Parham's 2012 Canadian Ski Marathon Report: Journeys and Destinations
By:  Parham Momtahan   (2012/02/14)

I hope all the CSM participants are beginning to recover well.

CSM is a magic experience. But it can also be a manic one. None more so than for the Coureur des Bois challengers, and never more so than a dropping out on the second day. This year I’ve had a few friends who pushed and accomplished the distance on the first day, only to not complete the second. Over the years, I’ve earned three of these second day drop outs.

In 1986 (man, that is 26 years ago!) my second year of skiing the CSM, and cross country skiing, my Bronze CdB attempt had it to within 20 minutes of the cut-off on the second day. If it was not for someone falling in front of me early in the day and causing me to fall and get an knee injury, I would have had a Bronze in 1986. It was one big heart break. I did not manage to get to my Bronze until 1992 for various sicknesses, mishaps, and downright stupidities: including not waking up on time one morning!

One year I developed a chest cold after camping overnight and dropped out at the end of the third section, even though I had enough time I just felt I was going to fill up my lung with water. And once I developed a bad heal blister on the first day, did not tend to it well enough at the Gold Camp, and dropped out at the end of the second section on the second day since every stride was a knife in my heal and the doc who saw to me advised me to stop.

But, I’ve always come back to this: the journey to the CSM always gives, in strengthening of body and character, way more than the destination at the CSM may take away.

So take heart and remember the CSM veterans’ adios: “Never Again Until Next Year!”

Parham Momtahan, CSM #166 (By the way, this year I was a “Coureur de Chateau”, after 13 sleeps on the hay, enjoying my family’s company in skiing.    : -)