voodoo_simon wrote:To be honest Gairy, if I lived where you do (Chamonix?), then I wouldn't feel the need to enter the R150! Maybe because I'm not a racer, I enter the race as it gives me that winter adventure that I feel I need but with an added safety net if that makes sense?

Agreed, I can't really complain.

There's not much in the way of long distance stuff to be found around here in the winter as it's a tad hilly and unrideable in the snow.

We honeymooned in northern Sweden (a similar latitude to Rovaniemi) and I've been wanting to get back there ever since.

Heading to the Jura mountains in January now which should scratch the itch.

Still, I'm pretty jealous (especially as it looked to be on).

21c below zero tonight

Somebody directed me to the forum so I'm joining the discussion - completed the event this year and entered the 300 for next year!

In terms of airport transfers, they'll take bikes on the airport shuttle bus but you'll have to lift your own bike into the bus boot. I finished at midnight Sunday and had to be at the airport early in the morning which was a pretty bad idea.

This year was a bit of a push-fest due to fresh snow, so this year my planning assumption is I'll be pushing for 200km but hoping for colder and less humid conditions so anything less could be a bonus! Norajaarvi Lake was pretty horrendous - Alex said at the race briefing it was rideable - by Sunday evening it was knee-deep in snow and snowmobile tracks were obliterated in about 5 mins - I do admit to a bit of a sense of humour failure at this point!

I used a hydration bladder this year, but will be switching to a couple of decent 1 litre flasks, plus an extra water carrier - this year's push-fest meant it took 6+ hours to the first control. On day 2, water bottles were freezing. The problem with a bladder under your jacket is removing all your clothes when it's blowing a hoolie. You'll never forget the taste of smokey water from the fire-pit!

Using an Alpkit 1400 sleeping bag - organisers check your bag at registration and won't allow 'layering' - it was actually too warm for the shelter at Kuusilampi as there were still embers in the fire-pit but still grateful as I got the 'last berth'

Main changes for next year are bigger rims and tyres in the vain hope that some flotation might help. Gear-wise, I'll take 2 small panniers for my food and relying on Army rations - I found my energy bars unpalatable due to cold / being dehydrated and literally survived on Jelly Babies for day 2. I'll be spending a bit more time the day before trying different clothing combos - I probably wore too much this year.

This is the month

Am I prepared...?

I foresaw my lack of preparedness and didn't confirm my entry
It's been moved to my "events to do next year" list
Good luck to those still in to do it.

That's a real shame. At least you have something to work towards though.

I genuinely doubt I'd ever have the balls to try something like this.

I'd really recommend the 150 for anyone interested in a winter racing - there is the shorter 66, but as someone who measures 'value' of events in terms of hours of suffering per pound, the fact that you could get around in 5 hours in fair conditions seems a bit 'light'. I'm going to reserve judgement on the 300, currently a combination of excitement and dread. I'll be doing a trial-pack of my bike this weekend, followed by a strict analysis of my gear - will take way too much with me and leave 2/3 in my room. I know some of the 300 racers quit last year as they hadn't accounted for the conditions making progress so slow they didn't have enough food. I'd reckoned on 3-4 hours to get to the first checkpoint - it took me 7 and I was pretty dehydrated. They're also using Trackleaders for the 300, so great for the dot-watchers!

I'm doing the 150 and my wife's doing the 66. Heading out on the Tuesday and hope to have a short trip before the weekend's racing.

Seeing as I'll not be there (again!) this year I was wondering if someone (or even more than one someone) fancied doing a trip-report for our site (fatbiking.eu)?

Nothing fancy just some words and photos of the experience from your perspective would be a great thing to read about.

Let me know via PM or email me (us@fatbiking.eu) if you're interested and good luck everyone - wish I was doing it too!!!

Here's my report from the race 2 years ago.

