Get ready for one of the most iconic events of the year! Registration is open at register.vailrec.com for the Vail Recreation District’s 19th annual Vail Mountain Winter Uphill Race on Sunday, Feb. 8, at 7 a.m. Skiers, snowboarders, and runners will take on the challenge of ascending a 2,200-foot vertical climb along groomed trails to reach the summit of Eagle’s Nest at the top of Eagle Bahn Gondola in Lionshead.
The Vail Uphill is ideal for everyone, whether you are going for a new race record, challenging yourself or want to enjoy the climb and breakfast with your friends—all are welcome!
This event honors the memory of Vail local Lyndon Ellefson, who was instrumental in starting the U.S. Men’s Mountain Running Program, with some of the entry fees supporting the U.S. Mountain Running Team.
For the past nineteen years, the Vail Mountain Winter Uphill has proven to be a challenging midwinter competition for some, and a fun, non-competitive community hike for others. It presents an opportunity to support a worthy organization, while also paying tribute to Ellefson, a trailblazer in the sport of mountain running who lost his life in a 1998 accident near the Matterhorn while training for a mountain race in Italy. Ellefson was the foreman for the Lionshead Gondola. Ellen Miller, along with fellow mountain runner and Vail local Hooker Lowe, started the race in 2008 to spread their passion for mountain running and uphill skiing (skinning) and to pay homage to Ellefson.
Registration is open now at vailrec.com!
The event begins at 7 a.m. at the Lionshead base area, adjacent to the Eagle Bahn Gondola. Categories include ski, splitboard and non-ski options. Awards will be given to the top three finishers by category, gender, and age group. Age groups include 19 and under, 20–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69 and 70+.
