The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
By Jane Banks, member of the Gray Hares
The Grandest Team Award has been presented for 20 years to the Grand Traverse team that finishes with the highest combined ages ahead of all other combined aged teams.
Marcel Medved and Bob Wade won the Grandest Team award with the highest combined average age this year. Each year we ask a different artist to make the Grandest Team plates. This year, Jan Parker, Marcel’s late wife, made these plates a couple weeks before she passed. When walking over to the podium ceremony, Marcel commented on how beautiful the night was out there. He said he’ll be back next year because we just need to celebrate life like he and Jan did every day.
The award was started in 2004 by Skip Berkshire and Charley Dumas who, after enduring the race on skinny classic skis, decided that older skiers should be recognized for their supreme efforts to race from Crested Butte to Aspen throughout the cold of night.
“We arrived at the finish line so late there were only three people left to greet us! Skip’s feet and legs were soaked from having walked down the last half of the mountain,” said Charley.
“Charley’s pants were filled with corn snow from having finished on his butt. The ace bandages from the damaged knee and duct tape from damaged gear were lying in puddles at our feet. We would’ve felt sorry for ourselves if we weren’t so tired!” added Skip.
The Nordic ski group known as the Gray Hares supported the idea of an award for the oldest team, agreeing that Grandest Team sounded better, and has provided recognition plates/prizes to the Grandest Team ever since.
Hail to the Grandest Teams, those racers of significant age who still test their athletic prowess in the backcountry during the annual Grand Traverse!
