2013 - Year 10 - Bill's Great Peak(s) Bagging

L to R: Spencer Sheinin; Matt Colpitts; Bill Dagg; Andy Healey
Starter photo - 28 July 2013

Report:

I don't know if it was because of the new "bagger" format or some other reasons (it'd be good to hear people's thoughts) but, with a low registration count, some last-minute cancellations, and one no-show, we had a small turn-out of only 3 registrants and myself for this year's, 10th edition, of Bill's Great Peak Ascent.  On the plus side, the four who did participate were all relatively evenly paced so it meant we could tackle the peaks together.

Andy, Matt, Spencer and myself left the Grouse Parking Lot somewhere around 7:45 am.  The weather conditions were perfect -- sunny and comfortable.   The trip up the BCMC was the typical grunt but uneventful with not too many others on the trail as it was still fairly early (in spite of a surprisingly full parking lot at the bottom for the time of day).  Everyone took it relatively easy as we all knew we had plenty of climbing yet to do, reaching the Chalet Bug Fest in about 55 minutes.

 

Not wanting to linger too much in the bug clouds, we headed fairly directly to the peak of Grouse after a quick water top-up at the Chalet.   We quickly made our way through the deserted Grouse Resort area away from the Chalet to the base of the peak and the big warning sign about the dangerous route (a road!) to the peak.   In spite of the warning, we decided to risk it and bagged our first peak in 1:09.

Grouse Mountain

 

Quick photos and mutual congrats and we were off towards Dam Mountain.   Instead of going back down the "treacherous" road, we opted for Andy's suggestion to take a path on the left immediately before the "Eye in the Sky".  This proved to be a great choice with some nice steep trail descents that dropped us out right before the "Dam Mountain, 800m" trail sign, cutting out a lot of boring road running.

 

Up the switchbacks we headed and, on the 3rd meeting with the green water pipe, headed straight uphill towards Dam.  As I'd discovered earlier in the week, for some reason, all of the trail signs beyond that first Dam Mountain one at the bottom have been removed.   I imagine Parks removes them for the winter but it's well past the time that I would have expected them to be returned.  At any rate, we knew where we were going so it wasn't a concern -- for us (more on this in a minute).  A quick ascent past the mud field and heli-pad brought us to the peak of Dam Mountain in 1:32.

Dam Mountain

 

More congrats.  More quick photos.   Second peak all to ourselves.  Off to Little Goat.  After a fun descent to the Alpine Trail junction and very quickly back onto the Ridge Trail (again, no sign posts), we quickly reached the peak of Little Goat, the easiest peak on route, in 1:46.   While standing around congratulating ourselves and taking the obligatory photos, we heard a couple of female "Hello?  Hello?   We're trying to get to Goat Mountain." voices coming from somewhere not too far below us.   Damsels in distress!!   To the rescue!   We told them to stay put and we'd be there shortly.

 

After no more than a couple of minutes, we found them (Christine? & Heather -- one of them recognized me from Pacific Road Runners) on the trail heading up towards Little Goat -- away from Goat.   With all of the sign posts absent, it seems they'd made a left when they should have made a right and were slightly off course.   Telling them we too were on our way to Goat, we got them back onto the correct trail and to the Goat - Crown junction.   Figuring we'd drop them, we headed off to the peak of Goat.  Turns out they weren't any slouches themselves as they pretty much made to the peak (via a slightly shorter route) at the same time.  Total time to Goat ~2:10.

Goat Mountain

 

Having the ladies at the peak turned out to be to our advantage as it made a group shot easy.   For reasons known only to her, Heather decided both front and back shots were important.   So, in case you were wondering about the photos …   We had a few quick snacks while the ladies retreated to one of the several other areas on the peak because, in their words "We didn't want to share our muffins."  Huh?  What?   Being gentlemen, we decided to leave that one alone and headed off.

 

By this time, everyone was feeling good and ready from some more adventurous running.   Instead of heading back on the Alpine Trail to the Grouse Resort area, we opted for a more direct but much less traveled route between Thunderbird ridge and Mount Fromme via Pipeline Pass.   Andy had done this route before (in the opposite direction) and I'd been eyeballing it on the North Shore Trail Map and figured we'd never get better conditions that this to give it a go.

