Hats off to a screaming good time

Six years since launch and the Sundance Winter Festival continues to draw crowds of spectators from far and near, while an ever-increasing list of eager participants drag skis and tack to wait at the start of the skijoring course.

Throughout Saturday’s event, the sidewalks were abuzz with the cheers of the crowds. The festival’s usual luck returned as the skies turned blue and the temperature was positively balmy.

Revelers enjoyed good food while sipping on hot drinks and cold beer, as the racers geared up to try their luck on this year’s course.

Regular visitors to Main Street will have noticed that the course began to take shape even earlier than usual. It wasn’t long before the snow that fell Wednesday morning was hauled back onto the street and stacked in ten-foot piles.

On Thursday, volunteers and city employees once again spread the snow all the way from the courthouse to the intersection at the bank. This year, organizers had a little assistance from Wyoming State Trails, which sent a trail groomer to flatten the snow into a pristine course.

The bar stool races were cancelled this year as, unfortunately, only two entries were received, says Jamie Jessen of the Sundance Chamber of Commerce.

There were plenty of participants willing to race the main course, however, in five categories throughout the day. The winners calculated via their combined runs were:

Marie Cartwright and Dusty Thomas took first place in the Girly Guns division with a time of 38.72 seconds. Second place was Marie Cartwright and Randy Greer with 42.76 seconds.

Cody Hinkhouse and Tony Barton took first place in the Classic Guns division with a time of 34.90 seconds. Will Bockman and Sarah Barton took second with 35.18 seconds.

Jeff Stull and Colter Ellsbury took first place in the Young Guns division with a time of 31.61 seconds. Second place was Christian Alasi and Jake Fosheim with 31.81 seconds.

Connor Eaton and Josh Pierce in the Outlaw Boarders division with a time of 42.92 seconds. Second place was Triston Schwab and Randy Greer with 46.89 seconds.

Jeff Stull and Nick McDonald took first place in the Open Division with a time of 28.05. Tony Barton and Jake Fosheim took second with 29.94 seconds.