DART-nuun News
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In 22 days, adventure racing team DART-nuun will be driving over 30hrs from Washington State to Ensenada, Mexico on the Baja Peninsula. Getting to the starting line is just the beginning of the adventure according to the Baja Travesia race directors. As DART-nuun prepares for the Baja Travesia, they receive periodic updates from the race directors, giving them some hints at what to prepare for. The race will take them from the Pacific Ocean across the peninsula to the Sea of Cortez, over the course of 5 days. Stay tuned as they prepare to defend their championship title.

Here are some excerpts from the race update of what is to come;
â??Welcome to the Baja Travesia!â??

â??The Ropes/Canyoneering course at this yearâ??s race is serious business. You must
be prepared to rappel and use your ropes gear in many challenging and potentially dangerous situations.â??

â??â?¦you will enjoy the ropes and canyon like no other race youâ??ve ever seen. The canyon will test every teamâ??s ability to work together and problem solve.â??

â??â?¦You will be some of the first human beings ever to descend this canyon,â?¦â??

â??There will be some swimming sections that are unavoidableâ?¦night time swimming in the canyon â?¦ be prepared for the swimming sections."

"Canyoneeringâ?¦will take from 20 to 30 hours and the good news is that water is abundant throughout.â??

â??Sturdy gloves are also very highly recommended for the canyon sectionâ?¦and give you some added traction on the rocks. You will likely spend a good deal of time sliding on your butt in the canyon section to scramble down some of the slick rocksâ?¦wear some sturdy shortsâ??

â??The climate in the canyon ranges from open air alpine breezy conditions that can be near freezing to shaded, wet canyons to sweltering dry hot, exposed to the sun. You will definitely want to wear long sleeves, hat, sunglasses and sunscreen to protect you from the sun. The heat and glare off the granite walls can be extremely intense.â??

DART-nuun, sponsored by Arcâ??teryx (environmental shell and isolative layer) will be utilizing their shell gear to move fast over the rock scrambles and keep insulated in and out of the water. Sponsors Rudy Project (sun glasses) and Kineysis (sunscreen) will provide sun protection for the team, across Baja.

Come back to www.dartadventureracing.com for more pre-post race updates, including written reports, podcasts, video, and gear reviews.

Written by Erik Nachtrieb.
Quotes from Karen Lundgren, Paul Romero and Antonio Rosquillo, Race Directors of Baja Travesia

Labels: News

Labels: Course Design, News, Orienteering

The annual Outdoor Travel and Adventure Show took place this past weekend in Vancouver, BC. The 2 day event is Canadaâ??s largest travel and adventure show -showcasing over 300 exhibitors. DART-nuun athlete Jen Segger-Gigg was there as both a presenter and an exhibitor.

Over the course of the weekend, Jen hosted two hour long presentations on â??what is adventure racing.â?? Through an interactive slideshow and question and answer period, participants got a great introduction to the quickly growing sport. Showing team photos, talking about the â??must havesâ?? and â??most recommendedâ?? pieces of gear for adventure racing, Jen had a great opportunity to talk about everything that team DART-nuun uses and why. Viewers were interested in what the team was doing and how they could follow us this 2007 season.

Jen was also busy at the Mind Over Mountain adventure racing booth. Promoting the sport at the grass roots level and getting people interested in the sport was the main focus. People realized that anyone can do the sport!

Over 21,000 people with various outdoor interests attended the event. Coming from both Vancouver Island and all areas of the mainland, the event was a success. Jen will likely return next year to present again.

Labels: News

Snoqualmie Pass, Washington (February 4th, 2007)) â?? Team DARTâ??nuun, comprised of Ryan VanGorder, Aaron Rinn, Glenn Rogers and Georgia Daniels, gathered at the Hyak lodge which was used as race headquarters for the new adventure racing series called 4th Dimension Adventure Racing. This would not only be 4th Dimension Adventure Racingâ??s first official race but would also serve as DART-nuunâ??s first race of 2007.

Saturday night a pre-race function was held where racers gathered to watch the 2006 ESPN production of Primal Quest, eat a big meal and discuss plans for the 2007 season. Sunday morning came fast and had racers on the start line by 8:00 AM. The start was a quick sprint on one mile of road before teams headed into the lush forest where DART-nuun quickly took the lead and never looked back. â??Glennâ??s navigating was spot on and his drive and positive attitude kept us speeding through the course from start to finish,â?? stated an elated Ryan VanGorder.

After the first five checkpoints, snow shoes or skis became mandatory and teams began to navigate through the extensive trails and wilderness of the Snoqualmie Nordic Center, perched above the Hyak Ski Resort. â??We worked well together as a team and everyone contributed in one way or another,â?? explained Rogers when asked about how the team worked together towards a 2007 season opening victory.

After Three hours, 24 minutes and 21 Checkpoints DART-nuun crossed the finish line with no teams in sight. It was a fantastic start to what is sure to be a busy and demanding 2007 season.

Next, DART-nuun will send 2 teams to the Baja Travesia expedition race (http://www.bajatravesia.com/) - one of North Americaâ??s toughest races -to defend its championship title.

Labels: Race Results