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Canadian Ski Marathon 2019

I’ve always been enamored with endurance-based feats, so it will come as no surprise that it’s a dream of mine to one day ski the Canadian Ski Marathon.

[spoiler alert: with no ground work lain – 2019 will not be the year]

160km – in the marathon there are no winners or losers, you’re competing against yourself and against the clock.

There are 4 entrant categories ranging from a 12km – 160km commitment:

• CSM-Taster: when you want to dip your toes in the water of cross-country skiing
• Half-Marathon: when you’re ready for a challenge … but still want to be able to go to work on Monday morning
• Tourer: when you want to choose your own adventure and design your own marathon trail
• Coureur des Bois: when you’re ready to do it all and go for the gold (or silver, or bronze)

Running from February 8-10, 2019 in the Lachute-Montebello – Mont Tremblant & Gatineau Region, QB, the Canadian Ski Marathon is North America’s longest and oldest Nordic ski tour.

While to some it may seem crazy to take a weekend, ski to the brink of death in the freezing cold, and sleep under the stars, I think it’s a true testament to what a great Canadian winter is all about.

When asked what makes the event so special, one blogger posited:

Apart from the incredible dedication of over 500 volunteers (and the skiing of course), in my mind the standout part of this event  is the “gentleman’s agreement” with 350 landowners. For one weekend of every year these landowners allow hundreds if not thousands of people to cross their property based on a handshake. There’s not a legal document to be seen. When the event first started, fifty one years ago that might not have been unusual. But to me, it’s an absolutely heartwarming fact that there are so many people invested in the community that they continue to allow this to happen.

 And I would have to agree – in today’s modern world, that’s a rarity.

To register visit the following link. It truly is the experience of a lifetime.

Happy Skiing