Ski mountaineering

Climbing, a natural instinct and reflex, which was once confined to outdoor spaces such as boulders, boulders, mountains eventually paved the way for sport climbing where man-made routes and obstacles mimicked challenges in the open. air.

Today, sport climbing is a booming professional sport and has finally reached the sports mecca, the Olympic Games after its announcement in 2016. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, two-competitor play will be based on three disciplines: Speed, Block, and lead.

While in Speed ​​Climbing, the two climbers walk on a fixed route using a top rope on a 15m wall, in Bouldering, the athletes climb different routes on a 4.5m wall without using a top rope. Lead Climbing is a height competition within a defined time frame in which climbers attach a lifeline and climb a fixed course over a wall over 12m. It focuses on the difficulty of a route.

Who are the players?

The Tokyo Olympics starting on July 23 will see 20 male climbers and 20 female climbers compete for the grand title of the Sport Climbing Championship to be held from August 2. In this list of athletes, while the United States, Japan and France are represented by four climbers each, three climbers represent the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and one climber has won from Kazakhstan.

Other countries participating in the title include Poland, Slovenia, Italy, Germany, Canada, Austria, Australia, Czech Republic, among others. However, India lacks representation in the early games.

India’s efforts to promote sport climbing

In India, sport climbing or competitive climbing was introduced in 1996 and since then the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) has organized various championships to find qualified climbers and train them for national and international events. In 2020, the annual sport climbing event celebrated its Silver Jubilee. At the international level, competitive sport is governed by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) founded in Frankfurt in 2007.

According to Aditya Pande, a climber from Uttaranchal, who wrote about sport climbing for a platform called 4play, “IMF in conjunction with the Dept. of Sports & Youth Services, the government of Odisha built a high performance center for sport climbing at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar. Kalinga Stadium is the first Indian facility to meet the rules and standards prescribed by the IFSC.

In January 2020, the 25th IMF National Sport Climbing Championship took place in this stadium. Some of the best Indian professional sports climbers include names such as Maibam Chingkheinganba from Manipur, Prateeksha Arun, and Bharat Pereira from Bengaluru. While Prateeksha is a national player, Bharat and Maibam represented India at the Asian Youth Championship in 2015 where sport climbing made its debut.

However, according to Inspire the crewIndia’s struggle in the nascent field of sport climbing can be attributed to a lack of attention, training and infrastructure.

“All Indian climbers put together are always lagging behind other countries. The reasons vary from state to state; lack of exposure, training, infrastructure are some of the common reasons. Sports organizations do not foresee any return on investment in this sport No funds, no climbing walls, no stimulating training, which leads to a lack of popularity and interest in learning, ”said Clea Amelia, a South Zone climber at Inspire Crew in the September 2020 article.

Ski mountaineering added to the 2026 Winter Olympics

After Sport Climbing was inducted, ski mountaineering was also approved for inclusion in the 2026 Winter Olympics to be held in Italy. Proposed by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at its June meeting, the 138th IOC Session unanimously approved the proposal on July 20.

According to Reuters, the sport, which combines ascents and descents of mountain trails on or wearing skis, will have five events at the Olympics. With a total number of 48 athletes (24 women and 24 men) at the Games, the events will be sprints, individuals and a mixed relay. The IOC cited the popularity of the sport in Italy and its rapid expansion in the United States and Canada, among other countries.

Climbing, a natural instinct and reflex, which was once confined to outdoor spaces such as boulders, boulders, mountains eventually paved the way for sport climbing where man-made routes and obstacles mimicked challenges in the open. air.

Today, sport climbing is a booming professional sport and has finally reached the sports mecca, the Olympic Games after its announcement in 2016. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, two-competitor play will be based on three disciplines: Speed, Block, and lead.

While in Speed ​​Climbing, the two climbers walk on a fixed route using a top rope on a 15m wall, in Bouldering, the athletes climb different routes on a 4.5m wall without using a top rope. Lead Climbing is a height competition within a defined time frame in which climbers attach a lifeline and climb a fixed course over a wall over 12m. It focuses on the difficulty of a route.

Who are the players?

