Join us for the Eighth Annual Breckebeiner 60K Nordic Ski-a-thon at the Breckenridge Nordic Center. Individuals and teams can choose to ski 60 km, 30km or 12 km on a criterium loop trail at the Breckenridge Nordic Center. Skate or Classic. The course also features a 3k snowshoe loop and a double track loop for visually impaired skiers. Plenty of food, drink, music and fun, a local event not to be missed!
Proceeds from registration and from sponsorships generated by participants benefit the BOEC. The Breckebeiner has raised over $110,000 since it started to help people with disabilities and special needs attend our programs.
This event is hosted by Gene and Therese Dayton, owners of the Breckenridge and Frisco Nordic Centers, and longtime supporters of the BOEC (Gene is a former BOEC trustee and one of our founders).
Call us at (970) 453-6422 for registration materials or sponsorship information. If you would like to download an electronic registration/pledge form please do so here:
$20 General Admission (includes screening, a drink ticket & chance to win door prizes!)
or
$75 Private Reception & Reserved Seating (includes private reception at River Mountain Lodge with appetizers, desserts & drinks, reserved seating at screening, a drink ticket at screening and chance to win door prizes!)
For tickets, contact Marci Sloan at 970-453-6422 or marci@boec.org
Hot on the heels of the largest, and one of the most prestigious, mountain film festivals in the world, the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour has hit the road, with stops planned in about 285 communities and 30 countries across the globe.
This year’s tour features a collection of the most inspiring and thought-provoking action, environmental and adventure mountain films. Traveling from remote landscapes and cultures to up close and personal with adrenaline-packed action sports, the 2009/2010 World Tour is an exhilarating and provocative exploration of the mountain world.
The Breckenridge Festival will feature films such as:
New from renowned climbing filmmakers, Sender Films, First Ascent: Alone on the Wall follows 24-year-old Alex Honnold as he readies himself for an unbelievable challenge: the first free-solo of the ‘Regular Northwest Face’ route (VI, 5.12a, 23 pitches) on Yosemite’s Half Dome.
What happens if you show up to climb one of the biggest frozen waterfalls in Canada but it isn’t completely frozen? In Hunlen, Canadian boys Will Gadd and EJ Plimley kid their way through a nail-biting first ascent of B.C.’s remote Hunlen Falls. The climbing is technical-all 1,000 feet of it-but it’s the giant slabs of ice breaking free beside the route that makes the climbers nervous.
Kranked - Revolve is a high-adrenaline mountain bike journey from the insane Megavalanche race in the French Alps to the lush coast of British Columbia, incorporating dirt jump, trail, freeride, slopestyle and downhill riding.
Filmed and edited in just five days at the 2008 Nissan Outdoor Games in Chamonix, MedeoZis the story of a photographer’s mission to capture six mountain sports in a single shot. As the world class climber, skier, snowboarder, speed rider, paraglider, and BASE jumper race to meet one another, Guillaume Broust readies himself for the perfect moment to close the shutter.
An excerpt from the sequel to the 1980s cult ski film Apocalypse Snow,Mont-Blanc Speed Flyingis a breathtaking continuous shot that follows a group of six speed riders from the upper slopes of Mont Blanc down to Chamonix.
In Japan there is a cultural connection to the different signatures of terrestrial home - a sense that the rhythm of fall, winter, spring and summer influences the rhythm of the person, their energy, their riding style and the lines they choose. This special edit for the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, Signatures: Canvas of Snow, features skiers, snowboarders, a photographer and a noboarder-each in tune with this connection to winter and the environment they ride in.
From incredible lines to insane avalanches,Ten- a Cameraman’s Tale looks at the behind-the-scenes world of freeride filmmaking through the lens of cameraman Guido Perrini. Featuring some of the world’s best freeriders, including Jeremy Jones, Jonas Emery and Geraldine Fasnacht, in locations from Alaska and Canada to Chile and Russia, Ten delves into the passion, joys and dangers that are an everyday part of freeride skiing.
Paul Pritchard was one of Britain’s most talented and outrageous climbers in the late 1980s. A head injury received while climbing the Totem Pole in Tasmania left Pritchard with hemiplegia. To the Rainbow documents Pritchard’s emotional return to climbing thirteen years later. Teaming up with his old climbing partner, the legendary Johnny Dawes, he takes on a 5.10 route on The Rainbow in Northern Wales.
