Tahoe Daily Tribune – January 2007
How many runs can you make in a day on the Face of Heavenly? That’s the question answered each April, when Glen Plake hosts his annual Gunbarrel 25 – an all-day, fun-filled homage to ligament stability and lactic acid build-up. The $25 entry fee buys you six hours to make as many bump laps as your limbs allow – and at 1,700 vertical per, a full 25 runs will chalk up 42,500 feet.
“I was inspired by old perpetual trophies that were the pride and joy of the ski lodge,” says Plake of his two-year old contest. “The Flying 60 at Badger Pass, Heavenly’s Governor’s Cup and the Hans George Memorial Race at Mammoth – these trophies were for yearly competitions that were open to everyone and encouraged anyone to enter. A lot of these trophies have been forgotten, and I wanted to bring back that concept.”
Plake designed a clever rifle trophy that hangs inside the California Lodge, facing Gunbarrel run. Trophy listings are for the fastest male and female to ante up 25 runs, plus the Iron Man/Iron Woman category for die-hards lasting the entire six hours. Last year, Andre Villaret, a 32 year-old lift maintenance employee at Heavenly, claimed that debatable honor. After his 46 runs, Villaret reported, “The next day, I was in a lot of pain – just getting out of bed was agony, not to mention walking downstairs. After the 30th lap, it hurts to where it just doesn’t matter any more. But you tend to forget pain, so yeah, I’ll be back at it next year.”
For those keeping track, Villaret’s runs logged 78,200 vertical feet. Say it again – 78,200 feet – and did we mention there were moguls?
Ivana Kynclova, from Heavenly’s ski school, took the Iron Woman title with her 36 runs. The fastest 25 laps came from another south shore local, Janez Demsar, who finished in three hours and five minutes. Fastest woman in just 3.5 hours was another Face Rat, Raegan Bellik. The 120 hardy competitors ranged from age seven through the mid-sixties, and included snowboarders, skiers, telemarkers and one resolute mono skier.
All involved agree that Glen Plake, the pied piper of winter fun, has successfully created a unique day of sport that culminates in a rowdy awards ceremony and spaghetti feed. And Mr. Plake’s contacts in the ski industry brought in enough prize swag to keep everyone happy. Among the sponsors were Predator clothing, K2 skis, Dalbello boots, Sport Legs supplements and Screamer hats.
“This is a ski event held on a mogul run – not a mogul competition,” says Glen. “The focus is on the skiing, not the prizes. And an idea I got from off-road motorcycle racing was the Finishers Pin. I can look back on various pins from all these old events and reminisce, so any person to complete the task of 25 laps is awarded a pin at the finish. Believe me, with GB 25, no one is quitting their day job to become a professional skier; we’re just trying to get the average skier out there for some fun.”
24 Hours of Aspen? Right. This April 1st, cowboy up and try 25 runs on The Face during the third annual GB 25. And as a special (hopefully one-time) tie-in with Heavenly’s 50-year anniversary, this year will offer an ultra-die hard category – Gunbarrel 50. Log on to www.skiheavenly.com to pre-register or call 775-586-7000.