The Tokyo Olympics starting on July 23 will see 20 male climbers and 20 female climbers compete for the grand title of the Sport Climbing Championship to be held from August 2. In this list of athletes, while the United States, Japan and France are represented by four climbers each, three climbers represent the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and one climber has won from Kazakhstan.

Other countries participating in the title include Poland, Slovenia, Italy, Germany, Canada, Austria, Australia, Czech Republic, among others. However, India lacks representation in the early games.

India’s efforts to promote sport climbing

In India, sport climbing or competitive climbing was introduced in 1996 and since then the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) has organized various championships to find qualified climbers and train them for national and international events. In 2020, the annual sport climbing event celebrated its Silver Jubilee. At the international level, competitive sport is governed by the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) founded in Frankfurt in 2007.

According to Aditya Pande, a climber from Uttaranchal, who wrote about sport climbing for a platform called 4play, “IMF in conjunction with the Dept. of Sports & Youth Services, the government of Odisha built a high performance center for sport climbing at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar. Kalinga Stadium is the first Indian facility to meet the rules and standards prescribed by the IFSC.

In January 2020, the 25th IMF National Sport Climbing Championship took place in this stadium. Some of the best Indian professional sports climbers include names such as Maibam Chingkheinganba from Manipur, Prateeksha Arun, and Bharat Pereira from Bengaluru. While Prateeksha is a national player, Bharat and Maibam represented India at the Asian Youth Championship in 2015 where sport climbing made its debut.

However, according to Inspire the crewIndia’s struggle in the nascent field of sport climbing can be attributed to a lack of attention, training and infrastructure.

“All Indian climbers put together are always lagging behind other countries. The reasons vary from state to state; lack of exposure, training, infrastructure are some of the common reasons. Sports organizations do not foresee any return on investment in this sport No funds, no climbing walls, no stimulating training, which leads to a lack of popularity and interest in learning, ”said Clea Amelia, a South Zone climber at Inspire Crew in the September 2020 article.

Ski mountaineering added to the 2026 Winter Olympics

After Sport Climbing was inducted, ski mountaineering was also approved for inclusion in the 2026 Winter Olympics to be held in Italy. Proposed by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at its June meeting, the 138th IOC Session unanimously approved the proposal on July 20.

According to Reuters, the sport, which combines ascents and descents of mountain trails on or wearing skis, will have five events at the Olympics. With a total number of 48 athletes (24 women and 24 men) at the Games, the events will be sprints, individuals and a mixed relay. The IOC cited the popularity of the sport in Italy and its rapid expansion in the United States and Canada, among other countries.

The International Olympic Committee will introduce several categories of competition for the new sport at the Games in Milano Cortina.

In 2026, for the first time, ski mountaineering will be an Olympic sport. At its July 20 session, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) unanimously approved the new sport. The International Ski Mountaineering Federation (ISMF) will govern its implementation.

When the Winter Games head to Italy, 48 athletes (24 women, 24 men) will compete in five new medal-winning events in Milano Cortina, where ski mountaineering is both popular and deeply rooted.

“I am sure that all of my colleagues and the entire ski mountaineering world are feeling an indescribable emotion right now,” said ISMF President Thomas Kähr, “and I can assure you that the ISMF will do everything possible to present a magnificent sport at the Olympic Winter Games in Milan Cortina 2026.

Here’s what to look for in the first iteration of Olympic “skimo”.

Ski mountaineering basics and Olympic competition format

Ski mountaineering, or skimo, is adventurous and brutally physical in nature. Combining mountaineering and ski touring, it requires off-piste skiing, avalanche safety and sometimes climbing technique.

Olympic formats include the men’s and women’s individual and sprint categories, and a mixed relay. Each event seems to focus on the skiing aspects of the sport with an emphasis on speed.

But the basis of the sport is mountaineering; at its heart, it is a methodology for crossing mountain terrain.

At this point, it is difficult to say what role mountaineering will play in competition. Thus, some skimo supporters stress that too much emphasis on speed could destabilize the sport by widening the gap between amateurs and pros.

Prolific ski mountaineer and ultrarunner Kilian Jornet has expressed his own enthusiasm – and questions – on Facebook.

