July Newsletter for Southern Traverse

July Newsletter for Southern Traverse and The North Face Peak to Peak

Well what a start to winter we have had - 5 weeks of non stop gun powder on Coronet Peak, with a great base. The skiing on all the other fields is fantastic as well, and the Remarkables opened with Homeward Bound going on the first day.

We have been out testing the snow again today (actually we had a meeting with our Media Manager - on snow), one of the very few perks of the job!

But it has not all been play. Geoff managed to do a checkout for the new mountain biking event at Jacks Point in October - the '8hrs@Jack's' and have isolated the area that we will be able to use and the location of the 'camp', registration, and food area. There is still some more testing to do - "We followed some cattle tracks that went under the matagouri and that was not much fun" Geoff & Beau's comments on returning - more about this new event below.

We will soon also be checking the location for the TrustPower Adventure Quest to be staged in October as well.

The North Face Peak to Peak, 25th July 2009
Some of the locals have been seen practising on the Coronet Peak road and we even have heard of one local who had ridden the road once a week in May!

The event planning seems to be almost in place now with most of the boxes ticked - the traffic management, mountain backup, lake safety, officials, and the snow cover of course.

So all we have to do now is give you more information on the event...

We have also made an addition to the rules this year: all racers in the first ski/snowboard leg are required to wear helmets. We would expect that most would have snow helmets, but for the athletes who don't have these then a bike helmet will be accepted.

The event now even has its own Facebook page which in many ways duplicates the news, stories and info on the web site. You can become a fan by clicking through to Facebook/The North Face Peak to Peak

Click here to go to the website to download the 2009 entry Form

The North Face has decided that all competitors should be able to get an extra chance to be rewarded with some of their great gear, so there will be some extra prizes to be won at registration. When you pick up your bib, put your name in the draw to win The North Face goodies - that's all you have to do!

And still some more chances top win an amazing prize! The Frankton Summerfields Pharmacy have come up with a novel idea for the event and offers a new competition to all entrants in the race. The individual who most correctly guesses their overall race time will receive a Pentax Optio M60 camera with a memory stick!

How this works. On entry each individual will be asked to guess an overall finish time and whoever comes the closest to their actual finish time will win. (if you don't nominate a time you will not be in the competiton)
Note: the competition is open to those who enter prior to the Friday night registration - so get your entries in now and nominate your winning time.

Bruce Grant Youth Trust
Finally, we have decided after some discussions with one of the trustees of the Bruce Grant Youth Trust that we would endeavour to raise some money with this event.

Bruce and I skied, and biked against each other over a period of time. We played ice-hockey for the Queenstown team - Bruce, Buzz (his brother) and a few of the other local Queenstown boys. Bruce and I also battled hard in the first of the many Dash for Cash events in the Winter Festival and in subsequent years, the team, Bruce as the front, and me as a trusted backup, and 'other racer destroyer' went on to win every subsequent event. We always had a great after-party!

We will give every team and individual a chance to make a donation to the trust at registration when they pick up the bib. Also the opportunity exists to send some funds along with the entry form by slow mail.

About the Bruce Grant Youth Trust
www.brucegrantyouthtrust.org.nz
Set up in 1995 as a memorial to Queenstown born and bred Bruce Grant, who died after reaching the summit of K2 in the Himalayas on August 13, 1995.

Locally regarded as a Queenstown adventurer who had a special attitude to life, Bruce was an Olympic skier (Sarajevo 1984) mountaineering great, extreme sportsman and extraordinary individual

The Trust was set up to preserve his legacy and to recognise the efforts of young people who displayed a similar passion for life and desire to achieve

In the years since its inception, the Trust has granted more than $200,000 to Wakatipu youth to help them follow their dreams. Previous beneficiaries of the Trust include actor Ben Farry, ice hockey player Simon Glass and mountain bikers Scarlett Hagen and Vanessa Quinn.

PRE-RACE NUTRITION by Frankton Summerfield's Pharmacy
TIMING IT RIGHT WITH PRE-RACE NUTRITION, a few words of advice from the Frankton Summerfield's Pharmacy.

Preparing for a competition event or a particularly strenuous training session often warrants additional attention to nutrition prior to the start of exercise.

The key aims of pre-event nutrition strategy is to:

o       Maximise glycogen stores
o       Optimise hydration
o     Prepare the athlete psychologically

A pre-event meal should be consumed within 4 hours prior to the onset of the exercise session, depending upon the individual's tolerance of food intake before exercise, and provide 200-300g of carbohydrate, accompanied with 300-600mL of water.

The principles of carbohydrate loading concentrate on ensuring your body has adequate stores of energy to get you across the finishing line in time.

Low-glycaemic, whole-grain carbohydrates are best taken on race morning. It is essential that you consume some type of snack in an effort to replenish your carbohydrate stores from your overnight fast. A small carbohydrate snack will not only stock the engine, but will keep you from feeling hungry during the race.

