The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Solo or relay, it’s all good stuff
by Than Acuff
You’re here. It’s sunny, it’s snowy, it’s muddy, it’s raining and then it’s sunny again. What is one supposed to do?
I’ll tell you what one should do, the CB3P.
Sunday, April 24 will be the fourth annual Crested Butte Pole, Pedal, Paddle, or, CB3P. An amazing tour, or race, from one end of the Gunnison Valley to the other utilizing as many of the toys you have, or can find, that spans all four seasons of activities.
The CB3P is the brainchild of Tiff Simpson, with massive organizational and vocal support from the Crested Butte/Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce director Dave Ochs and is slowly but surely becoming one of the premier local events.
Last year, 45 athletes lined up for the third annual CB3P and came away with huge smiles, prizes, liquid libations, food and a soul-warming turn on the ROMP shotski, if so desired. And while Mother Nature did subject a portion of the field of racers to pelting hail, Simpson is calling for clear skies this year.
“This year I ordered up 65-degree temperatures with bluebird skies, so we’re good,” says Simpson.
The CB3P starts at 10 a.m. in the Mountaineer Square plaza in front of Camp 4 with a Le Mans running start into an uphill/downhill ski (or snowboard) section on Crested Butte Mountain Resort. The on-snow section has varied over the years and organizers are making adjustments to the course once again. While the “race” division participants and all teams will climb from the base area to Windy Gap, which is near the top of the Silver Queen, via a tour through Paradise Bowl, the “rec” solo division will only have to make it to the top of Upper Park before turning downhill.
“We’d like to keep racers from both divisions a little closer together,” explains race co-director Dave Ochs.
“We got some feedback that some of the slower finishers felt left off the back so we decided to shorten the ski lap for the rec category,” adds Simpson. “Hopefully it means less of a spread between the first-place and last-place finishers.”
The ski/snowboard portion includes climbing and descending runs that are green and blue in difficulty and race organizers recommend people use AT or tele gear, but split boards and Nordic gear are allowed. Snowshoes are not allowed. Helmets are required for the ski portion of the race.
From there, solo participants will transition from snow to road in the Mountaineer Square plaza and hop on their bikes for a 27-mile ride down-valley. Teams will simply tag off to their teammate, sending him or her off on the bike portion.
The bike course follows Highway 135 from Mt. Crested Butte to the second and final transition at the put-in across the highway from Garlic Mike’s restaurant.
From there participants jump into their chosen watercrafts, anything from down-river kayaks to creek boats, duckies and even the occasional raft, to paddle 4.5 miles of the Gunnison River. Depending on flows, the paddling section contains class II rapids between stretches of flat water with one possible class III rapid right before the finish line at the start of the Gunnison Whitewater Park.
In an effort to make the race open to all levels, Ochs hopes to have a couple of rafts on hand (a.k.a. party boats) at the start of the river section for not-so-competitive CB3Pers to pile into. Once a raft is full they can launch and just float down to the finish line.
“I’m not sure how it will work but it could work for people who don’t really care about their times but still want to finish the race,” says Simpson.
In addition, while the race categories include solo rec and race and three-person rec and race, the CB3P is open to two-person teams as well. The two-person teams will be thrown into the results of the three-person teams.
Cash prizes will be doled out to the top three solo men and top three women in the race division. There will also be cash for best solo costume and best team costume. In addition, all participants get a goody bag complete with drink mixes, energy food, lip balm, sunscreen, a commemorative CB3P trucker hat and a raffle ticket for a chance at the pile of prizes organizers have collected from sponsors.
The best part of the race comes at the end, where racers, fans and volunteers gather on the beaches of the Gunnison River to enjoy beverages from New Belgium Brewery and food from Mikey’s and soak up some spring rays. And while racers are responsible for setting up their equipment at each transition area, volunteers will follow the race to pick up gear and deliver it to the finish line.
Registration, information and gear requirements can be found at crestedbutte3p.com and it is just $50 for solo racers and $90 for teams until midnight on April 17. After that the price goes up to $65 for solo and $135 for teams.
“It’s definitely worth it to register early,” says Simpson.
As of press time, registration was up significantly from the same time last year and has teams from Salt Lake City and Durango coming in for the event. Simpson hopes to reach a goal that she has had since the race’s inception.
“I would love to see 75 people—that’s been my goal from the first year but the weather keeps smacking me down,” says Simpson. “I think if the forecast is sunny, we can hit that.”
“We’re looking for more Gunnison folks and more teams,” says Ochs. “It just makes it more fun.”
