Email
PrintTown Hill Downhill
Come March, Snow King Mountain hosts one crazy fast competition.
Jess McMillian of Jackson charges over the pro bump on the downhill course while racing in the amateur women’s division of the 2006 Town Downhill at Snow King Mountain.
It begins early in the morning, as fans begin arriving at the base of Snow King Mountain in campers and pickup trucks. Music blares through speakers, coolers full of PBRs are popped, and the party fires up.
The Jackson Town Downhill, which turns twenty-eight this March (although for two consecutive years it had to be cancelled due to lack of snow), is among the most anticipated events of the winter in Jackson Hole. Steeped in tradition and community, the event is one of only a handful of annual true downhill-length ski races open to the public in the United States.
The event draws participants of all skill levels, from local weekend warriors to former Olympians—like 1994 Olympic gold medalist Tommy Moe, who came to Snow King, aka the “Town Hill,” to tackle the technical Town Downhill course dubbed the “Mini-Hahnenkamm,” because of its resemblance to the famous downhill course in Kitzbeuhel, Austria.
The race course is steep, fast, and hair-raising. Amateur skiers, many with little to no downhill racing experience, fly down the steep grades of the mountain at speeds exceeding sixty-five miles per hour. The goal is simply to hang on and avoid a crash through the course’s gnarly, sharp turns.
The event is about speed, as competitors pursue cash prizes, awards, and the shear pleasure of skiing fast. The race winner takes home a $1,000 cash prize. Additional awards, a post-race party, and an auction are all part of the event, sponsored by the Jackson Hole Ski Club. The action draws a huge crowd at the base of Snow King Mountain, as fans tailgate while cheering on the competitors. In the shadow of the intense competition on the hill, a sense of community prevails among spectators, helping make the Town Downhill one of the most unique ski races in the country.
“The best part is the whole scene,” says last year’s winner Travis Svensrud, who hails from Bozeman, Montana. “The Jackson Hole crowd and all the locals out here, it’s always great to be a part of it.”
The race has been held every year since 1982, with the exception of the low-snow years of 1991 and ’92. Leading all competitors with four titles is Jackson resident Sean Clark, who won from 1998 through 2000, and again in 2002. Svensrud has won all three years he’s entered, in 2005, ’06, and ’09. Other three-time winners include Matt Murphy, who prevailed in 1984, ’86, and ’96; and Jon Meckem, who took the title in 1983, ’85, and ’89.
A large women’s field competes yearly, too. Few have been as successful as Jackson native Crystal Wright, who won the women’s divison in 2007 and ’08. Wright, the reigning Freeski World Champion, posted top-ten times in the pro division in each of her victories. “Downhill is what I really miss about racing,” she says.
“It’s just a nice chance to have everyone come out and throw it down the mountain,” says Moe, who won the event in 2004. “That’s what it’s all about.”
