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Vail Rec District hosts first-ever skimo race event at Arrowhead

Racers depart the start gate in Arrowhead at the Vail Grail Winter Race Series on Jan. 19. The series will continue Feb. 16 with the Vail Mountain Uphill.
Vail Rec District photo

The Vail Recreation District’s winter race series expanded into Beaver Creek on Sunday with an with an uphill and ski mountaineering competition.

Ski mountaineering, or skimo, has been increasing in popularity in recent years; the competition combines both an ascent and descent to determine a victor. Competitors use Alpine touring skis or splitboards.

Winner Sylvan Ellefson, a local cross-country skier who was national champion in the 30K freestyle in 2014, said Sunday’s race was the first true skimo competition he ever enjoyed in the Vail area.



“I’m glad they got to do it in Arrowhead, what a great spot to do it,” he said. “Location, parking, ease of access — everything was really well done.”

Ellefson was a winner of the Skimeister competition during his sophomore year at Vail Mountain School in 2003. The Skimeister competition combines results in both Alpine and Nordic to determine the best overall skier at the high school level.

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The climb was approximately 1,700 vertical feet and just less than 2 miles from the base of Arrowhead Village up Cresta and Pow Wow to the top of Arrow Bahn Express Lift. The downhill route was on Golden Bear. 

The Beaver Creek Uphill and Skimo was the first race in the three-part Bloch and Chapleau Vail Grail Winter Race Series. The series will continue Feb. 16 with the Vail Mountain Uphill, and it will conclude with the Krueger Family Shamrock Shuffle on March 14. Results will be available online.