 

The route off of Thunderbird Ridge starts with a steep decent on an overgrown but still easy-to-follow trail down to Barrier Creek.   According to Andy, this is the direction to go as the climb in the opposite direction is significant .   Anyway, going down was great fun.   After the creek crossing, there's a small boulder field you have to make your way through and then a not too steep climb up the valley on the back side of Fromme following the course of an old pipeline still visible from time-to-time underfoot.

 

At the top of the pass, Andy, now running out of time, took the right fork out to Mountain Highway while the remaining 3 of us headed left up the now steeper route on the north side of Fromme.   This eventually brought us out to a side-trail to Senate Peak (North Fromme), clearly only a couple of minutes off of the main route.   We quickly made our way to the rocky peak for a well-earned break.   If you've never gone to Senate peak, I highly recommend it.   It's at most 10 minutes north of the main, slightly higher, south peak but the views on a good day are far better.  This includes a really good perspective on Mountain Highway heading up the side of Grouse you don't normally get.

Mountain Highway and Grouse Mountain from Senate Peak (N. Fromme)

 

Leaving Senate we made a quick down and up to the true peak of Fromme for a total travelling time (excluding stops) of 3:50.   This completed our 5 peak sweep!

Mount Fromme

 

After a fast and smooth descent on Bill's Trail (not mine) to Mountain Highway immediately south of the Quarry, we parted company as Spencer and Matt wanted to get some more distance in for Matt's Cascade Crest training while I headed the more direct route down Per Gynt, Executioner, Dreamweaver and the BP returning back to the Grouse Parking lot for a total running time of 5:23 (including time stopped while I cursed my 2nd wasp sting of the week -- around Mackay Creek).

 

Thanks to all the participants.   A great way to spend a sunny summer day.   Hopefully, next year we'll get even more to enjoy the adventure!

 

Bill Dagg

Post Event Survey. Please give us your feedback via this brief survey:
http://www.clubfatass.com/events/BillsGreatPeak/posteventsurvey

Photos:  A slideshow of images will be posted posted below.  If you have photos of the run that you would like to share, please upload them to Flickr, add to the CFA Flickr group and tag with BillsGreatPeak2013  BillsGreatPeak  ClubFatAssEvents ClubFatAssEvents2013.  They will automatically appear in the slideshow.  If you need help please refer to http://www.clubfatass.com/help/general#include_photos and the Flickr help pages.

• Bill's Photos (& video)

Results: 

Participant	Grouse	Dam	Little Goat	Goat	Fromme	Total	Points
Double Platinum
Matt Colpitts	1:09	1:32	1:46	2:10	3:50	?1	2
Bill Dagg	1:09	1:32	1:46	2:10	3:50	5:232	3**
Spencer Sheinin	1:09	1:32	1:46	2:10	3:50	?1	2
Platinum
Andy Healey	1:09	1:32	1:46	2:10	--	?3	2

¹ Return via Mountain Hwy & BP
² Return via Per Gynt, Executioner, Dreamweaver & BP
³ Return via Pipeline Pass, Mountain Highway & ???

No shows (with no notice):

Paul Schrimpf: -1 pt

 

* garbage point
** event host point

2012 - Year 9 - Dave's Great Peak Results

Starter photo - 29 July 2012

Report: coming soon!

Post Event Survey. Please give us your feedback via this brief survey:
http://www.clubfatass.com/events/BillsGreatPeak/posteventsurvey

Photos:  A slideshow of images will be posted posted below.  If you have photos of the run that you would like to share, please upload them to Flickr, add to the CFA Flickr group and tag with BillsGreatPeak2012  BillsGreatPeak  ClubFatAssEvents ClubFatAssEvents2012.  They will automatically appear in the slideshow.  If you need help please refer to http://www.clubfatass.com/help/general#include_photos and the Flickr help pages.

