NCDH Mt. Jefferson: April. 23-24, 2016

     Everything you need to know about the 2nd Annual NCDH Mt. Jefferson downhill race is here! Mt. Jefferson is an epic downhill longboard race in West Jefferson, North Carolina. The hill is about 2 hours and 15 minutes from Charlotte or Asheville and hosts one of the largest downhill skateboarding events in the southeast! Mt. Jefferson takes place in the Mount Jefferson State Natural Area. The race is free for spectators and one of the most unique events in the region!

     The event was held for the first time in 2015 and attracted some of the biggest names in downhill longboarding. For 2016, the race is capped at 96 riders! The event is hosted by the North Carolina Downhill group and takes place next weekend over 2 days including a full day of open racing and a full day of competition (no lunch breaks during runs).

Saturday, April 23rd

Registration/Shuttles 8AM, Meeting 9:30AM, Practice Runs 10AM-4PM, Skate Jam 7PM

Sunday, April 24th

Registration/Shuttles 8AM, Meeting 9:30AM, Practice Runs 10AM-11AM, Race Heats 11AM-3:45PM, Podium 4PM

The skatepark is just a short drive away from the hill! The Ian Tillman Foundation will be educating people on the importance of wearing helmets as part of the "Helmet for a Promise" campaign both at the race hill and the skatepark after the racing is done each day.

IF YOU ARE A MINOR AND RACING, DO NOT FORGET YOUR SIGNED WAIVER: www.ncdownhill.com/registration/

TRACK DETAILS:

     The race course is a road under the care of the Mount Jefferson State Natural Area and the pavement is pretty nice! The downhill race is the portion of road starting just below the top parking area and extending over 1.6 miles down to the finish before the ranger station. The starting line is just over 4,400 feet elevation and descends into a nearly 700ft drop over the length of the track. With an average grade of 8% and some parts hitting near 10%, Mt. Jefferson is a great race course! The pavement is smooth with very few cracks/chunks and is sloped nicely in the corners. Here is a super smooth Raw Run with an unexpected rider:

The map above is linked to a Google map of the race track, but you can follow this link to the Find Hills map. 

• Run Time: Approx. 3 minutes, 10 seconds
• Top Speeds: 50 MPH claimed max speed
• 3 Hairpin drifts (L-R-L), 3 big Sweepers, Chicane section (above photo)
• Smooth road, thick/chunky center double yellow line
• Racing line and a good tuck is super important
• Scrubbing too much in right makes for a very slow/flat exit

WHERE TO STAY:

     There are a couple of Air BnB's close by and a Hampton Inn on the hill across from the campground on the other side of Lowe's, but let's be honest... if you are coming to the hill for a skateboard race, you NEED to stay at the campsite! Music, BBQ, bonfires, and a Wal-Mart walking distance away why stay anywhere else? The Greenfield Campground is near the bottom of the mountain and has tent sites and parking for everyone. Camping is $6 Friday, with Saturday being included in your race fee if you are a rider. You can always car camp at the Wal-Mart next door to the campground, but try to keep it clean and quiet if you end up crashing outside the campground because the downhill longboarding scene needs to be welcomed back to West Jefferson!

WEATHER:

     The weather is supposed to be in the 60-70F range and partly cloudy as of now, we'll update if this changes. At last year's NCDH Mt. Jefferson event, the practice day was nice and clear all day, the race day was 100% soaked and made for some really crazy racing. The event goes rain or shine no matter what.

WHAT TO BRING:

     You don't have to bring anything really. There will be catered food by CR Catering Co. and a "BBQ master" at the race hill! There will be drinks and places to sit, bringing a cooler with wheels is acceptable. BUT, with Friday being Earth Day, NCDH is making the event a "Zero Waste" weekend. Try to bring things with zero waste and take out what you bring in. You can walk the whole 1.6+ miles of the course any time, but driving is limited. Cars will be parked at the bottom of the hill and spectators will be shuttled to the top with regular shuttles running between heats. Hiking all day on the course is steep and tiresome. Bring a camping chair and a backpack if you plan on moving around. It's pretty shady so the sun won't really be a problem, also don't forget extra phone/camera batteries! Bring some money (cash and card) for cool event shirts, posters, vendor items, and food from the catering truck and BBQ!

SPECTATING:

     The parking lot at the bottom will be available for spectators with regular shuttle service running between heats. There will be portable toilets and places to sit at the main hairpin turn. This area will be full of sponsors/vendors and plenty of cheering and tight racing through the hard left hairpin corner. The race is friendly for all ages as there is plenty of hay to hide behind and tons of elevated land to get a good/safe view. If you want to walk to the top, there are great spots to watch along the entire course, the shuttle can also help you move around. 

    The top lot is a good place to meet all the riders, see their setups, see the results, etc. If you want to see the very tight pack racing happening in the first corner, take a ride to the top. The shuttle may stop at the first turn for you, but it's not far from the top of the hill and there is a great view at the first corner!

Tell your friends! See you there at the 2nd Annual NCDH Mt. Jefferson Downhill! If you have any comments, suggestions, or pro-tips that weren’t covered send them to us through the Contact form! 

- THREESIX DOWNHILL TRACK GUIDE: NCDH Mt. Jefferson 2016 -

Written by Isaac Cogdill (@IsaacMTSU). This event guide is one of many detailed race summaries from ThreeSix Downhill written to give readers all the information needed to be prepared and make it out to support an event! I go to as many events as I can to shoot photos of everybody, meet people, support riders on ThreeSix decks, and sleep in a car or bum floor space to bring you everything I can to spread the sport of downhill longboarding!