“On 24 October, people in 181 countries came together for the most widespread day of environmental action in the planet’s history. At over 5200 events around the world, people gathered to call for strong action and bold leadership on the climate crisis” (www.350.org).
Skiers, parents, coaches, and spectators gathered at Soldier Hollow on Saturday for the 1st Annual 350.org/Steinbock Invitational, a rollerksi race and 350.org event. On a beautiful day that featured some sun, some clouds, a touch of rain, and the great fall colors of the Heber Valley, over 40 racers challenged themselves on the ‘SoHo’ rollerski track.
Athletes from the US Biathlon team, Maine Winter Sports Center, the University of Utah, the US nordic-combined team, The Utah Nordic Alliance, National Guard Biathlon, the University of Wyoming, and many more participated on the day.
Athletes skied on many different types of rollerskis, so direct comparison of race times is difficult. However, this day was much more about participation than it was about performance. “Everybody here felt part of something bigger,” said Steinbock Racing director Zack Simons.
Race announcers Pete Vordenburg and Eli Brown kept the crowd entertained with music, unique insights, race updates, 350.org news, and live interviews (via phone) with skiers around the country. Highlights included a couple interviews with Andrew Gardner, a 350.org volunteer, who was in Times Square and provided updates on actions that were taking place in other parts of the world.
With spectators, professional timing via Summit Timing, a great prize table, and the big SoHo scoreboard providing real-time results, this day provided a great preparation event as we head towards winter.
Many thanks to Solder Hollow for hosting the event. Thanks also to race sponsors Toko, Wild Rose Sports, Swix, Knead-a-Massage, and Rossignol.
Complete results, photos, and videos of the race can be found at www.steinbockracing.com. More information on 350.org, including thousands of pictures from events around the world, can be found at www.350.org.
One comment
bill mckibben
October 26, 2009 at 10:18 pm
So many thanks to all–this was one of about 5200 events around the world, in what the newspapers are calling “the most widespread day of political action in the planet’s history.” But for me it was one of the most special, and if there’s such a thing as karma maybe it will earn us a good winter’s snowfall! many thanks