Strong elite field for Boulder Tour

24th cross-country ski event is Saturday

Organizers of the 24th annual First Security Boulder Mountain Ski Tour are expecting a strong field of elite racers and over 700 cross-country skiers for the 30-kilometer race Saturday, Feb. 6 in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area.

The Fischer Salomon Factory Team has dominated the American Ski Marathon Series for three straight years. Fischer skiers will be out in full force for the 1999 Boulder Ski Tour, second event of the 11-race ASMS schedule.

Leading Fischer men due to compete are defending Boulder Tour king Carl Swenson, 1996 winner Ben Husaby, Trond Nystad, Nathan Schultz and Erich Wilbrecht.

The Fischer women include 1992-93 queen Laura McCabe, Laura Wilson, Susan DiBiase and Sonya Stoklosa.

Former Dartmouth All-American and 1998 Birkebeiner men’s winner Swenson won the overall ASMS championship last winter along with Stoklosa of Purdue University.

This year, the ASMS overall title will be determined by the best three-of-four select races in the series—the Jan. 10 Craftsbury Marathon in Vermont, the Boulder Mountain Ski Tour, the Minnesota Finlandia Feb. 20 and Tour of Anchorage March 6.

Swenson won the 50k Craftsbury Marathon in 2.38:34 and Kelly Ann Schalk topped the women in 3.08:00, good for 16th place overall. And those two are the reigning and returning Boulder Mountain Ski Tour champions.

Fischer skiers will give three clinics in conjunction with their visit to Ketchum. Free pre-race clinics will be Friday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. at The Elephant’s Perch in Ketchum, and 4 p.m. Friday at Backwoods Mountain Sports, Ketchum.

Sunday, the Factory Team is offering a free on-snow clinic at 10 a.m. at Galena Lodge. Galena is the staging area for both Saturday’s Boulder Mountain Tour and Sunday’s fourth annual First Security Cross-Country Ski Festival.

Saturday’s wave start in Senate Meadows near Galena Lodge begins at 10 a.m. The fastest skiers begin arriving at the finish area near the SNRA headquarters about 11:10 a.m.

Participants must ride shuttle buses from Ketchum to the race start. There is no parking at Galena Lodge. The awards party is Saturday from 5:30-7 p.m. in the Limelight Room of Sun Valley Inn.

Last year, there were 683 registered skiers—fourth-largest field in history—and 638 skiers went the distance.

First-time winners were 23-year-old Univ. of Wyoming grad student Schalk (1.28:05.7) and Swenson, 27, of N. Conway, N.H. (1.16:45.3).