Incline Village, NV- Diamond Peak had 26 competitors in the 3rd Annual Vertical Challenge on March 1st. Participants registered for the event bright and early and hit the slopes by 9:00 am, trying to fit as many runs as they could in a seven-hour period. Everyone skied/ rode laps and laps, grabbing FRS Energy drinks before getting on the lifts and flying down the Crystal and Lakeview slopes.

The awards ceremony took place in the Loft Bar at 4:30 pm with Buck Milligan and Friends playing live folk music. Jim Hammerel won a 08/09 season pass in the Men’s division for skiing 70,128 vertical feet in one day, completing 42 runs on the Crystal Express chair and 12 runs on the Lakeview chair. Leslie Kopf won a 08/09 season pass in the Women’s division for skiing 67,308 vertical feet and completing 41 runs on Crystal and 10 runs on Lakeview. Honorable mentions go to our youngest competitor, 8-year-old Edward Parkhill, for skiing 45,537 vertical feet, and our oldest competitor who finished with 47,151 vertical feet, 64-year-old David Riley. Everyone who slid 45,000 vertical feet or more received a certificate for a $50 discount on a 08/09 season pass.

Diamond Peak would like to thank everyone who participated in the 3rd Annual Vertical Challenge and hope that next year’s will be bigger and better.