Balancing: role of ski mountaineering in European mountain culture in relation to international exposure

The IOC announcement gives enthusiasts like Jornet – at all levels of competence and / or notoriety – cause of both excitement and apprehension. But until we know more from the Committee, speculation about the effect of the 2026 Games on sport will have to suffice. However, it is clear that the IOC assessed the intrinsic role that skimo plays in Italian mountaineering when making its decision.

In a statement, the Committee acknowledged the popularity of the sport in Italy, as well as its historical and sporting roots in the Alpine region. He also noted that Italy is “one of the first nations in the world” in the skimo competition. If anything, to put it mildly: seven of the top 10 men and five of the top 10 women in ISMF World Rankings are Italian.

Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics

As the Games in Milano Cortina approach in 2026, the world of ski mountaineering will be in turmoil.

“We are Olympic! We are writing an important page in the history of winter sports, ”said Kähr. “It has been a long and intense journey, but now the satisfaction is unthinkable and the Skimo community must be proud of this accomplishment.”

Keep an eye out for ski mountaineering in the Olympic Games Milan-Cortina 2026.

Interested in the Tokyo Games this summer? Discover all our covers below:

First Olympic sport climbing champions: Slovenian and Spaniard win gold

Sport climbing will make its Olympic debut this summer. Since it’s been a bit since qualifying, here’s what to expect at this year’s Olympics. Read more…

Olympic surfing results: American wins gold, Brazil leads in men’s

Much like sport climbing, this year marks the first year that surfing will be included in the Olympics. Here’s all you need to know. Read more…

Swimming, cycling, running: endurance athletes to watch at the Olympic Games

The best of swimming, biking and running – watch these global athletes compete on the Olympic stage in triathlons, marathons and more. Read more…

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Throughout the Tour de France, VeloNews will be speaking to some of the unsung heroes of the peloton – those riders who fight every day without the recognition that big GC favorites or sprint stars receive.

When Amund Grøndahl Jansen is not on two wheels, he is often found on a pair of skis.

The rider of Team BikeExchange de Nes in Norway is competing in his fourth Tour de France. While he loves hitting the slopes in the off-season, you won’t find Grøndahl Jansen using an elevator or gondola to get him to his destination.

He takes the long way.

“If I’m in Norway, I like to ski. I normally go in the winter and then we go cross-country skiing quite regularly. I love to ski mountaineering, ”said Grøndahl Jansen VeloNews.

Read also : Unsung heroes of the Tour de France: Michael Gogl on the replacement of the cello by the bike race

Ski mountaineering is, so to speak, climbing mountains with a pair of skis. It’s a tough activity, but it has the added benefit of a really fast descent – if you like that sort of thing.

“You climb a mountain with your skis. Depending on the difficulty of the mountain, you either get on skis or take them off to do some of the steeper parts until you reach the top, ”explained Grøndahl Jansen. “You have skins under your skis to give you traction going uphill, and you take them off at the top, and put your boots in downhill mode, and then you go down.

“Of course, now with warmer winters every year, you need a good layer of snow to be able to go out in the mountains. At the same time, when there is a lot of snow, you have to be aware of the avalanche risks, and you have to be careful where you are going. But once you have it under control, you can enjoy it. I like ski mountaineering, it is a very pleasant activity to do.

Despite being one with a pair of skis, Grøndahl Jansen was never tempted to follow his former teammate Primož Roglič in ski jumping. With the high speeds and the necessary technical skills, this is hardly something you can learn on a Sunday afternoon.

It also doesn’t provide a lot of exercise for a professional cyclist trying to stay in shape out of season.

Read also : Unsung heroes of the Tour de France: Jonas Rickaert – school prankster, star leader

“It’s not training and ski jumping is a technical sport. You can’t really replace cycling with ski jumping in the winter, because you take the elevator and just go down. It’s not a very conditional activity, ”said Grøndahl Jansen.

“It’s also something you have to start very early on. We didn’t have a ski jump where I’m from. It was not an easy sport to pick up and play where I come from. But it is also a big sport in Norway and there are a lot of children who play it.

Get on the bike

Like many in the peloton, Grøndahl Jansen grew up watching the Tour de France on television. However, it wasn’t due to an early passion for cycling, it was just that it was the one thing worth watching at the time.

His love of riding is still young, but it took him a bit longer to develop.

