Last weekend, roughly 200 intrepid skiers lined up at the base of the Mount Crested Butte ski resort, awaiting a midnight race start that would send them 40 miles north through the rugged Elk Mountains to Aspen, Colorado. Among the masses, most of whom were on lightweight ski mountaineering or alpine touring setups, was a pair looking to return the Grand Traverse ski race to its cross country ski roots. The pair was Simi Hamilton and Ben Koons, wearing Fischer skate skis that had seen World Cup air time.