By Tim Hauserman
March 5, 2017 will be the 40th Anniversary of The Great Ski Race. The race, which travels from Tahoe Cross Country Ski Area on Dollar Hill near Tahoe City to the Cottonwood Restaurant above downtown Truckee, has in the past attracted up to 1000 racers. It’s a major fundraiser for the Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue Team and after a few years of less than stellar snow conditions, it looks like the TNSAR Team will have a deep snow base to work with to make the race spectacular.
For many local cross country skiers, The Great Ski Race is the iconic event each winter. The 30 kilometer point to point course takes the skier on a long climb to the top of Starratt Pass, where they find Soup Station One for drinks and snacks. Then the fun begins as a fast downhill rolls over a series of whoop de doos and “S” turns. While it is mostly downhill after the pass, there are a few hills that can be a gut buster after you get used to cruising the downhill. Just before the end, racers can see Truckee as they slide along the narrow Chute, before reaching the wide steep hill above Cottonwood. Once part of a small downhill ski area, the face is pretty dang steep for folks on skinny skis, but if you crash at the bottom, the crowd with beers in their hands will cheer you on. Once you get up and dust off the snow, you can grab some grub and a beer yourself and cheer on the next folks trying to tuck the hill.
The Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue Team are a great group of guys and gals who head out into blizzards in the middle of the night to save folks who get lost in the snow. Over the last 40 years they have saved dozens of lives in the backcountry. Money from The Great Ski Race provides the all volunteer organization with the tools they need to successfully do their mission safely. One of the founders Doug Read is profiled in this article that I recently wrote: http://thetahoeweekly.com/2017/02/doug-read/
For information and to register for The Great Ski Race go to: The Great Ski Race
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