Showcasing some of the fastest skiers on Earth in juxtaposition with the sickest stunts in Nordic skiing, The Ultimate Skiing Showdown,puts the ‘X’ in x-country skiing.
The BOEC thanks our local sponsors:
FirstBank, Town of Breckenridge, Harvest Catering, ResortQuest, Summit Daily News and Sir Speedy Centennial.
100% of the Banff Event proceeds support the BOEC!
U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee, and the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC) have partnered to create Paralympic Sport – Breckenridge.
Paralympic Sport – Breckenridgeis a community-based sports club developed to involve youth and adults with physical and visual disabilities in sports and physical activity, regardless of skill level. All programs and activities will be based in Breckenridgeand run by the BOEC.
“U.S. Paralympics is dedicated to creating opportunities for individuals with physical and visual disabilities to be physically active in their own communities.Participation in physical activity enhances not only self-esteem and peer relationships, but also results in greater achievement, better overall health and higher quality of life.”– Mike Mushett, U.S. Paralympics Director of Community Programs.
With 21 million physically disabled Americans, including thousands of military personnel who’ve been severely injured while on active duty, this is an important community need.
The BOEC was established in Breckenridge, Colorado, in 1976 as a non-profit tax-exempt educational organization to provide outdoor experiences for people with disabilities and to train the instructors who work with special populations. Ultimately, the BOEC strives to integrate disability with ability, providing outdoor experiences to all. We welcome people of all abilities from around the world to spectacular natural classrooms in the Rocky Mountains and beyond.
“The BOEC is proud to expand our services to people with disabilities and special needs by providing this opportunity to learn more about and participate in the Paralympic movement.This is yet another way for our participants to expand their potential and push beyond perceived limitations.Our initial focus will be on alpine and nordic skiing but will expand into other adventure sports in the future.”– Bruce Fitch, Executive Director of the BOEC
U.S. Paralympics is committed to working with community organizations across the United States to create 250 Paralympic Sport Clubs by 2012.
For more information about the BOEC and Paralympic Sport - Breckenridge, please contact Marci Sloan at (970) 453-6422 or marci@boec.org.
For more information about U.S. Paralympics, please contact Susan Katz, (719) 866-2068 or susan.katz@usoc.org.
About U.S. Paralympics: U.S. Paralympics, a division of the U.S. Olympic Committee, is dedicated to becoming the world leader in the Paralympic sports movement and to promoting excellence in the lives of persons with physical disabilities. Visit the U.S. Paralympics website at www.usparalympics.org. About BOEC: For more than 30-years, the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC) has provided life changing outdoor learning experiences to people of all abilities, with a focus on those with special needs. The BOEC provides a sense of freedom to those who are routinely excluded from activity due to a disability or special need. Whether skiing in the Adaptive Ski and Ride Program at Breckenridge or Keystone Ski Resorts, paddling the West’s great rivers, or mastering the Ropes Course, the BOEC inspires people of all abilities to discover new places, learn new skills and rekindle their spirit in the heart of the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
Ignite your passion for adventure, action, and travel! The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour will exhilarate you with amazing big-screen stories when it comes to the Riverwalk Center at 7:30 PM on March 19th. Journey to exotic locations, ski the deepest powder, and climb the highest peaks. Get your tickets today and be taken away to the most captivating places on earth.
The 2009/2010 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour brings films from the 34thannual Banff Mountain Film Festival to about 285 communities around the world. From an exploration of remote landscapes and mountain cultures to adrenaline-fueled action sports, films in this year’s World Tour are sure to captivate and amaze the explorer within you.
Be moved. Be inspired. Don’t miss out. Reserve your tickets today. For more information visit www.boec.org or call (970) 453-6422. This stop on the world tour is hosted by the BOEC!
Get ready for the Eighth Annual Breckebeiner Nordic Ski-a-thon!
When:March 29, 2010
Where:The Breckenridge Nordic Center
Why:For a great time and to raise money for the BOEC
This fun and festive day of skiing has grown into an annual event not to be missed by locals and visitors to Breckenridge each spring.The day features a Nordic ski challenge for all ability levels, plenty of food and beverage, live music, door prizes and much more.New for 2010:
You can now register for a shorter course, from 6 km up to 60 km, either as an individual or as a team.
