H OW TO
My First Skimo Race What I learned from my cardinal ski-dash during the Gothic Mountain Tour in Crested Butte, Colorado B Y M O R G A N T I LT O N
“Uh-oh,” I said out loud, as I came to a dead halt and other ski-racers whizzed past. Something dreadful had occurred: a climbing skin beneath my ski had retracted, spiraling like a curly fry. Its glue-side was concrete, completely coated in snow. In the distance, I could see the table with race volunteers who were tracking bib numbers. I didn’t waste seconds looking at my watch. By now, I had less than five minutes to get there before being slashed from the event. I quickly released my boot, rotated my ski and pulled the floppy skin off. Breathe. Focus. You can still make it, I told myself. I hoped I could transition fast enough. Nine inches of thick snowflakes had accumulated overnight — which, unlike backcountry laps, isn’t prosperous for a skimo race — but the snowfall had finally ceased. Dense fog hung low around the surrounding valley of Gothic, a historic townsite 4 miles northwest of Mount Crested Butte, Colorado. I was 9 miles into the 14th annual Gothic Mountain Tour, a stout skimo race that starts in Crested Butte, where I live. And to say I was nervous leading up to my first-ever skimo bout is an understatement. I alpine skied for seven years as a kid but snowboarded for the past 18 years. Nonetheless, I felt strangely drawn to this intense sport due to my love for winter and endurance pursuits — not to mention social influence from my touring partners. So, I started training a couple of months ago. Since our 6 a.m. gunshot start, I’d managed to move fast enough on the climbs and cruise past the top of the Painter Boy ski lift well before the
The terrain covered during a skimo race varies immensely — from steep uphill climbs to meandering cat tracks through open spaces. photo by Terrance Siemon
20 |
A D V E N T U R E P R O . u s
7:45 a.m. cut-off. But then, I fumbled my way down the choppy, steep slope and forested gulley into Gothic. I hadn’t imagined a need to train in that type of terrain. My quads were paying for the oversight — and so was my race time. Laser-focused, I wiped the base of my ski, applied a fresh skin and clicked in. I skinned fast, reaching the table just as the race heads closed further passage. I sighed with relief — but I still had 15 miles and a mega 2,000-foot climb ahead. The day was far from complete. SKIMO RACING: WHAT IS IT? Skimo, short for ski mountaineering, is a snow sport that involves ascending and descending slopes using ski and mountaineering skills. Competitors traverse the mountains using detachable skins on the bottoms of toothpick-skinny skis. Sometimes, competitors need to hike, run or boot-pack with equipment in hand. Most U.S. events take place inbounds at ski resorts, though a handful require backcountry travel and equipment or even technical gear like a rope, ice axe and crampons. In the early 1900s, the European military trained in the Alps on skis, eventually inspiring a contest series called military patrol. Teams formed and competed on 20-mile courses that included vertical gain and shooting, too. The sport debuted at the inaugural 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France, and later led to the biathlon. Decades
