March 8, 2026
March 8, 2026
Bangtail Biathlon 2026
Crosscut Mountain Sports Center invites you to the Bangtail Biathlon in Bozeman, MT on Sunday, March 8, 2026. We are excited to host our premier community biathlon event named after the Bangtail Mountains located across beautiful Bridger Canyon from Crosscut.
The Bangtail Biathlon is an event hosted by Crosscut Mountain Sports Center at our race-ready range and on our beautiful trails. This event draws biathletes and skiers from the Bozeman community and throughout the Rocky Mountain West.
The Bangtail Biathlon includes both a competition and a novice race for all ability levels. The Bangtail Biathlon is a way for Crosscut to share our passion for biathlon, facilitate a positive race environment, and introduce people to the sport for the first time. Whether you are racing for the win, or participating in biathlon for the very first time, we welcome all participants to join in on the fun!
Registration
Competition Event: $65
Novice Event: $60 minimum age for novice racers is 10
U13 Event: $50
Registration closes Friday, March 6th at 9:00 pm. There will be no race day registration.
Event Partners
Bangtail Biathlon Sponsors
Race Details
The competition sprint will take place on Sunday morning, with an individual start at 30 second intervals. The race will consist of three skiing bouts and two shooting bouts (PS). Skiers must ski penalty laps for each shot missed. Course will be closed to skiers 5 min before the first start.
The novice and U13 race will take place on Sunday afternoon, with an individual start at 30 second intervals. The race will consist of three skiing bouts and two shooting bouts (PP). Novices and U13 skiers will shoot off of a block on standing targets, and they will not ski with their rifles. Skiers must ski penalty loops for each shot missed.
**U15 and U17 racers will do a rack-to-rack race (i.e. will not carry rifles on course)
**Rifles for U13 and Novice racers will remain at shooting points
Schedule (2026 schedule coming soon)
Sunday 2/22
Competition Race Schedule
7:30 am - Parking/Facilities open.
8:00 am - Competition Race racer check-in
8:30 am - Equipment Control open
8:30-9:45 am - Courses open to ski
9:00-9:45 am - Zeroing for IBU classes U15 and up (competition racers ages U15 and up need to arrive on the range, knowing their zeroing time and lane and ready to begin at 9 am. Lanes will be assigned the afternoon before the race and be included in the pre-race email. Novice racers will not zero.
9:45-9:50 am - Competition racers remove all personal belongings from the range, including rifles. (U15 athletes will place their rifle on the rack at the entrance of the range.)
10:00 am - Start of Competition Race U15 and up. Start by class (Sit Skiers, Seniors, Masters A, Juniors [U21], Youth [U19], U17, U15). Individual starts at 30-second intervals. The start list will be sent to racers the afternoon before the event and posted in the start pen.
11:45 am – Racing complete.
Awards for Competition Race following the event.
Novice Race Schedule
10:00 am -12:00 pm - Novice/U13 racers check in at the Crosscut Biathlon Stadium (racers receive bibs here, timing chips will be distributed in the start pen.)
12:00 pm – 12:30 pm - Mandatory Novice Clinic (all novice racers must attend the novice clinic).
12:45 pm - Start of Novice/U13 Race. Start by class (U13, Novice). Individual starts at 30-second intervals. The start list will be sent to racers the afternoon before the event and posted in the start pen.
Awards for Novice/U13 Race following completion of the events.
Race Course Maps (2026 courses TBD)
Competition Classes and Race Distances
Awards
Awards will be given to the top three men and women in U13, U15, U17, Youth, Junior, Senior, Sit Ski, Masters A, Masters B, and Novice categories.
Volunteer
We would be so grateful if you would take a look at the options on the volunteer sign-up, and consider volunteering for the event- it truly takes a village! There are morning and afternoon slots for everything from parking lot duty and range setup to penalty loop and scoring tracking. Thank you!
Special note to racers: Putting on a biathlon event takes many, many hands. We would greatly appreciate if you would consider volunteering for a slot before or after your event.
Parking
Parking for the event will be at the Crosscut Mountain Sports Center in Lot D listed on the course map. Enter From Bridger Bowl access road.