Only 10 minutes separated the top two teams in the second stop of the Adventure Xstream Adventure Race Series circuit Saturday in Buena Vista as Team Salomon/Crested Butte won its second consecutive race in the four-person coed category over Team BagelWorks of Steamboat Springs. Consisting of Bryan Wickenhauser, Jon Brown, Brian Smith and Jari Kirkland, Salomon/Crested Butte finished in 8 hours, 53 minutes. Arriving at the final checkpoint only a few minutes behind, BagelWorks (Matt Hannon, Andrew Hamilton, Kyle Peter and Colleen Inhken) suffered mechanical problems on the final mountain bike descent to the finish and settled for a time of 9:03. Third place went to Team ARCoach.com/Timberland in 9:47.
A new addition to the Durango-produced Adventure Xstream series circuit, the 60-mile race course drew more than 250 competitors to the Arkansas River Valley, where they tested their skills in trail running, whitewater kayaking, mountain biking, orienteering and a 400-foot Tyrolean traverse in the 12-hour division. A 30-mile sprint course featured tests in kayaking, trail running, mountain biking and navigation.
The challenges of technical singletrack and sand on the 35-mile bike leg along with a difficult 30-flag orienteering course and relatively technical whitewater created what Kirkland described as the most difficult 12-hour race she had competed in, with the winning time a full two hours slower than anticipated.
Next up in the Adventure Xstream Adventure Race Series is the Durango 12- & 24-hour Adventure Xstream race June 16. The Durango 24-hour race is a points qualifier for the CheckpointTracker National Point Series.
For more info, visit www.CheckPointTracker.com.
KAYAKING: Jackson clan places second at Reno festival
The kayaking Jackson clan loves that top podium step, and the trio – Dane, Emily and dad Eric, who two weeks ago won his fourth world freestyle kayaking title – typically find their way to the loftiest perch every time they paddle. But last weekend, the triumvirate of paddling swept the second-place spots at the Reno River Festival, the fourth annual freestyle showdown on the Truckee River. Reno local and team Jackson Kayak paddler Jay Kincaid edged Eric Jackson – indirectly his boss – to take first in the men’s comp. The contest in the downtown Reno playpark usually offers a glimpse of what’s coming for Colorado’s Teva Games, FIBArk and Lyons festival.
Among the women in Reno, Aussie Tanya Faux – fresh off a bronze at the world freestyle championships in Ottawa and last year’s Reno champ – took gold. Emily Jackson took silver.
MOUNTAIN BIKING: Boulder duo eyes Trans Germany race
Boulder mountain bikers Brian Corff and Doug Schuler are finalists for an all expense-paid ticket to suffer this June and need your vote. Bike components-maker Race Face is sending a team to represent the company in the Trans Germany bike race, and the video submitted by Corff and Schuler, known as Team Dirtbag, is a finalist in the most-votes-wins contest. The race traverses Germany, from west to east, covering 500 miles and climbing nearly 60,000 vertical feet in eight stages. Click over to and watch the videos submitted for consideration. Voting ends Friday.
MOUNTAINEERING: Weather slams brakes on Mount Everest bids
A window of decent-but-not-ideal weather has triggered an exodus of summit-seekers on Mount Everest as hundreds of climbers evacuate Everest base camp for summit attempts. Denver school teacher Mike Haugen reported Monday in his blog (www.colemaneverest.com/coleman/everest/trackmike.htm) that he and climbing partner Casey Grom were going to wait until the weather improved a little more. Aspen’s Mike and Steve Marolt and Aspen mountaineer Jim Gile reported this week on Everestnews.com that they had summited and skied the 26,904-foot Cho Oyu and were recovering at Everest’s north-side base camp in preparation for skiing the mountain’s north side.
SKIING: DesLauriers lecture slated for Wednesday
Kit DesLauriers, the first person to ski from the top of the highest peak on each continent, will speak about her experiences Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Boulder Theater. DesLauriers, a two-time world champion freeskier from Jackson, Wyo., climbed and skied Mount Everest last October.
