Jackson Hole Pro Skiers Race for Strava Records In New Video

Informal ski races have probably existed as long as snow sports have. What can we say? Skiers like to go fast. They also like to challenge their friends. 

The rise of tracking technology, namely Strava, has added an official sheen to these casual competitions between buddies. Now, you can pick a run (or segment, in Strava nomenclature), ski it, and see how fast your time is compared to other skiers. 

In a new video from their vlog series, that’s exactly what professional skiers Jim Ryan and Madison Rose Ostergren did at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming. Both are ripping skiers, so on each run, they had a shot at clocking the fastest time.

Check out the video below.

People skiing as fast as possible can, of course, be a safety hazard to others. With that in mind, Ryan and Ostergren set a few ground rules before seeing how many Strava medals they could claim: They would ski on expert bump runs only. They wouldn’t ski fast in slow zones, and their runs couldn’t include blind rollovers. Finally, they had someone clear the run for them (on that note, we strongly recommend against trying these records yourself—it's best left to the professionals).

With those particulars out of the way, the two set out in pursuit of speed, cruising through what looked like less than ideal conditions. Tap or click to watch below.

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What’s fun about this video is that, by taking a peek at Strava’s map of Jackson Hole, you can see if any of Ryan and Ostergren’s records are still standing.

On Dog Face—a segment near the Sublette Quad—for instance, Ryan has a record overall time of 24 seconds. Ostergren holds that segment’s women’s record. Other segments they tried have different leaders.

The Strava mission is only one of many adventures Ryan and Ostergren have embarked on since launching their YouTube channel. They’ve also gone skijoring (or horse-assisted skiing), notched a backcountry line at night, and tackled tough runs in Norway. You can keep up right here.

The pair’s latest video follows the Strava announcement that the app was adding a suite of features, like run totals and lift station locations, for downhill skiers.

EDITOR'S NOTE: POWDER does not condone or encourage skiers to chase fastest times on Strava. It's best to leave this activity to the pros.