A Touch of Frost my post Transvulcania La Palma interview with Anna ‘FROSTY’ Frost is now available online at www.corredordemontana.com HERE
Anna Frost interview in Spanish
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Fun on the trails in La Palma
A real perk of what I do is having a few hours, a morning or even a day or two that will allow me some time for myself, to get out on the trails and explore a place or even a race route before or after an event.
To go to La Palma and not run would be sacrilege. I have run on trails and mountains all over the world, I wouldn’t be as bold or as confident to say that La Palma has the best but without doubt they are some of the best!
Looking at the Transvulcania La Palma route, the course makes so much sense; you start at the sea, you run up… up… up and up and then you drop back down like a bullet. It is pure Skyrunning, from sea, to summit to sea.
Combine this route with an ever-changing trail, spectacular views, spectacular cloud and incredible weather and you have a match made in heaven.
This year I extended my Transvulcania visit by a day, okay, maybe two and sneaked out for a couple of runs (hikes) to clear my mind, open my lungs and allow myself to feel alive again.
I love to follow races working hard as a photographer, writer and podcaster, but I also love to run… it’s not always easy to fit the latter in but I should! I should always find some time, some time to connect and find my own peace, my own karma and my own air.
This was even more important this year. It seems a haze; maybe it hasn’t even registered yet but just 1-hour after the start of the 2014 Transvulcania started, I was driving along the coastal road to my ‘spot’, a location I had found the previous day where I would take photos and I lost control of my car. I wasn’t going fast and no, despite a 3am start, I hadn’t fallen asleep at the wheel… the car twitched left, I turned right to compensate and before I knew it the car was exploding into a huge concrete block that stopped me going down a cliff.
Air backs everywhere, car in pieces, windscreen smashed, car broken, NO, wrecked and I walked away unharmed… Just a slightly sore nose from the impact of the driver’s air bag left me a memento for what had happened.
I was alive…
I think it’s actually taken till today, almost 1-week later for me to realize how lucky I was.
My work isn’t going to change, I love every hour, every minute, every second but I will, every now and again, stop… look around and find some time to get out on a trail and feel the karma and thank my lucky stars that I have an opportunity to carry on.
Thanks Nico and Val for helping me to escape on the trails of La Palma. It was needed, really needed.
Here are some images from the fun.
The Rise of Stephan Hugenschmidt
Transvulcania La Palma, the inaugural Skyrunning event of the 2014 Skyrunner® World Series. It was always going to be a stacked field, so stacked that predicting a winner required an element of guesswork, faith, hope and some good old ultra thinking. It was no surprise to see Kilian Jornet duke it out with Luis Alberto Hernando and true to form, as in 2013, Sage Canaday repeated his 3rd place on the podium. However, who could have predicted the rise of Stephan Hugenschmidt?
Stephan should have been on my radar after his 8th place at the 2013 Skyrunning Matterhorn Ultraks, however, he slipped through. In retrospect it was a huge mistake! His Transvulcania 2014 performance has elevated him to a new level and he is now on the ‘one-to-watch’ list. No longer will he slip through the radar…
Stephan’s 2013 results
- March – Trail du Petit Ballon : 3rd
- July – Salomon 4-Trails : 2nd
- July – Swiss Alpine Marathon : 3rd
- August – Matterhorn Ultraks : 8th
- September – Sardona Ultra Trail : 2nd
- October – Ultra Trail del L’Argo Orta : 1st
Post Transvulcania, friend of Ta;lk Ultra and iancorless.com, Hendrik Auf’mkolk interviewed Stephan and kindly shared for all our benefit.
Dancing on a Volcano by ©Hendrik Auf’mkolk
At Transvulcania this past weekend, Stephan Hugenschmidt ran to the top of the trail running world with a sensational 5th place showing. For insiders, this does not come as much of a surprise, however. The 27-year old German who lives and works in Switzerland already made his mark on the scene last year with top results at Swissalpine (3rd), Matterhorn-Ultraks (8th) and Sardona-Ultratrail (1st), among others. Salomon Germany picked him up for the 2014 season and during the team’s spring training camp he impressed his team mates with sparkling form. In the following interview, Stephan tells us how he got into the sport, why Transvulcania is only a snapshot, and what is next.
Stephan, congratulations on your fantastic race at Transvulcania! You definitely won’t be flying under the radar anymore in the future. Has it sunken in yet ?
