Newcomers claim 2026 Boulder titles
Skiers making their way to the course. Photos by Craig Wolfrom.
Perfect weather and a fast course had someone sweating at the 53rd annual Zions Bank Boulder Mountain Tour, but it wasn’t the men wearing bibs 1 – 10. Nope. The one feeling the heat was course record-holder Matt Gelso, who set a savage mark of 1:10.28 in nearly identical conditions back in 2018. Heading into the race, Gelso expressed that this could be the year his record fell, and wasn’t exactly thrilled with the prospect of losing his bragging rights.
The women’s course record also dates back to the same year. Caitlin Gregg stopped the clock at 1:17.41 while claiming her third consecutive BMT title, becoming the first woman to win three straight overall championships. During the same stretch, she was virtually untouchable on the race circuit, piling up a record five American Birkebeiner ski marathon victories, an achievement unmatched by any other skier – male or female.
It was the first time since 2018 that both record-holders were in the field, engendering this succinct observation by elite skier Annika Landis, “You never overlook Caitlin Gregg. Ever.”
One record was smashed like a piñata at a birthday party. Josh Sweeney, racing in the sit-ski division for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, took a buzz-saw to Dan Cnossen’s mark of 1:43.51, covering the 34-kilometer course in 1:36.34, 10 minutes and one second faster than 7x Paralympic medalist Cnossen, and a full 33:44 seconds better than he finished in 2024.
Josh Sweeney set a new course record for sit-skiers on Saturday.
Asked what he attributes his improvement to, Sweeney, 38, remarked, “A fair amount has changed since then in terms of training (new coach) and nutrition (vegetarian diet) as well as more focused time on skis racing internationally and working to get as fit as possible.”
Boasting arms a Seahawks’ defensemen would envy, Sweeney will compete in his third Winter Paralympic Games in Cortina, Italy, in March. In the 2014 gold-medal sled-hockey game at Sochi, Sweeney slotted the contest’s lone goal, lifting Team USA to a 1-nil victory over Russia.
Sweeney displaying the arms and form that earned him a berth in the 2026 Winter Paralympics.
“As far as these games go, my goal is to hopefully medal in at least one biathlon and a couple of XC races, but it’s some tough competition, so I’ll need to come out swinging,” Sweeney said.
Coming out swinging is exactly how the men’s elite field attacked the course. According to Peter Wolter, the 2023 champion, it seemed half of the 57-strong elite field went with the leaders.
The elite men’s group winds its way out of Senate Meadows.
“There was a pretty large group, 30 or so, and we broke an early part of that group on the V1 up Hawk Hill, but a sizable group, 15 or 20, stayed with us to Goat Hill. Reid (Goble) said ‘I don’t think we are going to be able to break these guys,’ but I made a decent push up Goat Hill to crack some people, and it seemed like it maybe just had a little delayed effect because by the time we hit Prairie Creek, the six of us broke away from the group.”
The sextet featured three SVSEF Gold Team skiers with Wolter, Will Koch, and Elijah Weenig, alongside three Bozeman Pro Team rivals, Goble, Luke Allan, and Willson Moore. Most of the men know each other well after years of going head-to-head on the racing circuit.
“If you looked at the start list, those are the six guys I would’ve picked to be there at the end,” Wolter said. “It really could have been anyone’s day. The course was ripping.” (Editor’s note: Shout out to race secretary Mike Wolter, who did the seeding.)
Weenig, originally from Jackson Hole, spent time last week preparing for the race with Koch, who was also making his Boulder debut.
“We did a pretty big interval set at Galena and the Harriman last week. The focus of the session was to prepare to ski with a lot of fatigue and continue to race hard through that. I think that helped us feel pretty fresh toward the end of the race after an hour of skiing hard,” Weenig remarked.
With Allan pushing the pace to win both on-course preems at Baker Creek and Frostbite Flats, Weenig said the pack slowed down a bit with 5k to go and then jockeyed for position.
Weenig makes his move on the homestetch.
“It was total chaos,” Wolter said. “People were double-poling, trying to hold their positions and doing some really frustrating things. Eli shot the gap and made a very decisive move. I was happy for him that he took advantage of it.”
Weenig recounted.
SVSEF Gold Team racers Weenig and Koch hammering to the finish line.
“I think I was in third going into the last couple K, and then that last right-hand turn where the parking lot is, I saw an opening on the outside and took it, and got to the front, and free-skated super hard and yeah…
“I honestly surprised myself a little bit with winning, which was great. This is one of the first races I’ve won in honestly, a couple of years, so it feels really good and gives me a lot of confidence with some of the Super Tours coming up this weekend and the Birkie.”
Weenig’s winning time was 1:11.12.1. Koch finished second in 1:11.12.5, and Moore slipped into third place in the inside lane to clock in at 1:11.13.8. Goble, Allan, and Wolter finished 4th, 5th, and 6th, 1.4 seconds behind Moore.
A victory in itself. Gelso remains the course record-holder. Chatting with Jamie Lieberman post-race.
When Gelso, himself a former Gold Team member, crossed the finish line, he pumped his fists exuberantly when Travis Jones announced, “Matt Gelso of Hailey, still the course record holder (by 44.1 seconds).”
Apparently, it was Year of the Rookie, as the women’s champion, 24-year-old Emma Albrecht of BSF, claimed the title in her first-ever Boulder.
“I have never skied the course, or at Galena, so everything was very new to me,” she said. “My strategy going into the BMT was to conserve as much energy as possible while staying with the lead pack. For me, that meant when the top women were battling for the top positions, I would stay relaxed and try to be very efficient in my technique. I definitely did pull my weight and lead for portions of the course, but my main objective was to conserve energy and fuel often.”
