“How many people do you want at this event? We could bring lots of friends. We have ski races in the Yukon, but nothing like this.”
These words, spoken to a local volunteer by a Canadian competitor in Saturday’s Kat to Koot Alpine Adventure Race, should be music to the ears of Haines tourism officials. For decades they’ve bandied about ideas for a winter festival that could draw participation from neighboring towns.
Now about 20 years old, the Haines Winter Games is a great, local celebration, but lacks the firepower to attract visitors. For several years in the early 1990s, Haines hosted a sprint sled dog race, the Dalton Trail 30, that drew a handful of mushers from the Yukon. But patchy weather, lack of sponsorships and other factors scrubbed that.
The Alcan 200 snowmachine race and Dick Hotch Basketball Tournament are the only adult winter events that have stuck.
Last year, borough tourism director Leslie Ross corralled the Winter Games and the town’s annual ski race into a two-day winter festival, including the mountain race, organized by the backcountry skiers of the Haines Alpine Touring Society.
The race is a grunt to the top of Ripinsky then down its northern flank on skis, snowshoes or other human-powered conveyance. It appeals to the backcountry ski crowd, a growing constituency in winter sports.
What’s important are the numbers. Since its inception last year, participation this year doubled to 48, with about half the participants from Whitehorse, Y.T. or Juneau. Some Canadians were so enthused they went back to the mountain Sunday and skied it again.
That’s also a very good sign.
Perhaps most critically, the mountain race isn’t dependent on weather. Regardless of what weather is hitting town, there’s always snow on Ripinsky by late February. That means the event could be scheduled months ahead of time, like other winter classics like the Alcan and Skagway’s Buckwheat Ski Classic.
Besides good promotion, advanced scheduling is key to an event’s success.
How successful could the mountain race become?
Consider that:
- The first Kluane-Chilkat International Bike Relay 26 years ago drew 166 riders. It’s now capped at about 1,400, almost entirely on the strength of Canadian participation.
- Coupled with at least one ferry to or from Skagway, Haines is an easy weekend drive for Yukoners, made easier by late February’s longer daylight.
- By holding other events the same weekend — the Haines Winter Games, Miles X-Country Ski Race and Mountain Film Festival — the mountain race appeals not only to backcountry athletes but to their families, providing them fun activities while dad or mom is off conquering the mountain.
This adventure race is worth a hard look by the borough tourism folks and Haines Chamber of Commerce. It could be the start of something big.