Marble Mountain skiers tackling the 'Everest Challenge'

It's a fundraiser that's not for the faint of heart.

Members of the Ski Patrol at Marble Mountain are challenging those hitting the slopes this Sunday to see who can ride the equivalent of Mount Everest in the fastest amount of time.

Interested riders will be tasked with racing a total of 29,029 feetthe equivalent of 19 trips down Marble Mountain and the total length of skiing down Mount Everest.

The top three riders will win bragging rights and a prize, and all proceeds of the event will go towards helping the Ski Patrol purchase a new defibrillator.

"Putting one at the top of the hill makes a better chance for our patrons here if we should happen to use it, hopefully not, but it's one of those things," said Ski Patrol president Tera Noseworthy.

Last year, the winning participant completed the challengein two hours and forty minutes.

Snowboarder Cory Bertrand said that he's looking forward to the challenge and is eager to see if he has what it takes.

"I'm going to try and straight leg as much as possible while keeping an edge. I've been timing myself on this board and I'm about 2 hours and 45 minutes give or take," he said

Riders can tackle any run on the mountain they want, butare required touse the new Lightning Express chairlift.

The competition begins at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, and carries a $10 entry fee.

Riders under 19 years of age will require a waiver from a parent or guardian to participate.

For more information on the 'Everest Challenge,'visit the Marble Mountain event page.