Grand Traverse skimo race canceled due to melting snow conditions

Because of snow conditions in the backcountry, the 2025 edition of the Grand Traverse ski mountaineering race was canceled on Sunday. Organized by Crested Butte Nordic, the popular event is typically a 40-mile point-to-point race from Crested Butte to Aspen.

Warm temperatures, which reportedly reached 45 degrees on the high mountain passes, made water crossings impassable, with field team members reporting snow penetration up to 3 feet on skis and waist deep in boots.

“Grand Traverse race permits and risk management plans require safe evacuation routes that are simply not possible at this time,” organizers wrote on their Facebook page. “For these reasons, our snow, medical, and evacuation teams have come to the conclusion that we cannot safely send racers into the field.”

Conceived by Jan Runge, the Grand Traverse goes back to its first official race in 1998, with Crested Butte Nordic taking over ownership in 2012. Over its history, the only known cancellation of the race was in 2020 because of the pandemic.

There have been numerous times where the race was switched to its “reverse” course — an out-and-back trek beginning and ending in Crested Butte — because of dangerous snow conditions closer to Aspen. A full cancellation due to snow conditions hasn’t been needed until now.

“As discussed in the racer meeting, no Grand Traverse has ever been the same, and this year is no different,” the Facebook post reads. “We love the Grand Traverse and this race community. We do not make this decision lightly.”

acolbert@aspentimes.com