The 30,000 foot DH Race - Chomolungma Challenge

While Crankworx was wrapping up on the other side of North America, those in the southeast took the opportunity to pound lap after lap after lap in one of the most grueling downhill events on the East Coast….. the Chomolungma Challenge at Snowshoe Bike Park. In case you missed the race preview, what is Chomolungma? The word itself is the traditional Tibetan name for Mt Everest. Why did the staff chose that name? Mt. Everest stands 29,035 above sea level. Snowshoe's Western Territory descends 1,500 feet. Now, how's your math? That equates to 20 laps down the mountain, first one to complete all 20 takes the cake! 6 hours of racing, 30,000 feet of descent….did you eat your Wheaties this morning?

Typical Snowshoe Morning - After a late 8 hour drive, a 2:00 a.m. arrival, just a few hours of sleep with one dude speaking nothing short of an alien language as he snored, another story telling in his sleep, we awoke to a typical snowshoe morning of fog. This is at the base of the mountain at 0900….. Question was, is the top seeing the same conditions or did the fog just settle in the valley and what did mother nature have in store for us over the next two days?

That Didn't Take Long - Just 15 minutes after the above frame was snapped, that blanket of fog all but completely did a vanishing act.

A Visit to Skyline - We've been talking about it for a couple of months now, but time, practice, schedules always seemed to get in the way….. Twas not to be this weekend. Friday there was not much going on and with little to no forceful convincing Mr. Ve-Style (Eric Vest of GROM Racing) and I spent 3 hours on the newest edition of Snowshoe's trail system, Skyline Trail…. aka 2 miles of jumping bliss. Eric never disappoints. Thanks my friend.

Low Light Moss - After a really low key day, 7:30 p.m. was the time to head out for the 8:14 p.m. sunset. A short 0.5 mile hike to the pre-planned spot in the woods, just kick back, put the feet up and wait for the light to disappear. Nothing better than sitting around observing all aspects of what mother nature has to offer. Serenity now!

The Sunset Series - One thing you can expect from every report from Snowshoe is a sunset shot. Though there are no two the same, I am running out of different angles to shoot it. I'll have to chase down the locals and think about trading in the walking shoes for a combustion engine to find something new next time. Either way, you never get bored watching it.

What Else Will We See? - In just a few short weeks Josh Olson, the new bike park manager, will have one year of service at Snowshoe under his belt. We've already seen new trails, some new sponsors, a Collegiate National Championship announcement. What else does Josh have in mind for the park? We can't wait to see. Great job bud… and same to your crew!

Play Nice Ya'll - Everyone better listen up with Andy Nall speaks! Andy goes over a condensed version of the Chomo rules just minutes before the start of the race. The takeaway was, it's a long day, just go out and RIDE!

Goof Balls - Nathan Meade (right) and company goofing around and killing time just before the start of the Men's Solo race. Keep the positive attitude guys, you've got a LOOOOONNNNGGGG day ahead of you. Those faces will likely look a bit different 6 to 8 hours from now.

Wait for It, Wait for It….. - AND THEY'RE OFF!!!! Literally it was a gunshot start, followed by call to arms via the bugle, kinda sounded like a horse race. I guess it kinda of is.

Time to Go See Bob - The agenda was 10 laps each on two courses, recorded by a punch on your number tag when you reached the bottom of the lift. Swing left, you go down Pro DH. Swing right you go down Ninja Bob, Ball-N-Jack, and Powerline. This shot is just downstream of the crossover into Ninja Bob. Nothing nasty, just blue flow and a few opportunities to get air between your Minions and the dirt.

Early Morn Light - With 6-8 hours of racing ahead of the riders, the crew had to kick things off early. The sun rises in the east and this being the Western Territory, the morning light is very very low.

Told Ya I Gotcha! - Great choice in color Vance, I love the orange kit. You made this photog very happy this weekend. If I've said once, I've said it a million times, color is both a friend of yours and of mine.


Stoked, Not Stonkered - Was this Craig Kirkpatrick's last hooray? We wish it wasn't….. He's moving back to the land down under after 8 years in the States and wanted put the solo challenge of Chomo in his "Yeah, I Did That" book before he heads home. Goal = Met. We'll miss you mate! Safe travels.


Oh the Stories One Can Tell - Robby D (Rob DeMao) lives in the same town as I and I ended up hitching a ride with the SC crew. The things you learn about people, I never knew Rob was filled with such great stories of how things were back in the day (he's in his 40s). I haven't laughed that hard in quite some time. Oh yeah, he can shred too! Pictured on lower Ball N Jack, it's point it forward and stay off the brakes. It's long, it's straight, and you can go as fast as you are comfortable with.

No More Whining Bagger Vance - Even with just a few more laps left Vance Nonno still is able to find the energy to get a little boost on Powerline and on his way to a spot on the podium. Now aren't you glad you showed up for this event? One report, two pics, a check and I even have more images of you….. You can send me a part of that check. Haha! Love ya Brother!

Flow Til the Cows Come Home - Nothing nasty or gnarly on Powerline, just lots of flow in the form of berms and table tops. I believe this is JC Bagley pinning a berm on lower Powerline (no number plates makes freggin hard to figure out who's who).

The Epic Comeback - At the end of the day, we all were scratching our heads on this one. Anne Galyean was on the open slope heading into the woods on lower Pro DH, noting there really is absolutely nothing in terms of gnar on this part of the course. All the sudden the bike just quite literally stopped, yet the momentum she carried kept her going and OTB she went. The rear wheel tacoed, that's right I said rear wheel (pic courtesy of Anne's iPhone). She was able to lay down one heck of a comeback after being one lap down after that unplanned pit stop and finished first in class and second overall in Women's just over 5 minutes off the final pace. You KILLED it! One heck of a ride my lady!

King Kyle - Kyle Grau pounding the laps away. This is about lap 15 or 16 and he was on his way victories in both his age group and overall….. actually the 25 years old and under class were the guys to beat. At the end of the day the top three in 25 and under ended up as the top three over all.

Hi-Fi Ladies, Hi-Fi - Hubby Mike Render gives his wife Amy Leishar a high five after she was the first lady to come across the line with 20 laps after 6:13.35 hours on course. Congrats Amy!

Check Left, Check Right - Time to slow it down a bit folks so the that crew can get your checked in at the finish of each lap.

Women's Solo Overall Podium - 1st: Amy Leishar, 6:13.35; 2nd: Anne Galyean, 6:19.02; 3rd: Leslie Litton, 6:22.11.

Men's Solo Overall Podium - 1st: Kyle Grau, 5:32.34; 2nd: Kevin Deal, 5:41.13; 3rd: Vance Nonno, 5:42.35.

Different Day, Totally Different Start - Sunday was Team Race Day, no more going it alone. Conditions were the exact opposite of what they were just 24 hours ago. A bit of rain overnight covered the ground and wasn't going anywhere with the fog locking it all in place. Unfortunately for us, this is the only photo we were able to snap in the a.m. as another engagement was an 8 hour drive away. Full results for the teams assault on 30,000 feet of descent are below. Congrats all around! Probably time now for some eats and some shut eye.

Complete Final Results:
Official Results - Solo
Official Results - Teams

What's Next? In just over 30 days from now, the park will wrap up it's three race series on Saturday and Sunday September 27th and 28th. You can visit Snowshoe's Website for more info.