See how back-markers do it

https://singlespeedsimon.wordpress.com/ ... port-2015/

Here's my video from last year (39.5hrs in 7 mins): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glPtrsEZrLM

I was the last person to leave Kuusilampi to finish the 150 - I got the last bed (plank) in the woodstore too

Conditions for the 150 substantially harder last year than the year before then? Think I was a smidge over 13 hours in 2015...
The 300 will be tough going if conditions are like that

Winner's time last year for the 150 was double the year before. Alex said at the race briefing that conditions on the lakes were good, not accounting for the 6-12" of snow that fell overnight. By the time I got to Sinettajarvi on Sunday afternoon, it was blowing a hoolie and progress was 2-3kph in knee-deep snow. I probably pushed for 100 out of 150km which did a good job of wrecking my feet - lots of hiking this year. I have no further aspiration that completing the event.

voodoo_simon wrote:Here's my report from the race 2 years ago.

See how back-markers do it

https://singlespeedsimon.wordpress.com/ ... port-2015/

Dovebiker wrote:Here's my video from last year (39.5hrs in 7 mins): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glPtrsEZrLM

I was the last person to leave Kuusilampi to finish the 150 - I got the last bed (plank) in the woodstore too

Thanks, tis all inspiring stuff! I'll repost when I get a chance.

Ian wrote: Think I was a smidge over 13 hours in 2015...

Double that for me

I rock at getting more value from the race in hours per euros

Trial pack to test out how all my bags fitted - added a couple of 12 litre panniers from last year's 150, mainly for food, inflatable mattress, bigger cooking pot. Trying to keep the front end as unloaded as possible as it makes the steering really twitchy in snow - hopefully the wider 90mm rims and Snowshoe 2XL tyre will help here too. New chainring and chain too - last year, didn't realise that I had very little chainring teeth left until the day before!

What in the bags?

Looks like a huge amount of stuff, but I suppose it depends what you're doing.

5 days to complete the event, completely unsupported, forecast temperatures -8 to -20C. Sleeping is mainly open shelters (Laavu) and there are a couple of unmanned cabins on the course. Top of rack -20 rated sleeping bag + bivvy bag. I pannier is completely full of food - 5 days of mainly dehydrated rations, 3,500+ calories per day. Other pannier contains 2 litre cooking pot (melting snow), Exped mattress, MSR stove, snacks. Toptube bags contain spare mitts, hat, balaclava in the rear and headtorch + batteries. Framebag contains bike spares (tube, mini-tool, sealant, 2x cables, lube) spare batteries (6 packs) + more food, drinks powder. 2x handlebar feed pouches for daily snacking allowance. Under-bar drybag carries spare clothing with foam mattress above. Further pouch on front carries glasses, goggles. I also have a light running backpack with spare jacket, trousers. Pouches for GPS, camera, phone etc. Will finalise actual kit, particularly clothing choice day before, depending on forecast.

Forgot to add, 2x 1 litre flasks on front carriers + pump

5 days?

I think I might have been lulled into a false sense of security with the fast conditions in 2015...

Given that only 5 people have completed the 300 in the last 2 years, I'm not underestimating how long and tough it will be. The second 160km loop is completely unsupported, no water so needed to stop and melt snow. Many of the trails are ungroomed - last year they were pushing through knee-deep snow.

Knee deep?

At our height, then it'll be thigh deep

Last year Oskar a Swedish guy riding a very nice Nicolai with Pivot Gearbox - he was typically Swedish in stature, about 6'6" tall. On the way from CP4 to CP5 there was heavy snowfall, it was over a metre-deep in places. He was post-holing in the snow up to his thighs - I was moving twice as fast as I was only sinking up to my ankles Problem was the times I fell into his post-holes - needed to tunnel out

I recall the first time I feel off into deep snow. Went to put my hands down to push myself back up again and they just went into the snow and didn't reach the bottom! After a bit of rolling about I got hold of my bike and used that to haul myself out again

I had to get someone twice my height to pull me out Obviously he had to take pictures first!

I do remember seeing Johnny Storm flying over his bars on the river after hitting some soft snow...