Jessie Diggins and the “Big Stupid”
Every summer, Olympic gold medalist and World Champion Jessie Diggins — the most decorated American cross-country skier in history — shakes off the structured grind of summer training for the next World Cup season to chase what she calls a “Big Stupid.” It’s an intentionally over‑the‑top adventure. One that’s also absolutely unnecessary for her training but perfectly necessary for her spirit.
In June 2024, Diggins turned the Broken Arrow Skyrace at Palisades Tahoe into her own endurance experiment: she opted to run three laps on the 23 km course that officially ran only two laps — turning a gruelling 46 km race into a personal 69 km challenge above treeline with nearly 4,700 ft of climbing per lap.
Read more: Now Even Bigger and Stupider: Jessie Diggins Breaks Her Own Trail in Broken Arrow Skyrace (2024)
About the Broken Arrow Skyrace
The Broken Arrow Skyrace, held annually at Palisades Tahoe in California’s Lake Tahoe region, is a multi‑day skyrunning event featuring races like the Ascent (Vertical K), 11 km, 18 km, 23 km, 46 km, and combined formats such as the Triple Crown and Iron Face Challenge. Known for extreme alpine terrain, exposure, snowfields, and climbing ladders like the iconic “Stairway to Heaven,” it's among the most rugged mountain races in North America.
Explore more on the official race site: Broken Arrow Skyrace
In June 2025, Diggins took it a step further by signing up for the Broken Arrow Skyrace Triple Crown — a grueling three-race weekend featuring the Friday hill climb (“Ascent”), a 46 km mountain race on Saturday, and a 23 km challenge on Sunday. Over the course of just 48 hours, athletes tackled approximately 72 km and 15,300 feet of elevation gain. The weekend brought intense conditions, including thunder-snow and a weather-shortened Saturday race, which significantly reduced the number of Triple Crown finishers. Despite the adversity, Jessie placed fifth among the women who completed all three events.
Read more: Jessie Diggins Fifth in Triple Crown Standings at Broken Arrow Skyrace in This Year’s ‘Big Stupid’ (2025)
In past years, Jessie Diggins’s “Big Stupid” adventures have taken many forms. One year, she completed a solo 30-mile mountain run in Utah. Another time, she roller-skied 100 kilometers in a single day through the winding roads of Vermont’s Green Mountains. She’s also tackled a self-supported hike-and-run across rugged sections of Colorado’s Tenmile Range.
The “Big Stupid” matters not because it’s smart training, but because it feeds something deeper. Jessie herself has said these adventures go far beyond what’s necessary for ski conditioning yet they’re crucial for her mental edge and sense of joy. Each year, the challenge evolves. It’s not about chasing podiums, but about pushing limits for the sake of the experience. And while the journey is personal, stories like these remind us that self‑imposed challenges can be just as inspiring and important as anything done on the world stage. And we need to invent them on our own to push past comfort zones, embrace discomfort, and emerge with stories worth telling.
What’s that one bold, unnecessary, slightly ridiculous adventure you plan for this summer to just to feel alive, test your limits, and feed your soul? What is your “Big Stupid”?