The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Race fans, hot rodders, Grand Traversers
by Than Acuff
For the 14th year, ski endurance enthusiasts and the skimo curious will line up Sunday morning, February 23 for the Gothic Mountain Tour by Crested Butte Nordic. It has become a mainstay on the skimo circuit and serves as a nice warm-up and test piece for the Grand Traverse.
The Gothic Mountain Tour takes skiers on a three-valley tour west of town starting in the town of Crested Butte before heading out up and around Crested Butte Mountain, out to Gothic, up across the top of the Washington Gulch drainage before dropping down into the Slate River drainage and finishing at the Magic Meadows Yurt.
Racers who line up for the race class start at 6 a.m. behind the community school will go on the full 23.5-mile tour with 5,100 feet of elevation gain. For the less enthusiastic, there is a recreation class that starts at the Snodgrass trailhead at 8 a.m. and will go on a 17.8-mile tour that will include the majestic climb up over the Top of the World as well.
It is a solo race and all participants are required to have all of the avalanche safety gear, i.e., shovel, beacon, probe, as well as a helmet and it never hurts to bring additional layers and food and water as it is a backcountry race in avalanche terrain.
As of press time, sign-up is at its biggest in years, with 128 skiers registered. Registration will remain open until Saturday at 7 p.m., at which point all racers are required to be at the Mallardi Cabaret Theatre for bib pick-up and pre-race meeting regarding the course, course hazards and a snowpack update.
For more information about the race, equipment, rules, the course and/or to register, check out cbnordic.org. The Gothic Mountain Tour offers everything one could ask for in a backcountry ski race and is a great opportunity for Grand Traverse racers to put their gear and race strategy to the test before the big daddy race March 28.
