Elevation Olympics

A A A Comments By Colin Bane Thursday, Jun 2 2011

Vail’s annual Memorial Day whitewater festival has exploded into one of North America’s premier outdoor sports events and turned a sleepy week between spring and summer into one of the Vail Valley’s biggest boom times. This year’s tenth annual Teva Mountain Games features kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, rock climbing, mountain biking, a half-marathon on Vail Pass, and even dog sports (don’t miss the Big Air WAVE long-jump competition).

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“Needless to say, we’ve been having some...let’s say interesting weather up here this year,” says Vail Valley Foundation spokesman John Dakin. “These are outdoor sports, and there are some things you can control and some you can’t. If that bright warm thing in the sky comes out to play after all this snow we’ve been having, then the whitewater events are going to be crazy this year.”

Head up today for the Steep Creek Kayak Championships, starting at 10 a.m., and grab a spot near Leap of Faith or Piece of Shit (in-famous points along the race route) for your best chance at grabbing the cash in this week’s Mountain Click Photo competition and getting your shot published in Outside magazine. Other main events this week include the Bouldering World Cup and the Ultimate Mountain Challenge (10K run combined with cross-country mountain biking, road biking and a down-river sprint). Visit www.tevamountaingames.com for full schedule and registration information; all events, which continue through Sunday, are free for spectators.
June 2-5, 2011

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What's happening in town? From underground club nights to the biggest outdoor festivals, our top picks for the week's best events will always keep you in on the action.