XTERRA'S WINTER WORLDS AT 'BASIN
Wanna race? If so, XTERRA Winter World Championships are for you. It's a multi-stage mini-adventure race, no teams required; coming to Snowbasin, Utah, March 7-9. Stages include biking on snow, walking up the mountain and skiing down (mountaineering), running, and snowshoeing.
There's also the "Snowboard Scramble," a dash-for-cash where riders take the gondola to the top, climb up a nearby slope with their board, then do a LeMans style start where riders try to be the fastest to strap in and ride to a checkpoint down the trail for another required climb up and another LeMans start. There are three such checkpoints, and the first man and woman to cross the finish at Earl's Lodge will win $500 each.
There are kid's races and competitions, including snowman building. Organizers say there will be some exciting activity for every member of the family.
The big race, however, is the new four-stage event in which both elite athletes and weekend warriors compete for a $10,000 purse. The contest includes a 5K run and 10K bike ride on the packed powder of the Snowbasin Nordic trails, an 8K ski mountaineering leg where athletes climb up the mountain using climbing skis, skins or wax, then race down; followed by a 5K snowshoe leg in deep snow. It's a total test of endurance, and organizers say the event is "expected to draw endurance junkies from around the world."
There will be nightly parties with video of each day's events; along with free food and socializing. The event will be taped for a half hour television show to be shown later.
Entry fee for the full Winter World Championship is $50, $25 for the snowboard Dash For Cash, with various other fees for citizen's snowshoe and mountaineering races.
To register online, go to xterrawinter.com; or by phone, call (877) 751-8880.