Vertfest Results

PC Matt Hagen

Howdy, racers! Hope you all had as much fun playing in the snow as we did. A great turnout with some fast racers and even better costumes rounded out a snowy Saturday at Alpental. Huge thanks to all the volunteers, ski patrol, Summit of Snoqualmie crew, and you guys for making it happen. It wasn’t a normal year but I think we are all just happy we were able to come back to some racing safely after this race was cancelled last year. Now, on to the results!

Results

Thanks for bearing with us with results. Obviously we like to post them instantaneously in a normal year, but this year we had to wait for everyone to finish to see where the final times ended up. A quick summary is below! If you are a category winner, please email richard@snowgoatskimo.com with your address so he can mail out your award. Too bad we couldn’t have gotten podium pictures! Queen and King of Alpental won a CAMP Rapid Racing skimo pack.

Queen of Alpental
Esther Opersteny, ascent time of 54:39
Anne Marie Stonich, ascent time of 58:26
Laura Stamp, ascent time of 1:01:26

King of Alpental
Martin Mundry, ascent time of 38:46
Aaron Ostrovsky, ascent time of 41:28
Dave Braun, ascent time of 41:50

Overall Open Women’s
Esther Opersteny, 1:07:04
Anne Marie Stonich, 1:07:08
Laura Stamp, 1:12:36

Overall Open Men’s
Aaron Ostrovsky, 46:15
David Braun, 47:47
Martin Mundry, 48:14

Youth (<18)
Erik Aagaard, 1:05:20
QuinnHartsoch, 1:20:35
Tanner Swanson,1:31:48

Splitmo Women’s
Rosy Bruno, 2:24:48
Stephani Blackburn, 2:59:25

Splitmo Men’s
Trevor Circhosz, 1:10:31
Frank Huster, 1:10:35
Patrick Moore, 1:24:56

Heavy Mettle Women’s
Elizabeth Sloss, 1:28:13
Lia Roberds, 1:55:07
Anna Roberds, 1:55:10

Heavy Mettle Men’s
Kyle Stanton Wyman, 1:02:33
Peter Stroble, 1:08:43
Brian Montgomery, 1:09:07

Photos

Links to the photos from the course (Matt Hagen) and finish line (Taryn Graham) will be posted to the website this week.

See you all in two weeks at Crystal Skimo Race! We are racing the full two lap course; wave starts of five racers per wave every minute.

Vertfest This Saturday

Registration is still open for the return of Vertfest, this Saturday! In fact, registration will be open until Saturday morning, so come on out to race. We can’t have the party we used to, but there will still be Dru Bru beer waiting for you at the finish.

As this year the theme is Race to the Top of Alpental, the Queen and King of the Hill will receive a special prize of a CAMP Rapid Skimo Pack. Whoever makes it to the top first, regardless of overall winner, wins!

And don’t forget the costume contest! Best dressed (as voted on by volunteers) wins a CAMP setup of a Rapid Skimo Pack, Crest Shovel, and Carbon Fiver Avy Probe!

Crystal Skimo Race

Our hardest race could be our biggest race of the year too. Come celebrate in the springtime sun and suck air as you suffer up the hill, TWICE. Downhill skiing season will be closing out and spring/summertime ski touring will just be ramping up. Get in shape for the big mountain adventures!

UPHILL WEEKEND

The entire weekend at Crystal will be focused around Uphill Travel! Friday and Saturday, the Cascadia Splitfest will be celebrating all things splitboard. Saturday night you could enjoy a Nachtspektakel, or “night spectacular”, under the stars. A friendly ski tour through the emptied resort ends at a warm mountain lodge with bonfires, bar, dinner, and music. Then ride down in the dark only guided by the moon and your headlamp.

Crystal Lodging Code: “UPHILL”

Crystal Mountain Hotels has a promo code set up for our upill weekend. Use the code “UPHILL” during checkout.