Skimo results by place

Top Total Place Place

Place Bib Name Age Sex Time Time In Sex Division In Div

1. 664 Sylvan Ellefson 33 M 28:24 31:34 1st 30 to 39 1st

2. 656 Mike Kloser 60 M 29:15 32:00 2nd 60 to 69 1st

3. 662 Michael Hand 30 M 29:09 32:00 3rd 30 to 39 2nd

4. 655 Kyle Wilcox 34 M 30:38 34:21 4th 30 to 39 3rd

5. 629 Eugenio Perez 39 M 30:44 34:39 5th 30 to 39 4th

6. 649 Andrew Letherby 48 M 30:16 35:09 6th 40 to 49 1st

7. 626 Taff Dirks 34 M 31:15 35:30 7th 30 to 39 5th

8. 638 Mike Trueblood 50 M 33:28 37:35 8th 50 to 59 1st

9. 660 Bruce Hayes 46 M 34:26 37:37 9th 40 to 49 2nd

10. 661 Marina Hand 31 *F* 34:20 38:30 1st 30 to 39 1st

11. 635 Lisa Tunninello 50 *F* 35:23 41:17 2nd 50 to 59 1st

12. 668 Dan Timm 55 M 37:25 41:36 10th 50 to 59 2nd

13. 609 Heather Pugh 29 *F* 36:41 42:53 3rd 20 to 29 1st

14. 642 Lewis Perna 47 M 36:42 43:47 11th 40 to 49 3rd

15. 671 Tj Voboril 39 M 38:26 44:17 12th 30 to 39 6th

16. 640 Julie Morrow 48 *F* 40:29 44:21 4th 40 to 49 1st

17. 624 Jonathan Zeschin 34 M 39:56 44:44 13th 30 to 39 7th

18. 675 Daniel Lyons 50 M 39:39 44:49 14th 50 to 59 3rd

19. 631 Hayden Krueger 15 M 40:43 45:07 15th 19 & under 1st

20. 641 Paul Gotthelf 67 M 39:33 46:00 16th 60 to 69 2nd

21. 603 Marie-Christine Carel 55 *F* 40:05 46:13 5th 50 to 59 2nd

22. 653 Karl Krueger 52 M 37:27 46:45 17th 50 to 59 4th

23. 637 Christopher Brandl 32 M 43:28 47:50 18th 30 to 39 8th

24. 613 Cait Boyd 48 *F* 45:04 49:31 6th 40 to 49 2nd

25. 617 Celynn McClarrinon 49 *F* 44:51 49:40 7th 40 to 49 3rd

26. 600 Chris Aubel 59 M 47:09 52:04 19th 50 to 59 5th

27. 619 Ellen Miller 60 *F* 46:56 53:26 8th 60 to 69 1st

28. 628 Luis Aguilera 42 M 46:24 53:44 20th 40 to 49 4th

29. 632 Pavan Krueger 50 *F* 47:50 53:45 9th 50 to 59 3rd

30. 606 Jill Lau 29 *F* 50:50 59:58 10th 20 to 29 2nd

31. 658 Tracie Rupert 38 *F* 53:12 1:01:08 11th 30 to 39 2nd

32. 602 Edgard Cabanillas 47 M 55:29 1:03:42 21st 40 to 49 5th

33. 601 Joyce Benson 59 *F* 58:05 1:07:10 12th 50 to 59 4th

34. 610 Savannah Shifrin 27 *F* 58:20 1:07:14 13th 20 to 29 3rd

35. 630 Jeffrey Geller 38 M 1:00:12 1:08:21 22nd 30 to 39 9th

36. 659 Justin Compton 40 M 1:15:25 1:24:31 23rd 40 to 49 6th

Uphill open results by place

Place Place

Place Bib Name Age Sex Time In Sex Division In Div

1. 608 Jason Platt 39 M 28:28 1st 30 to 39 1st

2. 615 Davis Krueger 17 M 29:32 2nd 19 & under 1st

3. 667 Dan Nielson 58 M 30:19 3rd 50 to 59 1st

4. 604 Jimmy Daly 33 M 31:51 4th 30 to 39 2nd

5. 625 Mark Pribramsky 50 M 32:11 5th 50 to 59 2nd

6. 612 Rec Vertuca 43 M 32:44 6th 40 to 49 1st

7. 611 Jim Telling 61 M 33:07 7th 60 to 69 1st

8. 676 Kevin Andrus 44 M 33:37 8th 40 to 49 2nd

9. 669 Matt Johnson 52 M 34:07 9th 50 to 59 3rd

10. 673 Courtney Knott 31 *F* 34:36 1st 30 to 39 1st

11. 618 Scott McClarrinon 50 M 35:24 10th 50 to 59 4th

12. 633 Karl Edgerton 57 M 36:02 11th 50 to 59 5th

13. 644 Gavin Richardson 51 M 39:03 12th 50 to 59 6th

14. 657 Carrie Assell 40 *F* 39:30 2nd 40 to 49 1st

15. 607 Danielle McNair 42 *F* 39:58 3rd 40 to 49 2nd

16. 650 Kim Fuller 33 *F* 41:09 4th 30 to 39 2nd

17. 654 Sue Bardsley 58 *F* 41:17 5th 50 to 59 1st

18. 648 Trina Richey 57 *F* 42:42 6th 50 to 59 2nd

19. 643 Carrie Larson 51 *F* 43:19 7th 50 to 59 3rd

20. 652 Cassie Scales 33 *F* 43:57 8th 30 to 39 3rd

21. 646 Kelly Daly 32 *F* 45:34 9th 30 to 39 4th

22. 616 John Krueger 55 M 46:42 13th 50 to 59 7th

23. 651 Matthew Lee 37 M 47:34 14th 30 to 39 3rd

24. 647 Michael Richey 54 M 49:54 15th 50 to 59 8th

25. 670 Christian Garcia 40 M 52:38 16th 40 to 49 3rd

26. 605 Shelley Hall 57 *F* 58:17 10th 50 to 59 4th

27. 623 Marlin Smickley 81 M 1:05:44 17th 70 & over 1st

Uphill ski results by place

Place Place

Place Bib Name Age Sex Time In Sex Division In Div

1. 663 Corrie Crane 42 *F* 39:15 1st 40 to 49 1st

2. 672 Tim Mt Pleasant 35 M 39:34 1st 30 to 39 1st

3. 645 Brad Zoller 42 M 42:11 2nd 40 to 49 1st

4. 634 Jennifer Sommer 37 *F* 43:46 2nd 30 to 39 1st

5. 636 Jesse Sommer 62 M 44:29 3rd 60 to 69 1st

6. 639 John Robb 50 M 47:55 4th 50 to 59 1st

Uphill splitboard results by place

Place Place

Place Bib Name Age Sex Time In Sex Division In Div

1. 674 Nick Kierstead 26 *F* 36:19 1st 20 to 29 1st


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