Noc Tuleních Pásů 2025 – 18. edition of Skimo feast

Saturday´s preparation for Noc Tuleních Pásů

Saturday was gifted by beautiful weather, with the sun shining brightly from the early morning. Fortunately, the Noc Tuelních Pásů (The Night of Touring Skins) race traditionally takes place in the evening, which means better cooling and firmer terrain. On the other hand, simply sitting idle and staring at the azure skies during the day feels almost like punishment. I didn’t even manage to reach Pec by car. Right at the beginning, the police turned us around before the parking garage, saying it was hopelessly full. So, we parked along the road to Úpa, and a roughly 3-kilometer walk on the sidewalk with full gear awaited us.

I immediately rushed to meet my friends Stefan, Sven, and Rolle, who came all the way from distant Karl-Marx-Stadt, now known as Chemnitz, to take part of this event. My partner for this year, Stefan, greeted us and introduced me to the excellent facilities of a mountain lodge. While slowly consuming much-needed calories, we prepared for the race and fine-tuned our gear. All the skis and skins were waxed and ready, so we set out for the Klondike club, which, as every year, serves as the race basecamp.

As is usual at Klondike, I met lots of friends, acquaintances, and people who share a passion for ski touring. Right off the bat, the atmosphere was fantastic, though there was a bit of pre-race stress in the air. Everyone was squeezing into their race suits and boots. Some were warming up and eagerly anticipating the start, while the braver ones were already dealing with pre-race stress with alcohol – after all, the main goal is to have fun.

The Noc Tuleních Pásů is renowned as perhaps the only race where top Czech ski mountaineers meet with a broad crowd of hobbyists and the skimo community. This mix resulted this year in an impressive 197 starting pairs. This year, the high number of international participants is also worth mentioning, particularly from our German neighbors. However, it hasn’t always been this way. I remember some of my first Touring Skins events, somewhere around 2010, when the race was individual, and only a handful of devoted enthusiasts gathered at the starting line in Jánské Lázně.

The Festive Parade in Pec pod Sněžkou

The entire racing machinery kicks off as the crowd spills out of the club around 4:00 PM. All 400 racers, their support teams, and fans completely block traffic in the mountain town for the next hour. Cars, snowmobiles, and snowcats have no chance, and anyone daring to push through risks being battered with poles and skis.

The long snake of people first moves to the base of the Javor ski slope, where the race also finishes and where the unofficial start takes place. Here, racers running up the slope to warm up their muscles and shake off pre-race stress. We try this too and quickly realize it’s quite warm, leading us to opt for a strategy of racing without hats and gloves.

Around 4:40 PM, the long train of people begins moving down the main road under the glow of police lights, following a speech from the organizer. This year’s Night of Touring Skins starts off intensely, with running and even some broken poles in the untimed section. Space is tight, so it’s wise to watch your step and avoid planting poles unnecessarily on the frozen asphalt. After all, breaking a pole right at the start wouldn’t be a great omen.

Learning from last year’s experience—when the entire peloton bottlenecked at the first narrowing, costing us valuable minutes—we try to get as far forward as possible. We run past the club into the entrance of the Giant valley, where the official race start takes place. As every year, my friend Honza and his company SportChallenge are managing the timing. We now wait under the starting arch for the gun to signal the beginning of the race.

3, 2, 1 and Noc Tuelních Pásů 2025 is started!

Letí se z ostra po silnici podél řeky Úpa až k stanici lanové dráhy na Sněžku. Tento první úsek je klíčový. Neztratit partnera, nepřepálit nic nezlámat! Zároveň na tomto prvním kilometru nepustit nikoho před sebe jelikož spojnice prudký výstup lesem k budově staré lanovky na Sněžku je vždy pověstným bottleneckem. Zde se závod dá uplně posrat a počkat si klidně i pět minut v zácpě.

Letos se nám ale běží skvěle a do hanku vbíháme a nic nás nezdržuje. U stanice staré lanovky potkávám Kubu a překvapuje mě že tam stále je. Zde shodit lyže z báglu nacvaknout zorientovat se v davu, nalézt Stefana a můžeme vyrazit ihned za první ženskou dvojicí. To má svou velikou výhodu, jelikož výhledy jsou i v noci za svitu čelovek hned o něco lepší 🙂

Zig Zag on Růžová hora

The race begins with the first and most challenging climb on skis: a 600-meter ascent under the cables to Růžová hora. The slope is steep, demanding immense focus. The turns on soft snow can be a place to lose or gain a lot. It’s crucial to find yourself in a group with the same pace. On such a narrow trail, overtaking is almost impossible, and I don’t want to slow anyone down either. I think being positioned right behind Ivetka is just right.

