Cain's Quest racers say some routes alarming, but 'passable' due to unfavourable weather conditions

Cain’s Quest competitors like Reily Adams say some areas on the race route are 'passable,' but not ideal. (John Gaudi/CBC)

Cain's Quest competitors say they'll be riding with extra caution this year due to unfavourable route conditions across Labrador's terrain.

"You don't want to see everyone get wrecked halfway through the course, and it's carnage everywhere," said snowmobiler Jeremy Thoms.

"But this year might be a little bit of that for everybody. It might be a little longer getting around, right? Just gotta ride smart. Not so much ride hard. You gotta ride smart too."

The extreme snowmobile race across Labrador is set to start out of Labrador City on March 3.

Cain's Quest was cancelled last year due to safety concerns caused by unseasonable weather conditions, which sent one team through ice.

Although Cain's Quest organizers say the race is a go this year, some snowmobilers preparing for the endurance competition say that, although the race route is passable, there are some areas of concern.

LISTEN: CBC's John Gaudi asks Cain's Quest racers about their concerns with this year's route: 

Competitors scouted out their race route last week, and Thoms said that while some areas were covered in heavy snow, they were scraping their skis against rocks in others.

"It's a vast difference between one spot to the next, I guarantee you that," he said.

Reily Adams, who is also competing in Cain's Quest, said there isn't much snow on the Big Land's south coast, and he said his team had to shovel snow onto brooks in order to cross over them.

"It was rough going, but it's definitely doable," he said. "Passable."

Weather concerns

Cain's Quest board chair Chris Lacey told CBC News earlier this month that the race's board of directors reached out to stakeholders, search and rescue groups, and community members about the conditions in Labrador to make the decision to go ahead with this year's race.

He said he had "no concern, whatsoever" that the race will have to be cancelled midway through the competition, as happened in 2023.

Racer Jeremy Thoms says competitors will have to drive extra safe this year. (John Gaudi/CBC)

Teams from around the world compete in the 3,500-kilometre race, which takes snowmobilers across Labrador's tundra and typically takes around five to seven days to complete.

Last year, the race was paused twice before being cancelled altogether, after most racers had made it to the sixth checkpoint. A team from Finland reportedly fell through ice into open water on their way to the checkpoint. The two men were safe and were said to have finished in high spirits.

Adams said when his team was checking out the conditions of a mandatory route on the south coast between Cartwright and Port Hope Simpson last week, they discovered it was impassable due to trail growth.

He said Cain's Quest listened to their concerns and thinks they've come up with a way to get around that mandatory route.

It's an endurance race, says Adams, so teams have to be prepared mentally and physically for unexpected challenges. Although it's bound to be a slower race this year, because teams will have to be more cautious of their surroundings, he says he's feeling confident.

"It's passable, so we're gonna try it out and do our best," he said.

Thoms said racers sign up for the competition knowing there's potential they will wreck their snowmobiles along the way, but he says that shouldn't be a given.

He says he hopes Cain's Quest organizers work with racers and continually monitor route conditions for the most up-to-date information.

"Snow is not there, put it that way," he said.

"It's alarming.… Hope Cain's Quest is paying attention to that … don't want to repeat last year."

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