PHOTOS: Fresh snow and blue skies for annual Ski For the Pass race

Nordic skiers of all ages and competition levels joined in the 12th annual Ski For the Pass race, a fundraiser to raise money for the nonprofit Independence Pass Foundation on Sunday, Feb. 4.

The weekend storm brought fresh snow for participants but cleared just in time for warm temperatures and blue skies as 72 participants skied 4.2 miles up Independence Pass. The race started at the winter closure gate on Colorado Highway 82, about five miles east of Aspen, and ended at Lincoln Creek, near the Grottos on Independence Pass. The road up the pass is closed to cars November through May and is only groomed once a year for the Ski For the Pass race.

While skiers saw fresh snow after the weekend storm, they had to ski on trails without tracks after a snowcat preparing the race track got stuck at the Grottos early Sunday morning. Organizers gave participants the option to back out and accept a refund for their registration — $15 for adults and $7.50 for people under the age of 18 — because of the trail condition, but most were not deterred.

“We’re going old school,” one skier exclaimed during the race. The trail was groomed but did not have tracks specifically for the Nordic skis.

Sami Inkinen won the race with a time of 41 minutes and 58 seconds. Egor Gavrilov came in second with a time of 42 minutes and 12 seconds. Edwin Ryerson came in third with a time of 44 minutes and 24 seconds.

Rachel Bachman Perkins was the fasted woman in the race, coming in sixth with a time of 45 minutes and 52 seconds.

The 7k race was the 12th annual ski race fundraiser for the Independence Pass Foundation. The nonprofit’s purpose is to “restore and protect the ecological, historical and aesthetic integrity of the Independence Pass corridor and to encourage stewardship, safety, and appreciation of the pass,” according to the foundation’s website.

The Ski For the Pass is the winter equivalent of the Ride For the Pass, a bike race hosted by the Independence Pass Foundation each spring that allows bikers to ride from the winter closure gate of Highway 82 to the top of the pass. It is typically hosted the weekend before the road reopens to cars for the summer season.

The Ski For the Pass is part of the Aspen Cup Nordic Series, which ends Mar. 10 with the Silverboom race at the Aspen Golf Course.