Course Description - XTERRA Mountain Championship

.5 Mile or 1 Mile Open Water Swim

A .5 or 1 mile swim in Avon’s Nottingham Lake will kick off the point-to-point race.
This is a 1 or 2 lap, rectangular course and a 10 minute warm up is allowed before the race begins. The starting gun will be fired at 8:15am for sport racers / 9:00 a.m for full XTERRA racers, with swimmers staged in waves. Average water temperature is between 67 and 71 degrees. Athletes will be given a plastic bag with a race number at registration/packet pick-up.  Please use this bag for all belongings used at T1 for transfer by Race Personnel to finish area in Beaver Creek Village.

9 Mile of 15.5 Mile Mountain Bike

After the swim, racers transition to the mountain bike course. Ride out to pavement and get ready to climb for 2,200 feet or 3,600 feet of elevation gain. The off-road uphill climb goes along the trails of Bachelor Gulch, Arrowhead and Beaver Creek:
Riders leave T1 via the bike path around the north side of the Lake.
- Turn left onto paved West Beaver Creek Blvd (Intersection will be marshaled during race)
- Continue over railroad tracks and across HWY 6 (Police controlled intersection during race)
- Turn left at skier parking lot and pick up a paved bike path at the end of the lot
- Cross over Prater Road and hit the dirt at the top of the Riverfront Gondola
- Total pavement leaving lake is approximately 1 mile – Great chance to get the legs cranking!
- Follow trail at top of Gondola and cross under Lower BC Express chairlift. You are on the Elkhorn Trail (some steep climbs)
- After you cross under the second lift, you will intersect the "Village to Village Trail". This is where you will see the first Aid Station
- Sport Course racers will take a left onto "Village to Village Trail" at the Aid Station, immediately crossing over the paved road and follow signs to FINISH bike portion
- Full Course racers will climb up the paved "Strawberry Park" road for .9 miles (Full XTERRA racers only)
- After climbing the .9 miles, turn right onto "Daybreak Ridge Trail". (Full XTERRA racers only)
- At the high point on the trail, turn right onto "Primrose Trail"/ gravel service Road (Full XTERRA racers only)
- At the top of the Arrowhead Lift, you will pass through descending to the West on a skiway, just after you pass by the Arrowhead Yurt on the switchback, you will make a SHARP LEFT TURN onto a winding downhill single track "Arrowhead Mt. Trail" (Full XTERRA racers only)
- When you intersect the "Village to Village Trail", head back across Arrowhead and Bachelor Gulch ski slopes, then back through the Aid Station (Full XTERRA racers only)
- Cross over Strawberry Park paved road and follow signs on "Village to Village Trail"
- Bear right at the junction of "Beaver Lake Trail", then just after you cross under Chair 11, turn right on dirt service road and loop up towards "Beano's Cabin"
- As you approach the Cabin, turn left down the rocky ski way and immediately look for a single track trail on the right, follow this down to intersect the service road to the base of Chairs 9, 10 and 11
- At the base of Chair 9, turn right and pick up "Allie’s Way" - fast, rolling singletrack
- Turn right at the gravel service road "Cinch" for a short, approx. .2 miles up to the "Cork Screw Trail"
- Turn left off "Cinch" service road and descend into "Corkscrew" - singletrack switchbacks with small root drops
- Continue on "Lower Corkscrew" singletrack / service roads into T2

3 Mile or 5.75 Mile Trail Run

Runners hit the trails for a 3 mile/ 5.75 mile run through aspen glades, along skyways and singletrack, returning to the base of Beaver Creek Village for the post-race party! There is an elevation gain of 700 of 1,300 feet.

• Exit T2- a slight climb to service road under Chair 1 - Gondola
• Cross Kiva skier bridge over paved road and turn left down hill, paralleling road
• Turn Right onto "Buddie's Way" single track, this turns into a double track skiway
• Turn Left onto "Aspen Glade" singletrack
• At "Cinch" service road, turn right, follow this down below the horse stables.
• Just past the road bend below the stables, turn left onto "Village Loop" single track.
• When you intersect "Cinch", turn left. Sport racers will then take an immediate right to the finish!
• Full XTERRA racers continue left on "Cinch" past an aid station and turn left up onto "Five Senses" singletrack after crossing over Beaver Creek
• "Five Senses" intersects "Village Rd." for a few hundred feet then back onto dirt trail, follow this up to intersect with "Beaver Lake Trail" service road at this point.
• Turn left up service road and then shortly after a right onto "Lost Buck Spur" singletrack.
• As you cross under ski lift #12, follow "Stack-it" single track across then down hill.
• Follow "Stack-it" below "Lost Buck" service road and the water tank.
• When "Stack-it" intersects "Lost Buck", take this service road to the bottom
• Cross "Strawberry Park Skier Bridge" to Finish!