On Saturday Feb. 17, 40 sensible snowshoers tackled the challenging 6k course at Natural Stone Bridge & Caves Park in Pottersville, NY, with Christopher O’Sullivan and Karen McGlade capturing the 1st place finishes. At the same time, 21 brave (or foolish!) snowshoers took on the challenge of the 15k EXTREME (caps courtesy of the RD, not me!) course – and survived, with Sam Peckham and Jamie Woolsey claiming the top spots. Having run the tough 6k course last year, I have no doubt that the EXTREME finishers more than earned their bragging rights.

Many thanks to Greg Beckler and his crew of helpers for another great event, and especially for the trail passes provided to all pre-registered runners. This private park is a little-known gem of the southern Adirondacks that deserves a lot more attention than it gets.

Race results can be found here.

The folks at Natural Stone Bridge and Caves Park have made photos and videos available – check out our photos page or following the links below.

prerace photos
start photos
finish photos
start video
trail cam video

And finally, we have Laura Clark’s Stone Bridge Caveman story to complete the coverage of the race.

UPDATED 3/9:

Important update: The course preview for Friday, March 9, 2018 has been canceled. Race is still on; packet pickup is still 1-3:30pm at Race headquarters (423 Main st., Bennington).

We’ve had back to back intense and amazing snow events here on Prospect mt… which has given us some (40 inches worth) of incredible Utah powder. Given the vast quantity of snow, it’s taking a little longer than we had initially expected to wrap up course markings and the like (check this out on Facebook).

Thanks for your patience! It’s going to be a GREAT race!

Best,
Tim

EARLIER UPDATES:

Hard to believe the season is almost over, but we are only a few days away from the 2018 National Championships, returning this year to Prospect Mountain Nordic in Woodford VT. Here is the latest from RD Tim Van Orden:

Hello snowshoers,

With the looming snowstorm, coming on Wednesday and Thursday, this year’s U.S. National Snowshoe Championships in Woodford, VT, will be epic! There’s already 12 to 24 inches of snow at Prospect, and another 12 inches predicted before the race.

I’ve cut a lot of new single track, and the new course is amazing! Stunning scenery, and abundant fluff.

* Canadian athletes – You no longer need to join the US Snowshoe Association in order to compete. I got the rules changed. But you do need to be a member of Snowshoe Canada. So, I encourage you to head south and participate in the event.

If you haven’t yet booked a room –

The Paradise Inn is our host hotel for the event, and is giving a $10 discount to anyone who mentions they are here for the snowshoe race.

Also, The Four Chimney Inn is supporting our race, and we’d love it if you’d support them. Both options are close to the opening reception and downtown Bennington.

Can’t wait to see you at the races!

For more info, and to see the latest event schedule go to – www.ussnowshoechampionships.com

To see recent pictures of the conditions, go to – www.facebook.com/events/188985095173566/

All my best

Tim Van Orden

Race Director

Work has already announced that we’re closed tomorrow due to the impending storm so look for tons of updates coming in the next day or two, including results, reports, and photo from the Stone Bridge Caveman, Brave the Blizzard, Garnet Hill, and Capital Hills races from the past three weekends. Stay tuned!

The snow has held up fairly well, with a few bare spots in the woods and water in the low-lying areas. But considering that the entire course was bare three days ago, this is a huge improvement.

Bring dry clothes for afterwards and expect to get wet. For those who were at Brave the Blizzard last week, I suspect this will be similarly wet and sloppy, just with enough snow to snowshoe in most spots.

Race info for those who need it.