Education

Near the top of their climb, just metres below the cornice, the bootpack steepened, and the snow turned to facets covering rock slabs. It wasn’t a long or technical climb, but with skis A-framed on their backs, there was a moment of balance where Eric Hjorleifson and Harley Hegnauer were happy their packs weren’t heavier.

What have you been up to this summer? For some competitive runners in the Bow Valley, it’s been all about chasing fastest known times.

As our trails get more and more crowded, trail runners need to think about leaving a positive impact. It’s all about showing our respect for the environment and other trail users.

Alma joined the RunUphill team last year for our “Learn to Run" clinic.  This Spring, she trained hard for the half marathon at the Rocky Mountain Soap Co. Women’s Run. On May 16th 2020, Alma ran her own virtual half-marathon in 2 hours and 46 minutes!

“What’s in your pack?” always sparks debate. Here’s what I carry when I’m ski touring recreationally. Weight is always a factor but you only need to carry one first aid kit in the group. After years as a ski patroller, I’ve whittled my kit down to what I like to use and can bear to carry. It’s fairly minimal but I’ll have a much more substantial kit at the hut or in the car.

Ski touring has a funny way of turning small fit issues into big problems. A bit of heel lift on the resort chairlift is annoying. That same heel lift on day three of a hut trip can turn into a blister that dictates your pace, your mood, and sometimes your exit strategy. The good news is that many of the most common foot issues don’t require new boots, a full refit, or a workshop bench. They can be fixed, or at least dramatically improved, with simple, do-it-yourself adjustments you can make at home, in the parking lot, or halfway through a long day in the mountains.

The Marathon du Mont-Blanc has become an iconic race on the European calendar. With over 10 500 racers and 30 000 supporters from more than 80 countries, it is one of the biggest trail running events in the world. 2019 marked the 41st edition, and with eight different races races (from kid’s races to a 90 km race) to choose from, there was definitely something for every level of runner. RunUphill’s Gavin and Joel were in Chamonix to race the 42 km event last weekend and both had a blast! Thinking about signing up for 2020? Here are some of their thoughts. 

This week, we asked ultrarunner Svenja Espenhahn what advice she would give to runners who are getting into ultra running. Here are her top tips.

As shoe experts, health care professionals or runners, it is important to see beyond the fight for market share and to look at what actual research tells us about running shoes. Let’s take a look.

Spring seemed to be setting up nicely. Some rain down low on Friday followed by a punch of sun on Saturday that’d level George Foreman. Most of the stuff that would’ve fallen off the steep solar headwalls probably had so Matt and I made some plans to minimise overhead by playing under them.

After the 2019 Ski-Mountaineering World Championships in Switzerland, we asked some of the Canadian athletes to tell us more about their experience racing on the world stage. Here is what they had to say about the racing on the other side of the Atlantic.

By Lynne Richardson, Physiotherapist and owner of Rocky Mountain Rehab & Sports Medicine Clinic in Canmore.

As a Physiotherapist in a mountain community, I can tell it's ski season by the number of sore, swollen knees that limp through our clinic door. It's often a very classic story: "I had a slow twisting fall, my bindings did not release, I felt a pop, and my knee swelled immediately". Knee ligament injuries are very common in skiers, and an ACL tear is often the diagnosis.