Carey Smith Wins Marmot North American Championship!

Jackson Hole, WY; Jackson Hole local Carey Smith won the hotly contested Marmot North America Championship, the final race of the Life-Link Randonnee Rally Ski Mountaineering Race Series.  Smith finished the rugged 6,000 foot vertical course in 1 hour 52 minutes and 41 seconds.  Just 21 seconds behind was Crested Butte Patrolman Ethan Passant who finished in a time of 1 hour 53 minutes and 2 seconds.  Passant had won every other race he had entered this year and finished first over all to win the Men’s Series Championship.  Finishing in third place was newcomer Todd Glew of Alta, Utah in a time of 1 hour 53 minutes and 50 seconds.

Monique Merrill of Breckenridge, CO won the Women’s race division in a time of 2 hours 17 minutes and 52 seconds.  Taking second was Karen Kingsley of Ophir, CO in a time of 2 hours 21 minutes and 24 seconds.  Amy Fulwyler of Jackson Hole finished third in a time of 2 hour 24 minutes and 30 seconds.

Kingsley’s second place finished gave her the Women’s Race Division Series Championship for the second year in a row.  Merrill’s first place finish in the Jackson Hole race also assured her of second place overall in the Race Division Series Championship for the second year in a row.  Fulwyler’s third place moved earned her third place overall for the 2007 Race Series.

On the men’s side Passant took the Series Title for the very first time.  Smith’s first place finish in the Jackson Hole race put him in second placed for the Series Championship and Scott Coldiron of Spokane ended up in third place in the final standings of the Series Championship just two points ahead of Chris Kroger of the Jackson Hole Ski Patrol who finished in third place overall in the 2006 series.

“It was a spectacular day with some very spectacular athletes competing on the hardest course in North America stated John Scott Executive Director of the United States Ski Mountaineering Association (USSMA) the sanctioning body of the ski mountaineering race series.  The six race series included stops at Sugarbush/Mad River Glen in Vermont, Sunshine Village in Banff, Canada, Crested Butte, CO, Alpental, WA and Jackson Hole, WY the Kirkwood, CA race was canceled due to the incredible amounts of snow the Sierras got the week of the race.

By finishing first and second Smith and Passant, earned themselves a spot on the United States Ski Mountaineering team along with Chris Kroger who placed second behind Passant at the Black Diamond Powder Keg race which was also a qualifier for the U.S. team.  The team will compete at the World Championships in Switzerland in 2008.  On the Women’s side Merrill automatically earns a spot on the team but because Kingsley is a German citizen she cannot qualify for the U.S. Team so Fulwyler will earn that spot. Merrill and Fulwyler finished second and third behind Kingsley at the Powder Keg so there are no additions to the women’s team from that race.

Money from the races goes to benefit the local avalanche forecast centers or the search and rescue organization in the local communities where the races are held.  Sponsoring the series this year are: Life-Link, Marmot, Mountain Hardwear, Arc’teryx, Outdoor Research Couloir Magazine, Back Country Magazine, Off-Piste Magazine, Buff, Croakies, Suunto and Clif Bar.

For more information and complete results go to www.life-link or www.ussma.org or call 800-443-8620