The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Mandatory in-person racer meeting at the CBCS Friday at 7 p.m.
By Than Acuff
It’s skimo race season and not just your up the ski area, down the ski area type of skimo racing. We’re talking heading deep into the mountains skimo racing and Crested Butte Nordic along with partners Irwin Brewing, Curation Bev Co, Gnarly Nutrition and the USFS are putting on the Gothic Mountain Tour, aka La Grande Course de Crested Butte, this Saturday, February 22.
The race provides two options for skiers to go on a three-valley tour west of Crested Butte. The comp race course is 23.5 miles long and starts behind the Crested Butte Community School at 6 a.m. with a trip up the Gothic Valley, across the top of the Washington Gulch drainage and then down to the bottom of the Slate River valley before heading back toward town to finish at the Magic Meadows Yurt.
The rec course is 17.85 miles long and starts at 8 a.m. at the Snodgrass trailhead before heading into the hills and finishing at the Magic Meadows Yurt.
As mentioned before, the course does travel through the mountains and therefore near avalanche terrain and while recent snows have caused concerns, Crested Butte Nordic is well aware and has plans in place.
“We meet regularly with CBAC the week of the event to discuss the safety of the route as racer and on-course staff/volunteer safety is our biggest priority, so any alternative routes are planned with that in mind,” says CB Nordic events director Linsey Bachofer. “Zach Guy shared with CB Nordic that the majority of the Climax Chutes did run in the last few days so we are hopeful we can finish at the yurt, but if more snow falls, we may rely on a Slate River Road finish or other alternate routes. While we do love a good snowstorm over at CB Nordic, it can create logistical challenges for race weeks. We are thankful to have CBAC as a partner to help us determine the best course of action.”
In addition, Crested Butte Nordic will have Crested Butte Search and Rescue volunteers out on course along with the CBAC and, thanks to a partnership with CBMR, a portion of the competitive course goes through the ski resort.
Numbers remain consistent every year for this classic race with 145 registered for the comp race and 68 for the rec race and registration is closed to any late additions. As for the spoils for the athletes’ efforts, there are prizes abound. First, there’s the CB Nordic classic prize, the “Awkward Load.” The first female and male racer to arrive at the Top-of-the-World will be offered a $100 premium to carry the “awkward load” to the finish. The “awkward load” must be delivered to a race official at the finish line to receive the payout. If the first racer declines the “awkward load,” the option will continue the second, third, etc. racer to arrive at the Top-of-the-World. The top men typically finish the comp course in about four hours while the top women come into the finish line after skiing for four-and-a-half hours but all of that depends on course and weather conditions.
Then, while the podium finishers will be recognized for their achievements following the race, product prizes will be awarded at random at the finish line. Racers can review the results board to see if their finish position was identified as a raffle roulette winner and 20 prizes will be doled out accordingly. For race information, schedule, gear requirements and course descriptions go to cbnordic.org/gothicmountaintour.
