Irwin ski mountaineering race slated for December 7

Registration is open

It’s been a mixed bag of conditions the first three years of the annual Irwin Ski Mountaineering race, now known as the Irwin/La Sportiva Ski Mountaineering Race. This year, so far, things are looking good and the annual start to the ski mountaineering race season is slated for Saturday, December 7 on Irwin’s cat skiing terrain.

There will be a mandatory racers’ meeting on Friday, December 6 at 7:30 p.m. at 330 Belleview in the Town of Crested Butte and the awards party will be back in Crested Butte at the Brick Oven from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. the day of the race.
There will be 36 spots available for snowcat transportation to the race venue for an additional cost. Otherwise, racers are left to their own devices to get to the venue by the start time of 10 a.m.
Ski mountaineering race enthusiasts have already started signing up and registration is capped at 65 total. For more information or to register check online at elkmountainevents.com.
During the first year, competitors were treated to powder conditions with 16 inches of fresh snow sitting on the ground on race day. The second year, conditions were thin but skiable and Irwin hosted another successful event. Last year, Mother Nature won the battle, as a lack of early snow forced the cancellation of the event.
The Irwin race kicks off the Colorado Ski Mountaineering Cup (COSMIC) race series every year. This year, the race has added a new dimension stepping up its game to become an officially sanctioned International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) race.
The groundwork for such a prestigious sanctioning was laid last year when Irwin and local race organizer Bryan Wickenhauser hosted an ISMF referee clinic. With ISMF trained referees now in North America, Irwin can be a part of the ISMF.
“We’re laying the foundation to grow the sport professionally in the U.S.,” says Wickenhauser. “The ultimate goal in the future is to get Irwin, Crested Butte or the Powder Keg in Utah to host a World Cup race.”
Furthermore, thanks to a partnership with La Sportiva, there will be skis, boots and skins for demo use to get a glimpse into the latest and greatest in ski mountaineering hard goods.
With Irwin reporting 42 inches of snow out of the first wave of early season storms, things are looking better than last year. If the storms return to Crested Butte, the plan for the race is the same as in the past. There will be race and recreation divisions. The race division course will climb a total of 5,000 feet spread over 10 miles over the course of three different loops. The recreation division will follow two of the three loops for a total of 3,500 feet of relief over 6.5 miles. Both courses will include the spectacular boot pack, or booter, section up a chute in the cliffs of East Barkmarker.