Well, the response after Transvulcania was huge and I’m really happy for all the congratulations. But things will calm down in a few days. What remains are all the unforgettable impressions of the race and its unique landscape. But the cards will be reshuffled for the next race and then it does not really matter how I did at Transvulcania.
You ran a very constant, clever pace. How did you feel out there on the course? How did you witness the race play out?
As I always do in ultras I tried to listen to my body and find my rhythm. I did not let myself be deterred by the usual early speed of the other runners. And then there were all those spectacular views , the completely different terrain and the crazy spectators – things like that really motivate and help me get through the lows. The fact that I was able to consistently pass some of the international top stars, that surely inspired me as well…
As you said, the terrain and the climate on La Palma are very different from anything here in continental Europe. How did you prepare for the race?
By training in foul mid-european weather (laughs). The one-week training camp in Croatia in April with the Salomon Germany team definitely helped. But not in terms of heat-resistance. While we were there the cold and uncomfortable Bora winds were sweeping across Croatia.
You already turned heads with a string of top results last year. How did you get into the sport? What fascinates you about trailrunning?
I would say I am a very passionate runner and I love being in the mountains. As a child I only spent a few weekends a year in the mountains – mostly with my dad. He passed his passion for running and the mountains on to me. Every now and then I would toe the line for a classic mountain run, but I never really felt comfortable with these all-out mountain sprints. Too short and somehow incomplete… I want to run in the mountains and over the mountains, not just up a mountain. I know trail running does not necessarily have to be in the mountains, but for me the two belong together.
What draws me to the sport is being out there running through the most beautiful landscapes. That’s so much better than running through the street canyons of a big city, isn’t it? Also, I am fascinated by the fact that besides a strong physical condition, you need a good technique.
How does your typical training week look like?
Most of my training happens on the weekends. I live in Uzwil, where it’s hilly, but not enough so for serious mountain running. So on the weekends I make the one-hour drive to the mountains as often as possible, mostly to the St. Gallen Rheintal region. That’s an ideal starting point, because you start very low (ca. 450 m above sea level) and can easily do 1.500 m of vertical at a stretch. My training runs in the mountains are between 30 and 45 km and normally contain more than 2.000 m of vertical gain.
During the week my training is rather unspectactular. I run my usual loops around Uzwil, which are between 10 and 15 k. They don’t contain any considerable climbs though.
Do you have a favorite workout or training ground?
My favorite place to train is in the mountains around the Pizol and the sorrounding Sardona region. The landscape there is simply fantastic!
What are your goals for this season? Where will you be racing next?
My next race will be Zugspitz Ultratrail at the end of June. My first 100k… I am also going to do Swissalpine K78 and Ultratrail del Lago d’Orta. If I remain injury-free, there will probably be more races added to the list, but nothing is fixed yet. Some day, I want to do the Transalpine-Run and, of course, UTMB.
Stephan, thanks for the interview and best of luck to you!
Thank you!
Originally published in German HERE
Transvulcania La Palma 2014 – Race Day Images
all images ©iancorless.com
Purchase images HERE
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- Martin Gaffuri Transvulcania Half Marathon ©iancorless.com
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- Tom Owens Transvulcania 2014 ©iancorless.com
Results HERE
- Luis Alberto Hernando – ESP adidas 6:55:41
- Kilian Jornet ESP Salomon 7:01:34
- Sage Canaday USA Hoka One One 7:11:39
- Tofol Castanyer ESP Salomon 7:23:56
- Stephan Hugenschmidt GER Salomon 7:27:10
- Tom Owens GBR Salomon 7:31:15
- Mauel Merillas ESP 7:34:55
- Timothy Olson USA The North Face 7:35:22
- Pablo Villa ESP Scott 7:36:12
- Dakota Jones USA Montrail 7:42:35
- Anna Frost NZL Salomon 8:10:41
- Maite Mayora ESP La Sportiva 8:20:29
- Uxue Fraile ESP Vibram 8:48:01
- Emma Roca ESP Compressport/ Buff 8:58:45
- Anne Lise Rousset FRA Team Race Land 9:10:29
- Jodee Adams-Moore USA Scott Sports 9:19:14
- Andrea Huser SUI 9:28:25
- Krissy Moehl USA Patagonia 9:29:00
- Frederica Boifava ITA Alpsation 9:41:32
- Alessandra Carlini ITA Salomon/ Agisko 9:47:25
Transvulcania La Palma 2014 – the excitement begins!
