By Aimee Durand
The 46th annual Zions Bank Boulder Mountain Tour (BMT) will be held Saturday, Feb. 2, with 200 volunteers on hand to welcome 1,000 racers.
The race day that consists of a 34k and 15k is dedicated to longtime Ketchum resident and three-time Olympian, Jon Engen, who died in April of 2018 from pancreatic cancer.
This popular portion of the Sun Valley Nordic Festival draws racers from all over the map and will include visitors from Bozeman, Mont., this year, where Engen, a dedicated ambassador and respected competitor in the cross-country sport, attended college.
“It’s such a wonderful tradition and it’s great that people support it year after year,” said race director Jody Zarkos. “It makes it what it is.”
The Boulder Mountain Tour starts at 9 a.m. at Galena Lodge, 23 miles north of Ketchum on the Senate Meadows loop. The course crosses Highway 75 south of Galena Lodge and continues down the Harriman Trail, finishing at the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA) Headquarters. There are moderate but challenging climbs in the course and the terrain mellows at the halfway point.
Spectators can catch the elite-class finish shortly after 11 a. m. across from the SNRA headquarters. The 15k Half Boulder begins at Baker Creek at 11:30 a.m.
Racers in the men’s pack include Olympian Andrew Newell and 2018 champion Mat Gelso, as well as 2018 bronze medalist Bryan Cook. The women’s competitors include Liz Stephens, a U.S. Ski Team member for more than a decade; Annie Pokorny, a former Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF) Gold Team racer; and Sloan Storey, SVSEF alumni, coach and former captain at the University of Utah, as well as Emily Williams, SVSEF coach and alumni, and 2017 silver medalist Erika Flowers.
“It is a very competitive, elite field this year,” Zarkos said.
There are demos and expos, too.
“New this year is our Regs and Dregs on Jan. 31, a citizen race class—where wearing a costume is always an option—and our kickoff party with live music at the Limelight Hotel in Ketchum,” Zarkos said.
The schedule is as follows: Wednesday, Jan. 30, all race entries are eligible for a free pre-race clinic with SVSEF Gold Team racers at Sun Valley Resort; Thursday, Jan. 31, Nordic Town USA Sprints feature a “Regs and Dregs” for citizen racers at Simplot Field, followed by a kickoff party at The Limelight with live music from 5:30-8 p.m.; Friday, Feb. 1, is race bag pick-up at The Limelight from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 2, the BMT starts at 10 a.m. and later that evening the BMT awards and party at The Limelight from 5:30-7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3, is “Demo Day” with a barbeque at Sun Valley Nordic Center.
On Saturday, Feb. 9, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., “Ski the Rails” is a free cross-country ski event from Ketchum to Hailey on the Wood River Trail.
“Boulder is the capstone of the Sun Valley Nordic Festival,” Zarkos said.
Approximately 200 volunteers are the backbone of the BMT event and Zarkos credits them along with the board for the success of the BMT.
“We have such great volunteers and volunteer committees,” Zarkos said. “I support what they do. They make it work.”
On Saturday, Feb. 2, during the BMT, Galena Lodge and Bigwood Bread are providing soup, bread and hot drinks for all racers. Girls on the Run volunteers will be serving these items and there will be a warming tent available in the event of unfavorable weather.
“Anyone who volunteers is invited to an appreciation party on Feb. 13 at The Limelight which includes a free raffle for a Blaine County ski pass for next year,” Zarkos said.
The BMT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes the BMT ski race and supports the sport of cross-country skiing. It is entirely volunteer-based and is supported by more than 350 local Wood River Valley individuals and businesses.
“I feel like the Boulder offers something for everyone,” Zarkos said. “Whether you are an elite racer, a parent joining in with a child, or just going with your friends, there is something for everyone in this race.”
For information contact, bouldermountaintour@gmail.com.