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| Typical race map |
Before getting into this, I should mention that all of these races are put on by people who are very passionate about ski mountaineering racing. They do an amazing job thinking out routes and setting courses which usually take DAYS to set plus another day to clean up. Most of these folks are volunteers, the few who make any money off this stuff dont make much and deserve every penny. I have a ton of respect for all of them and their efforts! If any comments / observations offend anyone that is definitely not my intention.
Also, dont forget that snow is a funny seasonal animal. Courses ski a lot differently year to year. Also, courses change based on conditions and the ideas of route setters.
These descriptions are listed sequentially by their dates and discuss only the long/full courses.
Wolf Creek Pass
Elevation gain: ~4,000 feet
Difficulty: Hard
Boot packs: 1-2
Typical snow conditions: Powder or packed powder
Wolf Creek is the first race of the season. It is typically held the weekend prior to Thanksgiving. The vast majority of the course is in skin tracks with sections of kick turns, some on steep terrain. There can be a semi-technical boot pack with a knotted rope available to assist racers but no special gear is required. The descents are mostly steep ungroomed snow and often there can be pretty good powder. The easiest descent is usually a short drop on a moderate bump run. Most ascents and descents are less than 1,000 feet.
This race has been described by one veteran racer and course setter as one of his favorite races. The backcountry feel and flow of the course. Another veteran course setter has described this course as one of the more technically challenging races in the state both on the up and down.
My take is that it is a fun race which favors those with technical skills over pure "cardio bunnies". If you like ski mountaineering you will like this race.It is a great venue and the snow is usually really good for early season snow pack.
Bottom line, it is a course that challenges you to work the bugs out of your system first thing in the season. Don't be intimidated by that- accept the challenge to hone your technical skills and you won't be disappointed!
LOCAL BETA: Bring the family down- lift tickets are around $60 and ski school with rentals and lunch is one of the best deals in the state. Food at the area is super reasonable with a monster burger costing about $8. Lodging in South Fork is closer for most people and cheaper but Pagosa Springs is a way nicer town with more to do. There is a free hot spring called the "hippy dip" on the upstream South side of the bridge over the San Juan River on Hot Springs Blvd (if coming from Wolf Creek this is the first traffic light in town). Take a left and then park on the left.
Best local food is probably Kips Grill or Farragos Market. Riff Raff Brewing has awesome nachos and the best beer in town. All are on the East end of town. City Market and Wal Mart are on the West end of town for groceries. Two smaller grocers with limited options are on the East side- Hometown Market (cheap essentials) and Old Town Market (small health food type grocer).
Sunlight / Dynafit Heathen Challenge
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| Typical race profilethree ascents with the middle one being a little shorter. Note that a lot of the descents are on relatively low angle terrain. |
Length: ~10 miles
Elevation gain: ~5,000 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Boot packs: 1-2
Typical snow conditions: Powder or packed powder
My take on this race is that Sunlight is a great little family friendly ski area. The course is not very technical other than some kick turns ascending from the "hole" you ski into at the base of the "Heathen" which is the namesake of the race. The descents are pretty moderate compared to other courses and there is a lot of lower angle uphill. In fact, there is only one steep descent pitch, The Heather, which you hit on the second and third descents. The low angle ascents mean that they go on for a long time or that was my impression! That first ascent was especially long. Take it easy there or you will flame out early. Id heartily recommend this as an excellent entry level long course race for folks who are trying out true race gear for the first time. It is a straightforward course so favors speed over technique.
LOCAL BETA: Register the day prior at Cripple Creek Backcountry and totally NOT just for the free local beer they have on tap in the store! You can fondle all the latest gear and who knows, maybe even buy some! Randy and Doug are super nice guys and it is a fun experience.
The only place in Carbondale I found open for coffee prior to driving up to Sunlight for the race was 7 Eleven.
Taos / Rio Hondo Rando Raid
Elevation gain: ~6,000 feet
Difficulty:Very difficult
Boot packs: 2
Typical snow conditions: Sugar, packed powder
From the Taos website: TAOS IS A CLASS A AVALANCHE RESORT. AVALANCHES MAY OCCUR AT ANYTIME AND ANYPLACE.
My take: One word: STEEP. Get ready for the grind of never ending and at times pretty steep and tricky kick turns in not quite spring conditions (this is February in New Mexico remember!). Luckily, these kick turns are interspersed with double black bumps! Yep, this is a tough race. Expect your time to be slower than other races with similar mileage- you noticed this packs in an extra 1k vert into the same mileage as other races listed above? Technical skills will definitely put you further up in the pack here as will pacing yourself early on! Id say this is not a great race for inexperienced skimo racers but an awesome race if you have a few races under your belt. Well worth the drive. Expect a lot of skin track ascending in some pretty cool terrain and great steep bumps for most of the descents.
The crowd that shows up is pretty small and they are mainly really good racers so us average folks will find ourselves further back in the pack than usual. NBD, just expectation management. Also, I have only skied this race once. From the course maps Ive seen the route has varied a good bit year to year.
LOCAL BETA: Staying in Taos keeps the cost down and guarantees hot coffee in the morning before the race. Taos is a great ski area with a lot of steep terrain so if you have any energy left after the race, go explore it!
U.S. Nationals / Crested Butte
Awesome video of the race on Vimeo!Length: ~? miles
Elevation gain: ~6,000 feet
Difficulty: Difficult to Very difficult
Boot packs: 1
Typical snow conditions: Varies, could be powder, could be spring hardpack
My take: First, sorry for no maps! I cant find them! This is a race that Ive only done once in its current incarnation (did another version when it was earlier in the year) and I have to say that most of the course was not very memorable. Crappy skin tracks through mogul fields, very beat up descents with plenty of bare spots and hard snow (obviously this could vary year to year). Then there is the Guide's Ridge and that is just too amazingly cool! That ascent is just awesome and makes me want to do this race again. And again. If you like climbing and skiing, this is the race for you. Technically it is actually 3 races with an uphill sprint on Friday, individual race Saturday and team race Sunday. Lots of suffering if you are up for it! You will need a legit via ferrata kit, harness and ascender.
Breckenridge / 5 Peaks
Length: ~13 miles
Elevation gain: ~7,000 feet
Difficulty: Moderate to difficult
Boot packs: 2
Typical snow conditions: Varies, could be powder, could be ice or wind scoured hardpack
My take: a fun team race with a less competitive field than other long format team races. Very nice vibe. It stays high in the ski area and has a great mountaineering feel even though technically it isnt that hard. The snow conditions are what can make it tough for some if it is icy or crusty. A good way to test your team setup for something like the EMGT or just have fun! Dinner and a great raffle are included which is cool. Cardio endurance and strategy/pacing are the keys to this race.
Elk Mountain Grand Traverse (Crested Butte to Aspen)
Length: 40 miles
Elevation gain: 8,000 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Boot packs: 1
Typical snow conditions: Colorado early spring backcountry conditions...
My take is that this is a very atypical skimo race, more of a competitive tour. Note that it has 1,000 more vert than the 13 mile 5 Peaks... There are basically a whole bunch of rollers with one big ascent/descent (Star Pass) in the middle and you ski all the way down to Aspen at the end. It is fun covering that route and I think everyone with light gear should do it at least once. A lot of folks do it year after year. Personally, I dont think there is much in the way of fun skiing on the course but will likely do it every so often because of the collective experience. Nothing is all that tricky on this race and it is definitely unique in the US at this time!
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