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The 37th Annual Boulder Mountain Tour

Saturday was the 32nd Annual Boulder Mountain Tour and as with just about every year, this year’s race was filled with excitement, exhaustion, anticipation, fast racing, fun racing, and some perfectly blue Sun Valley skies. The BMT is the final event, the main event of the Sun Valley Nordic Festival in the town now known as Nordictown USA. The week is spattered with more cross-country skiing events than even the most-crazed Nordic lover might even have time for. There was a mini-race on the Sun Valley trails at the Sun Valley Nordic Center, the Community Library hosted lectures and talks from Nordic greats like Rick Kapala and Jim Galanes, there were waxing clinics, parties, concerts, a downtown jam, sprints and of course, the Boulder Mountain Tour and its unavoidable carnage.

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The Boulder Mountain Tour "carnage."

 

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This year’s 32-kilometer race (19.8 miles), which crosses six creeks and proves a challenge to some of the Nation’s best Nordic racers was slower than most years but just as epic as ever. For racers who came through the finish line worn-out, beat-up, spent and thrilled to have completed the beast of a marathon race, the carnage at the Boulder Mountain Tour lived up to expectations. As with most Nordic racers, the finish corral was full of spent athletes, almost running into each other, splayed on the snow, faces covered in sweat and snow. Some were immediately ready to celebrate; others needed a minute to catch their breath before reveling in their accomplishment. And of course, the Pro racers were as thrilling as ever to watch.

The overall winner, Matthew Liebsch from Minnesota, finished a full 15 seconds ahead of the rest of the men’s pack, so while he had a few breathers to relish his win as he crossed the finish line, everyone else was pushing to the finish. His final time was 1:13.34. Rounding out the men’s podium was Alaska’s Lars Flora in second and Nils Koons in third. Ketchum resident and Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF) Gold Team Member Matt Gelso finished in fifth place, less than 20 seconds off the lead. Another young SVSEF athlete, 18 year-old Kevin Bolger finished an impressive tenth. Also posting notable finishes were SVSEF Nordic Coach, Chris Mallory, who finished 28th overall and SVSEF alum David Vanderpool who finished 63rd and won the third wave of racers.

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Race winner, Matthew Liebsch coasts to the finish. (Center photo)

 

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The women’s finish, on the other hand, was an exciting one, with the lead pack containing SVSEF Gold Team Members Morgan Arritola and Chelsea Holmes. Their race came down to the finish with Rebecca Dussault from Colorado (finishing in 1:18.13) just edging them out and finishing first for the women, 20th overall. But our local girls rounded out the podium with Morgan finishing second and Chelsea third. Also finishing with great races were SVSEF coaches Ashley McQueen, Abbie Harris and Kristen Monahan who all finished in the top 100, VAMPS coach and former Nordic racer Brooke Hovey who finished 55th overall and Jessica Wasilewski from the Sun Valley Ski Academy who completed her very first BMT in the top half of the finishers!

But for some racers, it wasn’t about the race, the carnage, the time at the finish line or the overall result. For most, and really probably all of the skiers, it was really about the accomplishment of finishing a race like the Boulder, surrounded by the mountains we all love, under the blue sky we all worship, in Nordictown USA. Racers like Charley French, who at 85 years old finished the 32nd Annual Boulder Mountain Tour in 2:29.57.

All the finishing times can be viewed here: www.bouldermountaintour.com/results