Epic on all counts.
The 2025 Zions Bank Boulder Mountain Tour was a lesson in perseverance, faith in the people around you, and the knowledge that Nordic skiers are made of pretty tough stuff. What other group of people will tackle a stormy 34-kilometer point-to-point race with 20 millimeters of fabric between them and the great outdoors?
In the days leading up to the Boulder, organizers were concerned if the race would even happen, given a preliminary forecast calling for winds up to 40 mph, two feet of snow and a high rain line. A decade before, the same sort of storm forced cancelation of the 2015 BMT, downing trees on course and icing over the highway.
Despite the initial forecast, the 52nd annual race rolled in with less ferocity but still packed a punch dropping a foot of snow the night before the start and picking up again the next morning. Under the direction of Eric Rector, the Blaine County Recreation District’s grooming crew rolled all night prepping the course for the 770 starters out of 1,000 registrants. It paid off, especially for men’s overall champion Joe Davies.
The men’s elite field makes its way out of Senate Meadows at Galena. Photos by Craig Wolfrom unless otherwise noted.
“The course was in much better shape than I thought it would be, given the new snow. It was fairly firm underneath.”
So was Davies’ resolve.
With three Super Tour podiums under his belt in the New Year, including a win in a Super Tour 15k freestyle at Soldier Hollow two weeks prior, the 23-year-old University of Utah senior and eight other racers, including Garrett Butts, Ander Weiss, and Reid Goble, pulled away from the 56 other skiers in wave one. 15k later, Davies was by himself, 40 seconds ahead of the field, and after the ensuing 18k on the Harriman Trail, he crossed the finish line in 1:28.33.
“I am not a sprinter, and I didn’t want to leave it to that,” Davies remarked.
Butts, one of three Alaska-Pacific men to finish in the top 10, skied to second place in 1:30.10. Bridger Ski Foundation’s Reid Goble was third at 1:31.12. For a crowd used to a horse race at this finish, the sight of racers skiing in alone harkened back to 2022 when David Norris was more than a minute faster than the field.
W stands for winner. Joe Davies alone at the finish.
Not so in the women’s clash. Hometown favorite Annika Landis and Erica Laven, of the University of Utah, turned the last corner within a stride of each other, and Laven, a Swedish national, held her off for the win in 1:44.01. Landis crossed in 1:44.02. It was the second year in a row the top two women finished within .01.3 of one another and 18th and 19th overall. Another Ute, 20-year-old Scandinavian Selma Nevin, finished third in 1:47.08.
Laven and Landis on the homestretch.
Racing for Enjoy Winter, Landis was favored in the field and assigned the #1 bib before the Utah racers jumped in at the suggestion of Johnny Hagenbuch, the 2020 BMT champ and SVSEF alumni now skiing on the U.S. Cross Country men’s team.
“I just thought, Laven, oh no,” Landis said. Her concern was not unwarranted.
Laven is in the midst of an impressive season. In her last 14 race starts dating back to December 14, 2024, she has amassed eight victories and never finished off the podium. $2500 each was awarded to the winners, $1,000 to each runner up and $500 paid out to third place. Preem awards provided by Jones-Grover went to Davies and Landis.
Erika Flowers of BSF receives a warm welcome at the finish line.
Wave champions were Dave Burch and Raylene Chew in wave 3, Neil Johnson and Carolyn Sterrett in wave 4, Brian Keefe and Eloise Zimbelman in wave 5, Carter Ros and Cami Laakmann in wave 6, Chris Cooney and Abigail Rideout in wave 7.
In the Para division, “One Arm” Willie Stewart of Challenged Athletes Foundation won the standing class in 2:29.10 – good enough for 189th in men’s overall. Greg Mallory (2:48.19) and Otis Loga (3:02.17) went one-two in the sitting category. Zack Simons, a three-time Boulder champion, acted as Loga’s guide. Para athletes split a $4,000 prize purse courtesy of CAF, The BMT and Sue Engelmann of Berkshire-Hathaway.
Jordan Valentine may have been the biggest winner of the day. Tackling the 34k course for the first time with guide Lettie Stratton, the pair got engaged in the middle of the race, noting that they had met at the Boulder when they skied it in 2022. Starting single but finishing engaged, Valentine timed in at 3:55.17.
In a usual year, the Jon Engen Award is given to the man and woman who improve their time by the greatest percentage from the previous year. Emilie Rice and Juerg Stauffacher were awarded the Engen this year by finishing the closest to last year’s time. Rice was an amazing one percent off, and Stauffacher was only three percent off in 2024.
“This year, it is going to the people that sucked the least,” announcer Travis Jones quipped on stage at the awards.
Father and daughter Gregory Sirek and Eleanor Sirek, a racer for SVSEF, won the Charley Course Half Boulder crowns and led a contingent of eight skiers to finish the 15k in under an hour. Team Golden Fang, with Isaac and Tim Nueschwander, won the Parent/Child title. The Wolfpack with River and Sara Wolf was second.
Charley Course Para champs were Kevin Hoyt, Abbas Mamodoum, and Jason Stoffer in the men’s sitting category, Brittany Chadbourne, Quinn Brett, and Makenzie Searle in the women’s. Sarah Pedersen claimed the women’s standing category.
