Vail Mountain Winter Uphill Race on Feb. 9

The Vail Recreation District on Friday issued the following press release on the annual Vail Mountain Winter Uphill Race on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 7 a.m.:

Get ready for one of the most iconic events of the year! Registration is open at vailrec.com/register for the Vail Recreation District’s annual Vail Mountain Winter Uphill Race on Sunday, Feb. 9 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 or want to have a fun hike uphill 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 seventeen 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. in the Lionshead base area, adjacent to the Eagle Bahn Gondola. Categories include ski, splitboard and non-ski options and prizes will be awarded by overall place and category by gender age group, including juniors 19 and under, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and 70+. Parking will be available in the Lionshead public parking structure.

Following the race, Vail Resorts and US Foods will provide breakfast at Eagle’s Nest for all event participants.

Sign up early at vailrec.com/register and save! Cost for this race is $36 early bird/$42 week-of/$50 day-of for adults and $25 early bird/$30 week-of/$37 day-of for students.

Online registration is available up until 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8. Racers can pick up their race bib or register ahead of time on Saturday, February 8, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Alpine Wine and Spirits in the City Market Vail 2109 N Frontage Rd W Vail, CO 81657

Day-of registration and bib pickup will be available in the Lionshead ticket office starting at 6 a.m. We’ll have a bag drop near the gondola, so you can get extra clothing, etc. shuttled up to the top at the finish.

Parking for this race is available at the Lionshead Parking Structure. Visit vail.gov for information on winter parking rates.