Whitefish woman takes second in Crested Butte extreme ski competition

By NELSON ROOSENDAHL / For the Pilot

Michele Keener didn't want to let anyone in on her little secret. Friends expected her absence, so they weren't shocked by her change of travel plans.

She was headed for Italy in February to bask in the cultural wonders of the Romans, the Renaissance and regional cuisine, but she decided she'd rather ski in Crested Butte, Colo., where she lived for 10 years before moving to Whitefish in 2004.

It wasn't until she returned that her mission was revealed to those who know her — to compete in the 17th annual Subaru U.S. Extreme Freeskiing Championships, Feb. 19-23.

"I skid 50-degree pitches with cliff drops and rocks," Keener said.

And she has little to be uncomfortable about in sharing the story. With no previous experience in competitive skiing, she placed second in the Masters division.

"I tried not to make a big deal about it because I didn't want to jinx it," she said.

Keener got the idea to enter the competition during a chairlift ride in Fernie, B.C., with her husband Greg Stroup and friend Laurie Moeglein.

Moeglein painted the picture of how she, like Keener, was turning 40 and had the opportunity to compete in the Masters class, where she could ski incredible terrain without the requirement of bone-crushing antics practiced by the qualifying younger competitors.

But she wasn't serious about it. She already had vacation plans, too.

"It was way back in December that I realized, Laurie's not going to compete in this thing; I'll do it," Keener said.

Between her friend's description of the possibilities, "plus the fact that we had just finished skiing just insanely sick, great powder," Keener said, "I realized how much I missed skiing steeps, and how much I missed, therefore, Crested Butte because I had not been back since we moved.

"The more she yammered on about it, I thought, 'Hmm, maybe I should do that instead of going to see art and pasta, which I know are going to be there long after the time when I can ski 50 degree — you know, pillow drops.'"

An avid skier on the slopes above Whitefish, Keener said the terrain was not comparable to anything on Big Mountain.

"It wasn't scary. The venue (Hourglass) was something that's never open — never — except for competition, and it's only been open four times in the last 17 years. It's steep, with air in between everything," she said.

After two days of competition, a field of just seven qualifiers narrowed to three finalists, and Keener was in first place with 46 points.

Nancy Elrod, of Squaw Valley, Calif., was behind with 44.63 points. In third, Teri Siebert, of Vail, Colo., finished the day's round with 44.5 points.

That's when officials suggested canceling the final run.

But Keener came to the competition to ski steeps, and she found herself persuading the race officials to allow another day of competition.

"We got to expect it," she said. "I went into it in first, but I changed lines at the last second. I skied a different line than I scouted, and I wavered."

Elrod inched ahead for first.

Keener left the competition with a big grin, her bib, number 86, and a cash prize.