Mt. Jefferson Race Recap: First Timer, Come Back Kid, and Another Icon

Once upon a time in the high country of the Blue Ridge Mountains, there was a race called Mt. Jefferson. Clouds lingered and riders mingled as race heats delivered the action.

Race day started with a practice run to get riders up and moving. Luge, Junior and Women's brackets were already set from Saturday qualifying, but Open required a 16-person Repechage bracket to decide the bottom 6 spots in the Open Finals bracket. Patrick Dougherty took the Repechage home to secure 27th seed and local boys Eric Fahrenthold and Phil Skaar squeaked through the consis to grab the last two available spots.

Womens Division

Can you take a guess? Emily Pross, current #1-world ranked Women’s racer, took the win today. We were excited to see North Carolina local Ashley Winecoff speeding down the hill all weekend and rounding out the results in 2nd. We hope to see continued attendance from these ladies next year alongside more riders.

Results:

1. Emily Pross
2. Ashley Winecoff

Juniors Division

Juniors are the next generation of riders, a new crop of faces came out to kick off the NorAm tour. Despite some East Coast enthusiasm, top honors went to Californian Nicholas Broms. Nick has been traveling the circuit and cleaning up all year, and we are excited to see him throw down at Gravity Fest and Killington.

Results:

1. Nick Broms
2. Matthew Antrum
3. Dylan Skaggs
4. William Aurweck

Full Junior bracket results.

Luge Division

The East Coast has always had a strong Luge presence, and Mt. Jefferson was no exception. World rankings have switched around multiple times this year, but Kolby Parks came into NC with a bead on the #1 ranking. Due to the current points tally, Kolby needed 1st place to secure #1 world rank, and he seized the opportunity. Following Kolby was French Canadians Tim Koch and Matt Barlett.

Results:

1. Kolby Parks
2. Tim Koch
3. Matt Barlett
4. Frank Williams

Full Luge bracket results.

Open Division

Our 32-person Open bracket quickly narrowed to some of the top worldwide contenders. As racing approached semi-finals, rain clouds threatened to dampen the main event. Fortunately the squall subsided swiftly, and the road remained dry.

Emily Pross, Adam Westfall, Daina Banks, and Ed Kiefer all had strong finishes in the semis, moving them onto the final. After the push, Ed held the lead for the first minute until Daina and Emily both made a swift pass before ‘crash corner.’ She continued to lead while Daina stalked her draft, dipping in and out to stay just close enough to strike. All three stayed close through the final drift left until Daina made the pass on Emily. Ed Kiefer double-drafted past Emily, but couldn't quite rope in Daina.

https://www.facebook.com/InternationalDownhillFederation/videos/1891281164295137/

Noteworthy tidbits: This was Daina’s first IDF World Cup circuit race win, and the first win by an openly gay downhill racer. Ed Kiefer finished second in his first major appearance since 2016. Emily Pross followed her 2017 win with another podium finish, and local North Carolinian Adam Westfall landed 4th on his home turf.

Results:

1. Daina Banks
2. Ed Kiefer
3. Emily Pross
4. Adam Westfall

Full Open bracket results.

Huge thanks to North Carolina Downhill and the Park Rangers of North Carolina State Parks for their efforts in hosting this phenomenal event. Catch y'all in two weeks at Gravity Fest and Killington.