Washington is stepping up their hut game! Fortune Creek Huts will be opening for the ‘21/22’ ski season out by the Stuart Range at Van Epps Pass. As good as the skiing is here in Washington, it’s about time we got some deeper backcountry huts to access the terrain! They’ll have three camps you can reserve, find out more at www.fortunecreekhuts.com. They’ll have a $600 gift certificate in the NWAC raffle at the Crystal Uphill Weekend too!

SnowGoat Racers get 15% off next year. Use “SnowGoat2021” at checkout.

See you out on the hill!

Safely Returning to Skimo

Throughout all 2020 and mostly into 2021, events of all types and sizes have been canceled to prevent the spread of Covid-19. In October of last year and updated just last week, Governor Inslee put out guidance allowing small, socially distanced outdoor events to return. SnowGoat has been working closely with our hosting resorts to adhere to those guidelines and provide safe but fun events. At this time, all parties are feeling confident we can to hold the Vertfest and Crystal races. But if transmissions are on the rise or the pandemic situation is out of hand, we are still prepared to cancel.

We are offering a risk free signup though: if the race is canceled or you need to pull out due to a sickness in your family, you can get a full refund, a free entry into a future race, or choose to donate the entry fee to operational costs. For those who were registered for Vertfest last year and rolled over your transfer, I will get an email out to you next week with a code to use during registration for either Vertfest or Crystal.

Our full list of our mitigations are listed on our Covid-19 page, but here are some of the larger impacts:

• At this time, only Washingtonians will be allowed to enter the race to limit out of state travel.

• No packet pickup, mass wave start, afterparty, beer garden, or awards ceremony. This obviously takes away a lot of the fun aspects, but you know obviously why this can’t happen. But at least we get to race!

• We will still have day of registration, but it will be via your mobile device. The same registration website will be open until the race start. Bib numbers will be written on your helmet with athletic tape and a sharpie.

• Tshirts and schwag will be awarded once you cross the finish line. Category awards will be tabulated and mailed out after the race.

Crystal Skimo Race: March 21st, 2021

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
Crystal Skimo Race is back! This was the last event a lot of us attended in 2020 before all the local and national shutdowns. Crystal is super excited to host us again for the third year of the SnowGoat Crystal Skimo Race on March 21st of 2021. A big change in 2021 is no mass start for each distance. Racers will be starting in waves of 10 or fewer races 5 minutes apart. Racer waves will be based off expected finish within the pack, which is collected as part of registration. Racer waves will be sent out Friday morning, 3/19/21. Registration via the Webscorer link will stay open until the race start Sunday morning, but any registrations after Friday morning will be slotted into the last wave.

Vertfest: March 6th, 2021

Covid times have been a great time for trying new things and thinking outside the box. We will be applying that mindset to trying something new for Vertfest 2021. The race format is still being finalized with the Summit of Snoqualmie, but just know to reserve March 6th on your calendars! We aim to have everything proofed and registration open on February 1st.

Loup Loup Rando Race:

After much deliberation in the early season, Alison and I decided to cancel the Loup Loup Rando Race for 2021. With such uncertainly surrounding Covid-19 and our acute awareness of protecting not only our small community here in the Methow but also all of our racers and their families, it seemed the most responsible move to make. We so appreciate all of you who have helped us build this race into a great event over the last four years, and please know that we fully intend on returning to it with a full head of steam in 2022! Until then, train well and be healthy.
-Sam and Alison Naney of Cascade Endurance, Race Directors of Loup Loup Rando Race

We Still Need Volunteers!

With all the changes this year, we are still formalizing the new routes and what volunteers we will need, but one thing is still for certain: We will need you! Please fill out the Google Form at the link below to let us know you can volunteer and in what capacity. I know you are happy to volunteer from the kindness of your heart, but you’ll still earn a free entry to a future race plus some sweet SnowGoat gear. This year we are appropriately making SnowGoat Skimo branded masks from Outdoor Research!

