Last Saturday April 9th for the second year in a row Breckenridge played host to The Five Peaks COSMIC race, a ski mountaineering race done in teams of two challenging competitors to climb to the summits of the resort's popular peaks.
Racers lined up at six am ready to tackle the 8,650 feet of elevation gain traversing peaks eight, seven and nine. Four climbs in total challenged game competitors. New technical sections were added this year to keep things exciting and in the spirit of traditional European racing.
This year the "fridge" did not disappoint with extreme weather but this time it wasn't the sub zero temps that kept racers on their toes, rather the 50 mph winds that greeted them on upper ridges and mountain tops.
The race was sponsored by the Breckenridge Outdoor Recreation Center, an organization committed to providing meaninful outdoor experiences to persons with special needs.
The men's team of Pete Gaston and Max Taam crushed the expected five hour time expectation and won the event in 3:36. Bryan Wickenhauser and Mike Kloser came in a close second battling a broken ski on the first descent. Sari Anderson and Jan Koles took the co-ed division title and 4th place over all with a time of 3:55. For the women Janelle Smiley and Eva Hagan led the way in 4:29.
Congratulations to all who participated. For full results click here. For photos courtesy of Kevin Krill, click here. For GPS information courtesy of Sari Anderson and Garmin Connect, click here. A big thanks to all the volunteers who made the day a success. The skimo season is not over with two more races remaining, the San Juans Rando and the Marmot Grind. Click here for more information on how to get involved.
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