Rust Buster Classic is for everyone

by Rod Daniel

Despite a late start to the winter ski season, the Fourth Annual Rust Buster Classic Race at the Chief Joseph Cross Country Ski Area is on.

One of the earliest Nordic ski races in Montana, the December 13 Rust Buster offers skinny-ski lovers a chance to dust off their winter gear, stretch out their lungs and work on their classic technique. Beyond that, it’s a chance for friends and family to celebrate a world-class winter wonderland and acknowledge its cultural and historical history.

Sponsored by the Bitterroot Cross Country Ski Club and held on ski trails members helped create, the event was born a quarter century ago on a course straddling the Continental Divide where humans have frolicked for thousands of years. Participants would don Hawaiian shirts and the atmosphere was festive, according to long-time ski club member George Corn.

“It was a celebration of the start of the ski season which is a celebration of winter,” Corn said. “It’s a season that’s so vital to our watershed and our wellbeing in the Rockies.”

After a few years, Corn said, interest in the event waned. But after a decade-long hiatus, the race was resurrected by club member Marisa Sowles four years ago.

A Nordic skier in college, Sowles participated in an earlier rendition of the race when she first moved to the valley and loved it, she said. 

“I always wanted to host a race, so in 2022, I thought it would be fun to bring it back,” Sowles said. “It’s the perfect time of the year to have a race at Chief (Joseph Pass). It’s often one of the only places with snow.”

And while the race offers serious Nordic racers a chance to compete against one another on a world-class course, it’s also a community event for skiers of any level. 

Most of the serious racers are from Missoula, Sowles said, and a few come from east of the divide, but what’s unique about this event is its appeal to locals.

“I think there are fewer and fewer citizen races anymore,” she said. “I would love for us to have more locals. We’re really trying to get younger kids involved in skiing along with their parents.”

That was the impetus for the Kids (12 and under) 3K race that follows the adult 10K race, she said, and for the free youth ski clinics offered in February. 

For Club president Jesse Crocker, the event is about community. “I think (Rust Buster) is about getting the community out in the early part of the season,” he said. “And getting adults and kids excited about winter.”

Crocker said volunteers spend a lot of time and effort organizing and holding the race, and course preparation is one of the biggest challenges.  A big asset in meeting that challenge lies with the experience and expertise of head groomer Tony Neaves.

A classic ski specialist who raced in three World Cups, Neaves, 67, has been grooming ski trails for more than 30 years. He said he tries to emulate what he learned in ski racing while grooming the trails. And despite the meager snow so far this season, Neaves said there should be plenty for Saturday’s Rust Buster.

“We had a foot of snow, so we put down a nice platform,” he said. “The forecast is for more than a foot of snow in the next few days. Once that gets groomed, we should have some great trail conditions.”

Corn, 77, who began skiing at age 23 and was instrumental in creating the ski area in the 1980s, said Chief Joseph Ski Area is a friendly area with a layout for all abilities. 

“Any level of skier can enjoy it,” he said. “If you can walk, you can ski. It’s a different sensation than walking. It’s kind of magical.”

And that, he said, goes for the race too. “It’s for everyone!”

The adult 10K race starts at 10 a.m. and the kids 3K race starts at 11:15. Parking is limited so carpooling is encouraged. Sign up in advance on the club website.

To learn more about the Bitterroot Cross Country Ski Club, including how to become a member, go to the club website — https://www.bitterrootxcskiclub.net.