Fall rain showers tried their hardest to cancel the classic fall sufferfest that is the Emerald Mountain Challenge. Not to be thwarted by Mother Nature, U16 coaches Ben Brown and Ann West took matters into their own hands to make sure their current crop of athletes could not only test themselves mentally and physically, but also see where they stacked up against the history of SSWSC times. As soon as other programs got word of the 2026 unsanctioned edition of EMC, they were quick to join in for the race that is the definition of Type II fun (fun once you’re done). Tuesday’s edition included athletes from the FIS Alpine, Freeski, and Snowboard programs, as well as a few coaches from each, with their names on the start list.
To honor the heritage of the race, there was no official route – start at the lodge and finish at the radio towers – get to the top however you’d like. There was an immediate split at the start, two-thirds of the athletes heading towards Pony Land and up Wither Chute, with the rest opting to power up Short Cut and hop on pieces of Lupine Trail. While Blackmere Drive provides a consistent, manicured route, almost every participant chose the direct route and suffered up the old T-Bar line. The steepest sections not only pitch up to 45 degrees but the residual moisture made the trail just slick enough to rub proverbial mud in the wound that is the pain of the EMC.
Freshman snowboard athlete Phineas Walters was the first to cross the finish line, in 27 minutes and 55 seconds, a mere 14 seconds in front of Coach Ben Brown. U16 athlete Christian Biglow rounded out the podium with a time of 29:44. There were a total of 40 competitors who made it to the summit, with well over half of them not knowing the Emerald Mountain Challenge was on the docket for training that day. Head FIS Coach Chad Wolk said it best before the start of the unofficial race “it’s an honor and privilege to have everyone lining up to challenge themselves and get uncomfortable together” adding “this is the most SSWSC has felt like One Team in a long time” after everyone made it back to the base.
Story and photos submitted by Snowboard Program Director Alex Deibold.
TOP PHOTO: Summit Success
Athletes race each other and the sun up Emerald Mtn.
Tony Lodico and Chad Wolk lay out the ground rules and rally the crew before the start.