On the way to Růžová hora, the starting field beautifully stretches out, creating a unique spectacle of a snake winding its way up the hill. Keeping the pace—that’s what it’s all about. It’s well-known that while some racers reach the top in just over an hour and ten minutes, others are still struggling on this climb.

In just under 30 minutes, we reach the cable car’s intermediate station on Sněžka—more than five minutes behind the leading pair. What a shame! Luckily, we’re greeted with a refreshment station offering hot tea and a few encouraging words from the organizers and spectators.

Rip off the skins and hurry down to Portášky into the valley!

I wait briefly for Stefan, who is fighting like a lion after last night’s party in Pec. Honestly, after a night in the bar, I’d be watching the race from the bottom. Both of us quickly rip the skins off our skis, roll them up, and continue. The Night of Touring Skins 2025 carries on with a descent down Kubát’s Trail through Růžohorky to Portášovy Boudy. This section is incredibly fast, and in a tucked position under the glow of headlamps, it’s over in a flash.

From the upper station of the Portášky cable car, we hurtle into the valley down an icy slope. But who cares? It’s almost straight downhill, and there’s no time for contemplation. During these descents, I sometimes wonder if they aren’t more physically demanding than the climbs. On the way up, you pant and look forward to the descent, only to have your thighs burn as if you’re in the gym.

At the bottom, near the main road in Velká Úpa, the depo awaits. According to ski mountaineering rules – which are strictly adhered to and enforced – you’re not allowed to ascend with skis on your backpack without skins. So, we attach the skins and, with skis on our backs, run along the road toward Pec pod Sněžkou, cheered on by fans. At Javoří Mlýn, we finally put the skis back on our feet.

Ascend around Dakota to Javor

From Javoří Mlýn, the climb follows the green hiking trail upward. Ahead of us is still the leading pair of girls, Verča and Ráďa. We can’t let ourselves be outdone, and with mighty leaps over the melted-overflowing streams, we manage to overtake them. With tongues practically hanging onto our race suits, sweaty pants, and heart rates over 180, we tackle the final steep ascent to Chata Dakota.

Chata Dakota is probably my favorite spot in the Noc Tuleních Pásů race. Not only is the atmosphere fantastic, and the refreshments plentiful, but on request, you can even get a shot of rum – perfect for the strength needed to tackle the Javořák ski slope climb and for a bit of courage before the next descent. We give each other a high-five and continue on what feels like a relatively easy ascent to Javor. At the next depot there, we’ve already climbed a total of 1,000 vertical meters.

Lást section: Javor – Zahrádky – Pec

The final part of the race is the reward stage. While there are still two depots ahead, there’s nothing particularly challenging left, and we probably won’t gain or lose much at this point. First, we race downhill from Javor almost in a straight line to the Mulda lift, where the racer with the most energy manages to glide higher onto the opposing slope. Here, we put the skins back on and run the last traverse under the Klondike lift to the upper station of the Zahrádky cable car.

At Zahrádky, we rip off the skins, bundle them up, and head toward the finish. The Zahrádky descent is slightly bumpy after a full day of skiing and isn’t in as pristine condition as Portášky. This time, we descend cautiously to the finish line, which is just below the Javor lift on a slight uphill slope.

Happyend of Noc Tuleních Pásů 2025

We crossed the finish line with a total time of 1 hour, 28 minutes, and 52.1 seconds, a humiliating 20-minute deficit to the first pair. Overall, we landed in a somewhat disappointing 20th place and 6th place in our category (combined age 80+).

The top three pairs were:
1. Radar and Jáchym Kovář (who was apparently on ski touring gear for only the third time in his life!) – 1 hour, 8 minutes
2. Faboš and Skalda – 1 hour, 8 minutes
3. David Novák and Kuba Stejskal – 1 hour, 10 minutes

The competition was stellar, and our chances of a podium finish were slim to none. Nevertheless, as every year, we extend our heartfelt thanks to Plesky and the entire team for the amazing organization, and to all the participants for a fantastic event!

Noc tuleních pásů continues until 4 a.m.

As every year, the race itself might not even be the main event. After the race, everyone traditionally gathers back at Klondike, where the real fun begins. A raffle, awards ceremony, and music set the tone. This year, we may not have been the first to cross the finish line, but we weren’t the last either. However, we did manage to be the last ones at the bar. It was a successful Night of Touring Skins!