The Colorado Ski Mountaineering Cup (COSMIC) series of backcountry skiing races is a happening deal for this winter. Organized by hard working race champion Pete Swenson, the series has five races scheduled so far:
Jan. 13 – Sunlight
Jan. 20 – Snowmass
March 3 – Loveland
April 21 – Silverton
April 28 – A-Basin
I got a call a few days ago from journalist Devon O’Neil, who was writing an article about the series for the Summit Daily News and needed (or so he thought) a few of my rambling quotes. I’m more a fan of rando racing than a participant, but I did share with him about being beat up in a couple of races, especially the 24 Hours of Sunlight. Prior to Pete getting the COSMIC series together, Colorado’s rando races were a scattershot deal, now there is rhyme and reason to things.
Aspen has had a strong series of winter uphill races for quite a few years, with one race including a short downhill so thus qualifying as somewhat of a randonee race. I’ve always been disappointed that the Aspen races didn’t include more of a downhill component — perhaps COSMIC will inspire some changes in that area.
The A-Basin Grind has become a popular uphill as well, good to see it included in the series. I’m assuming it’ll have a strong downhill component so it’s a full on rando race. Cool to see Silverton included, they’ve got the terrain for the real deal.
In all, ski mountaineering racing is terrific for backcountry skiing. It’s a fun pursuit in of itself, and helps the sport though equipment and technique development. The Dawson family wishes the best for the new COSMIC series, and thanks Pete!
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
