Greatest Downhill Courses: Mount Snow, Vermont

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Welcome to Mount Snow, Vermont. Buckle up, hang on and get ready for a rough ride, full of near-death experiences and lots of roost.
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Mount Snow, 2001 from Alpha Project.
"Mount Snow was always the proving ground. If you were fast there, it meant you had both balls and skills and you were maybe a little crazy too." - Sven Martin
The Yard Sale. Has one section of downhill track ever been so loved and feared? Fans loved it, racers feared it.
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The infamous Yard Sale section. Aaron Chase unscathed. Myles Rockwell, scathed.
Jared Rando (I think) through the Yard Sale, 2005.
Grass and loam. The first day of DH practice was like dancing on a minefield. The grass covered the holes and rocks. Eventually the lines were burned in and the loam came out for riders like Cedric Gracia on the left, 2003.
CARNAGE. Nathan Rennie and Waylon Smith (I think) weren't the only ones. Don't blame the product folks. Not many parts lasted very long on the brutal terrain.
"Mount Snow is easily one of my all-time favorite tracks. From the first time I went there in 2003 I just loved it. The natural terrain feels like an outdoor Moto track." -Andrew Neethling. Mick Hannah on the right, 2003.
Jared Graves in DH mode, flying over gaps at speed. The Yetis were always good performers in Vermont. Their long wheelbases handled the high speeds and big hits well. Photo by Damian Breach
Wide freaking open with David K, Jeff Evans and Clay Porter. Matt Thompson notes, "Towards the end, they were living off prior reputation, but in the middle years (late nineties - early 2000s), there was no track I looked forward to riding more."
John Kirkcaldie, off-camber and a complete nut on these courses. When you were going 20-30mph, the holes got gruesome, but John never gave them a second thought.
Greg Minnaar, pushing the Honda to the limits. Photo by Damian Breach
The East Coast location was a favorite for riders from all over, but local riders as well. Dave Smutok and Kyle Ebbett, keeping it real in their jeans.
If it ever seemed like a mountain bike had a throttle, it was at Mount Snow. Chris Kovarik, 2003 on the right, Mihai Moga, 2005 on the left with lines-a-plenty.
"Vermont was all about tires. We ran Michelins back then and we were stoked to have the Comp 32 2.8-inch tires front AND rear. 'Bringing out the big meats' is what we called it. Even skinny Jared Graves, Rando and Amiel Cavalier (pictured) were not afraid to run them then. When you have to bring out the Big Meats for front and rear action, you knew you were in for some life-risking shit. I loved it." -Sven Martin
In 2004, Alex Morgan (left) and Sanjay Shanbag (right) showed up running long-travel single crown forks. There was quite a buzz in the pits about how safe this decision was (not to mention Sanjay's skate lid!).
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From Clay Porter's Synopsis, 2004. One word...KIRKCALDIE! (and no kids, it's NOT sped up).
"Mount Snow is one of my all-time favorite tracks. It can really get medieval out there. Anyone who had the pleasure of racing there knows it's one of the fastest, gnarliest, sniper-rock-slab-infested, g-out-madness courses in our downhill history books." -Duncan Riffle
Duncan continues, "It's honestly the reason I got in to downhill racing. Big, open field corners, natural rock slab gaps...it's all out chaos from the start gate." Duncan and Paul Rowney celebrate victory in 2005.
Sam Hill, fast and furious through the short-but-hectic woods section. Photo by Damian Breach.
A little Edward 40-hands to celebrate the East Coast road trip in 2005. Mount Snow was always a place for good times in the pits and unbelievable stories made at the Silo, Mount Snow's legendary, local bar.
B.Hills fighting off frozen hands as Matt Johnston looks on with glee.
During course walks, these holes looked like fun jumps. The fun quickly disappeared at race speeds and they felt like 4-foot tall curbs. "The tracks had a little of everything. They were a real test of all around skill, fitness, and bike setup. I miss riding there more than anyplace else, by far." -Matt Thompson
Brendan Fairclough 2005 during one of his first trips to the U.S. for racing. He showed up and promptly made his mark among the solid pro field.
Here's to the speed, natural terrain and memories that Mount Snow, Vermont gave us. Photo by Gary Perkin
Photo by Gary Perkin
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Mount Snow, Vermont is the undisputed king of fast and rough in the downhill mountain bike world. Known for its big granite slabs, wide open grass corners and the infamous yardsale, the downhill courses of Mount Snow will remain forever-etched in the memories of those who raced them.
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