“Before starting to cycle, during the summer holidays, the television was on more or less from the start of the stages. I would play with my siblings or do other stuff during the day, and every once in a while I would stop on the TV and watch how the situation was and watch the finals, which was always a good way to go. spend your days, ”Grøndahl Jansen told VeloNews.

“At that time, I was just watching the Tour de France in the summer because there was nothing else on TV and there wasn’t much to do. Interest in cycling did not come until a little later.

Grøndahl Jansen isn’t quite sure what first drew him to cycle, but his cousin, who raced, and the long summer days in Norway helped him develop his passion. . He could also go alone whenever he wanted.

Read also : Unsung hero of the Tour de France: Jacopo Guarnieri balancing single parenthood and racing

“I had a cousin who rode mountain and road. I have also been mountain biking with my brother and my father quite regularly, ”he said. “I come from a very quiet part of Norway and there is not much to do. Cycling was an easy way to distract yourself when you had free time at school. You play soccer or go cycling, and riding a bike is something you can also do on your own. To play football you need at least a few friends.

Grøndahl Jansen has been a pro since 2017, having signed with Team Jumbo-Visma from the prodigious Team Joker Continental – a team that included Edvald Boasson Hagen and Alexander Kristoff among their alumni. He joined Team BikeExchange this winter.

For Grøndahl Jansen, spending time outdoors and being in control of his own destiny is what he loves most about his daily job.

“I love the freedom that comes with it, you can basically decide for yourself what sounds exactly when you want to train, how you want to train,” he said. “Sure, you have a trainer these days… but when you’re home you can decide if you ever want to go at eight in the morning to practice. And then you can do something with your family.

“We have a lot of time outdoors where you see things that you wouldn’t see in a normal office job, usually a lot of hours on the bike, and we see things in nature. We have great landscapes around the places where we train, and you see both the animals, the mountains. It’s a very quaint office to have.

Ski mountaineering is about to officially become an Olympic sport.

The International Olympic Committee announced on Friday June 18 that the IOC Executive Board had sent a formal proposal to the committee to vote on whether to officially add sport to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. The vote is scheduled to take place at the next IOC Session in Tokyo on July 20 and 21.

The decision of the IOC Executive Board coincides with the official proposal of the Organizing Committee for the 2026 Olympic Games to include sport.

Summit County Local Ram Mikulas, president of the American Ski Mountaineering Association, said the development was a big step towards Olympic inclusion for the sport. Mikulas added that he was confident the IOC would grant final approval at the July meeting.

“It appears that the IOC Executive Board is supportive and given that I would expect the rest of the IOC voting members to follow suit,” he said.

The executive committee’s proposal consists of five new medalist ski mountaineering events for the 2026 Games. There would be men’s and women’s sprint and individual events as well as a mixed relay.

The five medal events are identical to the five medal events held at the 2020 Youth Olympic Winter Games in Lausanne, Switzerland. In its statement on Friday, the IOC said the success of ski mountaineering in Lausanne was one of the main reasons they were proposing it for Milan-Cortina.

Grace Staberg of Silverthorne represented the United States at the Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne and last year was the only American to compete on the World Cup circuit in Europe. Staberg, who would be 24 in time for the 2026 games, said the general consensus on the World Cup circuit this season is that it will only be a matter of time before the sport becomes Olympic.

“Even having the chance to compete for a chance on an Olympic team in a selection race would be a great honor,” said Staberg. “I really hope I get this opportunity at some point in my athletic career.”

The five medal events on offer, such as the 2020 Youth Winter Olympics, do not include the vertical discipline, which is one of the three main disciplines on the World Championships and World Cup circuit. the International Ski Mountaineering Federation.

The proposal provides for a quota of 24 men and 24 women capable of competing in all disciplines at the 2026 Olympics. The proposal also specifically states that the popularity and success of sport in Italy is one of the main reasons for inclusion. offered in the games of 2026 – a notion with which Mikulas subscribed.

“Italy is one of the strongest nations in sport,” said Mikulas. “It bodes well for them.”

The proposal added the growing popularity of amateur sport globally as another contributing factor.

Here in the United States, Mikulas said that the ability of the United States to win places in the games will likely depend on the performance of the country at the world and continental championships.