2021 Skimo Season Update

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.

Registration Open For All Three Races!

Registration open for Vertfest and Crystal Skimo Race!

I know it’s taken a bit of time to nail down some of the details for the races, which has delayed in us getting registrations open. Thank you for being patient! You can now register for all three of the races at the following links. What a great Christmas present to yourself! Or your significant other! A nice sufferfest is what everyone wants in their stocking Christmas morning, right?

Keep reading past the dates though, as we have lots of additional news that will both make you sad and happy.

Loup Loup Rando Race / January 25th 2020
Crystal Skimo Race / March 1st 2020
Vertfest / March 21st 2020

Here’s a snowy welcome to our 2020 Billy Goat Sponsors, Nikwax and Camp USA!

We are super excited (not just for all this new snow!) that two fantastic companies who have chosen to support local skimo. Especially relevant since Nikwax is located right here in Seattle!

We’ll tell you more about Camp USA in our post holiday email, but just as a teaser, they’ll be offering racers 25% off all of their skimo race gear after the New Year.

Nikwax cleaning and waterproofing products extend the performance life of technical clothing, footwear and equipment. From safely cleaning, to re-waterproofing, each care product helps you stay more comfortable outdoors. Nikwax products have always been produced without using PFCs (a common ingredient in most water-repellent finishes) because Nikwax believes in producing high performance waterproofing that is environmentally friendly and safe to use in the home.

Raffle and Benefactors

Nikwax and Camp USA aren’t the only two brands who have chosen to support SnowGoat Skimo! There’s a whole slew of others who are just as excited as we are to see these races grow.. The gear donated from them will be raffled away during our post race celebration. 100% of all proceeds from the raffle will be going towards a local organization that is also about supporting uphill travel. For Crystal, we have chosen to partner with the Cascade Mountain Rescue Dogs and for Vertfest, of course, we will be continuing to support NWAC! All racers and volunteers will receive one starter ticket to the raffle, but open up those pocket books, support uphill travel, and win some super great gear!

Which category should I sign up for?

We realized last year the Heavy Mettle (HM) category of frame bindings, tele, and splitboarders (we’re calling it Splitmo now!) was a bit restrictive. Really not that many people doing a skimo race on frame bindings, even in the Rec Distance. So we are expanding the criteria for the HM category. This year, it will be anyone racing on a boot with three or more buckles. This includes a lot of the “general backcountry touring” crowd. We chose this criteria since it is easily identifiable and generally someone with a three buckle boot isn’t racing to be on the podium.

We also figured anyone who is serious enough to have a skin suit and racing skis is probably not going to be racing the Rec distance, we didn’t need the Heavy Mettle category in that distance. We realize there could be a few people who aren’t so jazzed on these category changes, but we are trying to find the best solution for everyone. The races are small still, and if we opened up a whole bunch of categories, they would become meaningless since everyone would be a winner.

But wait, what happened to the Stevens race you we heard about?

So some bad news. After months (years, really) of discussing with Stevens Pass about a premiere skimo event there, it was canceled for 2020. Being completely transparent, their events staff is totally on board with wanting to see a race take off there and was really helping us push the event through. However, the corporate entities at Vail were not quite so sure yet and are skeptical of the value of committing resources to host a race there. Obviously we all know there is a lot of value! On your next visit to Stevens, I encourage you to positively converse with any employee you encounter about how great a skimo race would be there! We can let them know how many uphill skiers still lift ski too!

Skimo Party and Race Dates Update

Gearing up for a 2020 season of skiing!

Ah, November has arrived. The month of rain and darkness by 5pm. The month of either holing up to rest and recover from all the summer adventures or taking a vacation to the desert. But either way, we are dreaming of skiing, or more likely, have been skiing some of these early season goods! Also, we have a party planned at Pro Ski in a few weeks (read below).

