LONE PEAK VERTICAL KILOMETER

Friday, September 11, 2026 | 9:00 AM START

The Rut VK is one of the most dramatic and challenging vertical races in the country. Runners will begin in the Big Sky Resort base area at an elevation of 7,534 ft and finish on the summit of Lone Peak at 11,166ft. It is ALL uphill gaining 3,632 ft. of elevation in 2.8 miles!

The first half of the course takes the most direct route to the summit heading up the ski runs known as Huntley Hollow and Calamity Jane to the top of the Swiftcurrent lift and the base of Bonecrusher Ridge. The second half of the race along Bone Crusher and Alto Ridge to the summit is EXTREMELY STEEP AND TECHNICAL with sections of exposure and potential rockfall hazards. We will have safety personnel along the ridge keeping an eye out for runners and assessing any objective hazards, but the responsibility falls on you the race participant to be aware of your surroundings and other runners. This is a true mountain course and participants must be comfortable in steep and exposed terrain to participate in this event!

Once you reach the summit, enjoy the well earned view at 11,166 ft! After enjoying some snacks from the finish line aid station and grabbing your dropbag, participants will take the Lone Peak Tram and Explorer Gondola back to the base area.

Lone Peak Vertical Kilometer Course

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Course Cut-offs

For the safety of our volunteers and Big Sky Resort employees on the mountain, we will have two cutoffs for the Lone Peak VK.

Cutoff #1: 1-hour cutoff at the top of the Swiftcurrent chair before runners head up onto Bone Crusher and Alto Ridge to the summit of Lone Peak. The top of the Swfitcurrent chair is approximately 1.7 miles from the start.
Cutoff #2: 90-minute cutoff for the top of Bone Crusher Ridge which is the first pitch of the alpine section.
The overall race course cutoff is 2.5 hours

Finish Line Aid Station

There will be an aid station with refreshments at the finish line staffed with energetic volunteers. The aid station is cupless so please pack a drinking vessel in your drop bag.

PRIZES

All VK finishers will receive a unique finishers award.
Awards for top three in each age group (Under 20, 20-29,30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+)
Podium ceremony with awards designed by a local artist for our top five overall men, women, and non-binary athletes.
Finally, we have a Jorts Division and will award custom denim vests to the fastest man, woman and non-binary athlete to summit lone peak in cutoff jeans! To enter into the jorts division, wear jorts. No denim print technical fabrics allowed!

Cash prizes for the top 3 overall men and women

First: $1000
Second: $500
Third: $250

In 2024 we began offering a podium awards for our non-binary competitors. The winner of the VK non-binary category will receive $100 (USD).

Drop Bags

At packet pickup, we will provide you with a drop bag which you must use if you choose to have a drop bag at all. VK drop bags must be dropped off near the start line before the race start. We will take them up to the summit to greet you when you finish the VK. Having a layer for the top as well as a drinking vessel for our finish line cupless aid station is a great idea.

Course Markings (Green Pin Flags)

This is not an orienteering race. The race organizers will do everything they can to have the course marked well for race participants on the day of the event. Off-trail sections of the course will be marked in a way that race participants should be able to see from each course marking to the next to help guide them along the course. Course markings will be green pin flags.

Weather

Please be prepared for any type of weather. Though the weather in Big Sky is relatively mild and stable in mid-September historically we are still in the mountains and conditions can quickly change. This is a challenging run on challenging terrain and the race organizers reserve the right to stop the race at any time should they deem the course unsafe due to weather.

Rut Policies & Rules

Learn more about all Rut Policies and Rules HERE

Rut Registration Policy

There will be no waitlists for any Rut race.
We do not allow any transfers of registration. No exception
Distance Transfer - Our hope is for you to make it to a Rut starting line, even if it's not the one you originally intended. With this in mind Rut runers may move down in distance for certain events. We do not allow transfers into the VK. The 50K can transfer to the 28K, 21K, or 11K, but not the VK. The 28K can transfer to the 21K, or 11K, but not the 50K or VK. The 21K can transfer to the 11K, but not the 50K, 28K, or VK. The VK can transfer to the 11K only. The 11K cannot transfer to another event. Transfers must be completed no later than August 15th. A transfer in distance will be charged a $10 processing fee.
Pregnancy Policy - If you become pregnant, or adopt a child, after registering for a Rut race and cannot participate, you can use your race entry for up to 2 years after the original race date. To take advantage of this policy, you must contact the Rut Registration Director (registration@runtherut.com) by race weekend. Requests made after race weekend will not be honored.
Deferrals for partial credit - If you need to defer your race entry, we are happy to offer partial credit toward the following year's Rut. This helps us to balance the needs of our participants with the time and nonrecoverable expenses incurred in organizing our event. Partial credits are awarded based on the following tiered structure by date.
- Cancel by 11:59 PM on June 1st: 60% credit to the following year's Rut (e.g. If you spend $100 on a race this year, and decide to cancel, you will have $60 to go towards the following year's race registration for whatever distance you choose.)
- Cancel by 11:59 PM on August 1st : 40% credit to the following year's Rut (e.g. If you spend $100 on a race this year, and decide to cancel, you will have $40 to go towards the following years race registration for whatever distance you choose.)
- How to defer for partial credit - To receive credit, runners must defer their registration through their Runsignup account. Credits cannot be applied retroactively, and deferrals must be completed by the runner themselves. Follow this Runsignup tutorial to for a step by step guide on how to defer your registration.
- Important Details About Race Credit
  - Credits can only be used for the following year.
  - To ensure those with credits can enter into the following year's race, we will have a priority registration window available prior to registration opening to the public.
  - Once the event fills the credit can no longer be used.

Questions? Check out our Rut Registration FAQ's page.