Alley Loop

This is my first year in the position of the Director of Events for the Crested Butte Nordic Council. We host several events, but the largest is the Alley Loop. This is a great event that draws everyone from the casual recreational to the elite athlete. It requires planning and planning, and is also the largest race that runs through this small town. Months leading up to the event there are organizational meetings with the marshals and town departments to get approval and decide which streets and alleys this unique race will run down, which includes the main avenue. Goodie bags are ordered, raffle prizes are streaming through the door from local restaurants and shops. GU products arrive, a photographer is arranged. Staff is assigned positions, volunteers are beginning to call. Everything starts and stops with my planning and delegation. It is a lot of responsibility to host an event such as this, but I must admit it is really fun and exciting.

Our assistant manger Laura Puckett describes it best…

The day dawned cloudy and downy flakes were drifting through the air before the first racers—a gaggle of costumed kids—took off down Elk Avenue. The Valley turned into a snow globe around the skiers as they zipped through the alleys and over bridges, climbed beneath Red Lady Bowl or cruised by Peanut Lake on the Nordic Center’s groomed trails. The snow didn’t impede the racers much, though. Whether they were doing the 1.5 or the 42 kilometer race, all 518 participants in the 24th Annual Alley Loop finished glowing with exertion and exhilaration.

They skied by in tutus and butterfly wings, superman suits and disco outfits, but the most common thing donned by all the racers was a smile. World class athletes and local kids alike marveled at the novelty of skiing down the streets and alleys of Crested Butte and commented on how friendly Buttians are. The Nordic center’s trails were in excellent condition, thanks to a series of late January snow storms and top-notch grooming. Well-staffed aid stations, featuring GU packs and GU brew, kept racers going as they ticked off the kilometers. All in all a record number of participants came out to compete, have fun, and carry on this unique tradition.

In true Crested Butte fashion, no good Nordic race should go uncelebrated. So as each racer came through the finish line they were greeted by a rocking party—music, food, and drinks awaited, first at the beer garden then later at the awards ceremony. Overall, age-class, and costume winners were awarded for their efforts, while the masses waited with bated breath to hear their raffle number called. All of this was made possible by 100 volunteers and the Crested Butte Nordic Center staff.

The event was a success, the town’s people and visitors were thrilled. Planning this event is very similar to planning our mountaineering expeditions, maybe that is why I like it so much. Planning the route, the food, the supplies, and deciding base camp, it’s all a process that builds in anticipation, with a little bit of a thrill of the unknown outcome. I highly recommend grabbing your Nordic skis, dusting off an old costume and coming out to join us next year for this fun Nordic race. For now, enjoy some photos from this year’s event…

Alley Loop Photo Gallery

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JANELLE SMILEY is a mountaineering guide with Salt Mountaineering, a company she started with her husband in Crested Butte, Colorado. A 5.11 traditional multi-pitch lead climber, Janelle has been all over the world guiding, exploring, climbing and skiing… {more}