Park City athletes medal at Wasatch Powderkeg Championships

The 23rd annual Wasatch Powderkeg ski mountaineering race at Solitude Mountain Resort on Jan. 8-12 Photo: Ron Winsett // Ron Winsett Images

Park City Ski and Snowboard team members clinch podium spots across four days of racing at Solitude Mountain Resort, as ski mountaineering builds momentum toward its 2026 Olympic debut

BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON, Utah — The 23rd annual Wasatch Powderkeg ski mountaineering race at Solitude Mountain Resort on Jan. 8-12 featured sprint, vertical and individual events, along with the U.S. debut of mixed relay competition.

Results from these national championships helped determine team selection for the World Championships in Switzerland.

Park City Ski and Snowboard Skimo Team Results:

Jan. 8 – Mixed Relay
Owen Crandall, fifth, junior final
Maci Zaniello, 14th, junior final

Jan. 9 – Sprint
Sam Kirschner, second, U18 men
Maci Zaniello, sixth, U20 men
Owen Crandall, seventh, U18 men
AJ Solares, 12th, U18 men

Jan. 11 – Individual
Izzy Crandall, first, U16 women
Owen Crandall, fifth, U18 men
Maci Zaniello, fifth, U20 men
AJ Solares, 16th, U18 men
Hudson Marsh, sixth, recreational junior men
Huxley Dosher, seventh, recreational junior men

Jan. 12 – Vertical
Izzy Crandall, second, U16 women
Owen Crandall, sixth, U18 men
Maci Zaniello, third, U20 men
AJ Solares, 11th, U18 men

“We’re extremely fortunate to have one of the nation’s premier skimo events in our backyard,” said Adam Loomis, program director and coach of the Park City Ski and Snowboard Skimo Team. The former USA Skimo National Team member competed in two events at this year’s Powderkeg, which he has won in previous years.

“The Wasatch Powderkeg has been the U.S. National Championships for the past three years, and for good reason. It consistently has world-class courses, organization and volunteers. It has the best of both sides of the skimo world — elite-level racing and an inclusive environment for those who just want to have fun.”

Loomis finished fourth in the senior men’s individual event and fifth in the vertical competition. “I was happy with my race, considering how strong the field was!” he said.

Griffin Riley, a current USA Skimo National Team member and 2023 Park City High School graduate, won the U20 sprint race and posted the fourth-fastest qualifier time in the senior men’s mixed relay. The former PCSS team member and skimo world champion was unable to compete in the finals due to illness.

Wesley Perkins, also a national team member and PCSS alumnus, placed second in the U23 men’s individual event Saturday.

Park City residents Mandy and Chris Antinori attended to support their son Tanner. Chris, a former U.S. Ski Team trainer and current PCHS trainer, and Mandy, a physical therapist and ski instructor, appreciate both the competitive and recreational aspects of the sport. Tanner, a former PCSS Skimo Team member, now competes independently while focusing on other pursuits, including the Park City High School Mountain Bike Team.

Skimo will make its Olympic debut at the 2026 Winter Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy. The sport involves athletes racing up mountains — sometimes using backcountry bindings, sometimes carrying their skis — before skiing down in alpine style with locked heels.

USA Skimo is based in Summit County, Colorado