Wilson Alpine: Bruto Bruto Ski Mountaineering Racing in Bozeman

The Race Video from Bridger Bowl

This was my second year attending this race and I do believe it the best “normal-sized” course (5000’) I’ve yet visited. Bridger Bowl is such an awesome ski area. It is the definition of a “town-hill”. I don’t have my facts exactly right but if I remember correctly it is a municipally owned co-op of sorts.

I traveled to the race with Brian Harder, local Jackson up-hill skiing mad man and Gemma Arro, our new racing friend from Cataluña. Brian and I agreed that using synthetic skins after the first climb would be advantageous. It turned out to be one of the keys to the day. I still regret not bringing a spare pair of synthetics for Gemma as her race was plagued by several stops for skin failure.

We three took my ¾ ton diesel burning Dodge to the race and had lots of funny discussions about “rednecks” here and in Espania. Gemma introduced us to the word “bruto” which apparently translates to someone with lots of brawn and little brain power. I suppose that in many ways, I can be understood to be a “bruto” except I’m not all that brawny.

The “Skin to Win” traditionally starts with a lemans-style sprint to the skis and this year did not disappoint. I have had many racing friends tell me that this is a stupid way to start a race but I find it to be very entertaining. At 8:30, the starting gun went off and we ran about 80 feet to our skis. Brian Harder and I were the first off the line (partially thanks to our crisp plum racing bindings and mostly due to luck of the draw). I don’t like to sprint out the start of a race and didn’t do it this time. I was awfully surprised that Scheefer, Kroger and Parsons did not pass me right off the bat but they stayed behind Brian and I for the first three or four minutes. At some point in the beginning, Brian said to me “what the hell are we doing up here”, referring to us leading the pack, I responded “I don’t know, probably blowing it”. After about six or seven minutes in to the race, the lead three fast guys broke loose and I settled in to 6 or 7 as the lead three slowly gained a lead. Gemma passed me at this point which seems totally normal compared to the three other races I’ve done with her. She is one of the fastest skimo vert racers in the world.

After the boot-pack up the troller’s ridge lift, I was closing the gap on the chase pack but still off the lead three by about 3 or 4 minutes. In the ridge stretch to the couloir above the apron, I caught Brain Story and Brian Harder in the transition. Gemma was skiing as I was ripping skins and I heard the race officials tell her to go skiers right to the “weenie-way” entrance to the couloir. The night before, we attended the race meeting and the super-funny troller directing the meeting told us that the “weenie way” was not in. I ripped skins and charged toward Gemma yelling for her to stop. We found an improbably way back in to the couloir and I stuck around to help her get in. The entrance we picked was a 60+ degree sidestep over about a 10’ rock band finished with an exposed little shoosh in to the couloir. I didn’t see Gemma after that.

The next three climbs are half laps back up to the ridge and all three skin tracks were really steep with sections approaching 25-degrees. This is apparently where Gemma was calling our racing scene “bruto” while her skins were slipping out and coming off/getting contaminated with snow. (racing has proven that keeping the skin tracks at lower angles, not exceeding 17-degrees, is a faster and more efficient way to race/climb mountains--coincidentally our European skimo friends are apalled at our steep skinners--I don't reall like the steep ones either). Brian and I made the right call to bring synthetic skins with lots of glue. I never slipped out and slowly reeled the Brians in. Toward the top of the last climb to the ridge, I came up on Kroger who was struggling with his skins and had apparently fallen off the track as Harder passed him. Kroger was more than a little perturbed and I was not sure what had happened. I was trying to yell words of encouragement as I passed him and he told me to catch and beat Harder. We were now in a battle for third. By the time I hit the ridge, the storm had progressed to a full sideways blizzard with a visibility factor waving between about 15 feet and full milk bottle. I decided to drop the hammer and try to pass Harder to slide in to third.

After passing Harder, I came up on Ben Parsons at the top of the little fixed line section and he was wallowing in the skin track. It seemed strange and I was wondering what had happened. I said to him; see you in a second and he yelled back at me, “no man, I’m done. I’ve got a broken biding”. At this point I knew I was racing for second and getting excited. I felt even more energized and started charging hard. It was a little scary at times and I was worried about falling off a cornice as I could not see too well in the raging storm.

A minute or two later, and after a few falls on the wind-whales, I came upon Travis Scheefer and yelled “yeah Travis”. He replied back to me, “bad day to leave the goggles in the truck”. That was it; I left Travis behind and pulled in to the lead. I was surprised and freezing. I kept struggling to put my little lycra rando hood on over my helmet and the wind kept blowing it back off. Harder had caught me for the final skis off boot and I was fighting the wind with a ski in each hand to make it to the final transition.

In the final transition, I did the “Canadian” skin rip (both off at the same time and stuff the disorganized mess in the shirt). I then rallied out of there and skied as hard and fast as I could knowing I had a real chance at winning the race. I made it in first, Harder came in second, Scheefer third, and Brian Story fourth. The ladies went Amy Fulwyler, Nikki (Bozeman), Kathleen Crowley.

At the finish line, I was a little disoriented and it took a minute for the reality of what had just happened to sink in. I never imagined I would finish this race first, let alone top three. As I stood there coughing and trying to recover, I was more than a little elated and I still can’t help relating this to a good day of golfing: one good shot can make you come back again and again.

As the racers were trickling in, ice covered and tired, I was trying to hone in on the radio to see where Gemma would place in the ladies race. After the third lady came across and no Gemma, I was starting to wonder if we had lost Gemma to our “bruto” course and “bruto” storm! After a few minutes, we got a call letting us know that she had found a patroller shack and dropped out of the race.

Brian, Gemma and I decided to run in to town for a good lunch and showers before the 4:00pm awards ceremony. The Bozeman Co-op “hippie-food-store” never disappoints. The purse for this race was great, I got a check for $500, Harder won a pair of BD Justice skis, and Travis Scheefer got a very nice Dakine pack and an Ortovox beacon.

I will definitely be back to this race next year and If all goes right, there will be a repeat “bruto bruto” storm and track!