Have just returned from
a scouting trip and the course is looking good. This is
absolutely the best time of year to be up in the mountains and
I'm sure it's going to be a memorable experience for all.
One thing that struck me was how quickly the weather can
change - one minute I was driving along and it was 72° and
sunny, and within 20 minutes ominous dark clouds had rolled
in, the temperature dropped 20° and it started raining buckets
- including peanut sized hail. Please be aware of this when
you choose your gear. It's one thing to be out on a training
ride and get hit by a passing shower, but when you are several
hours from shelter and already fatigued from riding through
the night, a mountain storm can really cause problems.
...'nuff said.
REQUIRED GEAR (for each racer)
Whistle
Bike
helmet must be worn at all times when on the
bike
(White)front and (red) rear bike lights (when on the
bike) from dusk 'til dawn
Headlight & extra batteries
(two person teams will need to carry a third, spare, light
through the cave)
Approved climbing harness, helmet,
descent control device (ATC - no fig. 8s),
carabiner
Emergency space blanket
RECOMMENDED GEAR
Hydration pack
Water
purification "system"
Compass & map case
Throw bag
& line for canoe (if you know how to use it)
Eye
protection when on the bike
First aid kit
Bike repair
kit & extra tubes
Waterproof breathable
shell
Synthetic top (recommend at least 200 wt or
equivalent fleece after dark)
Lighter
Cell Phone
It is not our goal to make you carry around a lot of gear
just to weight your packs down. Gear that you don't need, for
example bike repair kits while hiking, can be carried by your
support crews. On the other hand, you can only resupply from
your support vehicle at an official transition area. You
cannot have your support crew meet you at a road
crossing and give you snacks, water, an extra fleece, or take
anything from you, such as headlights, rain jackets etc. Some
of the legs are rather "longish" and you'll have to plan
carefully to make sure you're carrying everything you'll need,
especially if the leg extends from daylight into dark.
SUPPORT CREWS
As noted earlier, some of the TAs
have limited parking space and we requested that teams limit
themselves to one support vehicle. A second vehicle is
allowed, but please, if you have any spectators or
well-wishers following you, they must not take up space that
we will need for the teams and their crews. We will try and
provide them with a list of locations where they may watch the
race and take pictures.
CUTOFFS, DEADLINES
There is only one true cutoff,
which comes on late Sunday afternoon. If you have not made
sufficient progress by then you will be stopped overnight and
can continue on a "recreational" course Monday that includes
enjoyable race elements that you otherwise would've missed. We
have a remote campground set aside for this, but if you have a
motel room or cabin rented, you are welcome to spend the night
there and then return monday morning for what will essentially
be a separate 8 hr. adventure race.
Beyond that, it may become clear at some point that certain
teams are not going to even come close to finishing the entire
course. We may, at the discretion of race management,
reclassify those teams as "recreational" and advance them
along the course as we see fit. Teams who lose a member will
also be reclassified as "rec", however, solos will not be
allowed to continue alone.
PADDLING
You may use your own paddle (and PFD) if
you so choose. You will need to carry it on a long bushwhack
to the put-in, but will not have to carry it throughout the
race. The outfitter recommends that you use the supplied
conventional canoe paddles as some maneuvers you will need
to perform, such as a draw stroke, are especially difficult
with a kayak paddle. You would know better than I whether you
are competent to do this.
There will be no "dark zones" - the paddling comes early
enough in the first day that everyone should be able to get
off the river by dark. If you do not make it to the put-in in
time to complete the paddling leg before dark (unlikely), you
will be shuttled ahead and complete the race in the
"recreational" class. There may be a brief portage (200yds)
depending on the water level.
VIA FERRATA
You may have noticed that a descent
control device (ATC) is now required. The operators of the via
ferrata have set up a very nice rappel. If you do not
feel qualified to complete the rappel, there is a "walk-off",
for which you will incur a nominal time penalty. All of the
special lanyards necessary for the via ferrata will be
supplied by the operators.
We are working with the insurance company to get bike
helmets approved for the via ferrata. For now, assume you will
need a climbing helmet. If you don't have one, don't worry
about going out and buying one just for this race - the via
has a number of loaners. You will not need to carry your
climbing helmet with you throughout the race, so if you have
one, bring it!
CHECK-IN and PRE-RACE BRIEFING
Check in begins at
15:00 at Yokum's Princess Snowbird Campground. You must be
checked-in before the meeting at 19:00. As there is no gear
check, it should go pretty quick. You will need to have all
team members and support crews present to sign a waiver.