Results:

 

First Name	Last Name	City	Age	Event	Points	Time
Dave	Cressman	Vancouver	40-49	32km	2	2:56
Dave	Berg	Burnaby	40-49	32km	2+2**
Paul	Burns	North Vancouver	40-49	32km	2	4:51
Sam	Chiu	Vancouver	30-39	32km	2
Ray	Levasseur	Vancouver	50-59	32km	2	3:54
Jay	Jardine	NorthVancouver	30-39	custom 28km	2	3:30
Dylan	Chadsey	Vancouver	30-39	32km	1
cindy	ethier	port coquitlam	40-49	custom 22km	2	4:08
Bill	Maurer	North Vancouver	50-59	custom 22km	1	4:08
Ean	Jackson	North Vancouver	50-59	custom	1+1*	3:47
Eric	Rannaud	Burnaby	20-29	custom	1
Anne-Marie	Cote	North Vancouver	30-39	custom	1
Monty	Watts	North Vancouver	40-49	custom	1
Sibylle	Tinsel	North Vancouver	40-49	custom	2+1*	40min
Craig	Moore	Lynn Valley, North Vancouver		custom - bike	2

 

* garbage point
** event host point

2011 - Year 8 - Bills Great Peak Results

Starter photo - 24 July 2011 - 20 Starters

Report:

20 starters (plus late arrival Baldwin) turned out for the 8th edition of Bill’s Great Peak Ascent on a perfect July day – not too hot; not too cold. With the weather we’ve had so far this year, being too hot wasn’t much of a risk but too cold (and wet) definitely was. We had a good mix of Ascent veterans and first-timers this year making it our 2nd best turn-out ever. Thanks everyone for coming out!

Personally, I had a great adventure with Action Jackson as we scoped out a route up Mt. Fromme as a possible alternative for next year’s event. One thing is certain. We will need a different route down than what we took after losing the trail quickly and bush-whacking our way down, eventually coming out to Mountain Highway about 500m south of where we intended to be. The route up was great though so we’re ½ way there. After our escape to Mountain Highway, we continued up to Grouse Mountain, meeting new-comers Nicola and Reza on their way down.

Speaking of Nicola, congratulations are in order for her longest (trail?) run ever! Her previous longest run was a couple of times running the Baden-Powell trail from Lynn Canyon to Deep Cove. Well done!

Also worthy of note: Ryan Conroy set a new course record with a blistering time of 2:40. I think that’s about 15 minutes faster than the previous record set in the first year of the event!

11 participants made it to the post-race event at Mosquito Creek Grill in North Vancouver where, as always, we were treated to a free beer and great brunch food. Also, as in most years, nobody went home empty-handed in the free swag department – everyone got something including subscriptions to Trail Runner Magazine, water bottles, headwear and a shirt. A special thank you to all of our sponsors and Sibylle for organizing the swag.

Wildlife sightings for us included a black bear ½ way up the switchbacks on Grouse and a grizzly just below the peak (might have been in a cage) and a bazillion tourists on Grouse. I know it’s hard to imagine there were that many tourists but it’s true! I counted.

I know I said this last year but look for a modified course next year. At least some of the groundwork is now done.

Thanks again to everyone for coming out.

 

Post Event Survey. Please give us your feedback via this brief survey:
http://www.clubfatass.com/events/BillsGreatPeak/posteventsurvey

Photos:  A slideshow of images will be posted posted below.  If you have photos of the run that you would like to share, please upload them to Flickr, add to the CFA Flickr group and tag with BillsGreatPeak2011  BillsGreatPeak  ClubFatAssEvents ClubFatAssEvents2011.  They will automatically appear in the slideshow.  If you need help please refer to http://www.clubfatass.com/help/general#include_photos and the Flickr help pages.

 

Results: 

Participant	Event	Time Up	Time Total	Points
Ryan Conroy	32km	1:32	2:40	1
Rob Ruff	32km		3:33	2
Pamela Keck	32km		3:52	2+1
Ray Levasseur	32km		3:52	2
Bill Maurer	32km		3:59	2+1
Christine Moric	32km		3:59	2
Adam Haesler	32km		4:19	2
Becky Swan	32km		4:19	2
Jessica Glowacki	32km		4:22	2
Helen Tilley	32km		4:22	2
reza ghazizadeh	32km		5:10	2
Nicola McGlennon	32km		5:10	1
Ean Jackson	custom - Fromme		5:01	2+1
Bill Dagg	custom - Fromme		5:01	2+2+1
Wendy Montgomery	custom - Mtn. Hwy.		1:45	2+1
desmond mott	custom - 12.5km		1:23	2+1
Baldwin Lee	custom - 11km		1:20	2
Jess Dagg	custom - 10km		2:08	2+1
Kelly Corday	custom - 10km		2:08	2
Sibylle Tinsel	custom		1:00	2
Reagan White	custom		2:25	2+1

