Grueling Endurance Event, Last Skier (and Splitboarder) Standing, Kicks Off in February

Do you love skinning uphill? I mean, do you really love skiing uphill?

Then let me introduce you to Last Skier Standing. For those who are unfamiliar, it’s an uphill skiing race. Well, kind of. Don’t actually call it a race. More like an event, where the goal is to simply tour one lap uphill, and ski or ride one lap downhill. Do this every hour without exception. The contest is over when the last skier is standing…and then does one final lap.

Skin up 1,200 feet. Ski or snowboard down 1,200 feet. Do that once per hour. If you don’t, you go home. Or at the very least, you transition over to the chairlifts.

The seventh version of this contest kicks off the morning of February 6, 2026. It all takes place at Black Mountain of Maine in Rumford. And you, yes you, can sign up for the suffer fest. If you don’t want to hate yourself for a considerable amount of time, you can always go and watch or volunteer to help the crew. It’s one of the most amazing skiing events I’ve experienced in my life.

Last year, 25-year-old Jack Murphy was the Last Splitboarder Standing, with 36 laps. It was his fourth consecutive win. He’ll go for number five this year. Manchester, New Hampshire’s Lukas Janulaitis won for the skiers after skiing for 71 straight hours. He was just five hours off the course record of 76 hours, which was set in 2024.

How do I know so much about Last Skier Standing? Well, that’s because last year, I entered. I would like to say I competed, but unfortunately, after missing the time cut off just five laps in, I can hardly say I was competition for anyone. For context, after I dropped, I went to my hotel, showered, went to a bar, drank two beers, ate a sandwich, and then I slept for more than eight hours. I woke up, ate breakfast, went back to the mountain, and rode a chairlift all day. Jack Murphy kept splitboarding during all of that. Janulaitis skied for another two days after I dropped.

It's a crazy, crazy event that seems like it can only be born from the mountains of New Hampshire. It's also the epitome of what that ski and snowboard community is all about. Strangers will lend gear to those who need it or help crew. People will bring in pizza. It's one of the coolest things I've ever witnessed.