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Sunday, May 11, 2008 |
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Elk Mountains Grand TraverseApril 7, 2008 - 7:05 PM
Legendary Backcountry Ski Race Challenges Athletic Skills & Smarts Find lodging specials near Crested Butte Check all lodging specials at Colorado Ski Resorts One of the most interesting and challenging backcountry ski races on the planet celebrates 11 years of memorable moments and amazing athletic feats in 2008. The 11th annual Elk Mountains Grand Traverse is a backcountry ski race that follows mail routes that connected the Colorado mining towns of Crested Butte and Aspen in the 1880s. Kicking off at the stroke of midnight, tonight, March 28, it is a one-of-a-kind test of endurance and smarts, requiring avalanche awareness, backcountry athleticism, winter camping knowledge and map reading skills all wrapped in one. Race Overview At midnight, approximately 250 racers (125 teams of two racers each) will depart from the traditional starting line at the Crested Butte Community School in town, catch the old Upper Loop Trail, skirt along Hunter Hill Road and drop into Crested Butte Mountain Resort ski area in Mt. Crested Butte. Cheering crowds, torches and a firework display will greet the racers as they pass through the base area just below the Silver Queen lift. After the parade review, the teams climb up and over Crested Butte Mountain Resort terrain, exiting just below the East River lift, crossing the East River valley, turning down stream and rejoining the course on Brush Creek Road before climbing over two mountain passes. Several hours later, on March 29, racers arrive in Aspen bleary-eyed and exultant at the finish line. The Grand Traverse is not a Nordic or downhill race, but instead tests skiers overall skills and goes from town-to-town, covering 40 miles of rugged trails in the Elk Mountains. Every event dishes up new surprises for the contestants and the organizers. When Grand Traverse began 11 years ago, it was fashioned after similar events in Europe that connect various villages. Competitors in 2007 faced some of the toughest weather conditions in the history of the race, resulting in slower-than-normal but very admirable completion times. Mike Kloser and Stephen White of Vail won the men's division and overall with a time of 8:46:50. Ted Mahon and Christy Sauer of Aspen captured the co-ed division in 10:59:10. Audrey DuRoss of Salt Lake City and Madeleine Mulliken of Crested Butte finished at 13:04:10 leading the women's division. Over the Years - Race Highlights 1998 Travis Moore and Pierre Wille of Aspen won the race, arriving at the finish line at 8:30 a.m. Fifty teams competed. 1999 Jim Faust and Pat O'Neill of Crested Butte won, arriving at 6:52 a.m. There was 30 inches of new snow, so the course was shortened and was known as "The Grand Reverse." 2000 Jim Faust and Pat O'Neill won again in whiteout conditions. The start was delayed three hours and the finish came 8 hours 32 minutes later. At Star Pass, 3 a.m., Avalanche Forecaster Dan Ewert had 30 seconds to decide if avalanche conditions were safe enough to continue the race. 2001 Geo Bullock and Dave Penney of Crested Butte clinched the victory, with the race now featuring 100 teams of two. 2002 Geo Bullock and Dave Penney won again, nailing the fastest Grand Traverse finish to date. 2003 Mike Kloser and Dan Weiland of Vail led the pack on a very cold night with -2 F at the Friends Hut at 2 a.m. and several cases of frostbite. Faust and O'Neill lost the race due to a "slide for life" off Star Pass. A third of the contenders slid on their behinds, perhaps 1,000 feet below the usual course route. 2004 Jim Faust and Pat O'Neill returned to their winning ways. With icy conditions, many skiers slid off Star Pass. Early spring melt also required racers to wade across the East River, some up to their waists and others grabbed from the water by volunteers. 2005 Mike Kloser and Dan Weiland of Beaver Creek won. The race was made memorable with high winds. By now, the race quota of 125 teams typically fills quickly. 2006 Brian Smith and Jon Brown of Gunnison won the 2006 competition, known as the "Mike Martin Memorial Race," in the closest finish ever. Martin had been race organizer with Jan Runge since 1998 and died in a plane crash around New Year's. Aspen Mayor Helen Klanderud made a proclamation uniting the towns of Crested Butte and Aspen and declaring April 1 Grand Traverse Day along with Crested Butte Mayor Alan Bernholtz. 2007 Mike Kloser and Stephen White of Vail Colorado took home the traveling trophy winning one of the most weather challenging traverses yet! Special recognition went out to Allen Hadley and Ian Hatchett for being the only competitors to have finished all 10 Grand Traverses. The 2007 race filled up in record time so be sure to sign up early to avoid missing all the fun in 2008! Keeping Racers Safe In addition to providing a quality wilderness race experience for entrants, race organizers make safety of all participants and minimal impact on the environment top priorities. The unusual start time is scheduled so that entrants will reach the high point of Star Pass (12,303 feet) before the warmth of the day increases the likelihood of avalanches. Because of the remote route through the Elk Mountains, each team of two is required to carry enough food and supplies to sustain themselves for 24 hours. Before the race start, the team's packs will be checked for essential gear such as bivy sacks, stove, fuel, avalanche beacons, rescue gear, first aid and repair kits. More than 40 support team members are present in the backcountry during the race to insure skier safety. Some crews are out in the backcountry for a week before the event, assessing avalanche conditions and moving supplies into remote camps. Local pilots also assist by airdropping supplies into alpine basins. Going Green This is the year that we basically acknowledged and are committed to change the way things are done so that decisions concerning the race will mostly be aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of the event. Partnering with SOS basically means we donate money to the foundation and use the resource to help us calculate our footprint, mbrace solutions to reduce our footprint, and then pass along funds to carbon neutral endeavors. We are planning to provide links to SOS so that participants can calculate their footprint and offer incentives for doing so. "Our goal is to undergo a progressive greening of the race over the next several years. This is really the only 'sustainable' thing to do - - without snow, there won't really be a 50th Annual EMGT and all of us involved with the race would like to pass on a sustainable legacy to the next generation of skiers,"said Jan Runge, race director. Our goals include educating and exciting volunteers, energizing event, creating positive green marketing, education of how to green an event and your life, offset carbon, raise money, and raise awareness to help save our snow and planet. C - Calculate R - Reduce O - Offset P - Produce alternative energy EMGT also is a proud donor to Crested Butte Nordic Center, Crested Butte Avalanche Center, and Crested Butte Search and Rescue. For more information visit elkmountaintraverse.org. A special thanks to Beth Buehler from the Gunnison/Crested Butte Tourism Association for her writing contributions.
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