Vertical Vendetta hits the slopes of Pass Powderkeg Ski Area in Blairmore, Alberta on Saturday, 30 May 2026 at 9:00 AM MDT. This is not your average trail race—it's a vertical kilometre challenge that sends runners charging up the famous lift line route four times, stacking 1,000 vertical metres of pure quad-burning ascent. Average grade sits at 25%, so yes, your lungs will notice.
Event Detail
Information
Notes
Total Elevation Gain
1,000 metres
Four ascents of the lift line
Average Grade
25%
Steep and fast
Course Style
Short loop, wild descent
Up hard, down kind
Check-in (Friday)
29 May, 4:00 PM
Blairmore location
Late Check-in (Saturday)
30 May, 7:00–8:30 AM
Don't sleep in
Course Closure
12:00 PM
Awards at 12:05 PM
The concept is brutally simple: run up, run down, repeat until you've banked 1,000 metres of climbing. The downhill sections are designed to be kinder than the ascent, but don't mistake kindness for easy—you're still on a ski hill. Sponsors Merrell, Sun River Honey, Fenix, and Tailwind are on board, so expect some solid support at the grassroots level. No fancy frills, just a bunch of crushers getting after it.
Solo registration is open with regular pricing until 8 May 2026, then 11th Hour pricing kicks in from 9 May to 22 May 2026. Awards go down shortly after the course closes at noon. If you've ever wanted to know what a vertical kilometre feels like, this is your chance. Short, fast, painful, and weirdly fun—that's Vertical Vendetta.
Races Offered
Vertical Vendetta Solo
May 30, 2026
straighten
Distance —
10km
terrain
Type —
Running
timer
09:00
sell
$65.00
Weather History
These values represent the 3-year monthly averages for May in Blairmore.
thermostatTemperature
3.5° / 15.2°
wb_sunnyFeels like
-0.3° / 11.3°
light_mode
Avg sunshine hours
12h 28m
water_drop
Avg rainfall
1.1 mm
ac_unit
Avg snowfall
0.2 cm
air
Avg wind speed
10.3 km/h (Light breeze)
opacity
Sweat loss rate
Low
terrain
Course conditions
Firm and slightly soft
sunny
Max UV Index
Moderate (4.2)
humidity_mid
Humidity
63.7%
wb_twilight
Sunrise
05:51
nightlight
Sunset
21:15
About Blairmore
Learn more about the host city, Blairmore.
Blairmore is a community in the Rocky Mountains within the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass in southwest Alberta, Canada. It was formerly incorporated as a town prior to 1979 when it amalgamated with four other municipalities to form Crowsnest Pass. Blairmore is the principal commercial centre of Crowsnest Pass.
