Our Town: Conquering the Treasure Mountain Challenge

Organizers of the Treasure Mountain Challenge didn’t quite know what to expect for its inaugural cross-country skiing races on Saturday. And although only five competitors took part in two races, that wasn’t exactly a bad thing.

The event doubled as a sort of an experiment to learn more about what it might take to put on a cross-country race on a larger scale. It’s possible that a Junior Olympic Qualifyer could be staged at Libby. Greg Rice said the last junior qualifier occurred eight years ago with about 60 athletes competing.

Of those who did compete in a light rain on Saturday, the course was described as packed and in good condition. Libby’s own Ben Scott, who has a background in cross-country skiing and the biathlon, finished as the overall winner in the 20-kilometer race by covering the course in 1:04.48.

Jared France of Sandpoint, Idaho, took second (1:05.36), followed by Paul Conrad of Whitefish (1:06.32) and Brad Williams of Sandpoint (1:09.50).

Greg Rice skied alone in the 10-kilometer race and zipped through the course in 40:26.

Following the races, awards were handed out under a cozy pavilion complete with a warm fire. Various types of food, snacks and drinks filled a couple of tables for competitors to replace calories and onlookers to warm their tummies.

Community Ski Day, hosted by the Kootenai Cross Country Ski Club, followed the races on Saturday afternoon. Although the rain probably scared some folks away, it was still a fun time for those who made their way around the various groomed trails.