Telemark Extremes

The 2013 US Extreme Freeskiing Telemark Championships have been cancelled due to limited interest in the event. The Al Johnson will continue as scheduled for Sunday, March 24th and we encourage anyone who may have been interested in visiting for the Telemark Extremes to come and ski with us this weekend.  We will honor a half price ticket rate on Saturday and Sunday for all competitors who have a coach that can submit their team athlete lists in advance to the Ticket Office via lwright@cbmr.com. 

Al Johnson Memorial Uphill/Downhill Telemark Ski Race - March 24th
Much has changed since the days when local postal carrier Al Johnson delivered the mail from Crested Butte to Crystal and back in the dead of winter layered in wool and wearing leather boots that are strapped to a pair of 11-foot wooden skis.

Yet, the citizens of Crested Butte haven’t forgotten what Al Johnson did. Every spring, the town honors and celebrates his determination and adherence to the post office’s motto “neither rain, nor snow, nor dead of night shall keep this carrier from his appointed rounds” with the Al Johnson Memorial Uphill/Downhill Telemark Ski Race.

Starting from the base of the North Face Lift, competitors must skin 600 vertical feet up to the ridge above Hawk’s Nest. Once there, they pull off the skins, toss them to the side and then “point it” descending any way they can through 1,200 vertical feet of bumps, rocks and trees to the bottom of Last Steep before one last short climb to the finish.

All competitors must finish with all of their equipment, operational or not. It’s a test of endurance, heart rate and steep skiing ability where only the fittest and most skilled prevail.

However, the greatest thing about the “Al” is that it’s not always about winning. For many participants, it is all about “letting your freak flag fly,” and fly it does.

The prize booty is notorious for being an incredible array of gear and gift certificates donated by local businesses as well as big name outdoor companies. The annual Al Johnson begins with the tag team race at noon on Sunday, March 24 at the base of the North Face Lift, while the individual race will kick-step off at 1 p.m. The best viewing is from either Black Eagle by the East River Lift or anywhere along the course in the North Face area.
After the event, join racers and race fans for one of the biggest parties all year, the Al Johnson awards banquet. For more information, call Michele at The Alpineer at 970-349-5210 or visit www.aljohnsonrace.com.