Dakota is back! But so are Kilian and Emelie, Anna Frost, Luis Alberto Hernando, Sage Canaday and Timothy Olson…the star-studded cast doesn’t end here however! Read the press release by the ISF on the up and coming, 2014 Transvulcania La Palma.
The Transvulcania Ultramarathon on the Spanish island of La Palma has made quite a name for itself. Just a small speck in the Atlantic ocean, the race chosen to launch the Skyrunner® Ultra Series in 2012 has grown to represent a hub for many of the world’s top ultra runners, and has never looked back. This year, a Vertical Kilometer® up the gruelling downhill, gives a new twist.
The extraordinary line-up is headed by Salomon superstars Kilian Jornet and Emelie Forsberg (Salomon) winners here last year and 2013 Skyrunner® World champions. However, look out for 2012 winners, Anna Frost (Salomon), and Dakota Jones (Montrail), returning to the Transvulcania stage after a year’s absence from the skyrunning scene. Anna’s 2012 record still stands.
Sage Canaday (Hoka One One) 3rd last year, arrives fresh from his second win at Tarawera in New Zealand and is joined by Timothy Olson (TNF) 4th, who successfully started off the season with a third place at the recent Transgrancanaria.
The strong American line-up doesn’t end here, but first, let’s take a look at the other big-league Spanish runners: Luis Alberto Hernando (adidas), always a podium placer, he crossed the line hand in hand with Kilian to share the gold at the European Championships and moved on to win Cavalls del Vent. The question is, can he pare down those 4’ that separated him from Kilian last year? Tofol Castanyer (Salomon), 2nd at Cavalls, Agustí Roc (inov-8) three-time SWS champion and Jordi Bes (FEEC),CCC winner, join the mix.
From France – UTMB winner Xavier Thevenard (TNF), 11th in 2013, is no doubt looking to move up for a podium spot; Patrick Bringer (Sigvaris Sports), 5th, is making a determined come-back, together with Martin Gafurri (New Balance) 19th and a great top-10 at Tarawera recently and first-timer Sylvain Couchaud (Mizuno), 4th at the Mont-Blanc 80K.
Among the top ranked talent, Germany’s Philipp Reiter (Salomon) finished an excellent 12th last year, despite illness, and Florian Neuschwander (16th ISF ranking) who, like many other first timers, will fulfil a dream running this iconic race.
Tom Owens – Trofeo Kima
From the UK, an array of impressive newcomers to the race: Tom Owens (Salomon), 2nd behind Kilian at Kima 2012, is up and running after a year-long lay-off. Ricky Lightfoot (Salomon), 2013 AIU Champion and 2009 Zegama winner is joined by Stu Air (SCOTT Sports) and Robbie Britton (inov-8).
Robbie Britton – inov-8
From Italy, Giuliano Cavallo (Salomon) 9th in 2012, returns after a year’s absence from running, together with Fulvio Dapit (Crazy Idea), a consistently top performer in the Sky distance over the years, he now moves up to tackle his first 83K.
Tackling their first “European” style race will be top Americans, Dylan Bowman (Pearl Izumi), Jason Schlarb (Altra), David Laney and Ryan Ghelfi (Nike Trail Team) and Ty Draney (Patagonia), while teammate Luke Nelson is back for more.
Emelie Forsberg – Transvulcania 2013
The women’s field too, represents the deepest in the five-year history of the race with new competition coming from across the Pond. The stacked field is headed by Salomon’s Emelie Forsberg and Anna Frost, respectively 2013 and 2012 winners. Nuria Picas (Buff) UTMB (2nd) and Cavalls winner, after a hard-fought 2ndplace last year, she returns with a victory from the recent Transgrancanaria under her belt. Look out for Emma Roca (Buff), 3rd at UTMB, and Uxue Fraile(Vibram) 3rd here, another Spanish talent who is steadily but surely racking up the podiums.
Nuria Picas – Transvulcania 2013
Italy’s young star Silvia Serafini (Salomon), 4th on the ISF Sky Ranking, has set her sights on the longest race of her rocketing career. Also from Italy, Federica Boifava, 5th at the European Championships and new talent Alessandra Carlini, 2nd in the Mont-Blanc 80K. From France, Aurelia Truel (2nd IAU and 3rd at Les Templiers and Maud Gobert, 6th here in 2012.
