Our DCR Mt Greylock skimo race venue on the Thunderbolt is most likely the second-oldest alpine ski race venue still in existence anywhere outside of Europe: the ski trail was cut in 1934 specifically as an alpine race trail, and the first race was held in 1935.
Many other alpine races were held earlier elsewhere in North America, but they were either on mountains that no longer run ski races (e.g., Moosilauke, Rainier) or on ski trails that were absorbed into lift-served ski areas that no longer run races on those same routes (e.g., Cannon's Taft).
First, some caveats ...
(With gratitude to the historical research conducted by Blair Mahar, much of which is incorporated into this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jl_WF6hM6c ... although additional material that was previously posted to a website has alas disappeared.)
The race on the Thunderbolt trail at Greylock has not been held continuously over the years.
- And not even close to continuously.
- The race has been plagued by low-snow cancellations (both back then, and now, alas), and also by WW II.
- Ski racing also took a long hiatus on the Thunderbolt, perhaps even for decades, when the trail was rarely skied for any purpose, competitively or otherwise.
The format has changed, although it still entails alpine fixed-heel ski descents.
- Lift-served skiing never came to Mt Greylock (although lifts were installed in 1974, yet not completed, but still there), except for some small rope tows.
- So competitors always had to get themselves to the top.
- But the self-propelled ascension was just the means to the end of the individually timed descent.
- The current format is a continuously timed loop of three ascents and descents with a mass start.
- But the core of the ski race is still alpine fixed-heel skiing. (Nobody uses telemark or splitboard for the race.)
The race course descent has not been entirely the same over the years.
- The original 1934 trail design had certain drawbacks, and a substantial portion was subsequently rerouted.
- The 1936 trail redesign also had a drawback that was subsequently rerouted, but this was only a small segment.
- And since the 2015 skimo race, the skimo race has omitted the top ~400' vertical (which is technically a highly skiable section of the Appalachian Trail, not the Thunderbolt), simply because of logistical issues.
- Then toward the bottom, the skimo race course often deviates from the Thunderbolt into the 1974 never-finished ski resort complex, also for logistical issues.
- However, that leaves the skimo race course with ~1,110' vertical (on each of three descents) in common with *exactly* the same race course layout as held starting in 1937, and ~800' vertical in common with *exactly* the same race course layout as held starting in 1935.
Next, the winner outside of Europe is ... Mt Washington of course!
Toni Matt famously (albeit unintentionally) schussed the headwall in 1939. But the first Inferno race was held in 1932, before Greylock's 1935 debut. The current Inferno pentathlon race is far different than that original 1932 race, yet can still lay claim as the successor via the same criteria as applied to Greylock.
(The 1932 Inferno might have been preceded by a ski race that same spring on the auto road, but support for this is sparse, and the current auto road race is an alpine race only in the sense that far faster xc skate gear is expressly prohibited exactly because it would be far faster. But even with the most generous interpretation of the auto road as the oldest ski race venue anywhere outside of Europe, that would still keep Greylock on the podium -- and perhaps even a Silver instead of a Bronze if Mt Washington's two race venues collectively take the Gold.)
Finally, about that "anywhere outside of Europe" caveat ... alpine ski racing in Europe definitely preceded ski racing on Greylock's Thunderbolt race trail.
But are any races currently held on the same trails that were raced before 1935?
Unclear for most of the earlier races, especially since referenced venue names are often just mountain villages that could imply not just different trails but also entirely different mountains.
However, one race that definitely preceded Greylock's Thunderbolt race trail and even Mt Washington's Inferno race is -- quite appropriately -- the race after which Mt Washington's Inferno race is named:
Also, honorable mention goes to the Patrol Race, first held in 1930, with a stated ~20 miles and ~4,500' vertical:
... that comes out far better than a certain skimo-pretentious nordic backcountry race (which gains ~50% more vertical yet with 2x the distance).
Yet the Patrol Race organizers in full-disclosure mode promote a race report:
... with extensive disclaimers that it isn't a skimo race (e.g., "I just don't want to give anyone the idea this is a skimo race, there just isn't enough downhill skiing for that.")
Still though, sounds like an amazing ski race to do on skimo race gear (or on nordic backcountry race gear, but that hasn't been invented yet), as well as to become part of the continuing history that dates back almost a full century!
