CODY, Wyo. -- More than 125 Nordic skiers from seven high schools across Wyoming competed against each other Friday, but it was a wide, curving run at the bottom of a shady hill that was their most fearsome opponent.

"One of my skis got in the tracks before I was ready, and it turned, but I didn't," said Jeremiah Longo, a Cody High School skier.

The result was a quick tumble that looked worse than it was. Longo quickly recovered, furiously pumping his arms and legs to regain momentum in the 5-mile race through the woods around Pahaska Tepee, 50 miles west of Cody.

Longo was not alone in his troubles on Jackson Hill, a steep drop through the trees at the eastern edge of Yellowstone National Park.

During one 10-minute period, spectators watched nearly one in three skiers take a tumble as they sailed past.

"If you're lucky, you just kind of bounce up and get back on your skis. I did somersaults on that one," Longo said.

His teammate, Daniel Latimer, was close behind, and brushed past him in a blur as Longo worked to get back up to speed.

Others lost hats, poles and even skis, with a few sailing off the trail into waist-deep powder.

"Jackson Hill is kind of the hallmark of this course," Longo said, adding that he expected a lecture from his coach, who had warned the Cody team just before the race to ski carefully down the incline.

"It's a sport that's as much mental as it is physical," said Richard Rhoad, a Cody skier in his senior year. "You're all alone, and it's up to you to do it. Your body is screaming at you to stop, but it's all in your head to keep yourself going."

Though skiers race each other, they are mainly racing the clock, and athletes from rival teams cheer each other on at the laid-back event, Rhoad said.

The Cody meet, the last of the season, concludes today. Students, parents and coaches say it is an annual favorite.

"We love it up here. This place is awesome," said Walt Berling, coach of the Jackson Hole High School team.

"The ambience is great. It's really wild and natural and quiet. You don't hear any cars going by. The milder climate means the snow is a little faster, too," he said.

Berling said he was so anxious to make a run after the team's seven-hour bus ride Wednesday that he strapped on skis after midnight for a moonlight glide.

Though the Pahaska Tepee resort was closed because of sparse and unpredictable snowmobile traffic over Sylvan Pass, event planners set up their own grill for burgers. Skiers also gobbled oranges and bagels to refuel after the exhausting races.

Tony Holt, activities director for Cody High School, said volunteers from the Park County Nordic Ski Association helped organize and manage the meet.

As caterer Butch Krause flipped burgers, Cody skiers talked about plans next year to reopen the nearby Sleeping Giant ski area, which has downhill and Nordic runs.

Krause said he was happy to be on level ground behind a warm grill, adding that Nordic skiing seemed likely to work up a strong appetite.

"It looks like a heck of a lot of work," he said.