Backcountry Ski Race in Logan Canyon on Saturday

CROWBAR is a backcountry ski mountaineering race Saturday that is held entirely outside of ski area boundaries in Logan Canyon. Mike Taylor of sponsor Nordic United was a guest on KVNU’s For the People program on Wednesday. So what does CROWBAR stand for?

“CROWBAR stands for the Cache Regional Overland Winter Backcountry Race, which is a mouthful but we wanted a cool acronym. So we came up with CROWBAR and the winners actually get golden crowbars as their trophy,” Taylor explained.

CROWBAR will start at the Sink Hollow trailhead located about 26 miles up Logan Canyon. The race starts at 9 a.m. Online registration is now closed but they will take same-day registration. Taylor said that there are different divisions.

“We actually have three divisions. We’ve got a race division, and these are the people that are going to be wearing, like skin-tight lycra. They can actually pull off their skins when they get to the top without even stopping (or) taking off their skis.

“So they actually train, it’s part of a national U.S. Ski mountaineering association series. There’s about 12 races nationally this winter. But we also have a rec division for people like me who like to get out and run or hike or ski every so often. But I haven’t been training. So I’m in it just to finish it,” according to Taylor.

Taylor said the race will be in the backcountry so you will need avalanche gear and some training. He said they work with the Utah Avalanche Center to find out exactly what the conditions are on the race course and if there’s any concern on their part they will modify the race, so that skiers will go on less-steep slopes and stay out of danger areas. For more information on the race go to www.nordicunited.org/crowbar-backcountry-ski-race

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