The Grand Traverse
About this race
The Elk Mountains Grand Traverse was conceived by Jan Runge in the 1990s. The race’s genesis was partially based on the historical mail routes that connected the Colorado mining towns of Crested Butte and Aspen in the 1880s. It also drew inspiration from the Patrouille des Glaciers, a point-to-point ski race in Switzerland which Runge had become familiar with in the 80s. In 1998, with the help of the community, Runge sent a brave field of competitors from Crested Butte, over the Elk Mountains, to Aspen. It worked, and the Extraordinary Backcountry Ski Race was born. In 2012, event ownership was transferred to Crested Butte Nordic. The race is now a major fundraiser for the organization. In 2014 the Grand Traverse summer events were launched. Now the Grand Traverse features a winter ski race, a summer mountain run, and a mountain bike race.
Pick your distance
Skiing
Ski
A backcountry ski race from Crested Butte to Aspen. NOTE: Entry fees are non-refundable. Entries cannot be deferred to another year.
Triathlon
Triple Crown
Since its inception in 2015, the Grand Traverse Triple Crown has rapidly developed into a preeminent multi-sport / multi-season endurance challenge. With its legacy firmly planted as the toughest point-to-point ski race in North America, the GT Triple Crown defines a new generation of mountain sports competition. A singular test of three pinnacle mountain disciplines – Ski, Trail Run & Mountain Bike, will challenge both individual perseverance while also demanding concerted team strategizing in the first race stage – the ski to Aspen. NOTE: Entry fees are non-refundable. Entries cannot be deferred to another year or transferred to another racer.
Running
Run
A backcountry trail race from Crested Butte to Aspen. NOTE: Entry fees are non-refundable. Entries cannot be deferred to another year or transferred to another racer.
Duathlon
Dual Sport
Participants will run from CB to Aspen on 9/4 and then bike the 40 miles back the next day on 9/5. NOTE: Entry fees are non-refundable. Entries cannot be deferred to another year or transferred to another racer.
Mountain biking
Bike
A backcountry MTB race from Aspen to CB. NOTE: Entry fees are non-refundable. Entries cannot be deferred to another year or transferred to another racer.
Typical race-day weather
Based on 5 years of Open-Meteo archive data for this event's race dates in Crested Butte, plus the 3 days either side.
The sun rises at 6:58 AM and sets at 7:27 PM local time (MDT) in Crested Butte on March 28, 2027 — 12h 28m of daylight.
Course
No course map published yet.
The organizer hasn't released a route for this event, and we don't publish guesses. If you're the organizer, send us a GPX file and we'll draw the profile.
Reviews
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Results — The Grand Traverse
Other races near Crested Butte
Different organizers, within 40 miles, in the next three months
Rubey Rescue Run
The Roaring Fork Splash for Cash, a fundraiser for the Aspen Swim Club
Summit for Life
Where this page comes from. Race details were last updated on . We re-check listings regularly and again in the week before race day.
- Entries, prices, waves and inclusions — the event's official registration page
- Temperature and humidity — Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0)
- Elevation and terrain relief — Copernicus DEM GLO-90, ESA (CC BY 4.0)
- Comparisons and counts — Race Discovery calendar, 8 Crested Butte events
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