STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

The clock was fast approaching an hour since the first wave of skiers had left Galena Lodge hoping for glory in the Zions Bank Boulder Mountain Tour.

Still, no one had crossed the road leading into Cathedral Pines, even though dozens would have already done so by this point in time during a normal year.

Then a lone figure appeared out of the woods in the distance, easily sashaying his way down the Harriman Trail on his skate skis as if he were enjoying a Sunday afternoon outing.

Joe Davies celebrates his Boulder Mountain Tour win.

Joe Davies, a first team All-American Nordic racer and the 2023 10K Freestyle national champion, sailed past a collection of Sun Valley Suns hockey players drinking mid-morning nightcaps at the tiki bar they’d set up along the path and continued his way down the trail crossing the finish line with no one on his tail.

He came in an hour and 28 minutes in the inch of snow that had fallen since the groomer last laid a row of corduroy. It was a good 15 minutes off last year’s winning time on a sunny day with much faster snow conditions. But he didn’t care.

“This is the first time I’ve ever raced in the Boulder Mountain Tour, although I have skied around Galena Lodge before,” said the British Colombia native who is studying electrical engineering at the University of Utah. “And it was definitely a little slow, but the course was in awesome shape—they did a great job of grooming. I had to push hard in some areas, but I mostly tried to enjoy myself.”

Garrett Butts, whose mother Ingrid, a former U.S. Ski Team member won the 1996 BMT, came in second. Ari Endestad, whose father Audun Endestad won the 1990 and 1993 BMT, did not podium but was among the early arrivals.

Brandon Brewster collapsed among crossing the finish line.

“It’s my first time down here,” said the 24-year-old Endestad, who has been watching more raindrops than snowflakes at his home in Alaska this winter. “I’ll go home and tell my father, ‘Maybe next year, I’ll get to your level.’ ”

Meanwhile, Sun Valley’s Annika Landis narrowly missed first among the women for the second year in a row, ceding the top spot to Erika Lavin, skiing for the University of Utah.

“This was supposed to have been the year I came in first after placing second last year and third the year before,” said Landis, who turns 27 today. “But the competition was really good this year—we had some fast college kids. My goal was to get behind them and let them do the work, Then Erika and I pulled away just before Prairie Creek, trading leads a few times during the rest of the race. It was hard to pass because the snow was so deep on each side.”

Race organizers debated for a few days leading up to the 52nd Boulder Mountain Tour whether they should cancel it given weather predictions of up to three feet of snow with a snow bordering on rain at lower elevations and high winds. It was not just the racers they were worried about, given the potential for hypothermia if snow turned to rain. They were also worried whether they could safely buss participants to the Galena Lodge and the starting line.

Annika Landis celebrates her podium finish with Erika Lavin.

But they sent out word that the race was a go at 6 a.m. race day. And the snow was a light powdery snow with no wind.

Still, they took no chances.

“This Boulder may be the slowest you have ever skied,” Race Direvtor Jody Zarkos and Board President Paddy McIlvoy said in an email to participants. “Carry food, water and fuel accordingly. This Boulder will truly be a tour. Plan for a long day…no skinsuits this year—wear warm, waterproof clothing.”

“I wasn’t afraid it would be cancelled,” said Landis. “It never snows as much as they say it’s going to.”

Sun Valley ski racer Annika Landis, second from left, took the podium with skiers from Utah and Alaska.

That said, two busses carrying members of the later waves were delayed behind a slow going snow plow, meaning the racers on those buses did not arrive at the lodge in time to toe the starting line with their wave groups.

“We told them, ‘Just go!’ ” one volunteer said.

FULL BOULDER WINNERS

MEN’S

Joe Davies, University of Utah; 2) Garrett Butts, APU; 30 Reid Golde, BSF Pro

WOMEN’S

Erika Lavin, University of Utah; 2) Annika Landis, Enjoy Winter Factory Team; 3) Selma Nevin, University of Utah