Western States is 100.2 miles point-to-point across the High Sierra from Olympic Valley to Auburn, the oldest 100-miler there is. You can't just sign up: you finish a qualifying ultra, then enter a lottery that took about 260 of nearly 10,000 applicants for 2025, so one ticket is under 1 percent and most wait years. The canyons cook past 38 degrees, snow lingers at Emigrant Pass, and 5,500 metres of climbing make the 30-hour cutoff a fight.
Better info coming — we're still verifying 1 field on this race.
Why we'd pick it
- Serious climbing — 5500 m of gain. Respect the cutoffs.
- The ballot is open; apply before the published deadline and keep a backup race.
- Thin on non-race things to do for a partner (2/5).
- Race day usually sits 9.1–24.8°C, about 8% chance of rain.
The course
100 miles point-to-point from Olympic Valley to Auburn across the High Sierra, with about 5,500 metres of climbing and 7,000 metres of descent. The early snow at Emigrant Pass and the brutal canyons' afternoon heat, often over 38 degrees, make the 30-hour cutoff a genuine fight.
Difficulty and PR scores
Difficulty is the course and the conditions. The PR score is a separate read on a fast clock. Missing inputs are dropped and the other weights are rescaled. The method, with the weights.
- Difficulty
- 87 / 100
- PR / BQ friendliness
- 2 / 100
Weight used: 90%. Need 40% before we print a number.
Band: hard. Weight used: 70%. Need 45% before we print a number.
Weather median for 2011–2025, race date ±7 days, 225 days, at Start. Grid elevation 1894 m.
No cited BQ rate for this race.
| Input | 0–100 | What went in |
|---|---|---|
| G Gain | 100 | 34.16 m/km. 30 m/km maps to 100. |
| A Altitude | 93.8 | 1894 m. 0 below 300 m, 100 at 2000 m. Source: open-meteo-grid. |
| H Heat | 95 | High 24.8°C, dew point 2.5°C. The hotter of the two bands is used. |
| W Wind | 15 | 2.04 m/s median. Bands: under 3 → 15, under 5 → 40, under 8 → 70, else 100. |
| S Surface | 90 | trail. Road 15, mixed 45, gravel 70, trail 90. |
| F Flatness | 0 | 34.16 m/km. 100 minus gain/20×100. No net-drop bonus without a cited certificate. |
| T Cool temps | 5 | 100 minus heat (95). |
| B BQ evidence | — | No cited BQ rate. |
Stays around the race
These are area searches near the published start, finish, and course pins. TripRace may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. We are not naming a hotel.
- Near the start — Start / Olympic Valley
- Near the finish — Finish / Auburn
