Article by Jeff Valliere
Arapahoe Basin Cirque Series - September 6th, 2025
I was fortunate enough to receive an invite from title sponsor La Sportiva to the Cirque Series Arapahoe Basin race here in Colorado.
The Arapahoe Basin venue is the 7th out of 8 races in the Cirque series, starting in June at Cannon Mountain, NH and concluding in late September at Crystal Mountain, WA (with races at Killington VT, Snowbird UT, Alyeska AK, Alta UT and Targhee WY throughout the summer.
Each of the races in the series are challenging courses at a ski area with anywhere between 2,200 and 3,900 feet of vertical gain and courses between 6.1 miles (Alyeska which also happens to have the most gain at 3,912 vert.) and 9.4 miles (Arapahoe Basin with 2,411 vert.).
While the vertical gain looks a bit meager on paper, this is a tough course! Starting at 10,780 feet above sea level and topping out over 13,000 feet at the top of the ski area (5.3 miles of climbing to the top with a 4.1 miles descent), the gradient overall is mostly mellow and almost entirely runnable, making use of the ski area access roads and buffed out single track mountain bike trails, with the exception of the final few hundred feet to the true summit. Also of note, Arapahoe Basin is the 3rd highest ski area in Colorado (and the US).
(photo courtesy of @theyounghump)
While I am well acclimated, the moment the gun went off, the very high start elevation was quite evident and I struggled to find a rhythm.
In oxygen debt right off the bat! (photo courtesy of Chad Higgens @seechadrun)
The views on the climb were amazing, though tempered a bit by the wildfire smoke that had drifted in from the Northwest and Canada. I’ll admit though that it was a bit tough for me to take it all in given my focus on the race.
High on the mountain, just before the steep section (photo courtesy of @theyounghump)
I did my best to hold my own, really just hoping to be competitive in the old guy category. The pacing over the lesser gradients for me was a little tricky, as I am more adept on steep terrain, but I was however really in my element once we hit the steep and more technical section (and I wished the course just continued further and further up the ridge!).
(photo courtesy of @austinelliottphoto)
Dropping off the summit, the descent felt like a welcome reprieve. This section is a little technical compared to the dirt access roads and buffed out singletrack that comprises most of the race course, but it was short lived.
The remainder of the descent was fast and flowy, with lots of switchbacks providing a nice tour of the mountain. As I got closer to the finish, I could hear the music, announcer and lots of cheering, which was encouraging as I was feeling it and ready to be done at that point.
Shoe choice for the race was of course the La Sportiva Prodigio Pro (RTR Review) which were perfect.
La Sportiva Prodigo Pro
They felt light, quick and responsive on the ascent, well cushioned, stable and secure on the descent with great traction.
The race was incredibly well organized and a real blast to run with the stoke level was through the roof. La Sportiva had a huge presence at the race with tents set up which were well staffed and well stocked to get any interested racers into a demo pair of Prodigio Pros.
The tables were loaded with Demo shoes (Prodigio Pro Review, Prodigio Max Review and one or two other models) and they had a lot of takers it seemed.
Many racers already were showing up in Prodigio Pros or other La Sportivas of some sort and they were definitely the shoe of choice. I made it a point to discuss shoes with as many runners as possible and everyone had universally good things to say about the Prodigio Pro, Prodigio Max and the race overall.
Many even proclaimed the Prodigio Pro as the best shoe ever and I have to agree that they are certainly at the top of the list! Our RoadTrailRun reviews of the Prodigio Max here and Prodigio Pro here
La Sportiva Prodigo Max
The prize list was amazing, as the top runners scored skis, gear and the winners got $1,000 checks. I was a bit bummed that there were not age group awards (I was 1st over 50), but the fact that I was one of the many raffle winners went a long way to temper the disappointment 😀.
I scored a sweet pair of top end Leki running poles, a few hats, water bottle, Kuhl women’s shorts that happen to fit my wife, as well as a pallet of Red Bull (which I gave to a teenage boy
on the way out). Other prizes included clothing from Stio, Kuhl as mentioned, La Sportiva shoes and one woman even won a day of Heli Skiing at Silverton Ski Area.
I found the Cirque Series organization to be top notch and Arapahoe Basin was an amazing venue. I plan to be back next year and hopefully I can make a point to race some of the other venues at some point (particularly interested in Alyeska with nearly 4K vert in 6 miles RT, that is very much in my wheelhouse of strengths).
I would highly recommend a Cirque Series race to anyone looking for a trail running challenge and all around great time. And, if you have not already, go buy a pair of Prodigio Pros and Max, with those, you will be covered for just about all of your racing and training needs, no matter the terrain.
Jeff Valliere loves to run and explore the mountains of Colorado, the steeper and more technical the better. He has summited all of the 14ers in the state, many 13ers and other peaks in Colorado and beyond, plus, he has summited his local Green Mountain over 2,100 times in the past 20 years. He can be found on mountain trails daily, no matter the weather, season, conditions or whether there is daylight or not. On the side he loves to ski (all forms) bike and hike, often with his family, as he introduces his twin daughters to the outdoors. Jeff was born and raised in New Hampshire, but has called Colorado home for over 25 years. He is 5’9” and 145 lbs.
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