Snowman Race ‘24 Part 3: Laya

Laya as seen on the hike from the Royal Highland Festival Grounds. 

Laya, Bhutan is a the highest village in the country and tenth highest in the world. It sits at an elevation of 12, 533’ above sea level. We had the incredible fortune to spend five days (1/2 day hike in, 4 full days, and a then the morning before the start of the race) preceding the start of the Snowman Race in this beautiful community staying with a local family. In order to get to Laya we had to hike a few miles and climb 2,000 vertical feet after leaving the boleros at the end of the road. Continuing with the theme of feeling very welcome, on the evening of our arrival to Laya we were invited to the local school and treated to a performance of cultural dances. It was a delightful evening, and I was even invited to share some “words of knowledge” near the end of the program.

Starting the hike in with a bit of traffic. 

The stairs of our Homestay. We stayed in a room at the top of the stairs. 

Shufflin’ duffels. 

Evening at Laya School

Our homestay was with a young couple and their two daughters. The woman of the home worked as a yak herder with her mother, and her husband owned and hired out six horses. They also made some income by hosting folks like us for homestays. They had a simple traditional home with a large room in which the 6 of us assigned to this residence stayed. They pulled out rugs for us to sleep on and pulled blankets from cabinets surrounding the room to keep us warm. There was no heat in the room and with temps dipping in to the low twenties overnight the we piled the blankets deep! The family stayed in a smaller room adjacent to the one we were sleeping in, though the two young daughters did spend a lot of time with us as they were very curious about us and what we were up to. Meals were prepared in a small room downstairs that had a couple of electric rice cookers and a wood burning stove that was used for most cooking. We would sit on a rug on the floor of the room during mealtimes. The food was often prepared by the husband as the woman of the home was often out working with the yaks, with the exception of the day before the Snowman Race when she was racing a trail race called the Laya Run, which she won!

Our Homestay Family. 

Meghan introducing Rinzen to a French braid. 

Father of our Homestay family. He brought of photo of an expedition he guided on the snowman route over a decade prior.

The first full day in Laya was spent mostly indoors and involved lots of resting as the weather was moody and it rained off and on for most of the day. Cody and I did sneak in a bit of a shake out/course recon/acclimatizion run that day before the weather turned wet.

Cody Running back in to town after a bit of course recon. 

Processing yak milk to butter and cheese. 

The second day was full of exciting activities. First, we were invited to come as a group and learn about milking yaks. We watched as an experienced yak herder milked several yaks, and then were invited in to her home to see how she processed that milk in to butter and cheese. Seeing this incredible woman in her element, practicing her craft in front of us left me in awe of her incredible skill and resilience. She explained to us that it is becoming increasingly difficult to manage her yaks as the temperatures rise and vegetation changes. She is seeing increased grazing competition from horses and has had to fence off some of her land as well as travel further and higher to graze her yaks in the summer months. To her climate change was directly impacting her way of life and increasing the difficulty of an already challenging existence. After the experience with the yak herder and yaks, we got out as a group for run up the mountains above town. We visited a very cool lake and then splintered in to smaller groups for a bit of choose your own adventure fun. During the two hour outing I covered just under 6 miles, climbed and descended 4300’ and hit a peak altitude of 15,500 feet above sea level. It was really great to spend a bit of time up high before starting the race and to move through the mountains where I always feel the most at home.

Acclimatization views

Morning Shake out views. 

The next full day started with an early shake out run for me, which would be the last shake out before the race. After the run and some breakfast with our homestay family we gathered for a very special ceremony honoring some of our dear friends. I am being purposefully cryptic about the experience because it was so very special, and they have requested some privacy regarding the nature of it. Perhaps in the future I can make and addendum with a bit more about it. After that wonderful event we spent a bit of time at the gathering area that was being setup for the Royal Highland Festival. Our group assembled in a large tent made of tarps to enjoy tea, momos and each other’s joyous energy. Later that afternoon I spent a bit of time doing final prep of my race kit, which I will dedicate an entire post to describing the equipment and clothing for the race. In the evening we gathered to do a bit of show and tell of our kits, which for a self described gear nerd was a total delight. It was so interesting to see how experienced mountain runners from all over the world had chosen to prepare for the race and what clothing and equipment choices they made.

Our crew waiting for momos and tea.

My Kit for the Snowman Race (will detail in a separate post).

Gear Show and Tell. 

International Runners prior to the start of the Highlands Festival. 

Our final full day in Laya was spent at the Royal Highlands Festival. This day was so exciting. It all kicked off with the entrance of His Majesty the King of Bhutan, and then rolled into dance performances, a parade of decorated yaks and horses, horse and human races, a pillow fight contest between two participants sitting on a pole elevated above a pool, and the announcement of all the runners participating in the Snowman Race. We announced one by one and then the crowds were told that we would be starting the next morning which would be the start of the second day of the festival. During the day I had the opportunity to talk with His Majesty for a few minutes, during which he asked me about my footwear choices for the up coming race. We also had a few minutes with him later in the day when we took a group photo together after being announced to the crowds. The whole day felt like a roller coaster of excitement and curiosity as we were able deep dive in to the culture of the Highlands people. That evening I helped do mandatory equipment checks and worked really hard to get the electronic mapping set up on the Bhutan National Runners’ devices. Late in the night I finished preparing my kit and tried to sleep a few hours before the start of the Snowman Race the next morning.

Decorated Yak 

Our homestay host took the top spot in the Laya Run!

Pillow Fight! 

Snowman Runners, support team, the Prime Minster, and His Majesty the King of Bhutan.

The next post will be about the first day of the Snowman Race Second Edition!