Not being familiar with the course led Albrecht to crash after getting boxed out on a downhill, but she said she recovered quickly and caught the lead pack.
Citing sprinting and flatter terrain as her strengths, Albrecht said she knew that if she could position herself near the front in the final kilometer, she would be in contention for a strong finish.
“I ended up taking a preem sprint during the race and was feeling great at this point. It was then that I decided I was going to start sprinting about 1.5k out from the finish,” she said. And then she put the hammer down, holding off Landis and Gregg to win in 1:20.27.6. Landis (Enjoy Winter) came in at 1:20.28.4, just 8/100ths back, and Gregg (Team Gregg) clocked in at 1:20.28.8.
Bozeman skier Emma Albrecht raises her arm in triumph at the finish.
“Honestly, I was very surprised by my win because the field was extremely deep and most of these women have skied this course many times over. I always expect myself to race my best, and that’s exactly what I did, so I’m very proud of myself,” Albrecht summed up.
Emma Reeder (BSF), Quincy Donley (APU), and Eric Bianco (BSF) went 4-5-6. Mia Case of SEF-Gold was 7th, and all placed in the top 40 overall.
Fast company. The women’s podium. Landis, Albrecht and Gregg.
Weenig and Albrecht each took home $2,500 in cash prizes, while Koch and Landis earned $1,000 apiece, Moore and Gregg received $500 each. In Jones-Grover–sponsored sprint preems at Baker Creek and Frostbite Flats, Allan won two, and Landis and Albrecht won one each. Each victory was worth $100.
Wave winners were Jack Christianson and Logan Smith (Wave 3). Smith left the next day for Italy to watch her sister, Sammy, compete in the Winter Olympics. Nick St. Clair and Bailey Haus claimed Wave 4; Scott Ptach and Devyn (Parnes) Vore Wave 5; Tim Derrick and Melody Scheefer Wave 6; Toby Woods and Katy Applin Wave 7.
Boise’s Lucy Collins is joy personified after the race as Anna Sellers looks on.
Ted Lystig finished exactly in the middle of the field to win the hotly contested Half-Fast Award. Going twice as fast as the year before, Celia Leber and Ed Wong took home Jon Engen honors for the greatest time improvement by percentage from 2025. Wong improved his time by 46.9 percent, and Leber by 44.6 percent. Engraved belt buckles bearing Jon’s name and leather belts were given to the winners.
Anyone who saw Sandra and David Rhude on course dressed as Vikings would nod in agreement at the Minnesota couple winning Best Costume.
Bagging Best Costume, David and Sandra Rhude of Minneapolis can claim these Minnesota Vikings were winners this season.
Nancy Fichter, 77, and Del Pletcher, 81, were recognized for “Most Ski Seasons.” Piper Renner and Asher Olsen, both 12, were the youngest skiers to finish the Full Boulder.
Age-class champions were Piper Renner, Annika Neuschwander, Emma Albrecht, Annika Landis, Katie Arnis, Sarah Armstrong, Kellie Carim, Caitlin Gregg, Kim Rudd, Beth Thomas, Roxanne Toly, Karen Morrow, Kim Springer, and Nancy Fichter.
Men’s champions were (youngest to oldest) Connor Sable, Cotland Haynes, Elijah Weenig, Willson Moore, Jack Hegman, Tyler Reinking, Brian Gregg, Matt Edwards, Levi Leipheimer, Dave Sjogren, Randy Anderson, Jim Santa, Steve Moore, David Christopherson, and Del Pletcher.
The 2026 Zions Bank Boulder Mountain Tour winners’ podium.
15k Boulder
Charley Course Half Boulder champions were Dan Reinkingsmeier of Hailey in 40.43, and 11-year-old junior Lelia Martin of Truckee, CA, in 43.13.
Charley Course age class winners were Lelia Marton, Penelope Zuck, Heather Corado, Madeline Mahoney, Sara Wolf, Danielle White, Anne Umphrey, Joan Benson, Gloria Ploss (female); Ledge Wolf, Leighton Thomson, Chandler Brewington, Alex Poltash, Eric Goldwarg, Dan Reinkingsmeier, Thomas Cromwell, Larry Newton, and Loren Cogdill (male).
Earning team titles were winners River and Sara Wolf (The Wolf Pack, natch), second-place Penelope and John Zook (Daddy Daughter Crew), and third, Alden Goldwarg and Emily Ridgeway (The Ridgwargs).
Roger Miller and Gloria Ploss, both octogenarians, were the oldest racers to complete the Half Boulder. Youngest finishers were Dax Moriarty (9) and Gracie Stringenz (10).
Otis Loga leading guide Martha Pendl in their pre-race warm up.
In the Para sit-skiing division, Otis Loga (2:27.03) and Kevin Hoyt (2:51.28) finished second and third to Sweeney.
“One-Armed” Willie Stewart of Boise compiled a raw time of 1:43.20, placing 243rd overall out of 697 finishers.
Women’s top sit-skiers in the Half-Boulder were CAF’s Brittany Chadbourne of Syracuse, Utah; Makenzie Searle and Meira Wilson. Brooke Nelson finished fourth. Sarah Pedersen set the low mark for para standing skiers at 1:29.34. All four hail from Idaho.
For the men, Craig Towler (59.36) of Boulder, Co., and Bruce Cooper (1:04.14) of Boise went 1-2.
You would be hard-pressed to pick a better day to ski the Boulder. The BMT thanks one and all for their involvement.
By Jody Zarkos, BMT Race Director