One thousand, ninety-nine days.
When racers gather at Killington on September 15 to kick off the 2022 Fox US Open of Mountain Biking, that’s how long it will have been since the event was last held, most recently at California’s Big Bear Mountain Resort. First the pandemic canceled the 2020 edition of the weekend that brings together pro and amateur athletes racing downhill, enduro and other events. Then a particularly volatile West Coast fire season thwarted the race.
Now, after three years, the US Open is back. And, after four years, it’s back at Killington. Clay Harper is brimming with excitement.
“The way we fell on the calendar and where we were location-wise, we got hit extra hard,” says Harper, who cofounded the event in 2003 at Mountain Creek, New Jersey. “But the spirit of the US Open never wavered. Everyone is so excited. The East Coast vibe to have us back is strong. We have people traveling from all over the world to Killington in September, so the stage is set for another really fun event, and the Killington community that’s hosting is going to be amazing.”
The US Open of Mountain Biking (USO) stands out from other gravity-focused races for several reasons. Foremost among them is the open format that the event was founded upon, which allows amateur and professional athletes to compete together on the same tracks. This puts up-and-coming 15-year-olds alongside recent USO regulars, like Neko Mulally or Vaea Verbeek, who won the USO downhill at Killington in 2018.
This welcoming format creates a party-like energy that ripples across the entire event, from spectators to competitors, and across all race disciplines, including enduro, downhill, youth racing, dual slalom and whip off competitions, the latter two of which will be hosted Friday and Saturday evenings, respectively, in prime, spectator-friendly locations, highly visible from the main venue. Enduro made its USO debut in 2018 and accounted for nearly half of the entire weekend’s total racers. A youth race, called Next Gen Novice, has categories for downhillers ages five to 14, who will race on Rabbit Hole at Snowshed. (The youth Expert class will race on the main USO downhill track.) Vermont Adaptive is partnered with the USO to host an adaptive downhill race. And the weekend will include Killington’s first USO dual slalom, which was reintroduced in 2019 at Big Bear to huge fanfare.
The prize purse is also massive—$80,000, with equal payouts between male and female competitors.
“It’s part of the ethos of the US Open,” says Harper of the open-class format, equal pay and large purse.
Also part of the USO ethos is the spectator-centric vibe, which Harper says perfectly matches the energy of the East Coast riding community that turned out in droves in 2018. Unlike at some other venues or events, Killington’s bike park remains open, which allows spectators the chance to both ride and watch the races, which are free to spectate. “You might end up on the chairlift with a pro you’ve always watched from California or wherever,” Harper says. “We just want everybody to come out and cheer. We need those crazy East Coast fans, the people with face paint and costumes. They’ll show up—I have no doubt about that.”
Killington’s trail crew has also shown up in a major way, albeit with backhoes and shovels rather than face paint and costumes. They’ve been hard at work building a massive jump for the Best Whip contest as well as some new features on the downhill track, which will descend Ramshead this September and is a re-envisioning of the popular track used for the Pro GRT races that were held at Killington in 2016 and ’17.
Harper was involved in developing the track when it was first used for the Pro GRT, and one moment in particular stands out in his mind from the 2016 race.
After the event, one pro athlete’s grandmother approached Harper and told him how amazing the race was—but not for the speed with which the racers descended or the precision with which they stuck their lines. It was the first time she’d ever been able to get onto a mountain and into the woods to see her grandson race, she said, and the experience had floored her.
“To have a racer’s grandmother thank me for building a track was way cool,” Harper says. “This track is going to be among the most spectator friendly in the business.”
From a rider’s perspective, however, this ain’t your grandma’s bike trail. Harper calls the track multidimensional, with plentiful line choices that will change and evolve over the weekend, making the game of descending fastest equal parts mental and physical.
“The track being used for this year’s US Open is very challenging,” says George Ryan, the only person to have competed in every single USO downhill race. “While it does have some difficult and puzzling sections, there are other parts that are wide-open fast and have massive jumps that the spectators are going to love. The track is going to produce some crazy exciting racing.”
