Video & Race Report: Eastern States Cup DH #5 - Mount Snow, VT

Maxxis ESC Intense DH #5 - Mount Snow, Vermont

After not laying tires on the slopes of Mount Snow since 2018, the Maxxis ESC community was fired up to return this past weekend. Although racing here has been scarce in recent years, the southern Vermont venue has hosted many historic races, including World Cups, National Champs and the old NORBA series. The DH course has an old school feel, taped wide with the majority of the trail following open ski trail from the top of the Ego Alley triple chair. The track is approachable for most skill levels but if you want to win you'll need to let off the brakes and keep it upright, which is easier said than done. Many of our older racers feel at home on this type of track, but our two Pro category winners were born well after Mount Snow's DH hay day. Keep scrolling to find out who achieved terminal velocity to take home the hardware.

This track isn't open to the public as the top section is freshly weed whacked ski slope, so if you want to ride it you've got to come race it.

This is the fastest DH track we will race all year, so you'll need to be on the rev limiter to land on the podium.

All smiles out there this weekend on the old school wide open track.

Racers were shredding those grass corners during practice, not something we get to do often these days.

After a few hours of steady rain Saturday afternoon, some sections became mud pits overnight but others dried out nicely by Sunday afternoon.

Thankfully, we were back to blue skies and good times by race day morning.

Friends before & after the race, but fierce competitors between the tape. Dropping out of the lift terminal at such a historic venue makes this race feel a little more special.

Thorin Didomenico flies out of the starting gate, he would earn second place in the Kate's Kids 12U class.

Ariel Kent holds on to the inside line even through slick mud, she would go on to take her first Amateur women's class win of the season.

It's proven the more fun you have throughout the weekend, the faster you'll go on race day. Matt Spain was keeping it loose in practice and ended up taking the Expert 16U win Sunday afternoon.

Flowing through the fast compressions at the top of the course, Maximus Didomenico rides to fourth place in the GT 16U boys class, his second podium result of the season.

Somewhere behind that wall of water is David Verwys riding to his best result yet, second place in the Amateur 19-29 men's class.

It wouldn't be a DH race without some wet roots. It was Dylan Gobel who edged out Verwys for the Amateur 19-29 win by just 0.09 of a second.

The track looked so fun, some of the Maxxis ESC crew couldn't resist getting out there for race day. You've seen Brian Pleva at the start gate every weekend, now you've seen him screaming down an open ski slope.

Chris Gilbert donned the fresh white pants for Sunday and only got the bottoms dirty, that's a sign of a good race run.

We even got Maxxis ESC founder George Ulmer out there, hanging a foot out like Sam Hill to hold the inside line.

Prime spectating on the rock slab as Marco Vasquez secures his second Expert 19-29 win of the season.

Noah Couture is between the tape more than most, already ten race weekends deep this year. He continues to post consistent results, earning second place this weekend, just 0.45s off the Expert 16U win.

Pro: It was a soft landing. Con: His gloves are now slicker than snot.

Colby Benoit is always throwing shapes on course and he found the speed on this old school course, rolling into P7 for the Pro Men.

The Thunder Mountain Gravity Team kids are in excellent hands, their coach Gordon Goss has been riding here since before most of them were born. He took P5 this weekend and his first Pro men's class podium.

The fastest time of the day wasn't set by any of the Pros, but instead by 18U Expert class winner Jack Zenoni. He laid down a 2:16.64, beating the fastest Pro male by 2.8 seconds, truly impressive racing from the New Jersey native.

Maxine Bergeron deals with the final bits of tech before spilling out onto the ski trail and into third place for the Pro Women.

Mazie Hayden lead two out of three splits but time lost up top would cost her the win by 1.52s.

Lenci Bogdan was lightning fast in the first split and held it together to take her first Pro women's class win since moving up this year. Awesome to see such close racing from these fast women, the top four were all within seven seconds of each other.

Pro Women: 3rd - Maxine Bergeron, 1st - Lenci Bogdan, 2nd - Mazie Hayden, 4th - Ellen Noble

After a couple years off from the race scene, Felix Laroche is back and faster than ever. He would earn third place and his first Pro men's class podium.

Another fast Canadian back on track after recovering from an injury, Tristan Lemire slotted into second place as he prepares to get back into World Cup action.

Fresh off his first Pro enduro win, Eli Gadbois was on the gas again this weekend. P1 by 1.93s with some style to boot, as he seems to be having a blast riding his bike at the moment.

Pro Men: 5th - Gordon Goss, 3rd - Felix Laroche, 1st - Eli Gadbois, 2nd - Tristan Lemire, 4th - Patrick Paré-Martin

Thanks to the team at Mount Snow and the Maxxis ESC community for an amazingly fun weekend. Stan's Enduro racers will be back in action a couple hours north at Burke Mountain this coming weekend. Intense DH racers, see you at Sugarloaf on August 20th!

Words and photos: Andrew Santoro
Video: Seth Merritt

Full Results
Race Recap Podcast
Easternstatescup.com

2023 MAXXIS ESC PRESENTED BY KATE'S REAL FOOD SCHEDULE

INTENSE CYCLES DOWNHILL SERIES
April 30 Powder Ridge, CT
June 18 Jiminy Peak, MA
June 25 Killington, VT
July 23 Sugarbush, VT
July 30 Mount Snow, VT
Aug 20 Sugarloaf, ME
Aug 27 Blue Mountain, PA
Sept 17 Thunder Mountain, MA
Oct 8 Powder Ridge, CT
Oct 15 Killington, VT Series Finals

STAN'S ENDURO SERIES
May 21 Powder Ridge, CT
June 4 Glen Park, PA
June 18 Jiminy Peak, MA
June 25 Killington, VT
July 8 Arrowhead, NH – Outbound Night Enduro
July 23 Sugarbush, VT
Aug 6 Burke, VT
Aug 20 Sugarloaf, ME
Aug 27 Blue Mountain, PA
Sept 10 Arrowhead, NH
Sept 17 Thunder Mountain, MA
Oct 1 Woodstock, VT
Oct 29 Thunder Mountain, MA Series Finals

OAKLEY SHOWDOWN SERIES
June 18 Jiminy Peak, MA
June 25 Killington, VT
July 23 Sugarbush, VT
Aug 20 Sugarloaf, ME
Aug 27 Blue Mountain, PA
Sept 17 Thunder Mountain, MA Series Finals

MOTOREX EBIKE ENDURO SERIES
May 21 Powder Ridge, CT
June 4 Glen Park, PA
July 8 Arrowhead, NH – Outbound Night Enduro
August 20 Sugarloaf, ME
Sept 10 Arrowhead, NH
Sept 17 Thunder Mountain, MA
Oct 1 Woodstock, VT
Oct 29 Thunder Mountain, MA Series Finals