What is the Rock and Ice?

So what is the Rock and Ice Ultra ? To begin with it calls itself the other desert race, the 1st being The Marathon Des Sables a 6 day race across the Sahara Desert.

The Rock and Ice takes place not in the sand but in the snow, not it the heat of the desert, but the bitter cold of Yellowknife Canada. In the desert the temperatures are +40 Celsius, in Yellowknife -40 Celsius. Yellowknife, Canada has the honor of ranking first in Coldest Winter, Coldest Spring, Coldest Year-Round, Most Cold Days, Most Deep Snow Cover Days, Extreme Wind Chill, Most High Wind Chill Days, and Driest Winter Air. It is the perfect place for a race.

There are three race events; the one day 45km Cold Foot Classic, the 3 day 135km k-Rock Ultra, and finally the 6 day 225km Diamond ultra. In each of the race there are 4 divisions Male and Female and for each of those a Ski and a Foot/Snowshoe division.

For the Diamond Ultra you are required to pull all your supplies on a sled or pulk, for the Cold Foot and K-Rock you need to run or ski with a backpack to carry all your daily needs and emergency supplies and your nightly gear is transported to the caps for you.

I have decided to race the 3 day K-Rock as a happy medium between the 3 distances. I do not feel it will be an easy race to complete, actually quite the opposite, but I also feel it is something I am capable of completing and am looking forward to the challenges ahead in the next 51 weeks.