Last Skier Standing Competition Is Insane As It Gets and AMC Is Right There – by Lynn Fisher

Your author enjoys following extreme ski events, the likes of which she has no inclination, and even more so, insufficient athleticism, to actually participate in.  Here’s a favorite:

Last Skier Standing, run by White Mountain Ski Co. and held at Black Mountain of Maine, is an endurance event in which participants skin up about 1.5 miles and 1200 vertical feet, then ski back down, once each hour.  Skiers continue doing this until all skiers but one have dropped out. Skiers stop when they decide to, or when they “time-out” by failing to complete a lap within the hour.

Athleticism, strength, endurance and a solid transition are the minimums for success here, not to mention the management of nutrition, digestion, abused feet and a variety of weather;  all without stopping.   Laps start every hour, on the hour.  The race continues through the night(s).  

I was thrilled to see Chris Peter, AMC-NH Ski Committee co-chair, listed among the 138 starters.  The live results showed him competing strongly. I was bowled over by his finish at 31 laps.  That’s 31 hours of continuous touring, putting him in 21st place overall.

I asked Chris some of my burning questions: A mini-interview follows. If you’d like to know more, including how long the winner finally skied, there’s a quick report here: Last Skier Standing. 

LF: Can you give a reason why you signed up for Last Skier Standing?  If so, please tell us what it is.

CP: I love endurance sports and skiing! Even though there are dozens if not over 100 trail running races using this format, this is a one of a kind ski event with amazing organizers, volunteers, crew and fellow racers.

LF: What were the moments during the event when you felt strong, pumped, motivated, happy?  

CP: The very beginning and the very end! I felt pretty strong until lap 9, then had stomach issues I couldn’t shake for the rest of the race so felt very weak until I finished. But then I felt strong again the next day and skied a couple more laps! My crew kept my spirits high along with my friend Austin who raced with me for 26 hours and so many other racers. I also drew inspiration from a recently fallen friend, who was an amazing ultra athlete.

LF: Would you rate psychological or physical exhaustion more challenging in the effort to ski for 31 hours?

CP: Great question! Despite being in copious amounts of physical pain in many different ways, it’s almost always the mental aspect of it. I told myself I’d ski until I got timed out on the course and that worked from lap 11 on, when I thought I was going to quit, then and every consecutive lap after. I finally gave in at lap 31 but still had 2 mins to spare to go another lap, but chose not to. Oddly enough, this is the case for almost all the racers. At some point, the stick overcomes the carrot.

LF: Is there any other little weird, strange, funny, unique, or bizarre experience you’d be able to relate to us?

CP: One racer, who’s done this event all 6 years, was racing in a hotdog outfit. I caught him eating a hot dog, which seemed wrong on many levels. But on the other hand, you are what you eat!

Congratulations Chris!