Biancardi, Burmeister Win Ski Event

Even before the 6th Annual Hillclimb and Ski Descent at 49 Degrees North had begun Saturday afternoon, its organizer managed to put the event in proper perspective.

“Hey, Rock Decker, where’s the starting line?” somebody asked from the middle of the pack of skiers and snowboarders getting set for the race.

“Well, we thought about starting - and finishing - in the bar,” said Decker, interim director of Eastern Washington University’s outdoor recreation program, which helped sponsor what is popularly known as the “Puke Your Guts Out Hillclimb.”

“But we’re going to start up there,” Decker said, motioning to a level spot above the ski lodge - a place noticeably void of neon beer signs. “That way, nobody would be confused, and it would be harder for people to get lost.”

Nobody got lost, even though a nasty blizzard dumped about 10 inches of snow on the Chewelah resort and ruined visibility. It was a far cry from last year’s picture-perfect conditions, but the top finishers from a year ago still showed they haven’t lost a step.

Chewelah’s Jim Biancardi, 38, dominated the men’s division for the second year in a row, posting a time of 38 minutes, 5 seconds. Jason Luker, 25, who won two years ago, was second, followed by Spokane’s Matt Chase, 37.

In the women’s race, Susan Burmeister, 47, was the first to negotiate the traverse line up Mahre’s Gold, an intermediate run which steepens near the top - and then ski back down. Her time was 44:20. Leslie Biancardi, 35, settled for second for the second year in a row.

“Whoever cut the trail up, thank you,” Jim Biancardi said, out of breath at the finish line.

By the time Biancardi reached the top of the ski area, he was in just third place; Chewelah High School senior David Yarnell, at 18 the race’s youngest competitor, and Spokane’s Dave Fuller, 47, set the pace on the climb.

Biancardi, on telemark skis, caught the two on the way down.

“It was really hard, slow going with all this new snow,” Biancardi said. “But it was fun.”

Even in her win, Burmeister managed to provide the only controversy of the day - other than maybe who picked up the tab afterward in the bar. When she crossed the finish line, her husband, Denny, was just seconds behind her.

“She tricked me,” Denny said from where he collapsed in laughter and exhaustion on the snow. “I beat her to the top, and she told me, ‘Wait at the finish, we’ll hold hands when we go over.’ Then she flew by me.”

Standing nearby, organizer Decker just smiled.