The setup was as follows: Each entrant was lined up for a run at each course with the combined times of both.
There was a bottom section with a slight uphill turning section with one (too short OUCH) double, one straight downhill drop jump, and then the table top followed by a sharp left hander that almost everyone handled like a snocross berm turn then you followed by two of gradual lefts and rights around gates and a nice long full blast pull to the top. Average time on that course was 1:20ish fastest was 1:07 or 1:08 and then there were some DNF with crashes, break downs, and gate missing.
(started running out of time so not everyone got to run their second pass per class....I didn't hear any complaints as it was mostly the first timers that didn't qualify and after a pass or two over the course they'd had enough! Plus nearly everyone was signed up in multiple classes so you got lots of action)
Then they took the top five in each class and you would run the same starting snocross style loop, then a different gated section at mid mountain but with two more sets of gates (more off camber and technical then the first course), and then once again full out to the top. Average time on that course was 10 seconds slower with the added turns and substantially rougher start and finish.
Like posted Erin Buekelman was consistantly very fast, as was R Frisby, Pedro (there might have been two of them), Gilbert, number 39 guy on a cat(can't remember his name but he had a RMSHA related pullover, and then the pack of kids from Wyoming ran some fast times (hard to say which since there were a bunch of them and they ran alot). Probably some misc people too but that covered most of the notibles. You could see the standout riders were the people with lots of race experience...most with RMSHA. Buekelman's two race sleds were right and then there were a few cat snopros that looked really fast on the bottom.
There were a couple of wild episodes one being a young kid with ZERO riding experience somehow got roped into running the course. HAD NO business being on it. He went so slow that you could see there was no way he was making the climb at the top. Probably took somewhere around four or five minutes to get up there...then just as you could see it was going to happen he made it right to the peak (almost didn't even make it there as the mid hill sucked him to the trees but he somehow got it pointed at the top again) and then rolled several times including front to back endo's...then ghosted into the trees. Scared him bad, Buggered him up a bit, and tore up his buggy too. Somebody needs a beating that encouraged that deal. I saw him operating his sled around in the ready area and was scared something bad was going to happen right there! It's a steep mofo at the very top and no place for someone that doesn't have much riding experience.
There were a couple other minor mishaps on jumps and a couple burndowns or mechanicals. The table top explodes at least one sled each year. Frisby came home on the cord...couldn't see what happened but it was right at the top but they or he got it stuck without having it come down. That was about it.
Personally it was a great race...I didn't get seriously hurt this year...my sled didn't get busted up this year...and I was just fast enough to not have to wear any embarassing ballet costume
