The Yellowknife Multisport Club has just announced that the annual Frostbite 50 event to be held on March 18.
Frostbite 50 is a fifty kilometer cross-country event. Participants make this trek on either skis or snowshoes, traveling along trails that have not been groomed. The event is credited as one of the coldest runs in Canada by Canadian Running Magazine and goes ahead in all but the most extreme conditions.
Participants will follow a marked course as follows:
Start: Yellowknife Ski Club Chalet
-Check-in at 8:00-8:30am. Start time is 9:00am for all categories.
Checkpoint #1: Walsh Lake Checkpoint – 14.6km
-Opens at 9:15am, cut-off at 11:30am, closes at 12:00pm
Checkpoint #2: Prosperous Lake Checkpoint – 8.1km (22.7km cumulative)
-Opens at 10:00am, cut-off at 1:30pm, closes at 2:00pm
Checkpoint #3: Cassidy Point Checkpoint – 7.3km (31.0km cumulative)
-Opens at 10:15am, cut off at 3:15pm, closes at 3:45pm
Checkpoint #4: Dettah Road Checkpoint – 11.0km (42.0km cumulative)
-Opens at 12pm, cut-off at 5:45pm, closes at 6:15pm
Finish: Yellowknife Ski Club – 8km (50km cumulative)
-Finish at Yellowknife Ski Club Chalet
-Opens at 12:00pm, cut-off at 7:00pm
Emergency and Safety teams will be patrolling the route on snowmobiles in the event that any participant gets hurt, or who may otherwise need help between the checkpoints. Another team of Snowmobile Sweepers will run the length of the course at the end of the event to make sure that all participants have finished and that nobody is left out on their own.
Checkpoints will be equipped with heated tents, water, and first aid. It is mandatory that all racers check in at checkpoints so information can be relayed to the race coordinator. If check-in is missed, search and rescue staff will be sent out.
Racers may do the event solo, or in a relay team of up to five participants. All volunteers and racers must attend a mandatory safety briefing on March 17th at 6pm at the Yellowknife Ski Club. Registration for racers closes on March 12 at midnight. Please note that dogs are NOT allowed on the course the day of the race.
All racers must abide by a Mandatory Gear List if they wish to participate. that list can be found by clicking here.