Skimo Northwest
Introducing: Skimo Northwest, a new nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the sport.
Over the past year, we have been working on some organizational restructuring within SnowGoat Skimo. Richard Kresser originally started the company in 2019 with the simple desire to see more skimo races come to the Pacific Northwest. Over the years the sport has grown and we are reaching critical mass as a community. Uphill setups are flying off the shelves, more people are exploring the backcountry, and skimo has been added to the 2026 Milan Olympics. We saw a need for an organization to help foster the growth of the sport regionally, and Skimo Northwest was born.
Skimo Northwest is a 501c3 nonprofit with the mission to grow competitive ski mountaineering racing in the Pacific Northwest through race promotion, ski area advocacy, and youth development. Through our sport of skimo, we hope to encourage the advancement of education, surrounding outdoor activities, fitness, and safety.
The primary focus of Skimo Northwest is to produce challenging and inviting premier skimo events through SnowGoat Skimo. The races have been the heart of the community and have given skiers and snowboarders an opportunity to set goals to train for, meet touring partners, test their limits, and laugh with old and new friends over some beers at the end. SnowGoat Skimo will be managed by Skimo Northwest going forward and both organizations will continue to devote their energy to adding more skimo races to the regional schedule.
Skimo, or randonée, has been around a long time. The very first Vertfest took place in 2002 at Alpental! The past five years has seen an incredible rise in the interest of the sport as more downhill skiers, trail runners, nordic racers, bike racers, etc., are discovering the benefits of backcountry skiing and snowboarding, as well as fitness skinning inbounds. As the sport’s community has grown, it has emerged that a collective voice is needed to represent uphilling and to advocate for access. Skimo Northwest aims to give uphill enthusiasts a “seat at the table” to assist in policy development across different organizations.
We look forward to growing with the sport and hope to usher in the next stage of skimo!
Pre Season Kick Off Party
November 16th, 2022 @ Cripple Creek Seattle
November is a terrible month; I think we can all agree with that. There’s not enough snow to ski yet, but it is way to wet to do anything else much fun outside. It’s a good month to curl up inside with a cup of tea, finally read that book, and rest from the summer mayhem before the ski mayhem hits. OR it’s a great month to go party with a bunch of other skimo racers at your local ski shop! Head on over to Cripple Creek Backcountry in Fremont for some skimo stoke, deals, bevvies, or to talk to some of our new nonprofit board members! Party starts after the store shuts down at 7pm. Register here so we know how much beer to get!
Vertfest
Vertfest 2023 is now open for registration! Now a USA Skimo National Cup event, the race is back and better than ever. Save your Halloween costume from last night for the race too; as the best prize usually goes out to the Best Costume! We are also planning to bring a Vertical only category to the race.
Referee Training
USA Skimo is looking to train more certified referees to officiate sanctioned events, like Vertfest @Alpental! A referee works closely with race directors to ensure USA Skimo’s rules and protocols are being followed to promote fair play and a safe venue. If you are interested, USA Skimo is hosting a free training at A-basin in Colorado December 9-11th during their skimo races. They’re even providing free lodging too! There is also a required 2hr virtual training on 11/30/22. Reply to this email if interested.
Remember the last email where I implored you all to start hitting the training and look into Skimo Monthly, a new product put out there by Joe Howdyshell, but then forget to give you anyway to access more information by providing a link? Let me fix that! Training programs are live at his website!
