What follows is an explanation of our mission, our values and ideas behind the event, how it is managed to pursue these goals and a brief history of the event since its creation in 2006.

Our Mission: To hold a nordic ski event that prioritizes the well being of our communities, encourages compassion and camaraderie amongst participants, and provides the opportunity for personal challenge.

Our values:  Community well being;  Compassion and camaraderie;  Personal challenge

  Community well being

All profits after costs are donated to Manaia Youth Programs and the West Yellowstone Ski Education Foundation (WYSEF)

We encourage food bank donation by offering additional raffle tickets to those who bring canned goods.

The event tries to support local businesses by timing the event to occur during a seasonal lull in the West Yellowstone economy.

The Equinox has the least expensive registration fee of any 24 Hour event we have found.  Those who cannot afford the race fee are encouraged to help out to receive the discount or simply talk to the race director.  This is an inclusive community event.  No one will be turned away due to lack of funds.

  Compassion and camaraderie

There is a costume contest.  It seems like things tend to be more fun when we can laugh at ourselves and with each other rather than grimace tersely to our neighbor on the start line.

Saturday evening is a potluck for all racers and the community.  The bonfire roars, the beer flows, cheers for racers are prolific and again, smiles seem to be bountiful.

Is it your birthday?  We sing Happy Birthday, maybe to you even if it isn’t your birthday.

We try to learn everyone’s name.  You are not a number.  Everyone should know your name and not just at the awards ceremony.

Those who are generous with their time and energy receive the same from us.  While volunteers provide the assistance needed to make an event happen, it is really the presence of generosity that we value.  The atmosphere of this gathering strives to be inclusive, supportive and generous rather than as isolated and antagonistic.

  Personal Challenge

To encourage soloists, we charge fees per person rather than per team.  You shouldn’t have to pay more to fully embrace the challenge that is appropriate for your skill level.

There are a variety of categories and lengths to cater to skiers of all abilities.  Past entrants have ranged from international caliber racers to beginning skiers and we hope this continues.  A skier on a 6 Hour team may only have 2 hours of trail time while the 24 Hour soloist has a different challenge on paper, but perhaps a very comparable challenge given their skiing abilities.

Toko generously provides a wax technician for the event to keep racers on the trail with fast skis.  You did not pay a race fee to spend time wrestling the scraper and wax iron cord at 2 AM.

Our Abridged History

The Equinox Ski Challenge was born on a long drive home from the 24 Hours of Moab mountain bike race in October of 2006.  Sad to not have another fun 24 hour event until the following summer, I wondered if skiers would enjoy the race format as much as mountain bikers have over the last decade.  After a few ski adventures in Yellowstone National Park that were over 50K, I was convinced that the experience of a long distance skate ski race would be enjoyed by more than just myself.  Inspired by the memory of some past events I had the fortune to participate in, preparation for the first ever Equinox Ski Challenge began in late 2006.  In the process, the Equinox has become an experiment in reconciling competition and caring, an experiment in competitive events supporting the community rather than being an isolated bubble in the community, an experiment in asking questions and trying something new.

Throughout the years of being a junior racer, I had the found myself at the start lines of several events that were quite challenging such as the Iditasport (a 1000 mile winter multi-sport race) and the Midnight Sun 600K (a 375 mile road bike race).  It almost seemed as if the organizers of these events were saying, “I dare you.  I bet you can’t finish this one.”  Myself and most of the other participants had a great time and also pushed themselves in new and profound ways.  These events were influential moments in growing up and also furthered my racing ambitions.

The racing aspirations eventually fizzled years later after experiencing the mentality of national competitions where fun and compassion for each other, found in the smaller and more challenging events previously mentioned, fell by the wayside.  I stopped racing for several years, disheartened by the attitudes.  After a 5 year hiatus, I participated in the 24 Hours of Moab and was reminded of the possibilities of competitive events to foster community and compassion as well as personal challenge.  These three values, community, compassion, and personal challenge, have been the guiding principles for the Equinox since day one.

During the hiatus from racing, I began to work with young adults, some very privileged and some at-risk.  This brought to light our need for programs to support teens of all backgrounds in the process of growing up, in acquiring the life skills, communication and self awareness that is so necessary in navigating the world we live in today.  It seemed logical that this would be where the Equinox would direct its community involvement.  The West Yellowstone Ski Education Foundation (WYSEF) also came to mind as an organization promoting support and health for youth in the community.  WYSEF and Manaia now split the annual donations made by the Equinox.  The Food Bank also seemed like a practical way to integrate this event with the well being of the community.

The 2007 Equinox had a small but passionate showing of 30 racers.  We were able to donate $100 to Manaia Youth Programs and the West Yellowstone Ski Education Foundation and also collect 45 pounds of food for the West Yellowstone Food Bank.  It was a success and yet I was uncertain about continuing the event.  It was a lot of work for the $4.75 hourly wage I retained and the seemingly minute donations created.  The total kilometers skied by all participants was close to 3,000 km, with a whopping 900 km of the that skied by three separate 24 Hour soloists from the University of Utah.

Persuaded by those who competed in the inaugural event in 2007, the event returned for 2008 and continued to grow from a seed to a sapling, attracting 50 racers.  Our 2008 donations increased by 30% and continued with the same hourly wage for myself, the sole employee.  The remaining increase in profits went to costs for advertising and supplies.  The 24 Hour team event was topped by three women from Park City who combined for a total of 388 kilometers.

In December 2008, the Equinox Ski Challenge was awarded a $4300 grant by the Marketing and Promotion Board for the Town of West Yellowstone.  This grant is to assist with advertising and promotion of the event.  This has allowed us to place ads in several prominent ski publications and websites.  The grant is to be used only for advertising and only for the promotion of the 2009 event.  This has helped substantially given the tighter fiscal situation of the recent months.

Aside from the MAP Fund grant, the Equinox continues to operate on a tiny budget of about $1800 which includes wages for 250 hours of work per year.  The donations have averaged 20% of the net income so far.  Ideally this event can support itself in the future while donating 30-40% of the profits and pay a living wage to the employee(s).  It has been generosity, passion, creativity and resourcefulness that allowed the event to make these donations and grow in accordance to values rather than simply finances.  The tremendous support from friends, family and sponsors who share our values has been crucial in the growth and continuation of the Equinox Ski Challenge, and for that I am thankful.

The goal this year is to make a donation to help pay for a Manaia workshop at the West Yellowstone High School. This workshop occurred in 2008 and was skipped in 2009 due to funding despite interest on the schools part.  It is an important program that is valued highly by the participants.  A student in the 2008 workshop described “an indescribable closeness within the school” as a result of the program.  It is my belief that the teaching of communication and life skills to teenagers should not be cut so quickly in light of tight budgets that we all experience.  If the donation goal is not reached or the High School is unable to find the additional $1000 needed, the donation will support Manaia is its programming at other schools in the region.

So, we dare you.  How far can you go?  Can you ski for 24 hours?  12 Hours?  6 Hours?  3 hours?  Can we laugh at ourselves and support each other in the process?  Can we support WYSEF in continuing its efforts to keep young people active and engaged?  Can we make a Manaia workshop at the West Yellowstone High School happen?  Are we willing to take on a challenge in pursuit of supporting what we believe in?  Do compassion and community have a place of importance?

We hope to see you in West Yellowstone this spring and maybe we'll find a few answers and lots of laughter in the process.

Blessings on your day,
Sam Newbury

 Wunderground weather
for West Yellowstone