After the race, Stoffer of Eureka, Montana, talked about how taking up cross-country skiing just two months before the race infused his life with deeper purpose and meaning.
“Training for the race really gave me something to work toward every day. It helped me feel better physically, and even more than that, improved my mental health. This was my goal,” Stoffer said.
Representing Challenged Athletes Foundation were 19 skiers in the 2025 BMT, including first-time racer 10-year-old Vivian Elison of Kuna, who, like Annika Landis, was celebrating her birthday the next day. Like our Groundhog Day girls, we hope to see everyone back at the Boulder next year.
Sam Krieg’s expression at the finish speaks for many that day.
The Zions Bank Boulder Mountain Tour, with race director Jody Zarkos and board members Matt Gelso, Svea Grover, Rick Kapala, Paddy McIlvoy, Al Pokorny, Muffy Ritz, Mary Rose, Roger Squier, and Annie Van Fossan, is indebted to the following individuals and businesses for their hard work and support.
Thank you Ted Angle, Reid Black, Morgan Buckert, Jenny Busdon, Sandra Caulkins, Mark Davidson, Becky Flynn, Tim East, Mat Hall, EJ Harpham, Chris Grover, Travis Jones, Janet Kellam, Jim Keller, Ashley Knox, Rob Landis, Seth Martin, Paige McNeil, Andy Munter, Bobby Noyes, Kyle Oldemeyer, Chelan Pauly, Carol Rank, Eric Rector, Taan Robrahn, John Seiller, Mike Sinnott, Pete Stephenson, Derek Svengusson, Hazel Thorne, Scott Thorne, Bryce Turzian, Paula Viesturs, Parker Weekes, Ashton Wilson, Craig Wolfrom, Mike Wolter, Kelley Yeates, Joe Yelda, Calder Zarkos and Chris Zarkos.
Our gratitude is not complete without recognizing nearly 300 volunteers who extended their time, energy and enthusiasm bringing the 2025 Boulder to life. You are truly the best. Thank you very much.
Timer extraordinaire Bobby Noyes is a prime example of the many dedicated volunteers who make the Boulder what is it.
Thanks, too, to our wonderful sponsors, including title sponsor Zions Bank, platinum sponsors Backwoods Mountain Sports, Blaine County Recreation District, Challenged Athletes Foundation, The Elephant’s Perch, Salomon, and Zenergy; gold sponsors Atkinsons’ Market, Enjoy Winter, Fischer/One Way, Visit Sun Valley; volunteer bib sponsor Lloyd Construction; preem sponsor Jones-Grover of Engel Volkers, silver sponsors Clear Creek Disposal, Lutz Rental, Madshus/Rex Wax, Morgan’s Fine Finishes, Power Engineers, Rossignol, SAUCE, Sun Valley Community School, TOKO; bronze sponsors American Ostrich Farms, Davis Embroidery, Jones-Grover, Lumi Experiences, Nourish Me, Sawtooth Brewery, Sun Valley Associates, Sun Valley Company, Sun Valley Ketamine, Sturtevants, SWIX, Sync Vans, and Wood River Land Trust.
Becky Flynn, XC Program Director at SVSEF with lead timer Alex Phipps of Zone 4.
Our gratitude extends to Boulder supporters The Argyros, Cellar Pub, Conrad Brothers Construction, Farmstead Cider, Galena Lodge, Pioneer Saloon, Rickshaw, Roots Kitchen and Cannery, Sushi on Second, Vamps/Dons, and WR YMCA.
Nothing but pure exhilaration at the start
The Boulder Mountain Tour is made possible by special permit with the U.S. Forest Service, Ketchum Ranger District. Thank you to area rangers Kirk Flannigan, Melissa Baechle and Susan James for their assistance.
This year’s Zions Bank finisher medals were a huge hit. Photo by Derek Svennungsen
For complete results, please click here.
Age Class Results
Full Boulder
13-under: Levi Streit and Payton Daley-Scheingraber
14-17: Nathan Liddell and Josephine Renner
18-24: Joe Davies and Erica Laven
25-29: Reid Goble and Annika Landis
30-34: Brandon Brewster and Anna Marno
35-39: Adam Farabaugh and Erika Flowers
40-44: Stephen Mull and Shayla Swanson
45-49: Peter Abraham and Jennifer Neuschwander
50-54: Samuel Cordell and Martha Pendl
55-59: Duncan Douglas and Joan Scheingraber
60-64: Barry Makarewicz and Roxanne Toly
65-69: Mike Brumbaugh and Karen Morrow
70-74: Steve Moore and Kim Springer
75-79: Bill Leyrer and Julia Page
80-84: Del Pletcher
Charley Course Half Boulder
12-Under: Jed Schmidt and Hazel Schmidt
13-19: Cortland Haynes and Eleanor Sirek
20-29: William Coffin and Sarah Kaufman
30-39: David Overgaard and Synneva Hagen-Lillevik
40-49: Ryan Schmidt and Anne Marie Schmidt
50-59: Gregory Sirek and Eleanor Kelly
60-69: Michael Judge and Kristen Bell
70-79: Kim Barrette and Joa Benson
80-89: Loren Cogdill