“For example, for the Youth Olympic Games, we qualified by doing well at the World Championships (International Ski Mountaineering Federation) and, in our case, the North American Championships,” said Mikulas. “So thanks to the good performance of the United States, we were able to win four places for the Youth Olympic Games – two boys and two girls. And then we determined a selection process and worked with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee to approve it. For 2026, most likely, it would be similar. “

Mikulas said that since Friday’s announcement, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee has contacted him, as well as the American Ski Mountaineering Association, to commit to a new level.

“Once the sport becomes an Olympic sport, it will allow us to gain more resources, assistance and communication with the (United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee), which helps us to grow as a national governing body, ”Mikulas said.

Mikulas said that with Olympic inclusion, further steps for the US Ski Mountaineering Association will include developing a formal anti-doping program and policies on harassment and abuse in safe sport, among other administrative and legal requirements. .

Local Breckenridge and US Ski Mountaineering Association head coach Joe Howdyshell said the 2026 Olympic sprint races would be a great discipline for in-person spectators for the games, while the much longer individual race would offer picturesque views of the race – and the Cortina region – to viewers. .

As for the United States’ progression in the sport, Howdyshell said the country can follow the trajectory of cross-country skiing by focusing on short-term success in the discipline of sprinting.

“You can work on your skills very well and be competitive in the sprints usually a little earlier than in the individual race,” said the coach. “For the United States, we have historically had some of our best results internationally in sprinting. “

Kathmandu, May 23

A feasibility study carried out by a team of four climbers, two foreigners and two Nepalese, concluded that Mera Peak is an ideal destination for ski mountaineering.

The study team found that the 6,473-meter-high peak was suitable for ski mountaineering. Leonardo Bernard and Deidrick Bhan Reason of the Netherlands had skied from the summit of the peak in May, according to the Ski and Snowboard Academy.

The ski duo had skied to Mera Peak base camp in half an hour, academy president Utsav Pathak said.

The academy in collaboration with the Snow Guide Nepal Treks and Expedition conducted the feasibility study and the ski mountaineering activity on the summit. Training for ski mountaineering will take place on Mera Peak from next October to train the Nepalese team to participate in the Olympic ski mountaineering to be held in Italy in 2026.

A ski completion was organized by the Kalinchok academy in winter 2019 and ski mountaineering activities and training were held on other peaks in Humla, Dolpa, Mustang and Kaski for five years.

The academy aims to popularize ski mountaineering in the country which is home to eight of the 14 highest mountains, including the Sagarmatha (Mt Everest), at 8,848.86 meters.

Grace Staberg of Silverthorne won bronze in Sunday’s U-20 women’s individual race at the International Ski Mountaineering Federation’s last World Cup of the season in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy.

Staberg finished the course in 1 hour, 3 minutes, 29 seconds, behind champion Samantha Bertolina (59:11) and Lisa Moreschini (59:25) from Italy. Third place in the 12-athlete individual race was Staberg’s first individual podium – a discipline that features multiple climbs, descents and transitions – of the winter season. Staberg’s bronze medal in the race, which included a total of 900 meters of climbing, was his second of the World Cup weekend after winning bronze in the vertical on Friday. Staberg also won the vertical silver at the World Championships a few weeks ago in Andorra.

“Today was a great way to end the season,” said Staberg. “I think I tend to be a better climber, so finishing third vertically might not be that surprising. … I felt really strong on the climbs. And I think I was able to stay close enough to the leaders not to waste too much time on the downhill. I felt like I did my best to hold on on the descents. I did a good job trying to push as hard as possible and stay as close to the Italians as possible.

Staberg said her improvement in the more technical parts of the individual discipline – the tight corners – helped her reach the podium. Staberg ran in second place at the top of the first climb before being passed by Bertolina and remained in third place the rest of the race.

The victory was Staberg’s last race during a four-month stay in Europe where she was the only American to compete at World Cup stages across the continent. Staberg raced while living and training with Italian ski mountaineering legend Laetitia Roux in France. Staberg has also taken distance education courses through the University of London School of Economics, which she intends to continue next year when she returns to Europe for the World Cup. Although Staberg has said she is happy with the way she ended her season, the Summit High 2020 graduate believes she can enter the next season more prepared and in better shape.

