On your next visit to Tahoe, make like Greg Hill and start logging your vert in the backcountry. Alpenglow Sports has partnered with some leading equipment manufacturers to create an informal, fun and inspirational contest to help promote backcountry adventure in the Tahoe area.
The inaugural Lake Tahoe Backcountry Vertical Challenge invites locals and visitors partaking in all types of backcountry sports to log their human powered vertical feet attained in order to win gear prizes. The contest was conceived by Alpenglow employees Brendan Madigan and Jeff Dostie as a way to unite Tahoe backcountry enthusiasts and see if the group could collectively knock out 20 million vertical feet this season.
Tahoe is characterized by North America's deepest snow pack, relatively safe avalanche conditions, long spring corn season, and copious bluebird powder days. These conditions and terrain have spawned a tremendously motivated backcountry user group that cumulatively puts in an astounding amount of human powered vertical each winter.
Over on the Tahoe Vertical website, you can log your daily backcountry vert achieved from Dec 10, 2010 through May 1, 2011. At the end of this term, prizes including Black Diamond Aspect skis, Dynafit TLT 5 Mountain AT boots, and clothing from Patagonia, Marmot and Smartwool, will be awarded to the top three men and women.
To start logging your feet, simply register for free to create your individual profile with vertical tracker. Relying on participant honesty, your vertical is determined by the amount of human powered uphill travel in feet you do either skinning, boot packing or snowshoeing. Your downhill vertical should not count towards your cumulative effort.
Even if you don't land in the top three, you are eligible for a bi-monthly raffle prize by just logging one day of vertical in the backcountry. Additional prize categories will include: biggest single month, biggest single week, biggest single day, and both men and women's awards for "average plus one."
So grab your boots, skis and skins, head to Tahoe, and start racking up the vert!