Raid the North Extreme prepares to descend on Castlegar
By Contributor
With more than 20 teams already registered for Raid the North Extreme 2011, organizers have decided to release the list of teams at www.raidthenorthextreme.com.
The internationally acclaimed expedition race will happen July 23 to 31, 2011, in the rugged and historic West Kootenays of BC.
Over six days non-stop, day-and-night, adventure athletes in four-person co-ed teams will navigate a more-than-500 km expedition over an unmarked route through the Kootenay Rocky Mountains by foot, canoe, kayak, mountain bike and fixed ropes.
The roster of teams is quite diverse, both in terms of countries and experience levels. Canada and the US are well-represented, almost from coast to coast to coast, with teams as far-flung as B.C., Quebec, Texas, California, and Pennsylvania. Teams are also registered from Australia, Mexico, Switzerland and St. Martin.
“I can’t recall this much enthusiasm, this early, for RTNX since we hosted the AR World Champs back in 2004,” said race director Geoff Langford.
Two key RTNX media partners have also signed up their sponsored teams – Team CheckPointTracker.com, and Team AdventureWorldMagazineOnline.com. RTNX recently joined the burgeoning CheckPoint Tracker series as the first Canadian event, worth a significant 200 points. Online publication Adventure World Magazine has become the voice of adventure racing, and has fielded a competitive team at key events in recent years.
“Adventure World is proud to partner with one of the iconic events in the sport of adventure racing,” said Clay Abney, editor of Adventure World. “We are very excited about racing in B.C. and we know RTNX will be one of the highlights in 2011!”
Frontier first hosted Raid the North Extreme (“RTNX”) in 1999, and it is now one of the world’s longest-running and most recognized expedition-length adventure races. Renowned for its focus on real wilderness, real navigation, and real adventure, RTNX is a traditional wilderness adventure race.
“RTNX is, and has always been, a hard-core traditional expedition race,” said Langford. “We design true point to point courses that traverse the landscape as an early explorer would have. Competitors will not have to deal with loops, random cut-offs, and contrived elements. There’s a good chance they won’t finish this race. This is not a scavenger hunt or a rogaine; this is real expedition racing.”
Raid the North Extreme is more than a challenging wilderness expedition; the race has always served as a platform to highlight the host region’s history, character and communities. The rich mining and pioneer spirit of the area will capture the imagination of racers as they experience abandoned railway trestles and tunnels, dormant volcanoes, old mining access trails and ghost towns.
REGISTRATION DETAILS:
Registration for this six-day, non-stop race includes one night accommodations before and after the event and shuttles to and from the regional airport. All watercraft will be provided and this will be an unsupported race. As well, teams are treated to opening and closing ceremonies, pre- and post-race meals, including a legendary post-race party, and one of the best race courses ever laid out in North America – in true Raid the North Extreme style.
Registration is open at the incredible price of $4500 CDN. For more information, visit www.raidthenorthextreme.com, or contact race organizers at adventure@raidthenorth.com.
Comments