Anna Frost
Three top level American runners taking up the challenge are Krissy Moehl (Patagonia), UTMF winner, Jodee Adams-Moore (SCOTT Sports), 2nd at Speedgoat, and Cassie Scallon (Salomon) winner at Lake Sonoma and the recent MSIG Sai Kung 50 in Hong Kong.
From Japan, Hiroko Suzuki (Salomon), 2nd at UTMF last year, may find the distance a little short and the elevation a little high for her long distance running skills.
The Ultramarathon presents a daunting 8,525m ascent and descent over the 83 km course, which starts at sea level on the Atlantic coast and travels along the island’s backbone to the summit of the volcano at 2,423m before descending again to the sea and finishing in the town of Los Llanos. The records to beat are:6h54’09” Kilian Jornet (2013) and 8h11’31” Anna Frost (2012).
The Vertical Kilometer® ascends the steep cliff face from the sea front at Tazacorte for 6.6 km single track with a 40% incline before settling into a “flatter” final section to finish at 1,160m altitude. The overall incline averages 30%.
The world’s top Vertical specialists will race on this newly designed course for the first time, with the super-strong La Sportiva team headed by World ChampionUrban Zemmer and top ranked athletes Marco Facchinelli, Marco Moletto, Nejc Kuhar and Nadir Mague.
Brothers Bernard and Martin Dematteis and Oscar and Marc Casal (Race Land) also stand out in the men’s field.
The women’s field is strongly represented by Salomon with World Champion Laura Orgue together with Emelie Forsberg, Anna Frost, Silvia Serafini and Antonella Confortola, joined by Sierre Zinal winner Elisa Desco.
Kilian Jornet, like his team mates, Emelie, Anna and Silvia, will,of course, race both!
Note the dates:
May 8, Transvulcania Vertical Kilometer®, and May 10, Transvulcania Ultramarathon.
Links:
Follow on Twitter @talkultra
Follow on Facebook – Here
Skyrunning Here
Credits:
- Press Release ©ISF
- All images ©iancorless.com
Transvulcania Vertical Kilometer® – Skyrunner® World Series
Vertical Kilometer, Transvulcania La Palma, ≠©iancorless.com
From sea to sky, 1,000 metres high, the 2014 Skyrunner® World Series kicks off with a cracking new race on the magical island of La Palma, Spain. Transvulcania, renowned for the Ultramarathon, launches the Transvulcania Vertical Kilometer® on May 8. Starting at sea level, it ascends the steepest, most technical section of the Ultra and offers incredible views of the Atlantic coast – for those with the courage to look down.
Vertical Kilometer, Transvulcania La Palma ©iancorless.com
The course was designed to complement the SWS Transvulcania Ultramarathon (May 10) and the half and marathon distances. From the black Tazacorte beach, the 6.6 km single track course ascends the imposing cliff face with a 40% incline before settling into a “flatter” final section to finish at 1,160m altitude. The overall incline averages 30%.
The upper section of the course follows an ancient goat-herders’ path and finishes at the El Time antenna, (the last aid station of the Ultra), rewarding runners with incomparable views of the Aridane Valley and the ocean in the distance.
With the world’s top vertical specialists leading the way, entries open on Saturday, February 1st, limited to 200 places. Not for the faint-hearted, as the race slogan says, “Get ready to meet your fate”!
See here for entry and race information.
Island in the Sky – La Palma
Following on from Transvulcania I have just seen this incredible movie by Christoph Malin
Video link – http://vimeo.com/53845425
In Christoph’s words….
Inhale the fresh air, smell the refreshing scent of the green pine forests glowing above black volcano sands, no sound but the wind in the trees. A deep blue sky matches with the blue atlantic ocean far below. Epic volcanic trails lead trough an unique archaic landscape. Feel the elements. Be yourself, at the “Island in the Sky”.
This short film, a homage to the beautiful Island of La Palma – “Europe’s Hawaii” – was like a never ending project for me. More than one and a half years of work…. photographing, processing, re-processing, selecting and de-selecting footage, some weeks filming…
I had certain pictures in mind – the scenes, locations, and moods. Every interesting place I had spotted during many stays on the Island while Hiking or guiding Bike Groups was considered.
