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ProSki Service/LifeLink Randonnée Rally, March 6, 2004
Except for the five patrollers at top, those are all competitors!
March 6, 2004 was the date for the third annual ProSki Service/LifeLink Randoneé Rally, an up- and-downhill ski race where competitors show their fitness as well as their ability to ascend on skis before skiing down. The course wound up from the base lodge area through Snakedance, around the Widowmaker jump on Knoll #1, then up Upper International to the top of Chair #17. The recreational competitors then skied back down along the same route to finish at the base area, while the Pro division skiers skied down the Edelweiss side to the bottom of #17 (#2), then skinned back up, skied down to the base area, re-skinned and ascended two-thirds of the way up, and returned to the bottom. 4" to 6" of freshly fallen graupel made the skinning something of a challenge, although yours truly made the first 1,800 ft. a little easier by "forerunning" the course and breaking trail - it seemed that all of the early skiers followed the "Louie" track up to Knoll #1. Last year's winner, Andrew McLean, made a hard move on Upper International to move into first position, but the lead group reeled him in before the summit.
The men's Recreational Division leaders began the return downhill ski almost immediately, led by Matt Bedrin of Portland and Matthaeus Zieger of Germany, who eventually finished one-two. I skied down through Snakedance in beautiful foot-deep conditions to catch the Pro contestants in transition at the bottom. The transition, while brief, showed the "fun" nature of this extremely taxing sport, as competitors chatted breathlessly to friends and each other during the "skin-up."
The Pro divisions were hard-fought, with Chris Kroger taking the win over Andy Traslin and Andrew McLean. Petra Pirc, Polly Samuels and Margaret Wheeler led the Pro Women.
The awards ceremony featured free beer and pizza, as well as swag for at least half of the entrants, and cash/merchandise prizes for the winners, all awarded by local backcountry guru and event coordinator Martin Volken and his children. All in all, this is a great event that deserves the support of the ski and backcountry community . . . hope to see you there next year!
