Stage Four - The Finale!
BACK COUNTRY SKI
LOCATION: “Tahoe’s best kept secret”: Mt. Rose Ski Resort just 25 minutes from downtown Reno.
STAGE WINNERS: PHYSICIANS
Peter Hanson, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Caroline Colonna, Taos, New Mexico
OVERALL WINNERS: ACCOUNTANTS
Tim Menoher, Erlanger, KY
Linda Lindsay, Petaluma, CA
RECAP: From the geologic wonders at the Valley of Fire State Park to mountains made of sand in Amargosa to the serenity of the wide open spaces outside of Tonopah … the fourth and final stage of the Nevada Passage adventure competition traveled to the snow capped Mt. Rose.
The challenge started at a breath-sapping 8,300 feet above sea level with a 200-yard dash – ski’s in tow – to a staging area where competitors put skins on their ski’s in order to climb 1,000-feet further up on the zigzagging “Around the World” trail and when they reached the top at “Kit Carson Bowl” the skins came off and a race down a slalom course to the finish ensued. Team times were based on when the second team member crossed the finish.
For all it was a delightful and rare opportunity to play in the snow in the middle of May, for those who didn’t ski – Steve Cole of the pilots, Heather McNamara of the physical therapists, and Jackie Ryan of the programmers – it was trial by fire, but for Caroline Colonna – a collegiate ski champion and extreme downhill racer – it was time to shine.
Colonna was the first to put on her skins, the first to the top of Kit Carson, and the speediest down the slopes for the day’s best time at 25:59. Her partner on the physicians’ squad Peter Hanson followed closely behind in 26:19 (the stage’s winning time).
Putting their pens in their pockets for the afternoon, outdoor adventure writers Brian Metzler and Lisa Jhung ran, climbed, and skied their way to second place. Tim Menoher of the accountants had actually arrived at the top of Kit Carson first but per event rules had to wait for his partner Linda Lindsay before skiing back down. Lindsay was just two minutes back and when she got to the top all the pair had to do was safely negotiate the downhill for third place and the overall Nevada Passage title.
It almost didn’t happen, as Menoher – much more graceful on his feet when wearing running shoes opposed to skis – took spill after spill on the downhill, including a trio of wipeouts with less than 50 feet to go with the final tumble taking place inches from the finish (to the crowd’s delight!).
The engineers used a tether approach with John Madden pulling Lauren Kemp up the mountain to finish fourth. Adam Chase of the attorneys, a renowned adventure racer, also used a tether to help his partner Jenny Huber up the hill but the wild card team of Phil Glenn and Lisa Bommer were just a little bit faster to finish just in front of the accountants for 5th place. With the 5th place points the wild cards squeaked out 2nd place in the overall, just one point ahead of the physicians (58 to 57pts).
Towards the back of the pack the realtors reeled in 7th place, the pilots (with Steve Cole flopping, rolling, crawling, and sliding on his tail the whole way down) landed in 8th, and Jackie Ryan along with Heather McNamara walked with their ski’s downhill to sew-up the last two spots for the programmers and physical therapists (Note: Jackie’s walk nearly caught up to “Cole’s crawl” as the pilot valiantly tried to stay upright).
In all, it was a brilliant day and competitors enjoyed 80-degree weather with clear skies and panoramic views of Lake Tahoe and Nevada.
With two stage victories (the desert run and bike relay) and two third place finishes (the Big Dune challenge and today), the accountants won the Nevada Passage crown for the second year in a row and have pledged to return in ’08 to defend their title once again.
“This was an amazing week,” said Menoher, echoing the sentiments of all involved. “I just didn’t realize that the whole State of Nevada was so beautiful and that there was so many fun and exciting things to do here. I seriously can’t wait to get back and do some more.”
The Nevada Passage competitors actually will do some more tomorrow when they experience the rich history of the State capital – Carson City – on roller blades. The excursion will take competitors on a 2.5-mile path through Carson City’s resident homes district, which features more than sixty historic landmarks including 1800’s era Victorian style homes, museums, and churches.
The Silver State was a magnificent playground for these 20 athletes this week, offering spectacular weather, sights, sounds, and adventure. After it was all over the exuberant group of participants shared high-fives, hugs, and smiles in celebrating the truly epic, one-of-a-kind adventure they had been apart of.
SEE IT FOR YOURSELF: More than 100 hours of tape was captured by the 20-member strong TEAM Unlimited television crew during the week, creating perhaps an even bigger challenge than the event itself – editing it all down for a one-hour show. The broadcast will start its run in national syndication in August, with airings through February of 2008. Check out our television section and see when it’s on in your area.
FINAL STANDINGS
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| ACCOUNTANTS Sponsored by Runner's World |
20 | 15 | 20 | 15 | 70 |
| WILD CARDS Sponsored by GU |
13 | 17 | 17 | 11 | 58 |
| PHYSICIANS Sponsored by Pacifico |
17 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 57 |
| ENGINEERS Sponsored by Precor |
15 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 48 |
| JOURNALISTS Sponsored by Zorrel |
11 | 9 | 9 | 17 | 46 |
| REALTORS Sponsored by Live More |
1 | 20 | 3 | 7 | 31 |
| PILOTS Sponsored by XTERRA Gear |
7 | 13 | 5 | 5 | 30 |
| PROGRAMMERS Sponsored by Gatorade |
9 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 26 |
| ATTORNEYS Sponsored by Paul Mitchell |
3 | 11 | 1 | 9 | 24 |
| PHYS THERAPISTS Sponsored by Travelocity |
5 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 14 |