 

 

 

2010 - Year 7 - Bills Great Peak Results

Starter photo - 24 July 2010 - 15 Starters

Report: A beautiful day greeted the participants of the 7th annual Bill's Great Peak Ascent.  15 participants and myself started at the Rice Lake parking lot in the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve (LSCR) shortly after 7:30 am.   Custom routes seemed to be the choice of the day as several participants opted to avoid the long run down Mountain Highway in favour of some of the many mountain biking trails in the area.    Time for a change, perhaps?   Look for some official course modifications next year.   Several others, including myself, took shorter routes, turning around at the quarry or top of St. George's trail.

The post-race event at the Mosquito Creek Grill included the usual free beer courtesy of the Grill and tons of swag -- nobody left empty handed. 

Special thanks to Pamela for hauling up my camera and taking many of the route photos.

Thanks to all for participating and hope to see you next year a new and improved course.

Bill Dagg

Photo above: Jess's Bag 'o Trash

Post Event Survey. Please give us your feedback via this brief survey:
http://www.clubfatass.com/events/BillsGreatPeak/posteventsurvey

Photos:  A slideshow of images is posted below.  If you have photos of the run that you would like to share, please upload them to Flickr, add to the CFA Flickr group and tag with BillsGreatPeak2010  BillsGreatPeak  ClubFatAssEvents ClubFatAssEvents2010.  They will automatically appear in the slideshow.  If you need help please refer to http://www.clubfatass.com/help/general#include_photos and the Flickr help pages.

Results:
 

First Name	Last Name	Age	Event	Time	Points
Paul	Cubbon	40-49	custom - 42km +	~5:00	2
Phillip	Waters	60-69	32km	4:15	2
Pamela	Keck	20-29	32km	4:25	2
Helen	Tilley	40-49	32km	4:25	2
Kathryn	Webb	30-39	32km	?	2
Desmond	Mott	50-59	custom - ~30km	3:47	2+1	garbage
Jim	Swadling	60-69	custom - ~30km	3:47	2
Dana	Samis	30-39	custom - ~30km - 7th Heaven down	4:00	2
Deavah	Yerxa	40-49	custom - ~30km - 7th Heaven down	4:00	2
Reagan	White	30-39	custom - 18km - Quarry	2:34	2+1	garbage
David	Montgomery	40-49	custom - 18km - Quarry	3:07	2
Claudia	Bullington	40-49	custom - 18km - Quarry	3:22	2+1	garbage
Jackie	Montgomery	30-39	custom - 18km - Quarry	3:22	2+1	garbage
Bill	Dagg	40-49	16 km	1:55	2+2	event host
Baldwin	Lee	30-39	custom - ~13 km	2:00	1+1	garbage
Jess	Dagg	20-29	custom - walk	0:45	2+1	garbage
Michael	McNamara	50-59	32km	DNS	-1
Wendy	Montgomery	40-49	32km	DNS	0	notified by email of cancellation

 

 

2009 - Year 6 - Bills Great Peak

Starter photo: 16 Participants

Bill’s Great Peak Ascent – 2009 Edition

Sitting here with Des, Ray and Jess at the Mosquito Creek Grill, I thought I’d be a little more pro-active than last year and actually get a jump on the report.  We’ll see how successful I am at finishing this and getting it posted (I set the bar pretty low last year).

(next day … )

Sixteen participants (including me) showed up for the 6^th running of Bill’s Great Peak Ascent on a sunny and fairly warm (some might say hot) day.  For the second time in this event’s history, the peak of Grouse itself was fenced off.  Some runners turned around at that point while others found alternate routes to the top.

In true CFA fashion, many participants, including myself, ran custom routes, some opting to not do the full climb to the top while others opted to avoid parts of Mountain Highway on the way down by taking Seventh Secret.

It seems that Des’s secret formula to Point Series victory is no longer being lost on his competitors as several others have taken up the garbage collection habit.  Craig was even seen to be hauling a full garbage bag up the hill to Grouse (some claim he brought from home but, without proof, we’ll have to assume this was not the case ).  Nice job influencing the others Des!