“I definitely don’t feel completely satisfied so that motivates me to improve and strive to do more,” said Staberg.

Staberg said she plans to compete in the Cosmic Race Series event at Telluride this weekend before taking on the Imperial Challenge on April 12 and 13. The Imperial Challenge is a race that combines cycling with up and down snow at Breckenridge Ski Resort. Staberg also hopes to do a personal ski mountaineering challenge later this month. When Staberg returns to the county, she is thrilled to have breakfast with her family at Amazing Grace and ski for sunrises at Breckenridge Ski Resort.

“I’ve always loved racing on the Imperial, I think it’s just a fun competition,” said Staberg. “It’s fun hanging out with the people you see in the community. It’s like a fun ski day in Breck more than a race, even.

The president of the local Summit ski mountaineering association and the United States, Ram Mikulas, does not mince words when referring to the vertical discipline of ski mountaineering.

“It’s pure suffering of endurance capacity in a short period of time,” Mikulas said. “And that’s where Grace is great.

Mikulas was referring to Grace Staberg. The 19-year-old from Silverthorne is the US team at the International Ski Mountaineering Federation’s world championships this week in Andorra. On Thursday, March 4, Staberg achieved her greatest accomplishment to date, en route to a silver medal as the youngest competitor in the U-20 uphill race.

“She can dig deep and can get into a cave of pain and just focus on the finish line,” Mikulas said. “It’s a very simple but very demanding discipline. A lot of people are nervous or afraid of it because it just hurts. In aerobics, you just put in maximum effort.

Staberg crossed the finish line of the 400-meter vertical gain course in 19 minutes and 32 seconds, 18 seconds off the championship pace of Staberg’s Italian friend Samantha Bertolina, who visited Summit County and stayed with Staberg in the summer of 2019 as part of an intercontinental ski mountaineering friendship.

The Staberg Silver Medal is a statement for American ski mountaineering in a sport historically dominated by European countries. It is also a testament to the commitment of her and her coaches to do everything in their power to ensure that the ambitious young American has competitive opportunities at the highest level despite all the obstacles she and the contingent have. Americans had to overcome amid the pandemic.

Staberg has spent the season living alone in the mountains of France and training with French ski mountaineering coach and legend Laetitia Roux after being forced to apply for and re-apply for a travel visa. Since coming to Europe, Staberg has competed in the Coupe de France and the World Cup.

While Staberg was coached by Roux overseas, her longtime coach Joe Howdyshell of Breckenridge – the head coach of the U.S. national team – helped organize and plan her training schedule from the snow. home. Howdyshell’s teamwork with Roux and other members of the American ski mountaineering community has made Staberg the only North American to compete in Andorra.

All of this led Staberg to take the lead with Bertolina before Staberg excelled in the competitive situation she loves the most.

“I really like the feeling of being completely exhausted,” she said. “I really like being able to push my limits. “

Howdyshell described Staberg as the kind of athlete who “knocks down one wall, then walks over to the next and starts nibbling at it.” He praised Staberg’s mental toughness for being isolated in a foreign country during the winter and staying positive despite some disappointing results earlier this season to finally climb onto the sport’s biggest stage.

For Howdyshell, Staberg’s entire journey this season is about who she is as a person. When she visited France months ago, it was in doubt if the French curfew and COVID-19 regulations would allow her to train for more than an hour a day.

Howdyshell said Staberg is an athlete who “knows what she wants”. Staberg said his goals for the future were twofold. On the one hand, it is his ultimate goal to win World Championships and World Cups at the U-20 and then senior level.

“I would like to be the best,” Staberg said.

“And then I think… a secondary goal that is important to me is to be a positive influence and inspiration for young athletes,” Staberg continued.

Mikulas said young American ski mountaineers from the Silver Fork Skimo Club in Utah to local Summit County athletes all admire Staberg and keep an eye out for his escapades in Europe.

And then there is the elephant in the ski mountaineering room: the Olympics. If and when the International Olympic Committee approves the sport for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Games, you can bet Italy will play their country’s strongest chances in all Olympic events, of which vertical numbers are a part.

