The Canadian Ski Marathon is a ski tour. It is held annually just north of the

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (french: Rivière des Outaouais, Algonquin: ''Kichi-Sìbì/Kitchissippi'') is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word 'to trade', as it was the major trade route of Eastern ...

between the regions of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

and

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, capital of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, in February and usually covers a distance of . However, it is a ski tour, not a race: participants challenge not each other, but themselves by choosing a level of difficulty and trying to accomplish that goal.

Ski marathon

The Marathon, which has been running since Canada's Centennial year of 1967, is the longest in the world. It consists of 10 sections of varying lengths and difficulties which can either be skied together over the two days (five stages per day), or individually on subsequent days. The earliest iterations of the marathon started in

Lachute Lachute () is a town in southwest Quebec, Canada, northwest of Montreal, on the Rivière du Nord, a tributary of the Ottawa River, and west of Mirabel International Airport. It is located on Autoroute 50, at the junctions of Quebec Provincial ...

with the second day ending in

Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region and is part of Canada's N ...

. After about 25 years the pattern was changed such that, in even-numbered years participants skied eastward toward from the a start in

Buckingham Buckingham ( ) is a market town in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which had a population of 12,890 at the 2011 Census. The town lies approximately west of Central Milton Keynes, sou ...

(a district of Gatineau); odd numbered years saw participants travel in the opposite direction. For the 2018, 2019 and 2020 editions, the Marathon starts in

Arundel, Quebec Arundel is a township municipality in Quebec, Canada, located south of Mont Tremblant. Arundel was settled by Scottish and Irish immigrants in the mid-19th century who established subsistence farming operations and worked the forests in winter. ...

, just south of

Mont-Tremblant Mont-Tremblant () is a city in the Laurentian Mountains of Quebec, Canada, approximately northwest of Montreal and northeast of Ottawa, Ontario. The current municipality with city status was formed in 2000. Mont-Tremblant is most famous for its ...

and ends in

. In all cases, the end of the first day of the Marathon has participants ending in (or near as is the case of certain skier classes) the scenic town of

Montebello, Quebec Montebello is a municipality located in the Papineau Regional County Municipality of Western Quebec, Canada. At the 2001 census, there were 1,039 permanent residents. The village has a total area of , and is located at the eastern edge of Quebec's ...

, where they resume their proper course the following day. The new trail, called the ''Northern Trail'', offers better snow cover and less road skiing, according to the organizing committee. The ''Western Trail'' (Buckingham-Montebello) may be reused in future editions. The two-day event is open to anyone of any age or ability, but the course is extremely challenging in places, which skiers of lesser ability tend to avoid by choosing easier sections to tackle. Of note is the section west of the Lac Carling resort, which is known throughout the Marathon as the most difficult section. There are two broad categories of skier: ''Coureur des Bois'' (who start out before dawn to ski the entire distance; named after the

coureur des bois A coureur des bois (; ) or coureur de bois (; plural: coureurs de(s) bois) was an independent entrepreneurial French-Canadian trader who travelled in New France and the interior of North America, usually to trade with First Nations peoples by e ...

) and Tourer (who start out at 8 a.m. to ski any number of the 10 sections). The Coureur des Bois category, in turn, is broken down into Bronze (ski the whole trail), Silver (ski the whole trail with a pack), and Gold (ski the whole trail with a pack and camp out overnight). Tourers are able to ski as individuals, or as teams. A new feature of the marathon is the "mini-CSM" or "Taster" which allows participants to ski two sections of the trail over the weekend, one per day. Traditionally, the hardest goal is the Gold ''Coureur des Bois'' category. Also, one may register for skiing at the Gold level only after completing the Silver and Bronze levels in previous years. Doing the Gold five times—over any number of years—results in that person earning a permanent bib, meaning that they are given a number that is then retired from the list of bib numbers. As of 2012, 300 Coureur des Bois skiers—primarily men, and a much smaller number of women—have earned permanent bibs by earning 5 Golds: 1 Gold Award and 4 Gold Bars. The marathon has hundreds of volunteers who brave the cold to help skiers the entire weekend at checkpoints, providing safety + sweeps, waxing services, trail work, awards, and administration. These volunteers include members of local service organizations such as Scouting and Guiding, community groups, and cadets. Major logistical support is provided by 33 Signals Regiment of the Canadian forces, who provide vital safety and water points along the trail, and if needed provide traffic control.

References

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External links

Canadian Ski Marathon2008 Canadian Ski Marathon: a brief history with photos
Sport in Ottawa Cross-country skiing competitions in Canada Ski marathons 1967 establishments in Ontario Recurring sporting events established in 1967 February sporting events

Ski marathon

See also

References

External links