LOOKOUT PASS - Some think eloping is crazy.

Missoulians Kyle and Christine Haynes, 24 and 25, were able to cross that off their list Friday at the Shoshone County Courthouse in Wallace with three guests.

What would stop them from running through the snow barefoot at Lookout Ski Area on Sunday?

The air was a chilly 19 degrees, and the snow deep. But you only honeymoon once, and when there's a chance to carry your wife through the snow for a cash prize - shoes or no shoes - by golly, you take it.

The sixth annual Pacific Northwest National Wife Carrying Contest was part of Lookout's Winter Carnival, which included face painting, snow volleyball, scavenger hunts, three-legged races and live music.

The sport of wife carrying, which originated in Finland in the late 1800s, is considered goofy, harmless fun at Lookout - you don't even have to be married. But wife carrying is a serious international sport. The Wife Carrying World Championships are hosted each July in the Finnish town of Sonkajrven, an event where the winner wins his wife's weight in beer. The event's popularity has inspired similar events in the United States, Australia, Ireland and China.

When asked if they're known for participating in extreme activities, Kyle simply said, "When they're presented to us, yeah. And I like to be barefoot."

The couple, who recently moved to Montana from Iowa, waited until the last minute to slip their feet out of their boots. They and three other couples arranged themselves in a line, and the men loaded the women on their backs.

The Hayneses chose the traditional Estonian-style of wife-carrying. That means Christine hung upside-down with her legs around Kyle's shoulders, holding onto his waist. Other options included riding piggy-back, or the man throwing the woman over his shoulder and bolting through the snow.

The horn sounded, and the couples took off down the snowy course. The crowd roared. It was a neck-and-neck finish, but the honeymooners were victorious for their first race - they moved on to compete against other twentysomethings.

"I might be cutting off four or five of my toes," Kyle joked.

But those toes were useful at the time.

"Mad traction with the digits," he said.

Most couples who didn't fall during their run collapsed promptly after crossing the finish line. One woman who fell from her carrier's grips was then dragged to the end by her foot, laughing.

Washington State University students Dana Abernathy and Spencer Blasdel, like most couples participating, chose to keep their boots on.

"It looks crazy," Abernathy said. "You can get better traction (barefoot), but it's cold."

The 21-year-olds, who also won their leg of the race, said they practiced in the warmth of the lodge by drinking beer.