And right next to an Italian snow hero like Bertolina, Staberg could be the American who introduces so many people in the United States to the new sport of the Olympics and continues to motivate young American girls everywhere.

“What she does helps them see what’s possible,” Mikulas said.

A first Vail Recreational District ski mountaineering race drew dozens of out-of-town competitors to the area on Saturday.

The Meadow Mountain site provided a more authentic ski-mountaineering racing atmosphere, organizers and competitors said, which the recreation district had not been able to achieve during its on-site runs in the ski area. ‘Arrowhead of Beaver Creek.

Meadow Mountain can be accessed via the US Forest Service’s Holy Cross Ranger station near Dowd Junction.

“It was our first real ski-mo race,” said Beth Pappas of the Vail Recreation District. “Really, this was our first non-resort winter event.”

The recreation district holds a permit from the Forest Service to host a summer event at Meadow Mountain, which made it easier to organize a winter event, Pappas said. Nonetheless, the Meadow Mountain event is unique for this season, as it took a lot of effort to put it together.

“I wish we could have one every weekend,” Pappas said. “The demand is there.

The event filled up to 80 competitors; 64 finished the race, and 41 of them came from outside of Eagle County.

“People are a little desperate to run,” said Jill Seager, who won the women’s expert division.

Seager said she often searches for races statewide and said many races have been canceled this season. She said seeing the large number of out-of-town competitors at the Vail Race was “good and bad.”

“I know we’re in a pandemic and we all need to make smart decisions and think about the risk assessment and what you want to do, but it’s cool to have the opportunity,” Seager said. .

Many other ski mountaineering races in the area have been canceled this season. The Arapahoe Basin Annual Series takes place as a virtual event.

Seager said Vail’s race was a backyard style competition, with entry-level divisions that made it less intimidating for those curious to get into the sport.

And in recent years, more and more people are curious to get into the sport. Seager ran for five years with her husband Ross Herr and said every time they showed up to a race it got more crowded.

“I think Vail is coming at the right time and these races are absolutely going to continue to grow,” she said.

But with this season’s COVID-19 limitations, the sport was stifled just as it started to take off. The US Ski Mountaineering Association was forced to cancel their national championship and national team this seasonbecause the qualifying events for the national championship – originally scheduled for Eldora Mountain and Sunlight Mountain in Colorado – have been canceled.

Naturally competitive

Seager and Herr live in Silverthorne; Herr grew up in Eagle County. He said some of his earliest memories of hiking uphill come from Meadow Mountain.

“It was one of the first places I went to understand how my AT bindings work and to fine tune the climbs,” he said.

These mountaineering or AT bindings, associated with a pair of skins under your skis, constitute the essential equipment for ski touring. And as the activity grew in popularity, naturally, the competitive element of alpine hiking also became more popular. Herr said the reason he was racing on Saturday was because he and his friend Doug Stenclik often argued over who was faster in transition – removing the skins and adjusting their settings to come back down the hill after traveling.

“It’s pretty fun making fun of your friends when they’re slow in their transition (from hiking to alpine and back), or when they’re fumbling with their gear,” Herr said. “So ski mountaineering races are kind of a time to hang out with your friends to show that you’re faster at it. “

The Meadow Mountain course was 2 miles long, with 800 feet of elevation gain. Competitors in the expert division completed three laps, the intermediate division did two and the rookies did one.

Pappas said that while the demand is there to have more ski mountaineering races, his team is not quite ready to make it a regular thing just yet. This race involved a lot of volunteer work – longtime underground skimo race host Dawes Wilson spent hours helping set up the course.

“Dawes was a big help in designing the course and integrating the skin track,” Pappas said.

Nonetheless, “I think it’s definitely something we will consider again for next season,” Pappas said. “The reviews were really positive. “

The Vail Recreation District will be hosting a snowshoe race at the Vail Nordic Center on March 13.