We will begin the mandatory pre-race briefing at
19:00. There will be safety briefings from Eagle's Nest
Outfitters and the Via Ferrata as well as race rules, course
notes and a Q&A. Expect the meeting to last about 2 hours.
You will get your maps after the meeting. There is NOT
extensive UTM plotting etc., so don't worry about staying up
all night plotting your course.
QUESTIONS???
- contact the Race Director
April 13, 2004
The PHEAR team will be heading to WV in a week or so for
some extensive field checking and course vetting.
There has been some concern about the paddling. As I'm sure
you're aware, paddling conditions are directly tied to water
levels which are directly related to rainfall (duh!). The
water levels on the South Branch can change from a barely
paddle-able 2 ft.(gauge height at Petersburg) to a barely
paddle-able 6 ft. overnight. We're hoping for 4.5 ft which
will make the river class I-II, with a few short sections of
class III thrown in after the confluence with the North Fork.
We don't want to give too much away and spoil the
adventure, but neither do we want people to get in over their
heads (bad pun). Here is a link to a paddling report from
several years ago. Should give you a pretty good idea of what
to expect. http://www.easternpaddling.com/AYHsmokeholetripform.pdf
Please note that in order to ensure adequate time for the
mandatory pre-race meeting and safety briefing, and still get
you into bed early, the time has been moved up from 20:00 to
19:00.
March 19, 2004
The PHEAR is now open to teams of TWO as well as
teams of four. The cost for a two person team is $650.
We do NOT require you to purchase insurance in addition to
the race fee. There is no extra charge for the first two
members of you support crew. There will be an additional
charge 0f $30 per person for a support crew of more than two.
March 04, 2004
START/FINISH for the PHEAR will be at the Princess
Snowbird Campground in Seneca Rocks operated by Yokum's Vacationland
Racers and their crews can enjoy primitive camping (at no
additional charge) in the campground itself. If you or your
crew require more luxurious accommodations Yokum's has 2
motels as well as a number of cabins available to rent.
Seneca Rocks itself doesn't have much in the way of
facilities - just a tourist oriented "general store". The
nearest facilities (WalMart, grocery store, hardware store,
etc.) are in Petersburg 30 minutes to the north.
We will be checking people in all day Friday (5/28) at the
Princess Snowbird campground. Should be fairly painless as
there is limited mandatory gear and no certifications
required.
MANDATORY PRE-RACE BRIEFING AT 19:00 at the
campground pavilion.
MANDATORY GEAR:
• PFDs will be
supplied by outfitter - they MUST BE WORN (you can bring your
own if you like)
• Approved bike helmet while on the
bike
• Front & rear lights when riding on roads
at night
• Approved climbing helmet & harness on
the via ferrata (outfitter will supply the special lanyards)
Most of you are experienced adventure racers and probably
don't need to be told this...but then again, sometimes it's
the experienced people who try and cut corners and end up
getting burned. That being said...
...this would be a good time to point out that even though
the required gear list is quite minimal, you are being
stupid unwise if you don't bring along the
gear you need to stay reasonably safe, warm and dry. Although
getting cold and wet is an inevitable part of AR, it would be
good to try and keep your core temp. above say, 95° or so ;-)
Consider the following when selecting your gear:
- Sudden and unexpected changes in mountain weather
- Unavailability of definitive medical care (i.e. no
nearby trauma center)
- Difficulty of rapid extrication / evacuation
- Consider also how you're going to feel if your team
doesn't make the single cutoff because you have a mechanical
problem, and in trying to save on weight, no one brought a
chain tool.
CUTOFF
There will be a single mandatory
cutoff on late Sunday afternoon. If, by that time, you have
not reached a certain point on the course (to be determined)
you will be asked to stop for the night at a remote campsite
where we will have hot food and a place for you and your crew
to spend the night. Those that wish to, can continue on an
abbreviated course the next day that incorporates the best
parts of what they otherwise would have missed, and finish up
at about the same time as the rest of the racers.
You do not have to stay at the remote (primitive) location
and if you have a motel room nearby, you are welcome to enjoy
the comforts of a bed and a hot shower before joining us again
on Monday morning.
MAPS
Your team will be supplied with one
set of maps for the racers and another set of maps for the
support crew. Racer maps will be a variety of scales and
formats. You will need to plot CP and T/A locations from
UTM coords. You will be given a partial map at the start
and the rest of the route after you exit the water. (I guess
it would not be giving too much away to mention that the
paddling leg comes very early in the race.) You will have to
plot the rest of your route "on the fly". Crew maps will be
limited to the vicinity of the race - crew might want to
consider carrying a DeLorme West Virginia Gazeteer in case
they need to leave the race area for supplies.
May 18, 2004