Saturday and Sunday, February 08-09, 2025
Signal to snow: How our radio waves helped power the 2025 Canadian Ski Marathon
On behalf of the Canadian Ski Marathon (CSM) organizers, many thanks to the amateurs who volunteered as radio ops for the 2025 CSM. The weather and the skiing conditions were fantastic. There were 1073 registered skiers (over 200 Gold!), 18 volunteer radio ops, and approximately 150 additional volunteers staffing checkpoints, dorms, and other venues as well as about 50 contractors for services such as grooming and safety. Radio ops passed traffic relating to checkpoint supply levels, expected numbers of skiers, skier transport, skier extractions, start and end times for the checkpoints, chip-and-loop concerns, and the all-important count of hotdog buns.
Please reserve February 07-08, 2026 on your calendar so you can volunteer for next year. It’s a great opportunity to learn how to operate at a public service event in an outdoor environment, to connect with fellow amateur-radio operators, and to get some fresh air!
About the event
The Canadian Ski Marathon (CSM) is North America’s longest and oldest Nordic ski tour. Unlike most ski events, there are no winners or losers : it is not a race. Each skier can select his/her own level of challenge and can ski as little as 12 km or up to the maximum of 160 km over the weekend.
This year the CSM is centred around Montebello Québec on a trail that winds through mostly privately-owned land in the Kenauk Reserve. There is an overnight stop in Montebello, home of the famous Château Montebello, one of the largest log-built hotels in the world.
The CSM is a two-day, 160 kilometer ski event that is divided into 5 sections each day, with an average of 16 kms per section. There are feed stations, first aid and toilets available at the end of each section, as well as shuttle buses that run between accommodation and checkpoints throughout each day.
Call for volunteer radio operators
For many years, local amateur radio operators have provided communications support for the CSM. Any OARC members interested in volunteering for this 2-day public service event should visit the CSM 2025 Radio Operators website at https://hambone.ca/csm . Note that the CSM can use volunteers for one or both days – whatever fits your schedule.
Don’t have your ham license yet? Not a problem! New hams and people studying to get their ticket are more than welcome. The event will be using commercial radios and you do not need to be licensed to operate them. However, this is an excellent opportunity to begin or to refresh your public service radio skills on a controlled net in a real event with unpredictable traffic.
Last Updated on 2025-02-23 by AdminOARC