As always, the post-run event was held at the Mosquito Creek Grill where everyone enjoyed their complimentary beer and excellent service.  Many thanks to the Grill for supporting our club!  As with last year, there was enough swag for everyone to go home with something, including Trail Runner Magazine subscriptions, high-tech shirts and an assortment of other goodies, compliments of Kintec Footlabs

Thanks to everyone for coming out and hope to see you again next year.

Post Event Survey. Please give us your feedback via this brief survey:
http://www.clubfatass.com/events/BillsGreatPeak/posteventsurvey

Photos:  A slideshow of images is posted here.  If you have photos of the run that you would like to share, please upload them to Flickr, add to the CFA Flickr group and tag with BillsGreatPeak2009,  BillsGreatPeak and ClubFatAssEvents.  They will automatically appear in the slideshow.  If you need help please refer to http://www.clubfatass.com/help/general#include_photos and the Flickr help pages.

Results

First Name	Last Name	Age	Event	Time at top	Time	Points
Curb	Ivanic	40-49	32km	2:10	3:47	2
Ean	Jackson	50-59	32km	2:10	3:47	2 (+1 garbage)
Ray	Levasseur	50-59	32km	2:02	3:50	2
John	Machray	50-59	32km		4:25	1
Kirsten	Ramage	40-49	32km		4:25	2
Gord	Thompson	30-39	32km		4:47	2
Paul	Cubbon	40-49	~42km	2:10	4:20	2
Desmond	Mott	50-59	29km*	1:47	3:17	2 (+1 garbage)
Tim	Wiens	40-49	29km*		3:17	2
Monty	Watts	30-39	28km+		3:42	2
Craig	Moore	40-49	28km+		4:40	2 (+1 garbage)
laddie	hannam	40-49	15km$		2:19	2
Jess	Bassil	20-29	15km$		2:43	2
Maureen	Wiens	40-49	15km$		2:43	2
Sibylle	Tinsel	40-49	15km$		2:43	2
Bill	Dagg	40-49	14km#		1:54	2 (+2 host)
Dave	Berg	40-49	DNS			-1
Gilles	Barbeau	50-59	DNS			-1

* = to fence at base of Peak

+ = down Seventh Secret

^$ = to top of St. George's, then down Mountain Highway

^# = to bottom of Per Gynt and back

2008 - Year 5 - Bills Great Peak - Results

Fullreport still to come.

Here is a slideshow of photos of the day.

Results

First Name	Last Name	Home Town	Event	Time to Top	Time to Finish	Points
Ryan	Conroy	Vancouver	32km	1:50	3:11	2
Bill	Dagg	Vancouver	32km	1:49	3:13	2 + 1 (Host)
Chris	Benn	Vancouver	32km	1:49	3:14	2
Ellie	Greenwood	Vancouver	32km	1:49	3:14	2
Rob	Ruff	Surrey	32km	1:50	3:20	2
Sukhi	Pawa	Vancouver	32km	2:08	3:30	2
Rick	Arikado	Vancouver	32km	2:05	3:35	2
Dave	Berg	Burnaby	32km	2:02	3:41	2
Ward	Beemer	Vancouver	32km	2:10	3:56	2
Allison	Mackay	North Vancouver	32km	2:10	3:56	2
Killaine	Sharman	North Vancouver	32km	2:10	3:56	2 + 1 (garbage)
Craig	Moore	North Vancouver	32km	2:35	4:00	2 + 1 (garbage)
Ken	Coopland	North Vancouver	32km		4:05	2
Gord	Thompson	Coquitlam	32km	2:17	4:12	2
Jess	Bassil	Vancouver	32km	2:30	4:26	2
Krys	Pick	Maple Ridge	32km	2:30	4:26	2
michael	spagnut	Vancouver	32km			2
Custom Routes
Andrew	Laing	Burnaby	29km (Chalet)	2:00	3:41	2
Amy	MacArthur	Burnaby	29km (Chalet)	2:00	3:41	2
Baldwin	Lee	Burnaby	29km (Chalet)	3:03	4:20	2 + 1 (garbage)
desmond	mott	North Vancouver	24 km - Custom	1:49	3:03	2 + 1 (garbage)
Jurgen	Watts	North Vancouver	22 km - Custom		2:45	1
Monty	Watts	North Vancouver	22 km - Custom		2:45	2
Kim	Taylor	West Vancouver	15km (St.George's bench)		1:47	2
Ali	Jones	Coquitlam	? - (Return via Gondola & BP)			2
John	Jones	Coquitlam	? - (Return via Gondola & BP)			2

