UPHILL/DOWNHILL CHALLENGE

Bringing Together the Weak, Strong and the Thirsty…

2P Monday, January 30, 2012
Winter Park Resort, Colorado
Register Here

On January 30 at 2P in the mountains of Colorado, industry teams of three will skin 1,700 feet up a marked track at Winter Park Resort to the Sunspot Lodge, remove skins from skis or splitboard or remove snowshoes or ascension skis then descend a marked course down a bump run, through the glades to more bumps, to the base area finish. Individual Elite/COSMIC racers (likely a US Ski Mountaineering team member) will take an additional lap for a total of 2400’ vertical feet. An award ceremony will be held at 4P at West Portal Station Winter Park base area. A raffle will be held at the award ceremony that benefits the US Ski Mountaineering team. If you would like to donate products for the raffle, please click here.

Entry into the Uphill/Downhill Challenge is free; however, contributions to USSMA are appreciated and encouraged. For rules and entry form, click here or email Pete Swenson of USSMA at ussmaski@gmail.com. Participants can also register the day of the race by 12:00 noon at the SCARPA On-Snow Demo booth.

Prizes – The fastest Elite/COSMIC racer wins a pair of SKI TRAB skis and the fastest individual from the Industry Team category will win a pair of SCARPA boots. There’s even a “Bean Counter Bonus” for Industry Teams with a CEO, President or Owner -- a five-minute handicap will be taken off their time.

"Although it sounds demanding, the Uphill/Downhill Challenge is a super participant-friendly event. Really, anyone can enter and enjoy a nice skin track up to the Sunspot Lodge and ski back down to the base area. The Challenge is also a ‘first-of-its-kind’ opportunity for many Americans to see randonee skiing at the highest level as members the US National Ski Mountaineering team will also be racing," said Pete Swenson, Director of the United States Ski Mountaineering Association.

“The race team concept is a perfect way to encourage camaraderie and collaboration more than competition, but let’s face it – some of us love to compete,” commented Kim Miller, SCARPA’s CEO.

SIA organized the Uphill/Downhill Challenge with support from a number of companies and individuals within the backcountry, randonee, splitboard and telemark communities. The Uphill/Downhill Challenge is a fundraiser for the US Ski Mountaineering team. You can help support the team with a contribution in the USSMA-labeled jar at the SCARPA booth. 
 

View Video and Photos from the 2011 SIA Uphill/Downhill Challenge: