Dr. Mike Karch, Founder of the Mammoth Winter Biathlon announced to both Council and the Recreation Commission this week that the event was once again the largest biathlon in North America with 210 racers, including 40 elite athletes. One hundred and eleven of these racers were dubbed tourists (not living between Lone Pine and Walker and therefore needing lodging), and several of the elite athletes extended their stays for eight days after the event just to check out the local area.

Even though the weather was crummy the weekend of the race, local volunteers spent an estimated 1,500 hours happily clearing up to four feet of snow and building the track to professional specifications. “As the weather worsened, the Town pride seemed to grow,” Karch explained. Versus TV’s helicopter was grounded because of high winds, but Karch believed they were still able to gather some great on-the-ground footage. Next year’s event has been scheduled for March 23-25.