2007 - Year 4 - Bill's Great Peak - Results

More photos are posted here. If you have photos of the day you'd like to share please post them to Flickr, tag with BillsGreatPeakAscent and BillsGreatPeakAscent2007.  If you also add them to the Club Fat Ass Flickr Group your photo will automatically show int he "Members in Action" section to the left.

Thanks to Tim Wiens who recorded the GPS data and made a map available here and a  profile here.

Please also take a moment to complete the post event survey here.

First Name	Last Name	City/Town	Event	Time to top	Total time		Points
Tim	Wiens	Vancouver	32 km	1:55	3:23		2
John	Neels	Vancouver	32 km	1:56	3:23		2
Desmond	Mott	n.van	32 km	2:01	3:38		2
Stephen	Blyth	north vancouver	32 km	2:05	3:40		1
Rea	Blyth	north vancouver	32 km	2:05	3:40		1
Jodi	Isenor	Halifax	32 km	2:23	3:51		1
Carlos	Castillo	Victoria	32 km	2:24	4:19	1 pt for garbage	3
Doug	MacKay	North Vancouver	32 km	2:24	4:19		2
Kathy	Banks	Vancouver	32 km	3:00	4:50		1
Sibylle	Tinsel	North Vancouver	32 km	3:07	5:08		2
Cheryl	Johnson	Pitt Meadows	32 km	3:07	5:08		2
Dave	Crerar	North Vancouver	28 km	1:58	3:21	returned via St.George's	1
Curb	Ivanic	Vancouver	28 km	1:55	3:29	returned via St.George's	2
Maureen	Wiens	Vancouver	16 km		2:55		2
Rob	Jones	North Vancouver	15 km	1:56		one way to top	2
Bill	Dagg	Vancouver	quarry		2:15		3
Laddie	Hannam	North Vancouver	quarry	1:22	2:23		1
Berglind	Hafsteinsdottir	North Vancouver	quarry	1:22	2:23		2

Well, as noted by Sibylle, the 4^th edition of Bill’s Great Peak Ascent turned out to be a soggy affair.   Nevertheless, that didn’t stop 18 runners from giving it a go under very un-July-like weather.   Dave Crerar even commented on how nice it was to run in the rain and the surreal effect running up Mountain Highway not being able to see 2 metres in front of you.  Glad you enjoyed it Dave, my sentiments weren't quite the same. 

11 of the starters ultimately opted for the official 32 km route (thanks to Tim Wiens for GPSing the route today – we now know how long it really is!) while Dave (involuntarily) and Curb (voluntarily) ended up doing an out-and-back following the same route down as up.  Others, myself included, opted for shorter variations on the route. 

For the second year in a row we had a black bear sighting (no points for the bear, though, as it didn’t pre-register).  The only other wildlife of note was the usual assortment of Mountain Bikers heading up as we were heading down. 

Most of the runners also seemed to figure they were entitled to a free beer for their efforts as we had a large turn-out (14 of the 18) afterwards at the Mosquito Creek Grill for a few colds ones, food and general cheer.

Amongst the goodies doled out as draw prizes were two Trail Runner Magazine subscriptions, the usual assortment of great Kinesys products, and a water bottle and nice jacket courtesy of North Shore Athletics.

Thanks to all who participated and, of course, to our sponsors.  Hope to see you all again next year.