Full results below:

Expert division

20 to 39 year old male

1. Collin Chartier, 48:19, Littleton, CO
2. Matthew Fox, 49:14, Palo Alto CA
3. Ross Herr, 50:04, Silverthorne, CO
4. Doug Stenclik, 50:23, Carbondale CO
5. Paul Mumford, 52:15, Leadville CO
6. Tyler Jones, Edwards CO
7. Jimmy Howe, 58:02, Boulder CO
8. Tyler Eaton, 1:01:15, Edwards CO
9. Stephen Rosenman, 1:04:42, Frisco CO
10. Franklin Mansseh, 1:09:03, Carbondale CO
11. Alister Ratcliff, 1:11:57, Avon CO
12. Andrew Nordyke, 1:21:20, Leadville CO
13. William Stephens, 1:24:06, Englewood CO
14. Aashish Kabra, 1:32:06, Glenwood Springs CO
15. Jonathan Zeschin, 1:38:01, Denver CO
16. Taff Dirks, 2:07:55, Denver CO

Woman aged 20 to 39

1. Jill Seager, 59:26, Silverthorne CO
2. Alyssa McBride, 1:18:41, Boulder CO
3. Ryan Ernstes, 1:21:20, Boulder CO
4. Elisabeth Meinig, 1:28:15, Longmont CO

Male 40 to 59

1. Ryan Koster, 57:51, Aspen CO
2. Brett Donelson, 1:00:09, Edwards CO
3. Peter Davis, 1:09:22, Eagle CO
4. Andrew Letherby, 1:10:52, Leadville CO
5. Kevin Roop, 1:14:44, Edwards CO
6. Dan Ben-Horin, 1:17:04, Whitewater CO
7. Dan Timm, 1:17:29, Vail CO
8. Henry Reed, 1:21:15, Edwards CO
9. Julius Kovats, 1:21:25, Manitou Springs CO
10. Tim Meyer, 1:33:21, Vail CO

Woman 40 to 59

1. Jaime Brede, 1:03:13, Breckenridge CO
2. Jaime Bakeman, 1:24:22, Englewood CO

Male 60 years and over

1. Dawes Wilson, 1:13:45, Vail CO
2. Guy Gadomski, 1:18:59, Dillon CO
3. Paul Gotthelf, 1:28:39, Edwards CO
4. Thomas McParlan, 1:36:55, Edwards CO

Woman 60 years and over

1. Ellen Miller, 1:45:13, Vail CO

Intermediate division

Female 19 and under

1. Delilah Staberg, 58:10, Silverthorne CO
2. Lyla Lanning, 1:15:28, Boulder CO

20 to 39 year old male

1. Tyler Chartier, 50:01, Denver CO
2. Eddie Rogers, 56:04, Steamboat Springs CO

Woman aged 20 to 39

1. Ariana Schiff, 1:05:57, Woody Creek CO
2. Hannah Hesser, 1:07:33, Dillon CO
3. Lynn Hall, 1:11:58, Leadville CO

Male 40 to 59

1. Douglas Jiminez, 44:29, Avon CO
2. Jason Staberg, 53:30, Silverthorne CO
3. Troy Brown, 1:07:08, Gypsum CO
4. Rory Lanning, 1:14:21, Boulder CO
5. Edgard Cabanillas, 1:51:00, Vail CO

Woman 40 at 59 Price (s)

1. Abby Brown, 56:59, Gypsum CO
2. Monica Lacroix, 1:12:26, ​​Broomfield CO

Male 60 years and over

1. Michael Nowicki, 1:02:24, Littleton CO
2. Rob Balgley, 1:11:03, Eagle CO

Woman 60 years and over

1. Eileen Brown, 1:14:09, Frisco CO

Beginner division

Female 19 and under

1. Maizy Douglas, 29:21, Vail CO
2. Katie McDonald, 33:11, Eauclaire WI

20 to 39 year old male

1. Jeffrey Geller, 47:49, Edwards CO
2. Victor Brena, 1:00:01, Colorado Springs CO
3. José Elio, 1:00:04, Denver CO

Woman aged 20 to 39

1. Jen VanCleave, 39:46, Littleton CO

Male 40 to 59

1. Julio Narvaez, 59:05, Colorado Springs CO

Woman 40 to 59

1. McKenna Douglas, 33:14, Vail CO
2. Monica McDonald, 35:08, Eauclaire WI

Male 60 years and over

1. Tom Fiore, 31:45, Eagle CO

Woman 60 years and over

1. Molly Ansfield, 37:32, Eagle CO