2021 Season Update
I know it’s cliché, but it feels like an entire world ago the last time we were all together racing and breaking bread (or beer) on March 1st 2020 at Crystal Mountain. It was just a few weeks after that race that Washington shut down and we all went into our homes for a long long time. Covid-19 still has not gone away and is very much alive, but we have learned more about the virus. We have learned how it is spread, effective measures to to take to lower risk, and so far, it has not seemed that any socially distanced outdoor event has been a “super spreader” situation. In October, the Governor’s office put out guidance that small outdoor events like ours are allowed to come back with the proper mitigations in place. So, with that, here’s the latest about our three skimo races.
Vertfest: March 6th 2021
VERTFEST IS BACK! We were all super sad when the race had to be cancelled last March. We will have to cancel the AWESOME after party, which makes us all sad, but that’s the deal. We are just excited to come back and have last year’s race, this year!
However, Covid has taught us to hedge our expectations. March is a long ways away. The situation could be much better (possibility of an effective vaccine!) or much worse (resurgence of local/national infections). Both the Summit, PGS, and SnowGoat want to see a safe and successful 2021 Vertfest, but if we go through another round of state-wide shutdowns, there’s always the possibility we may need to cancel. Of course, we will honor full refunds or rollovers to another race.
Loup Loup Rando Race: Tentatively January 30th, 2021
Our friends Sam and Alison Naney at Cascade Endurance have submitted the Forest Service permit and also the permit to the Loup Loup Ski Bowl. The ski area has indicated promising signs, but has not officially signed off on the event yet. It’s somewhat in a “wait and see” situation. We will keep you informed as we draw closer to the race date.
Crystal: TBD
Being completely transparent, we are not sure if we will be able to host the Crystal Skimo Race in 2021. The resort is completely relooking not only all of their events, but also their entire operations. We have submitted out proposal and are anxiously awaiting word if they think we can go ahead with the race again. As soon as we know we will let you know! It will most likely be at the end of March if we do host it.
Watch the Sisters of Skimo movie here!
Some of you might remember we planned to have a movie night at ProSki & Mountain Service last March. Thankfully, the producers put the movie out on Youtube for free.
"Sisters of Skimo," the journey of Sierra Anderson and her fellow female competitors in ski mountaineering racing, as they vie to qualify to compete at "the Olympics of Skimo," the World Championships in Switzerland. Along the way, Sierra and her "sisters of skimo" will discover what it means when the competition lifestyle goes beyond just who stands on the podium, and becomes a journey about family and camaraderie in sport.
And here’s an Alpental Ski Patroller, just because we all need more pictures of happy dogs in the snow in our lives.