Bill

2006 - Year 3 - Bill's Great Peak - Results

 

First Name	Last Name	City/Town	Event	Time at top	Time at bottom		Points
Bill	Dagg	Vancouver	30km	1:56	3:28		3
Bob	Hermanutz	Vancouver	30km	1:56	3:32	Scenic route :-)	2
Desmond	Mott	n. vancouver	30km	1:56	3:36		2
Patrick	Thrift	North Vancouver	30km	1:56	3:43		1
Rob	Ruff	Surey	30km	2:07	3:53		2
Kim	Taylor	West Vancouver	30km	2:25	4:24		2
Gilles	Barbeau	Vancouver	30km	2:42	4:27		2
Karl	Jensen	North Vancouver	30km	2:42	4:27		2
Elke	Bauer	Coquitlam	30km	2:42	4:31		2
John	Machray	N van	30km	2:42	4:31		1
Kathy	Banks	Vancouver	Custom			Started at 7:50	2
Ann	Taylor	North Vancouver	27km		3:28	Chalet and back	2
Amy	MacArthur	Burnaby	15km		2:07		1
Baldwin	Lee	Burnaby	15km		2:09		2
Laddie	Hannam	north vancouver	Custom	1:45	3:04		2
Claudia	Bullington	Richmond	15km	1:20	3:04	St. George's and back	1
Gary	Moorman	VANCOUVER	15km	1:20	3:04	St. George's and back	2
Maureen	Wiens	Vancouver	15km	1:20	3:04	St. George's and back	2
Sibylle	Tinsel	North Vancouver	15km	1:20	3:04		2
Tim	Wiens	Vancouver	15km	1:49		Point-to-point up	2

 

 

What would be a good day to run from the Rice Lake parking lot to the top of Grouse Mountain and back?  I’ve got it!  Let’s do it on the hottest day of the year!

So how was it … It’s hot!  Damn hot!

Either trail runners don’t pay attention to forecasts or they’re simply just missing a screw or two (one doesn’t necessarily preclude the other) as a record 19 runners toed the line for the third annual “Bill’s Great Peak Ascent” at 7:30am this past Saturday – a day that was forecast to have a high of 36C.  Fortunately, we were given a temporary reprieve as a high overcast kept the temperature somewhat under control for most of the ascent.

Ultimately, the heat did take a toll, though, as there were no record times this year, due in part to the time necessary to completely douse ourselves in every available water source.  Some, apparently, didn’t do enough dousing as this was also a record year for route customizations within 1 km of the finish line – Bob, on target to finish well ahead of the pack decided to go off-route after crossing the Pipe Bridge on the return trip (we’re talking about 300 m from the finish here folks).  Instead, he ended up finishing second behind yours truly, whom he found nearly passed out on the bench at the finish line.  Similarly, Patrick went off-route within 1 km of the end and decided to test out the mud depth in the swamps in the Varley Trail section while trying to get back on track.  He ultimately finished 4^th behind Desmond.

Of the other 30 km participants, Rob and Kim ended up running pretty much solo.

For the remaining four 30 km runners (John, Karl, Gilles, and Elke) it seems there was also some possibly heat-induced confusion about what point to tag up on indicating the end of the “up” section so, Elke (being Elke) concluded the best option was to “tag up” on each of the other three runs hind sections.  From all accounts, there were no complaints.

In the custom distance group, Tim, opting for a point-to-point up, smoked everyone to the peak.  Ann went most of the way up, turning around at the Chalet, while Baldwin, Amy, and Laddie chose mid-range customizations.  That left a group of four (Sybille, Maureen, Claudia, Gary) who opted for a tamer out-and-back to the St. George’s Bench.  Kathy, after arriving late, chose another customization.

Notable nature sightings included a young black bear on Grouse Mountain, a (probably) Spotted Owl on St. George’s Trail, and a rabid chipmunk on Mountain Highway.

A great turnout at the Mosquito Creek Grill, no doubt aided by the prospect of a free beer for each participant, followed the event.  Amongst the goodies doled out as draw prizes were two Trail Runner Magazine subscriptions, the usual assortment of great Kinesys products, and a water bottle, bottle and holder, and running cap courtesy of North Shore Athletics.

Thanks to all who participated and, of course, to our sponsors.  Hope to see you all again next year.

Bill

 

You can view more photos here!
 

