Winter athletes of all genres will descend on the town of Vail, Colorado, this weekend February 9-12th for the inaugural Winter Teva Mountain Games presented by Eddie Bauer. The Vail Valley Foundation seized on the success of the wildly popular summer event and modeled the winter version of the games after its seasonal counterpart.
Over the four days athletes will be showcasing their talents snow biking, ice climbing, telemark skiing, ski mountaineer racing, snowshoeing, running, dog events and Nordic racing. As if that is not enough, hard core athletes can participate in the "Ultimate Mountain Challenge" a division requiring racers to complete three grueling events over the course of the weekend. Prizes for all events total $60,000 and have drawn professional competitors from all over the country. In addition to athletic events the games will also offer free concerts, parties and art events all to be held in the Vail Village.
On Friday night a specially designed spectator friendly ice and rock wall structure has been designed for elite mixed climbers to test their speed and agility. Saturday night under the lights will feature "Free Heels and Wheels" presented by Chipotle. Professional telemarkers and snow bikers will compete in a one of a kind "trick" session. Competitors in both events, the Teva Best Trick Bike by Thule and the Thule Telemark Big Air will take turns hitting a snow feature while competing for cash prizes. Snow bikers will also be able to take part in a first ever snow criterium.
The Ultimate Mountain Challenge will feature multi-talented athletes who will compete in the Nordic 10k on Friday, the Eddie Bauer Ski Mountaineering Race on Saturday and the Bud Light Uphill on Monday. "The Uphill is one of the most popular events in Vail," explains race organizer and accomplished mountaineer Ellen Miller. "We are thrilled it's going to be part of the Games and since you can pick your grip (meaning you can chose your uphill method) no special skills or gear are required." Superstar athletes like national winter triathlon champion Brian Smith, world champion adventure racer Mike Kloser, professional cyclist and ski mountaineer Sari Anderson, elite runner Stevie Kremer, USA Trail Running team member Megan Kimmel and Morgan Smyth, the U.S. National Nordic Champion, are expected to duel it out for the UMC title in the male and female catagories.
Another first for the Vail resort will be the addition of the Eddie Bauer Ski Mountaineering race. The ski mountaineering event has three different course distances to suit all levels. The recreation, advanced and elite divisions will all begin at the Lionshead Plaza. Racers will kick off the climb up the front of Vai by first running around the plaza with skis in hand before clicking in and getting to work. The race is part of the Colorado Ski Mounatineering Cup and is the richest ski mountaineering race in America with the elite division vying for a $5000 cash purse. Chief of Course and COSMIC founder Pete Swensen is excited to have the chance to bring ski mountaineer racing to the games. "This event is new for a lot of people and it's exiciting to be to able to reach out to a new audience and promote the sport." says Swensen. The winning time for the elite course is expected to be around four and a half hours giving spectators numerous opportunites to cheer for racers on course. For more information on the Teva Winter Games click here.
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