You never know about the weather, but three things are certain about Saturday's 35th Wells Fargo Boulder Mountain Ski Tour north of Ketchum.
There will be a slew of top-level Elite skiers here. Secondly, it will be well organized. And third, hundreds of citizen skiers will return to one of the country's most scenic courses.
And there are three new wrinkles for 2010 Boulder. For the first time it's the centerpiece of the Sun Valley Nordic Festival. Added this year is a new 15-kilometer Half Boulder Tour. And organizers will use timing chips for the first time.
"I'd say the course is looking better than last year," Kevin Swigert, race director of the 2010 Boulder Ski Tour, said Saturday about the 32-kilometer trail in the Sawtooth National Recreation Area.
He said, "Eric Rector of Blaine County Recreation District has been raving about the course. The condition of the snow and the way it has come a little at a time has been great. The weather does look unsettled, but hopefully the temperatures will stay up during the days to consolidate things and it will freeze at night."
As of Saturday, Swigert said he had 722 Boulder Tour entries including 92 in the Half Boulder. He expected the 32k Boulder field to nearly reach the maximum of 800 skiers by Race Day. The limit for the 15k Half Boulder is 125, he said.
The quality of skiers should remain high, Swigert added.
"Last year we had probably the strongest Elite field of any marathon in the country. And we're expecting a strong field again, including the entire University of Utah ski team. We should be very strong in 3rd Wave men and our variety of women racers," he said.
Skiers from 23 states will be represented in the Boulder, centerpiece of the Sun Valley Nordic Festival.
A three-time Boulder Tour winner, Swigert was a prime mover behind the festival and is happy with the results. "We have a good, solid group of people who have come together to enhance the period around the Boulder. And the Ketchum/Sun Valley Chamber has been tremendous," he said.
"For years we have been talking about making something big for the week of the Boulder. The idea was to take a number of events already in existence and make them part of a Nordic Festival. And it has worked out great that there is a nine-day, $49 trail pass being offered that literally covers every inch of our trails."
Last year there were 689 skiers ages 9-82 finishing the 19.8-mile freestyle ski tour from Galena Lodge's Senate Meadows to the SNRA headquarters eight miles north of Ketchum. Winning were Zack Simons, 27, of Park City, Utah in 1.10:55 and Rebecca Dussault, 28, of Colorado in 1.16:45. It was Dussault's second Boulder victory.
Fastest skiers will arrive at the finish line shortly after 11 a.m. Saturday. Visit bouldermountaintour.com to get race results by midday Saturday. Here's an outline of Boulder Tour related activities:
Friday, Feb. 5: The Wells Fargo Boulder Mountain Tour Expo will be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Wood River Community YMCA at Warm Springs and Saddle roads.
There, racers will pick up their bibs and BMT clothing bags. They'll learn about wave seeding and find souvenirs and promotional materials.
Course inspection will be allowed Friday at no charge until 4 p.m., when the race course will be closed.
Saturday, Feb. 6: Shuttle buses to Galena Lodge from the Hemingway Elementary School parking lot in Ketchum start at 7 a.m.
Traffic headed north to Stanley can still get through, but no private cars are allowed at Galena Lodge without an Officials Parking Permit. Drop-offs are allowed one-quarter mile south of the lodge. Buses back to Ketchum leave from the SNRA.
The 32k event starts at 10 a.m. from Senate Meadows. The 15k (9.3-mile) Half Boulder begins about 10:50 a.m. from Baker Creek, after the 4th Wave of Full Boulder racers pass through. "We'll have a lot of kids and first-timers in the Half Boulder," said Swigert.
The post-race awards ceremony will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Limelight Room of Sun Valley Inn. Each entry includes one raffle ticket. You must be present to win. There will be a large number of raffle prizes including skis, boots and bindings.
After the awards ceremony, participants are encouraged to support the restaurant community and enjoy dinner on the town.