2005 - Year 2 - Bill's Great Peak - Results

 

Full Course (~30km)

No	First Name	Last Name	City/Town	Prov/State	Age	Time Up	Total Time
1	Tracy	Wakaluk	NorthVancouver	BC		1:45	3:02
	Scott	Riddell	North Vancouver	BC	42	1:45	3:02
3	Bill	Dagg	Vancouver	BC	42	1:45	3:03
4	Doug	MacLean	Seattle	WA	53	1:45	3:29
	Danilo	Caron	Vancouver	BC	30		3:29
6	Doug	MacKay	North Vancouver	BC	54	1:57	3:33
7	Lee	Adourian	Westwood	MA	38	2:35	4:15
8	Karine	Lavoie	Vancouver	BC	25	2:18	4:16
9	Cheryl	Johnson	Pitt Meadows	BC	56		4:57
	Craig	Moore	North Vancouver	BC	44	2:35	4:57
?	Stephen	Janega	Vancouver	BC	36	?	?

 

Custom

First Name	Last Name	City/Town	Prov/State	Age	Route	Time
Ann	Taylor	North Vancouver	BC		Grouse Chalet return (~28 km)	~3:30
Adam	Shih	Surrey	BC	30	Grouse Chalet return (~28 km)	~4:00
Pat	Barry	Vancouver	BC	44	St. George's return	2:27
Sibylle	Tinsel	North Vancouver	BC	41	St. George's return	2:27

Report

This past Saturday marked the second running of “Bill’s Great Peak Ascent” (those with a keen eye might notice a subtle name change from last year’s event – don’t ask) and, unlike last year when we were stopped short of our target by a chain link fence at the base of the last climb up Grouse Mountain, we were able to complete the full route. The 15 runners who took on the course this year were greeted with cool, near-ideal running conditions (a good contrast to last year’s heat). The cooler temperatures, coupled with the fact that there were no views to be had because of a sogged-in peak, seems to have agreed with the runners too as, even though no-one broke 3 hours, when you account for the time needed actually getting to the peak, the fastest times this year are comparable or faster than last year. Doesn’t matter anyway -- this year’s times are the ones that matter for the record book.

 

More photos

 

2004 - Year 1 - Bill's Great Peak - Results

24 July 2004 - The First Official Running

	Name	Home town	Peak time	Total Time
1	Mark Klaver	North Vancouver	1:46	2:54
2	Wendy Montgomery	North Vancouver	1:46	3:04
	Bill Dagg	Vancouver	1:46	3:04
4	Desmond Mott	North Vancouver	1:46	3:11
5	Edward Haboly	North Vancouver		3:24
6	Rob Ruff	Surrey, BC		3:35
7	Greg Crompton	North Vancouver	2:04	3:43
8	Ron Adams	North Vancouver	2:10	3:49
9	Kathy Nomura	Burnaby, BC		3:59
	Mike Palenthorpe	Vancouver		3:59
	Ean Jackson	North Vancouver	2:30	3:59
12	Ken Hardinge-Rooney	New Westminster, BC	2:17	4:09
13	Doug Mackay	North Vancouver	2:26	4:10
14	Dave Laforest	Whitby, Ontario	2:30	4:30
	Keith Nicol	Vancouver	2:30	4:30
	Suzanne Johnson	North Vancouver		2:30
	Jason Niles	North Vancouver		2:30

17 starters, 15 finishers

Report

The inaugural running of "Bill's Grouse Peak Ascent" is now in the books. Seventeen runners, mostly from North Vancouver but one from as far away as Whitby, Ontario and ranging in age from 19 to 55, took up the challenge of running the approximately 30km route from the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve (LSCR) to the peak of Grouse Mountain (and back) on what was a beautiful, at times rather warm, Saturday, July 24th. Perhaps it was the temptation of a free beer at the post-race event at the Mosquito Creek Bar & Grill or, maybe it was the prospect of being lucky enough to win one of the great KINeSYS draw prizes to be given out at the post-race event that brought them out but, whatever the reason, they came, they ran and they conquered (well, almost -- read on).

A pre-race survey showed that most of the participants were already familiar with most of the route and at least one of those who wasn't familiar had taken the pre-caution of printing himself out the detailed route description off of the Club Fat Ass website. That was a good sign. No-one would be getting lost or off-course today. Unfortunately, I neglected to account for the "Jackson Factor" as Ean was too busy talking to his running companions to notice the St. George's Trail bench and passed by an important right-hand turn. As nice as Mosquito Creek is, it wasn't exactly where they were supposed to be so they had to backtrack to the bench to rejoin the event. Next year, I'm thinking of a yellow jersey for Ean -- not as an indication of the current leader -- but as a warning to others!