Race Dates

We want to thank you for your patience while we are figuring out the race dates for the 2020 season. The races wouldn’t be possible without the support of the local ski resorts and we want to thank them for the partnership in hosting the events. They have their own event and operational schedules and need to see where an uphill crusher race can fit in. As soon as we have it confirmed, we will let everyone know and get registrations open!

BUT, you can rest well knowing you can get LOUPY at the Loup Loup Rando Race, confirmed date of January 25th, 2020. Whether you want to race the 1,300’ vertical course for one hour or four, there will be plenty of suffering to go around. Vertfest will be back, possibly with a new date, as will the Crystal Mountain Skimo Race and one new race too.

Now, about that Party!

In conjunction with the Snoqualmie Pass Beer Leaguers, we are having a Skimo Celebration at Pro Ski and Mountain Service’s new shop in North Bend on November 13th. Recently Pro Ski moved out from their small storefront into a much larger facility, so they have room for so many more toys! We will also be hosting a group trail run up Teneriffe’s Kamikaze Trail before the party, so you’ll have a chance to earn your beers. Meet at the new Teneriffe Trailhead at 3:00pm; party at Pro Ski at 7:00pm. Dynafit and Scarpa will be there showing off some of their new fancy gear for this winter. Pro Ski will be offering 15% off skimo specific skis, boots, and bindings just this night, so if you’ve been on the fence for getting a setup for the next season, it’ll be hard to match that along with the customer service to fit the boot and nail the binding mount.

Other Random News

We are changing the pricing structure for Vertfest and Crystal Mountain registrations. In the past, there were two prices; if you had a season pass and if you didn’t. The resorts received revenue from these sales of extra tickets, which was part of their incentive to host the event. We feel it’s a bit more fair to all parties if we utilize a more typical standardized system. Snow Goat will reimburse the resort a portion of each signup in addition to an overall event fee. So what that means to you, is one standardized price per distance, regardless if you have a season pass or not!

And, as a Veteran owned and operated company, we are proud to offer a military and first responder discount.

Lastly, race results and photos from the 2019 season can be found here.

Crystal/Loup Loup Registration Open

Welcome to Snow Goat Skimo!

As passionate uphill ski enthusiasts and racers ourselves, we are excited to bring an injection of the skimo stoke to the Pacific Northwest. Our mission is to help build the community of uphill skiers and snowboarders, challenge ourselves, and have fun. This is your herd.

Two races in the series just opened registration today, Crystal Mountain Skimo Race and Loup Loup Randonee Race. Read more about them and the others below!

Crystal Mountain Skimo Race: March 31, 2019

A brand new race for 2019! Crystal Mountain has been extremely welcoming with bringing a skimo race to their fantastically fun resort. The course will be confirmed once we’ve had some snow and can check out our proposed course with their patrol. But, it will involve some skinning, steep bootpacking, and hard skiing terrain for the Race Category! The Recreation Category will eliminate the bootpacking and extreme skiing for those trying it out. Crystal is offering discounted lift tickets for racers and their family.

Loup Loup Randonee Race: Feb 2, 2019

Our friends over in the Methow, Cascade Endurance, have been putting on the Loup Loup Rando Race now for a few years and it’s quickly growing to a crowd favorite. Do the 1,300’ loop once, twice, or as many times as you can in four hours. The skiing is no harder than an intermediate blue run, so no cliff hucking skills required. Registration prices go up December 1st, so don’t delay!

Stevens Pass Skimo Race: To Be Determined

Our main race of the season was planned to be held at Stevens Pass, a mountain we know very intimately. However, the sale of Stevens to Vail has put a few kinks into the planning phase of the race and delayed their ability to approve a race quite yet. We are planning for a race date of January 6th, but if we don’t have confirmation of the race by December 1st, we unfortunately are going to have to cancel or push it back.

If that is the case, we are hoping to plan a shorter Friday or Saturday night race later in the season, but are unsure if this will be approved either. We want to be an open book with where we sit, and as soon as we have any additional information, we will let you know!