Aspen-bound: 19th Annual Grand Traverse Is A Go

Ed Note: At 9 p.m. on Friday, March 25—following the publication of this story—race organizers called for a last minute Grand Reverse due to unforeseen high avalanche danger and low visibility. Racers were notified via social media and e-mail prior to the sendoff.

“Might as well cut to the chase,” Grand Traverse Race Director Andrew Arell said to begin this year’s pre-race meeting. “We’re going over to Aspen!” With that, the 550 racers packed into Crested Butte’s Grand Ballroom at Mountaineer Square erupted with applause and cheers.

High winds earlier in the week and new snow predicted for tonight had sparked rumors about the status of this year’s race—would the 225 two-person teams follow the traditional course, leaving Crested Butte at midnight tonight and racing 40 miles to Aspen? Or would severe weather and high avalanche danger necessitate a Grand Reverse, the infamous reroute turning racers back to Crested Butte at the Friends Hut?

“If the weather plays out as forecasted, we’ll have the window we need,” perennial frontrunner Marshall Thomson said yesterday during gear check. And according to the Friends Hut Field Team, stationed along the course and observing weather and avalanche conditions since Monday, that window will be enough for the 19^th running of the race across Colorado’s Elk Mountains.

“It’s been one of the most complicated forecasts to figure out,” Crested Butte patroller Eric “H” Baumm told the crowd. “We’re happy to send you to Aspen.” Temperatures overnight during the race, Baumm added, will dip into the single digits.

As for the snow and wind, race organizer Ian Hatchett said skiers can expect six to eight inches of fresh snow by the time they reach Taylor Pass, considered one of the most desolate and barren portions of the course. Hatchett encouraged teams to work together while crossing this landscape, noting that the race will largely take place during the storm. “The big news is the wind,” he added, noting that “The Big W” will remain calm through the night and until dawn, at which point it will pick up throughout Saturday, leaving slower teams wind battered.

“Would you implement an impromptu Reverse?” a racer asked toward the end of this afternoon’s meeting. “No,” Race Director Arell replied to cheers from a crowd fully thrilled for their midnight departure to Aspen.

Ed Note: At 9 p.m. on Friday, March 25—following the publication of this story—race organizers called for a last minute Grand Reverse due to unforeseen high avalanche danger and low visibility. Racers were notified via social media and e-mail prior to the sendoff.

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Find updates throughout the race on Twitter and Instagram and track teams live at elkmountainstraverse.com.