For disabled skiers who do not want to take on the standard loop, there will be a shorter loop of 3 km, featuring a double track for visually impaired skiers and their partner.
A 1.5 km snowshoe loop has been added for those who want to take part in this fun and exciting way.
Most of you know of the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC) and the wonderful work that they do with people with disabilities. Last year’s Breckebeiner raised over $24,000 in pledge funds to support the BOEC, and over the past five years the Breckebeiner Ski-a-thon has raised $120,000 for the BOEC!
BOEC provides adaptive alpine and Nordic ski programs for visually and mobility impaired, as well as a full schedule of summer activities for all ability levels. The BOEC also offers the opportunity for our disabled soldiers to experience the outdoors through our Injured Soldiers programming, a wonderful gift to the men and women who have risked it all for our country. With over thirty years of experience, the BOEC has served people with disabilities from thirty-eight states and seven foreign countries.
Will you mark your calendar on March 29, 2010 for this year’s Breckebeiner and thoughtfully consider a gift for this very important program? Names of all donors will be displayed on the “Wall of Fame” at the Nordic Center perpetually, and our business donors will be featured and acknowledged as event sponsors.All donations are tax deductible as the BOEC is a non-profit charity.
The Hartford Ski Spectacular, the main event for Disabled Sports USA, is happening this week in Breck. The opening banquet is Monday, Dec. 7th. Disabled skiers from around the country, including many wounded warriors, are enjoying clinics, lessons and party time all week. Click here to see the agenda for the week.
BY SANDY LAHMANN
special to the Summit Daily
Summit County, Colorado
There’s a pilgrimage every February to Breckenridge. Every February, Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center sponsors Monoski Camp. Those of us who can no longer ski standing on two legs, but instead do so sitting over one ski, gather together in Breckenridge for a ski vacation.
Many of us return time and time again, year after year, eager to gather together once more to hit the slopes. We renew our friendships every February on the mountain and in Griffith Lodge. Some of us are new and are quickly welcomed into the fold. At last they have found us.
The week of monoski camp is the best week of my year. It is renewing, refreshing, reinvigorating, and recharging. No matter how rough the previous year has been, monoski camp makes me whole again.
How can the four days of monoski camp, with a bunch of folks who use wheelchairs and crutches, be so important to me?
Because disability disappears. It becomes a non-issue.
We are there to ski and to laugh, to fly down the mountain and to enjoy each others company.
The wheelchairs and the crutches that follow us wherever we go fade into the background. They don’t matter anymore.
We are not limited by our equipment; we are empowered by it.
We become normal. We become average. Within our circle, we are just ourselves. No one is staring at our chairs and crutches making sympathetic expressions of pity. No one is expecting us to be superheroes, overcoming all of our many obstacles for the betterment of mankind.
We are no longer stereotypes, examples, cases, objects for study, “special,” an inspiration, or opportunities for advocacy.
We are just us. We are the mom of a 3-year-old, the soccer dad, the businessman, the brand-new teacher, the guy with the funny accent from Scotland, the pool player, the Southerner, the great omelette maker, the joke teller, the photographer, the writer, the traveler, the last guy up in the morning, and the first guy to bed at night.
We are skiers. We gather on the mountain to fly as fast as we can down the steepest slope, to perfect our carved turns, to improve our skills to the next level, to learn, and to master the Ballet Hill. We push ourselves a little bit harder, a little bit farther, always seeking to get a little bit better and a little bit faster. We accept the challenge and take a risk. For what is life without a few risks?
We are storytellers. We laugh at ourselves as we tell each other about the time we missed the lip, the edge, the crack, and went flying out of our wheelchairs much to the horror of the unsuspecting able-bodied folks. We tell stories about the times we’ve gone down escalators in our chairs with confused security guards providing chase. We extol the many fine virtues of duct tape when used to adapt our monoskis and fix our glasses after a face plant.
We kid each other, harass each other, and cheer for each other.
Late at night our voices and our laughter echo through Griffith Lodge, but the morning brings a great rush to eat breakfast and get to the slope for fresh tracks.
Thank you, my friends, for sharing the mountain and good times. See you next year.
And thank you to Jeff and Gene, Quintin, Sarah, Matt, all the instructors, all the interns, and all the volunteers. You give us far more than you will ever realize.