Fluid intake should continue in the build-up to exercise at an approximate rate of 150-300mL every 15-30 minutes, until 45 minutes before exercise begins.

The protein, fibre and fat content within the meal should be restricted to moderate-low amounts to avoid gastro-intestinal upsets during exercise.

Balance Elite Fuel Supply Restore Energy Powder provides fast, medium and slow release carbohydrates to supply a steady source of energy prior to, during and after your race with added branch-chain amino acids (BCAAs) to aid recovery.

For more information visit http://www.balanceproducts.co.nz, or stop in at the Summerfield's Frankton Pharmacy

Other Peak to Peak happenings
Q. Just wondering about the rules for the ski leg? Is it necessary to use skis or a snowboard or are other modes of transport acceptable, eg a sled etc??
A. any sliding equipment is accepted.

Q. For the kayak, is it ok to use a surf ski? or are there any restrictions on the type of kayak used?
A. No restrictions on kayaks

Q. Can I have any no in a team? A. Between two and five members make up a team.

To get an entry form - click here to reach the page on the web site to download one. We do not have online entries yet for the Peak to Peak - this will come next year for this event.

A special mention to Export 33 who have just joined our sponsors family, and to Coronet Alpine Hotel for letting us use their grounds at the last transition before the ride up to Coronet Peak.

Finally, we can only thank our sponsors yet again for their generosity and support:
The North Face,
Coronet Peak and the Remarkables,
R&R Sport,
Queenstown Gym,
Smith Optics, K2 Skis,
Dalbello Skiboots,
Summerfield's Frankton Pharmacy,
Whittakers,
Kawarau Jet,
Peak Projects
Export 33.

8hrs@Jacks Point, 24th October 2009
We enjoyed staging the New World Tour de Wakatipu so much that we had to create another bike race for Labour Week End! The 8hrs@Jack's was born... this new event is  a fun challenging mountain bike event set in the environments of Jacks Point.

Proactive in attracting a dynamic clientele, Jacks Point management is eager to play host to this new venture offering a mountain bike relay race for teams and individuals over of a circuit undulating in and around their first class property.

Riders will enjoy a scenic and challenging track that circles through the temporary 'tent village' created, before departing through the rocky valleys and terrain on the northern side of the development. Single track, 4*4 and gravel roads and the occasional golf buggy path will lead for approximately 8kms before returning.

Key Points: 8hrs@Jack's

Event: A multi lap relay mountain bike event for individuals and teams. At the front of the field there will be intense competition as elite athletes race to finish each lap in a time of around 25mins, while the recreational athletes will finish each in about 40-45mins.

Course: The course covers approximately 8kms trough Jack's Point Starting with a mass 'Le Mans' style run to the bikes, the first competitors will rush to be in the first peleton away. The track departs the 'village' and climbs and descends through rocky outcrops (between the tape lines) and climbs round the back of a small hill on the 'stragglers loop trail' on the northern edge of the Jack's Point development.

A short steep descent on to the Wakatipu Trails Trust track follows the lake shore for a kilometre before climbing back through fairway fringed grass trails to pass Lake Tewa and the clubhouse.

A zig zag route through a small gum forest leads back into the "village" and into the internal village trails that takes every competitor past every 'changeover' site on each lap. Tag your team member to release them on the track.

Divisions: Teams of 3, 4 or 5 and Individuals
Individuals, men, women and teenagers, coming from all over the South Island combining into teams, or competing as individuals.

Suitable For: All 'tour de wakatipu' riders, Nasby Forest 12hr riders or those who rode the Contact Epic. The front teams will go fast and the recreational riders will travel at their own pace.

Location:  Jack's Point Resort

Date: Saturday 24th October, Labour Weekend

Promoting biking and the Wakatipu Trails Trust
The Wakatipu Trails Trust is a non profit organisation dedicated to the development of public non-motorised trails around the Wakatipu Basin. We wish to continue to provide support for this organisation through awareness and raising funds through the 8hrs@Jack's by working with its new CEO, Kaye Parker.

Southern Traverse Calendar
The North Face Peak to Peak, 25th July 2009
TrustPower Adventure Quest, 3rd October 2009
8hrs@Jacks, 24th October 2009
24hrs and 8hrs of Southern Traverse, 5th December 2009
Fresh Choice Southern Lakes Duathlon and Triathlon, 27th February 2010

Other events
Don't forget there are other good events out there!
We'd like to bring two to your attention in particular: the SLMSC Kayak Race Series, notably the second taking place just after the Peak to Peak Sunday 26th July, at Lake Hayes, contact and info on their web site www.southernlakesmultisportclub.com; and the 12 hour adventure race at Lake Benmore on the 12th September, organised by Mark Cvitanich, contact email cathmark@xtra.co.nz

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