Summit County Citizens Voice

Alley Loop. Photo courtesy of Xavier Fane/Crested Butte Nordic Center.

SUMMIT COUNTY — Nordic racers and ski mountaineers may want to start making plans for two of Colorado’s classic events coming up in Crested Butte.

The Alley Loop, now in its 26 year, has been tabbed to be part of the American Ski Marathon Series, North America’s longest-running and largest citizen’s racing and touring series. The Alley Loop is already an American Birkebeiner qualifier, and a popular event on its own, drawing more than 550 skiers from 17 states in 2011.

This year’s Alley Loop, scheduled for Feb. 4, will be the only Colorado event in the ASM series, which includes events like the American Birkebeiner, Yellowstone Rendezvous and Tour of Anchorage.

“We’ve been wanting to add another western event for a number of years,” said J.D. Downing, director of the American Ski Marathon Series, “and the Alley Loop ended up being the perfect fit.”

The competition is distinguished by a unique course that starts and finishes on the town’s main street, Elk Avenue, before meandering through snow-lined alleys, behind false-fronted Victorian buildings, over footbridges, alongside residences and out to groomed trails in the outskirts of town.

Registration is now open on the Crested Butte Nordic Center’s website at www.cbnordic.org. Complete information about the ASM Series can be found at www.xcskiworld.com.

This year, the Crested Butte Nordic Center is also taking over coordination of the famed Elk Mountains Grand Traverse (March 29 – 31), a race that follows historic mail routes between Crested Butte and Aspen.

Kicking off at the stroke of midnight on March 30, the Grand Traverse is a one-of-a-kind test of endurance and smarts, requiring avalanche awareness, backcountry athleticism, winter camping knowledge and map reading skills all wrapped in one.  This unusual start time is scheduled so entrants will reach the high point of Star Pass at 12,303 feet before the warmth of the day increases the likelihood of avalanches.

The 40-mile course starts at 9,000 feet at Crested Butte Community School and traverses to Crested Butte Mountain Resort, where cheering crowds greet racers as they pass through the base area just below the Silver Queen lift.  After conquering two mountain passes, the teams finish at the base of Aspen Mountain ski area on March 31 and celebrate that evening with a cocktail party, dinner and awards in Aspen.

“The Grand Traverse is not a Nordic or downhill race, but instead tests skiers overall skills and goes from town-to-town, covering 40 miles of rugged trails in the Elk Mountains. Every event dishes up new surprises for contestants and organizers,” said Keith Bauer, director of the Crested Butte Nordic Center, which has assumed responsibility of the race from a group of longtime volunteers.

A two-day registration and expo are new for this year. Because of the remote route, each team of two is required to carry enough food and supplies to sustain themselves for 24 hours. Upon registration, the team’s packs are checked for essential gear such as a two-person shelter, stove, fuel, shovel, probe, first-aid kit and equipment repair items.

Sponsors Dynafit and Outdoor Research will have product demonstrations available at the base of CBMR, and racers can take part in a “skin with the pros” on March 29 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. and March 30 from 7:30 – 9 a.m. The tour will follow the section of course that crosses CBMR terrain and give competitors a chance to do some final equipment tweaks with the help of experienced Grand Traverse racers. On Thursday evening, race organizers will have a film festival featuring backcountry ski movies at the Lodge at Mountaineer Square, which is free to all racers and open to the public for $8 per person.

Registration for the Grand Traverse sold out within 30 minutes on Dec. 1, with 150 teams of two filling the slots.  To see if any openings become available, watch the Elk Mountains Grand Traverse Facebook page.  Trackleaders will provide SPOT-based so the progress of all racers can be monitored on www.elkmountainstraverse.com and www.trackleaders.com.

Filed under: Colorado, recreation, skiing and riding Tagged: | Alley Loop, Colorado, Crested Butte, Elk Mountain Grand Traverse, ski racing, skiing, Summit County News