Kangaroo Hoppet: Report From Down Under

Chasing Worldloppets was never really a journey that I had envisioned for myself. But, with my dad more stoked than ever to chase some race starts around the world, I’ve been lucky enough to be invited to join him on a few pretty cool trips. And when someone asks if you want to go to Australia and New Zealand, you simply do not say no. 

I love summer at home, but August is a tough month in Idaho to predict. It can be beautiful and temperate, or it can be hot and smokey. This year, it is unfortunately the latter, with huge fires in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and all across the West blanketing the region in an unhealthy haze. Whatever fomo I had about leaving the mountains for winter was put to rest by the days before our departure reaching AQI’s of 150+ (which was low compared to other areas nearby). We had a 10 hour layover in San Francisco, so we cruised into the city to meet some of my friends and get some fresh air and a good meal.

Lunch in SF at a delicious Burmese restaurant followed by a long walk with the Dahlias! 

I had the great fortune to sleep 12 of the 16 hours on the flight from San Francisco to Melbourne, much to the resentment of my father, who slept very little. We arrived around 8:30 in the morning, giving us plenty of time to make our way north to the mountains. After a much needed cup of [very good] coffee, we set off cautiously down the road, using what little of our jet lagged brain power to stay on the left side. 

The first thing I noticed about Australia, even just from stepping out of the airport, is the richness of smell and sound. While I couldn’t put a specific name to the deep earthy aromas, or the crisp ferns, the sharp freshness of eucalyptus was instantly recognizable. It didn’t take long to see our first kangaroo, and then a Crimson Rosella Parrot, and then an Australian King Parrot, and scores of other birds we couldn’t identify. The unfamiliar birdsong felt novel to ears used to North American birds. One of my favorite parts of travelling to a new place is revelling in the curiosity piqued by new sounds, sights and smells, whether it's the grocery store, or a mountain forest. Thankfully, our curiosity has yet to be piqued by any snakes.         

Are Kangaroos just deer? | A Butcherbird took great interest in my activities on the porch, and visited everyday. 

I'm not going to sugarcoat it, the first two days of skiing were tough, both psychologically and physically. The transition from summer to 3º (celcius of course) was a shock to the system, and I clipped into my skis looking like I was headed on an Arctic expedition. But, 3ºC is also much too warm for winter, and therefore the track was thin, mushy, and roughly groomed. None of this is a reflection on the team up at Falls Creek, who were doing the best they could with the conditions they were given. A thick fog obscured most of the vista, and our world was narrowed down to just the track we could see in front of us. Physically, skiing just felt hard. Especially after so few days on rollerskis, my muscles were unused to the movements of skiing. 

white out

best part about August winter? We're back to Soup Season. 

The third day of skiing was when things really turned around. A sunny day after even just a few in the rain and fog really highlight how sensitive my Idaho-grown moods are to good weather. Put me in the sunshine and I’m a new, kinder, and more energetic person.  With some vitamin D and temperatures cool enough for a firm but fresh corduroy, I met up with my friend, (and local legend), Kat Paul for a good interval session. Kat trained in Sun Valley when I was in high school, and while I’ve seen her sporadically over the years, it was great to catch up and have a good yap. I think we actually did more yapping than skiing. 

the sun came out! 

Time has a funny way of sneaking up on you, and as it always does, race day was suddenly just a sleep away. Unfortunately, Australia has been struggling with a warm and dry winter; however, due to the extraordinary efforts of the race committee, the Kangaroo Hoppet would go forward. The course would look a bit different though. Instead of the original 42k course, we would be doing 4 laps of a 4k (ish) loop. By "we" I mean all of the 260 competitors signed up for the race would be skiing this lap, together, all at once. 

Race day dawned clear and beautiful, and the track was perfectly prepared. With a 9:30 start, the morning was very relaxed, and after a warm up, and another good round of yapping, the race was off. The first lap was straightforward, since there were no skiers yet on course, but by the second lap, the front of the field was catching the back of the Hoppet, AND the start of the Joey (the shortest race). It was chaos in the best way, and I found myself having quite a bit of fun weaving in and around people. Anyone who has done a marathon knows that there can be moments where, let’s face it, you get a little bit bored or run down from the grind of so many kilometers. Not in this version of the Hoppet. Every movement required thinking three steps ahead on how I would navigate the one lane track, and often, constant recalibration as other skiers moved out of sync with my predetermined plan. One section was two-way traffic, and passing was a game of calculated risk.

I made it to the finish relatively unscathed, and good enough for fourth place. I had sadly gotten a bit of a cold traveling, and certainly did not feel my best physically, but it didn’t stop me from having a blast out there racing with a cohort of old and new friends.

Post race, I was directed quickly to the sausage sizzle line for a good Aussie “hot dog.” This week, I also got to catch up with a longtime friend, Ingrid Norton, who raced against me growing up in Intermountain, and again on the EISA circuit as a UNH Wildcat. Not wanting to let such a beautiful day go to waste, we headed back out on the trail for a long cool down in the bright sunshine. I love that skiing has an uncanny ability to bring people back together from so far away. It’s a rare event when you can’t pick out a person you know off the start list. 

Me, Ingrid, Hannah Price and dad on a cool down ski [post sausage sizzle].   

I was definitely sad not to experience the Kangaroo Hoppet in its full form, but the organizers did such an incredible job with the abbreviated event, that I hardly noticed we weren’t doing the real thing. Even with so much joy still deeply embedded in skiing low-snow events, I always leave unsettled with just how common they have become.

Tomorrow, my dad and I will leave Falls Creek to spend a day touristing in Melbourne, before heading off to New Zealand for the Merino Muster -  August 22nd!

Hoppet results: https://www.alpinetiming.com.au/results/r700/