Advanced, intermediate, and intermediate 12 and under courses are available, so everyone from the toughest competitors to family's can enjoy fair competition. My friend Debbie and I chose to compete in the intermediate course for a number of reasons.
1) The hike on the advanced course looked awful. Really.
2) Both of us had only been to PCMR a few times, so we had no real game plan or strategy in place.
3) We at least wanted a chance at getting a medal.
But our day didn't begin well when I realized upon arrival that I'd forgotten my boots at home. I ended up having to rent, and I knew the different fit and feel would make riding my best difficult.
We proceeded to check-in and everything improved when we enjoyed complimentary muffins, coffee, and orange juice while studying the resort map and creating a game plan.
I hoped to replicate last year's success when my team came in third and received medals! But sadly, we didn't place this year. Early on in the day, we thought we stood a chance. Then we couldn't find a checkpoint sign and had to repeat it three times to locate it! The biggest bummer? Our GPS device still claims we missed this one, even though we both touched the pole to make sure it marked us!
While we didn't win, we came in at the top in a few categories. Unfortunately, these categories show that we didn't plan well and traveled a lot further than actually necessary! We ranked first in vertical feet (ascending and descending) at 51,110. In contrast, the winning team in intermediate traveled just 35,076 feet. The OSG team ranked second in distance traveled at 49 miles. Powder Parents (the winners) traveled just 37.38 miles. As for time, Powder Parents came in at 1 hour 47 minutes. Our time isn't showing because it claims we didn't finish the course, but we'll guesstimate it at 2 hours 45 minutes.
Despite our somewhat dismal results, we had a blast exploring the mountain and enjoying a day of warm, sunny conditions. PCMR is the perfect place to ride on a spring-like day and the snow was perfectly slushy. Our faces even got a nice tan.
After the race we filled up on huge salads at Legacy Lodge Salad Bar. This is some of my favorite ski resort food in terms of deliciousness and health, and I appreciate the flat price ($11.95) instead of weighing your plate. We enjoyed our meal out on the patio during the awards ceremony.
Medals were handed out to winning teams, and a slew of Helly Hansen gear was given to lucky battlers. Winning teams won credit for Helly Hansen outfits!Then came the grand prize drawing: TWO SEASON PASSES TO PCMR. I was blown away when I heard my name called out as the winner of the first one! Woo hoo! I have won prizes before, but never something on this scale!
After the drawing, exhausted and sunburned, we left the resort and drove back to Salt Lake. But next year we'll be back to compete in the BMB with a goal to reclaim our third place throne!
Thanks to Helly Hansen for inviting us to participate (again) in this great event, and to PCMR for hosting and selecting me as the winner of a season pass! See you in 2014!
Here are the results from The Park City Big Mountain Battle. Congrats to all the winners!
Advanced
1. Honey Badgers, 1:54:08, Jeff Easter and Brian Moran
2. Tower 13 Miners, 2:00:53, Jill Johnson and Brett Peretti
3. Eagle Squad, 2:05:06, Rocky Ross and James Saarela
Intermediate
1. Powder Parents, 1:47:41, Elliot Eten and Elissa Eten
2. Bogey and the Swag Lobster, 1:51:32, Jacob Ball and Harry Stone
3. Abominal TuckerS, 1:44:04, Scott Tucker and Jacob Tucker
12 & Under
1. Snowy Owls, 1:53:37, Andrew Mayes and Danielle Mayes
2. Bucky on Ice, 2:09:57, Ellie Nichols and Scott Nichols
3. N8Dog, 2:10:31, Brad Rust and Nate Rust
Fastest Hike
Jeff Easter, 5:04
Want in on this race? Visit the Big Mountain Battle website for information on next year's event.
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