Racers had a chance to preview the track in early August during a stop of the Eastern States Cup (ESC), and positive reviews poured in.
“From what I saw and heard, everyone loved the track at the ESC race,” says Ryan, who’s the manager of Mountain Creek Bike Park’s Trail Crüe and has consulted with Harper on the development of numerous DH tracks. “After the race, Clay and I ran through the track one more time so he could show me the changes they were planning. I’m pumped to see what they come up with!”
“When Killington builds a terrain park in winter, they hit it hard,” Harper adds. “And they’re doing that with the US Open build. We’ll go out and say, ‘Hey, can we put a little jump in here?’ And I come back two weeks later, and the jump is 10 times as impressive as what I asked for.”
Features that are 10 times more impressive than expected might just be the new normal at Killington. And for an event that’s been on hold for 1,099 days, larger than life will be just right.
On September 15, 2022, some of the world’s best mountain bikers will descend on Killington.
Read onDon’t dread the downhill: master mountain biking the Killington way.
Read onHow do locals beat the summer heat? Drop in and discover Central Vermont’s water world.
Read onThere are at least eight trail networks within 25 miles of Killington. Welcome to the epicenter of Vermont’s mountain biking universe.
Read onOne of snowboarding’s cultural icons and master of style, Danny Davis is all about bringing snowboarding to the people. His signature Woodward Peace Parks, including one at Killington, have opened up a whole new world for riders of all ages and abilities.
Read onImagine an eerily quiet, cold, crystalline world high in the mountains of Vermont, where everything—everything—is encased in two inches of glassy, impenetrable ice. We take you there in this multimedia feature story, and explore an otherworldly landscape witnessed only by a frozen few. Filmed and photographed on location at Killington Resort.
Read onAspiring olympic skier Hannah Soar and olympic gold medal winner Donna Weinbrecht are cut from the same cloth - or moguls, as it were. This rich media feature explores the passion that drives them both to greatness, while also reflecting on the mountain where it all began.
Read onNCAA athletes Nina O’Brien and Paula Moltzan are the only skiers - besides Mikaela Shiffrin - to score points at the Killington Women's World Cup. Here, they talk about balancing their education with ski racing, and why there’s nothing quite like skiing in front of the home crowd.
Read onNot all rules are made to be broken. In this animated feature story we dive into the do’s and don’ts of skiing and riding in our Woodward Mountain Park.
Read onAfter last year’s COVID-driven cancellation of the World Cup, the Killington community is ready for its triumphant return. Plus: racers with Vermont roots including Mikaela Shiffrin, Nina O’Brien, and Paula Moltzan speak to the excitement of returning home.
Read onThe pursuit of powder and transcendent turns alters the trajectory of people’s lives. Why? Immerse yourself in this interactive feature and find out.
Read onThe builders of the East's longest ski season always rise to the challenge. In this collection of profiles, we go behind the scenes with three of Killington’s most valuable players.
Read onMountain forecasting is its own beast. In this interview with Chief Meteorologist Mallory Brooke, we learn that she knows that beast better than anyone.
Read onPico may lack bourgeois base lodges and six-pack lifts, but it’s as rich in culture and community as any mountain destination in New England. Here, we explore the character that defines the Pico experience through a multimedia lens.
Read onWho knew there were so many words for snow? Here, writer Tyler Cohen takes a deep dive into the snow slang lexicon.
Read onMountain biking has never been more fun.
Read onVermontress Peggy Shinn takes us to her happiest place: springtime at Killington.
Read onLove is in the air … and in the gondola. Liven up your Valentine’s Day with Peggy Shinn’s primer on mountain love.
Read onSome New Year’s resolutions are doomed before the new year even begins. But not this one….
Read onColumnist Peggy Shinn’s guide to giving the gift of stoke this holiday season.
Read onLongtime 4241’ writer and contributor Peggy Shinn is a ninth-generation Vermonter and a member of the Vermont Ski & Snowboard Hall of Fame. This is the debut of her column, “Vermontness.”
Read on4241’ columnist Peggy Shinn knows what it takes to win the Killington World Cup - as a spectator and an athlete.
Read on