Sandy Lahmann, a previous Frisco resident now temporarily lost on the Front Range, can be e-mailed at sandy@wheelsonthesummit.com.
The BOEC is running fast and full this summer with programs booked every week. Courses feature a full array of summer activities including rafting, ropes course, rock climbing, handcycling, canoeing and much more. Most of the courses are multi -day programs based at our Griffith Lodge. Some courses are run in a “mobile” fashion on Ruby-Horsethief Canyon on the Colorado River in western Colorado and Labyrinth Canyon on the Green River in southeastern Utah. Many long-term clients have returned, including the Brain Injury Association of Colorado for five courses, The Children’s Hospital, Adventures Within, Campfire of Kansas City, the Challenge Foundation, Summit County Youth and Family Services, the Rehab Institute of Chicago and others. We also welcome several new clients including Halcyon Middle School and Rocky Mountain Independence.
Despite the challenging economy, the BOEC is enjoying one of our best programming years ever and we thank the students, groups and agencies coming to us for keeping outdoor education and recreation as a priority. These programs are indispensible to healthy and productive lives for so many who may otherwise be excluded.
By Bryce Evans
Summit Daily News
Summit County, Colorado
BRECKENRIDGE - Ron Roe had only skied a few laps around the trails of the Breckenridge Nordic Center by noon on Saturday, but the 62-year-old Denver resident already seemed more than satisfied with his day.
After all, he was doing something that he loved - Nordic skiing - and was doing it for a cause close to his heart.
Saturday was the seventh annual Breckebeiner 60k Nordic Ski-a-thon and Snowshoe Bash, an all-in-good-fun sort of race where participants attempt to ski 60 kilometers around the Nordic center to raise money for the Breckenridge Outdoor Education Center (BOEC) scholarship fund.
In the theme of the BOEC, which helps to empower people with disabilities through sports and outdoor activities, Roe understands the importance that athletics has on people’s lives. He’s a third-degree black belt and instructor in Taekwondo, not to mention an avid downhill and cross country skier.
Oh, and he’s blind.
“Anything to help raise money for the center,” Roe gave as his reason for skiing in the Breckebeiner. “No other reason than that. They’ve helped me in the past, so I’d like to help however I can do it.”
And that was the sentiment shared by most Saturday in Breck as a couple hundred people came out to show their support of the BOEC. Each participant either took up sponsorship or pledged their own money for the race, giving either a lump sum or a per-kilometer amount.
One big party The idea for the race came from BOEC co-founder Gene Dayton, who - after his wife threw him a 150-person surprise party for his 50th birthday - decided that if that many people were gathering at once, it might as well be for a better cause than himself.
“I told my wife that when I turn 60, I want to do something different and have more meaning to the day,” Dayton said. “So, I asked people to come ski with me 60 kilometers and pledge money to the scholarship fund for the BOEC.”
Though the Breckebeiner no longer celebrates Dayton’s birthday, it still resembles one big party. With barbecues blazing and the music of accordian-player Helmut Fricker - whom Dayton refers to as the “icon of the event” - filling the air, skiers and snowshoers made their loops past the Nordic center clubhouse.
Looking around Saturday at what his event has become, Dayton couldn’t help but feel proud. Although, it wasn’t entirely because of the lively atmosphere.
“It was only a hope that it could get this big,” Dayton said. “We don’t really worry about how big it is, exactly, but rather how it helps the need.”
Filling a void The “need” is what drove Dayton and a handful of others to start the BOEC in 1976.
“We needed a program to just put lives back together and empower people,” Dayton said.
Aris Sophocles, M.D. is in his fourth term as chairman of the board of directors for the BOEC and has been with the organization since it started. As Sophocles put it, the BOEC has three main purposes. The first is to operate adapted ski programs at both Breckenridge and Keystone. Secondly, the BOEC runs a Wilderness program which helps make warm-weather, outdoor activities, such as camping, river trips and various classes, accessible to people with disabilities. Finally and most importantly, Sophocles said, the BOEC trains interns to implement BOEC-like programs across the country.
“Right from the beginning, we realized that if we didn’t train people to do this work, our impact would only be local,” Sophocles said. “If we could figure out how to train them well, we could have a broader impact.”
