On the morning of February 15, 2020, Andrew Drummond yelled into his megaphone, and 61 skiers set off in the first-ever Last Skier Standing competition on New Hampshire’s Black Mountain. For some of these skiers, the competition would last a few hours. For others, it would last for over two days.
Drummond, the owner of the White Mountain Ski Company and an eastern United States ski touring and ultrarunning legend, came up with the idea for Last Skier Standing from the Backyard Ultra endurance running competition. In Backyard Ultra, trail runners have to complete a 4.167-mile loop every hour, on the hour, until there is only one runner left. That last runner must then complete one more lap on their own to be crowned the winner. The all-time record for the Backyard Ultra is 110 laps, or over 458 miles.
Last Skier Standing follows the same pattern with skiing instead of running. Competitors complete one lap of skinning up and skiing back down a designated 1,000 vertical-foot route every hour, on the hour. They use the time in between laps (usually just a few minutes to up to 15 if they are quick on their laps) to rest, eat, recover, and maybe catch a bit of sleep.
In the first-ever Last Skier Standing in 2020, Rick Chalmers, a then-58-year-old from Maine, won with 34 laps. His strategy involved eating three oysters every five laps, earning him the nickname “Oyster Rick.”
The competition has grown since Oyster Rick’s victory. In 2021, Ben Eck and Jerimy Arnold grinded it out for 60 laps together until Eck ultimately took the victory in 61 laps and 61,000 vertical feet. That’s the same as summiting Mt. Everest twice and then some. Not surprisingly, this length of competition causes extreme mental fatigue. In an interview with Ski Mag, Arnold recounted how he hallucinated rows of cars, a pirate ship, and a pink panther in the last hours of the competition. Eck said he was afraid of falling asleep mid-ski.
Fears of sleep deprivation pushed away, Eck returned to the competition the next year, but first-timer Brody Leven cinched the win over Eck with 65 laps. In 2023, the competition moved to a different Black Mountain in Maine, which has 1,200 vertical feet. Danny Romano won with 63 laps. The competition saw a big jump in the record number of laps last year with Justin Lagassey winning with 76 laps.
Skiers have friends and family crewing for them in large communal tents at the base of the mountain, offering food, water, and warmth between laps. These tents start packed with people and gear, creating an almost festival-like atmosphere. As more skiers drop out of the race, though, the tents empty out, and the energy begins to lower.
Drummond helps keep morale high by encouraging skiers to complete “just one more lap,” or “make it to sunset,” or even “make it to sunrise.” Obviously, this tactic works for some competitors, as the winners see multiple sunrises and sunsets throughout the competition each year.
From telemark to skimo, Last Skier Standing winners have used all kinds of gear, but one thing all the winners have in common is grit. They have faced blisters, freezing temperatures, hunger, sleep deprivation, and muscle fatigue, but they all pushed through the pain to see just how far they could challenge themselves.
Interested in watching this winter’s race? Or even joining the waitlist for a chance to try Last Skier Standing for yourself? This winter’s competition starts on February 7th, 2025, at 10 AM on Black Mountain in Rumford, Maine. It ends whenever there is a last skier standing.
