Hiking in the footsteps of Bhutan's bizarre Snowman Race

Yahoo! News ^ | Fri, December 22, 2023 | Julian Ryall

[nickcarraway]

The Snowman Race is an event that revels in its superlatives. It is the highest ultra-marathon in the world, it is widely considered the most demanding and, even though it is invitation-only for athletes who have a track record of competing in extreme races, it still has an alarmingly high drop-out rate.

In its first iteration in 2022, the 125-mile route – which covers some of the toughest terrain of northern Bhutan – required the 29 athletes who took part to run at an average altitude of 4,267m (14,000ft) for five days and climb multiple Himalayan passes over 5,470m (17,946ft).

The effects of altitude sickness typically start to be felt at around 2,500m (8,202ft), and the symptoms can be brutal, including headaches, dizziness, vomiting and confusion. Extreme altitude, considered anything above 5,500m (18,044ft), can be fatal. No fewer than 12 of the starters in the first Snowman Race – all seasoned ultra-marathon runners – had to be airlifted off the trail or helped back to base camp when they ran out of puff. By the end, the consensus among those who had optimistically stood on the start line, in the town of Gasa, was that it was the hardest thing they had ever attempted.

[texas booster]

Directly from the government of Bhutan:

Snowman Race Bhutan

OK, it's only a year old but this is yet another government effort. No mention yet of the second race ...

Maybe raising the Sustainable Development Fee isn't helping much.

Bhutan recently announced that it would raise its Sustainable Development Fee (SDF) from USD 65 to USD 200 per person, per night, which will go towards projects that support Bhutan’s economic, social, environmental, and cultural development.

[Sequoyah101]

If a thousand bucks for each of this small group is going to make that much difference to Bhutan they are in deep dire need.