The Golden Boot: Waterbury’s Brad Moskowitz is Camel’s Hump Challenge 2022 Champion
Jan. 15, 2022 | By Jenna Smith
Brad Moscowitz (left) on the trail during a Camel's Hump Challenge event. Courtesy photo
HUNTINGTON – Organizers of the annual Camel’s Hump Challenge and the Vermont Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association have named Waterbury skier Brad Moscowitz the recipient of the 2022 Champion Award associated with the event.
The award each year goes to an individual, team or group that has made a major contribution to the event. The recognition includes the winner’s name being engraved onto the side of the Camel’s Hump Challenge Golden Boot trophy.
This year will be the 35th year for the challenge which is a rigorous wilderness ski touring experience in which backcountry Nordic skiers traverse around the perimeter of Camel's Hump, Vermont’s third-highest peak at 4,083 feet. The roughly 13-mile loop starts and finishes in Huntington on the Camel's Hump Nordic Ski Area trails.
Participants raise funds and awareness for Alzheimer's Disease and related dementia. Originally founded by the late Dr. Warren Beeken, the Challenge’s fundraising supports the educational programs and services offered free of charge by the Vermont chapter of the Alzheimer's Association.
A lifelong skier, Moscowitz teaches outdoor education at Northern Vermont University and serves as a part-time patroller at Stowe Mountain Resort. Since he and his family moved to Vermont in 1999, he said he’s enjoyed backcountry skiing and he has participated in the Challenge since 2017.
Brad Moscowitz of Waterbury was named the Camel's Hump Challenge 2022 Champion. Courtesy photo
“When I first heard about the Camel’s Hump Challenge, I thought it sounded like a great winter adventure,” Moscowitz said. “As I learned more about the CHC event, and discovered the true cause – to raise awareness about the devastating effects of Alzheimer’s and to support the Alzheimer’s Association of Vermont – I realized I had to participate.”
The cause has a particular connection with his family. In the early 2000s Moscowitz said he lost his grandmother at age 92 to Alzheimer’s.
“The true devastation for me and my entire family was when my brother Scott was diagnosed with early-onset at just 50 years old. As a husband and father of three, his progressive deterioration created a cascade of difficulties for his immediate family, and rippled through all of us,” Moscowitz said. “He finally passed at the age of 58, in 2020, and my heart goes out to anyone who loves and provides care for a loved one who has Alzheimer’s, and especially those whose lives are taken way too soon from early-onset."
With this event, he combines his passion for skiing and his support for the cause. “The experience is cathartic – when skiing alone I push hard to challenge myself physically while reflecting on my brother, the struggles we all face in life, especially those contending with Alzheimer’s and the purpose of the event,” Moscowitz said. “At the same time, I experience pure joy as I take in all that the mountains have to offer, and celebrate the gifts that enable us to enjoy our precious lives.”
This year’s challenge is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 5, and registration for the in-person event is full.
The Camel's Hump Challenge Golden Boot Champion Award. Courtesy photo
In 2021, the Challenge became a virtual event due to COVID-19. Participants created individual challenges to support the Alzheimer’s Association’s Vermont chapter. Organizers have decided to offer that option again this year. People may still sign up for the virtual option and may donate online. For details, visit camelshumpchallenge.com.
Jenna Smith is the event manager for the Camel’s Hump Challenge.