As often as possible I returned to Palma to let the film get reality (newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2011/08/15/new-astro-timelapse-video-the-island-showcases-astronomy-haven/), but more than once got thrown back – bad weather, equipment malfunction or whatever.
I hiked up Volcanoes, stayed awake all night on stormy ridges, slept like a dead on the beach next morning. Pre-processed nights footage at the Apartment later, to validate what scenes worked, or needed to be repeated. Hurried back up the mountains before sunset for new setups. Finally got some rest and watched the clouds and stars move. Feeling small in the universe. And tired and dizzy, as well.
Night-Timelapse filming is an art, a struggle to live from, tough on your biorhythm – and needs a lot of passion, love and dedication. Passion for the work, love for nature and wilderness, being alone in the night. Back at the office in the timelapse studio it needs dedication and endurance in front of my workstations working trough the image data.
Which is the toughest part for me – I am not the office guy. I hate sitting in front of a Computer screen too much. And that is what you do with Timelapse. Way too much. After cleaning up the project, 906.65 GB and 83846 RAW images and movie-sequences remained for processing. And there is no automatism, each software at the workflow needs to be fed with each sequence separately, to deliver results…
On some key scenes of this film I have even worked over several months, trying different variations on color-reprocessing, iterating them many times. I am still not sure if they are good now. You judge.
Thanks to all who support me, especially my family. Thanks to Babak Tafreshi of Twanight.org for providing the legendary GRANTECAN Intro and MAGIC-from-the-side Footage (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAGIC_(telescope). Props to the Folks at IAC.es and Visitlapalma.es! Horay to the team at TWANight.org for tips and feedback! Awesome to Nikon NPS!
Jesse Hozeny has provided an awesome soundtrack with “Miles High”! This ended a long search!
itunes.apple.com/at/album/niyama-volume-one-two/id39888393
Equipment: Nikon D4, D700, D7000, D3s, AFS 14-24/2.8, AFS 24-70/2.8, AF 50/1.8, AF 16/2.8 and AF-DX 10/2.8 Fisheye. Dynamic Perception Stage Zero Dolly and MX2 Merlin Interface, Vixen Polarie: vixen.co.jp/en/lp/polarie_movie.html
Processing: Nikon View NX, Adobe Lightroom LR4, LRTimelapse, Apple Motion, Final Cut Pro X.
Now dive in, put your earphones on and relax…
Cheers.
Christoph Malin
That Guy with the Tent
Christophmalin.com
P.S.: Check some of my other films:
“Astronomer’s Paradise”, vimeo.com/36972668
“Urban Mountain Sky”, vimeo.com/40969904
“ISS Tronized”, vimeo.com/51499009
Adam Campbell – Transvulcania 2013
Adam Campbell, Arc’teryx Transvulcania 2013 – copyright Ian Corless
Arc’teryx athlete Adam Campbell talks to Ian ahead of the 2013 Transvulcania La Palma. He discusses the race course, the competition and Arc’teryx.
Adam loves competition and revels the opportunity to race the best in the world. His running goals are to seek out interesting challenges in inspiring settings. A lifelong traveler and racer, Adam’s new belief is: if you are going to be suffering, you might as well suffer somewhere beautiful!
YouTube link HERE
Links:
Fernanda Maciel – Transvulcania 2013
Fernanda Maciel, The North Face – copyright Ian Corless
When I’m running on the top of the mountains or canoeing in the middle of the sea, I feel small as nothing…but yet I feel the highest sensation of freedom and peace, free spirit. I’m Brazilian, from the waterfalls and little mountains, Minas Gerais, my roots. I live in the Spanish Pyrenees’s mountains today, Coll de Nargó. I’ve worked as environmental lawyer, in recycle’s projects, international ONG Outward Bound (outdoor education), running Adventure Race… that means, working and teaching to protect the nature. My passion is for the forest, the mountains, the beaches and the rivers, to be there and take care of that. Move…positive.
I caught up with The North Face athlete, Fernanda Maciel less than 48 hours to the start of the 2013, Skyrunning Ultra, Transvulcania La Palma.
- Location: Hotel SOL La Palma
- May 9th
*apologies for the focus glitch at the end of the clip but I wanted leave the audio content as I felt it was important what Fernanda said.
Video on YouTube: HERE
Links:
What’s cooking at Transvulcania?
Image
IAN CORLESS 