More than 300 competitors toed the starting line Sunday morning for the 31st annual Vail Hill Climb, a footrace up Vail Mountain. Less than an hour later, Boulder’s Andy Ames, 44, was the first to reach the top of the gondola, finishing the 7.5-mile course that ascends 2,400 vertical feet in 53 minutes, 12 seconds. Bernie Boettcher, 44, from the trail-running mecca of Silt, finished second overall in 53:56, and 19-year-old Alex Willis of Leadville was third in 54:45.
Teva U.S. Mountain Running Team member Helen Cospolich, 30, of Breckenridge was first among the women in 1:02:06, followed by Vail local Anita Ortiz, 43, in 1:04:03, and Susan Nuzman, 40, in 1:05:25.
Vail’s Sally Clair, 57, placed 11th in her age division and 256th overall in her 31st consecutive Vail Hill Climb start. She finished in 1:45:38.
SURFING
Ward rides perfect wave
American surfer Chris Ward culled the first perfect “10” in X Games surfing history last week, dropping into an 8-foot barrel at the so-called “Mexican Pipeline” in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, and disappearing deep into the tube before emerging with his hands high in celebration of the epic ride at X Games 13. Ward’s U.S. teammates – including Rob Machado, Shane Beschen and Clay Marzo – rode the high score to an 81.75-81.0 victory over the internationally stocked World Team for the X Games gold medal in front of a surfside crowd of more than 4,500.
A day before, the American women celebrated Independence Day with a 55-52 win against a strong World Team in the X Games’ first women’s surfing competition.
Event highlights and coverage of surfing competition at X Games 13 are available on. The men’s and women’s finals will be broadcast by ABC on Aug. 5 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively.
ADVENTURE RACING
Xstream race registration set
Registration is underway for the fourth annual XStream Expedition Race in Moab, beginning Sept. 27. The three-day event, produced by Durango-based Gravity Play Sports, covers more than 250 miles of nonstop adventure, including mountain biking and kayaking through the Utah desert, trekking through the La Sal Mountains and a ropes course.
Registration costs $395 per person, maxing out at 50 two- and four-person teams, with a deadline of Sunday. Registration for the July 21-22 sprint, 12- and 24-hour races in Breckenridge also is underway and nearing capacity. For more information, visit. or call 970-259-7771.
TRAIL RUNNING
Henry hot in Firecracker 50
Vail’s Jay Henry is having “his year.” It started in April when the mountain biker-turned-adventure racer won the 16th annual Imperial Challenge race, which combines a short bike sprint with a skiing climb and descent up the Breck ski hill.
Then in June he aced a heavy-hitting field to win the Teva Mountain Games cross country mountain- bike race. And last week Henry returned to Breck to win the Firecracker 50, a race in which he has finished second three times. He was followed by Oregon racer Ryan Trebon, who reportedly flatted twice during the pair of 25-mile backcountry laps, and Andy Schultz.
Durango rider Shonny Vanlandingham won the women’s pro event, closely followed by Cali pro racer Pua Sawicki and Kelley Mattingly.
