is a great piece of kit! We will soon make a recommendation what GARMIN GPS is best suited for YAU athletes.
If you do a race in extremely cold conditions for the first time buying all the gear can be quite an investment. Apart from renting it is another possibility to buy used gear to save some money. Therefore, the YAU now offer used gear for sale. You will find this gear in the section "Used Gear" (sub menu of "Gear"). And anybody else who has got good quality used gear for sale is welcome to email (info@thegreatoutdoors.de) me. I will then post it. All I need is a description, a photograph (jpeg format) and a price.
Robert Pollhammer |