The Wasatch Powder Keg was started in 2003 by Andrew McLean, Butch Adams, and Colleen Nipkow with support from Black Diamond (who remains one of the race’s supporters). The race was originally part of the Life Link race series that got skimo racing started in the US. For the first few years, started at Alta and finished at Brighton. In 2004 and 2005, the Powder Keg was a World Cup race. To this day, the Powder Keg is the only race in North America to ever be on the World Cup circuit. The race eventually went away from the point to point format as people got so fast that the race organizers could barely drive from Alta to Brighton before the first racers finished. For the next several years the race both started and finished at Alta. In 2009, the race was taken over by Chad Brackelsberg, Emily Brackelsberg, Mark Christopherson, and Gambrelli Layco. In 2010, the race was moved to Brighton where it remains today. Having helped get the race fully operational, in 2012 Mark and Gambrelli stepped down and the race is now run by Chad and Emily. In 2012, a sprint race was also added which provided a fun, fast, crowd friendly event after the regular race. In 2013, the Powder Keg became the first 3 day race in North America featuring a Friday Sprint Race, Saturday Individual Race, and Sunday Technical Teams Race. To our knowledge, the Powder Keg is the largest skimo race in the US and the second oldest.
