Black Diamond's 5th Annual Wasatch PowderKeg RACE RESULTS  PHOTOS

March 19, 2007, (Salt Lake City, Utah) – Black Diamond Equipment Ltd., a global leader in climbing and skiing manufacturing, celebrated St. Patrick’s weekend in the Wasatch under banner blue skies with a host of events for the avid adventure skier.

The 5th annual PowderKeg race hosted alpine touring (AT) and telemark skiers in two divisions, Race and Recreational, on Saturday March 17 and served as a qualifier for the Untied States Ski Mountaineering Association (USSMA) National Team. On Sunday, the first sanctioned USSMA relay in North America took place in Alta, UT bringing together teams of racers in a short track, exciting venue. Sunday evening wound down with the Wild & Scenic film festival hosted by Patagonia as a fundraiser for the Winter Wildlands Association.

Official results for the Race AT Men’s category posted Ethan Passant (Crested Butte, CO) 2:02:44 winning the event by a mere 3 seconds over former winner Chris Kroger (Jackson, WY) 2:02:47; with Pete Swenson (Breckenridge, CO) finishing third 2:03:50. In the Race AT Women’s category Karen Kingsley (Ophir, CO) 2:32:55 clinched the top spot with Monique Merrill (Breckenridge, CO) 2:39:03 placing second and Amy Fulwyler (Jackson,WY) 2:41:58 taking third. Full individual race results.

Official results of the Relay Race Sunday found team Ski Trab comprised of Pete Swenson, Grant Guise, Monique Merrill and Ethan Passant winning out over Team Die Guido and Team One Pregnant Lady and Three Guys Denying Responsibility. In an exciting four-person format, each team member did two laps on a short uphill/downhill course amongst ringing cowbells and cheers from the crowd. Full relay results.

“We changed a handful of elements in the PowderKeg this year and expanded the event to a weekend of activities to meet the growing demand in this sector of the ski market,” explains Colleen Graham Nipkow, Black Diamond’s PowderKeg Organizer. “The PowderKeg course changed, becoming more technical, and bringing the finish back to Alta was a great success. Also, the addition of the fun and festive relay and the Wildlands film component made it a great spring weekend for all.”

The Black Diamond PowderKeg is presented by Patagonia, Alta, Uinta Brewing, Ski Utah, Couloir Magazine, AirMed and Protech Skin Care.

Individuals Race - Saturday, March 17 PHOTOS

Relay Race – Sunday, March 18 PHOTOS

This is the first Ski Mountaineering Relay Race in America!  Relay races are fun, fast paced events consisting of teams of four racers.  Each racer does two laps on a short (450’ vertical) course consisting of an uphill skinning section and a downhill section through speed control gates.  A baton is passed between team members after two laps and the first team to finish wins.

Recaps and race results of the past Black Diamond PowderKegs: 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006

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