2015 Jack 'n Jill race at Teton Pass

Alpine scrambling and bluebird powder turns off a summit followed by food and relaxation with friends.

All smiles at the top of the first climb. Photo: Ben Horan

Not how I would typically describe a randonee race, but that is exactly what happened at the 3^rd annual Jack ‘n Jill race at Teton Pass. The resort added an excellent 5,000 vertical foot pro course this year, and most of the usual suspects showed up to give it a go.

The race itself played out along predictable lines. I was feeling good and went out hard, flirting with threshold. Ben was of course untouchable out in front, and I topped out on the first climb between Alan Adams and Jeffrey Freiss. I took a wild tomahawking crash on the first descent, but recovered OK and came into the first transition in second place, about a minute in front of Alan and Jeffrey. The second lap was enjoyable, with a good hard effort on the uphill and more powder on the downhill. I closed the gap slightly on Ben and was able to gain a little more breathing room in front of Alan and Jeffrey. Feeling good, I went all out on the third climb and descent but didn’t really have any chance of catching Ben.  I crossed the finish line in 1.45, just a few minutes before watching Jeffrey come across mere seconds in front of Alan. Jason Mills and Carl Kohnstamm were not far behind. Leah pushed hard for the entire race and ended in a respectable third place in a strong women’s field.

Ben Parsons in the lead. Photo: Ben Horan

Powder skiing on the second descent. Photo: Ben Horan

There was a good turnout of folks with standard touring gear, and it was fun to cheer everyone on as they came across the line. Unfortunately, we ended up having to leave before the award ceremony, but had enough time after the race to relax and soak in the great atmosphere that Teton Pass always delivers. I was really impressed with this race. Teton Pass throws a great party, and the full pro course is on par with any mid-length course I have done anywhere. Check it out next year.

	Pro  Course  Results
	Men				Women
1	Ben Parsons	1:41:27		1	Inge  Perkins	2:04:40
2	Brian Story	1:44:53		2	Amber  Steed	2:26:19
3	Jeffrey  Friess	1:47:34		3	Leah  Samberg	2:27:39
4	Alan  Adams	1:47:38		4	Jess  Tapp	2:54:02
5	Jason  Mills	1:55:32		5	Claire Kniveton	2:58:55
6	Carl Kohnstamm	2:00:12		6	Kim  Givter	3:22:12
7	Kevin Oberholser	2:04:07		7	Sierra Richmond	3:49:27
8	Andrew Mayer	2:08:40
9	Blake  Votilla	2:17:20
10	Stuart Reifwig	2:27:43

In terms of performance, I had a good race. I went out controllably hard and was able to maintain a steady sub threshold effort on all of the uphills. The bootpacks were a touch tricky, which I exploited to gain on Jeffrey and Alan on the first climb. Downhill skiing, transitions, fueling, and clothing all went off without a hitch. I moved up from 5^th to 2^nd over the duration of the race, and maintained or even closed the gap on Ben.