Snowshoe-O near Echo Lake
5 April 2003

Eleven individuals and teams took part in the Snowshoe-O on April 5th. The course was set on the south side of Highway 103, Squaw Pass Road, near the high point of the road, about 14 miles west of Bergen Park, in the shadows of Mt. Evans.

Setting the course proved to be a bigger challenge than expected. I flagged the CPs a week before the storm. That area received about as much snow as any place, 7' or more, which forced me to postpone the original date for two weeks. Then, when I went out to set the controls the week before, all the flagging I had set was buried. Luckily I had my newly bought GPS to help me accurately place the controls on the map.

There were 13 controls set between 10,490' and 11,215', with the start at 11,115'. Competitors were given a USGS map with pre-printed controls. The map was at 1:12,000 scale, with 40' contour lines, with the magnetic N-S lines added. 40' contours don't reveal all of the subtle contours. The map didn't have the features marked, like a typical O-map, but all the controls were placed at easily identifiable features. Competitors were also given a clue sheet to help them. The deep snow obscured much of the terrain. The snow was still more than 5' deep in some areas. It was hard packed in spots but could be soft and slow going in others, especially the south- and eastern-facing aspects.

The mass start began shortly after noon. We used a score-o format, with controls worth from 5 to 60 points, depending on the distance and elevation change from the start. Surprisingly, 3 people got the 60 pt control, the farthest and lowest from the start; I didn't think anyone would have time for that one. Rich Kelly won getting 11 of the 13 controls, including the 60 pointer. He was followed closely by Troy Bozarth and Joe Paniccia, who each got all but the 60 pointer, and Steve Miller. Only one team finished under the 1:30 time limit. In hindsight, I should have made the time penalties more severe. Brooke Mann was the last to finish, but rescued Stephanie Weldon, who had lost her teammate and her way on the course.

Thanks to Redfeather for providing loaner snowshoes. Thanks to everyone who helped pick up controls. I still have to get the three lowest controls. I don't expect anyone will be going that far down anytime soon. Thanks to Jan Ingebrigtsen who helped me mark the course before the storm. Thanks to Len Thomas who helped me set out the controls the week before.

With the success of the two snowshoe-o events this season, expect a couple more next year.

If you have any questions about your score, please e-mail me at runahill@yahoo.com.

- Adam Feerst, Meet Director and Course Setter

Control Number

23

14

24

20

17

12

11

60

61

63

39

68

64

Point Value

5

5

10

10

10

10

10

20

20

20

30

30

60

Time

Gross Points

Penalty

Net Points

Rich Kelly

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

01:41:38

200

13

187

Troy Bozarth

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

01:37:10

180

9

171

Joe Paniccia

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

01:44:04

180

16

164

Steve Miller

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

01:40:17

175

12

163

Mike Dieck

X

X

X

X

X

X

01:40:30

150

12

138

Kirk & Aspen Hilberlink

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

01:25:30

100

0

100

Cammie Miller

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

01:37:56

115

9

106

Gary Smith

X

X

X

X

X

X

01:34:02

60

6

54

Geoff Murphy

X

X

X

01:33:30

50

5

45

Brooke Mann

X

X

X

01:57:10

50

29

21

Robin, Jessica, Bryce & Erin Kelly

X

X

X

01:31:50

20

3

17

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