This past weekend, a bunch of the BSF Pro team drove out to Sun Valley, Idaho to race the Boulder Mountain Tour (BMT). The BMT is a 30 kilometer, point to point race starting in Galena and ending down valley towards Ketchum. This race is unique, in that it is a net-downhill course which is something we don’t typically encounter as Nordic skiers. The race begins with some climbing and rolling terrain for the first 5-10k and then is pretty much all gradual downhill for the remaining 20k with the exception of a few hills.
In the women’s’ race, we skied as a pack of six for the first part of the course. At around the halfway point, our pack split, with two of the skiers (Mariah and Annika) making a big move and pulling away from the rest of us. For the remainder of the race, I skied alongside my teammates Erin and Sarah, as well as a former Sun Valley athlete, Katie Feldman as we tried to chase the leaders. Our pack of four stayed together for the rest of the race and ended in a sprint finish with Sarah landing the third-place spot.
Win or lose, the Boulder Mountain Tour is always such a fun event.Our team spends most of the winter racing Super Tours or World Cup races, so havingthe opportunity to hop into a community event is always such a fun change of pace at this point of the season! One of my favorite parts of citizen races is the amazing environment at the finish line. Whether you’re a professional skier or a beginner, an 80-year-old or a 14-year-old, everyone comes together as one ski community at the finish line. You hear people cheering on their friends,swapping race stories, and complaining about their bad wax together. You see multiple generations of a family waiting in line to get soup, amazing volunteers arrangingcookie spreads, and lots of skiers enjoying 11am celebratory beers. No matter your age, ski ability, or background, the shared experience of a community race like the BMT bonds people together in such a unique way. These races always bring me back to the roots of why I love skiing and leave me remembering that the community is what it’s all about!
