Deep Snow Adventures at the Tug Hill Yeti Quest
The 2026 Tug Hill Yeti Quest adventure race was back on and its location, famous for deep snow, did not disappoint.
The course, designed by Tug Hill Outfitters, was set across a landscape of waist deep powder and a network of groomed cross country ski trails maintained by the nonprofit Black River Environmental Improvement Association, known as BREIA. BREIA built and maintains this hut and several others like it across their roughly 1,500 acres of conservation land.
All checkpoints were optional and reaching many would require breaking trail due to the persistent heavy snowfall in the region. Teams would need to use a combination of gear: backcountry, skate or classic skis, as well as snowshoes to traverse the course. Keeping warm was also a challenge as ambient temperatures at the race start hovered around -2 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s -19C by the way. Over the next 3 - 6 hours, groups of teams tackled the snow and the cold to navigate the buried landscape, finding as many control points as possible.
When the course closed, a solo snowshoer, Peter Miller claimed the top spot with 32 cps, just edging out the the premier coed division winners, The R.A.C. with 31. Even though the conditions were challenging, all the teams of friends and families (and some newcomers to the sport) made it back to base camp at the Sunfield Warming Hut in time for a hot meal.
Tug Hill Outfitters also run a 24 hour adventure race that takes place this year on May 30th in Boonville, New York. Hopefully the snow will all have melted by then because The Tug Hill Extreme adventure is slated to be an Adventure Racing World Series North America points race as well as a USARA regional qualifier.
Register your team now!
The winning premier coed division champion will receive guaranteed entry into and an $800 credit for the 2026 USARA National Championship race on October 23rd in central Oregon.