It worked - BOEC-trained interns are now doing work in 39 states and 11 countries, according to Dayton.
“The need is so far reaching,” Dayton added. “It’s through the country and the whole world that people need this.”
Pushing the limit Most skiers attempted to take on the designated 60k, Saturday, but a couple others attempted a much harder feet.
Locals Greg Ruckman and Justin Easter set out to complete 150 kilometers of skiing Saturday.
In last year’s Breckebeiner, Easter skied 120k, which helped to raise nearly $10,000, Dayton said. So, this year, the Summit Nordic Club head coach decided to up the ante, and Ruckman decided to join in.
The skiers set out at 12:01 a.m., but after 108k, Easter had to call it quits.
“It was OK; I was hoping to go farther,” an obviously exhausted Easter said while lounging on a sofa in the Nordic center clubhouse.
A former Olympic and world champion rower, Ruckman completed the distance in 11 hours, 27 minutes and 15 seconds, according to Dayton.
Easter, 27, was glad that “one of them was able to do it,” but more pleased for what it meant for the BOEC. Easter, who moved to Summit County after racing professionally for a number of years in Montana, said that he believes deeply in what the BOEC stands for.
“I believe in skiing so much,” he said. “It’s something I’ve made my life out of - racing and coaching. It’s something that can make a difference for people.”
For Roe, who participates “quite often” in the BOEC programs, the impact the center has had on him has been invaluable, and he was more than happy to return the favor by skiing in the Breckebeiner.
“They have helped so many people through the years and really made a difference,” Roe said of the BOEC. “This is the least that I can do.”
The Seventh Annual Breckebeiner 60 km Ski-a-thon was the place to be on March 28th. Over 200 skiers and guests enjoyed great ski conditions and raised over $20,000 for the BOEC! Music was again provided by Helmut Fricker, Those Austrian Guys and Doc PJ’s sound system. Top skiers were Greg Ruckman at 150km and Justin Easter at 120km. Many others skied or snowshoed 3, 12, 30, 60 or more km solo or as part of a team. It was all great fun and the palm trees and decorations reminded all that summer is near.
Many thanks to Gene and Therese Dayton for hosting and working so hard to bring this event about; to volunteers Jim Anderson, Brian and Joanne Hartwig, Elizabeth Hill, Mel Parveti, Bill McClaude, Hampton Gewin and Jim Heil; to staff Marci Sloan, Bob Bond, Melissa Kuwahara, Jaime Benthin, Erin Baird and Kristen Marron; and thanks to the Butterhorn Bakery, Sire Speedy Printing, The Summit Daily and Hans Peak Cafe for their support of the event. Most of all, thanks to all of you who came to ski, to party and to support the work of the BOEC!
Mark your calendars for next year, the last Saturday in March.
Join us for the Eighth Annual Breckebeiner 60K Nordic Ski-a-thon at the Breckenridge Nordic Center. Individuals and teams can choose to ski 60 km, 30km or 12 km on a criterium loop trail at the Breckenridge Nordic Center. Skate or Classic. The course also features a 3k snowshoe loop and a double track loop for visually impaired skiers. Plenty of food, drink, music and fun, a local event not to be missed!
The Seventh Annual Breckebeiner 60 km Ski-a-thon was the place to be on March 28th. Over 200 skiers and guests enjoyed great ski conditions and raised over $20,000 for the BOEC! Music was again provided by Helmut Fricker, Those Austrian Guys and Doc PJ’s sound system. Top skiers were Greg Ruckman at 150km and Justin Easter at 120km. Many others skied or snowshoed 3, 12, 30, 60 or more km solo or as part of a team. It was all great fun and the palm trees and decorations reminded all that summer is near.
Many thanks to Gene and Therese Dayton for hosting and working so hard to bring this event about; to volunteers Jim Anderson, Brian and Joanne Hartwig, Elizabeth Hill, Mel Parveti, Bill McClaude, Hampton Gewin and Jim Heil; to staff Marci Sloan, Bob Bond, Melissa Kuwahara, Jaime Benthin, Erin Baird and Kristen Marron; and thanks to the Butterhorn Bakery, Sire Speedy Printing, The Summit Daily and Hans Peak Cafe for their support of the event. Most of all, thanks to all of you who came to ski, to party and to support the work of the BOEC!
