The snow pelted me in the face as we zipped up the first pitch of the race and I thought to myself, “This is a perfect day for a skimo race”. Even as Breckenridge was being consumed by a snowstorm, it was hands-down the best weather The Five Peaks has seen in 3 years.
I like to think I am a relatively active person (I nordic a few times a week with a mix of snowboarding and a little sunrise skinning up peak 8) until I cover a skimo or ski mountaineering race.
Every year I am blown away by these incredibly fit humans in colorful spandex that are happy to ascend and descend (on skinny skis) 5 mountain peaks and exert enough effort to politely pass when offered a wind-breaker at 11,000 ft. during a snow storm. Hmmm ..
Just imagining yourself completing such a feat is exhausting.
The perception of ski mountaineering, or “skimo,” racing is that it is for the agro-fit, endurance type. But in recent years, the US skimo scene has transformed into a dynamic sporting arena. It’s becoming more technical for serious competitors yet increasingly more accessible for fitness-minded athletes who want more than a typical resort day.
See the Five Peaks Gallery at Climbbettybreck.Smugmug