Skiiers were racing down Mt. Mansfield on this day in 1934. Three months after the Civilian Conservation Corps. began clearing the first ski trails, Stowe held its first downhill race. The race was held on the only ski trail that had been completed, Bruce Trail.

None of the participants had ever raced downhill on skis before. A golfer from Burlington made it to the bottom in ten minutes, 48 seconds, slow by today’s standards, but fast enough to win in 1934.

Vermonter’s loved the trail and the event, and it marked the start of a new, exciting winter sports era that would change Vermont.

Image courtesy the Vermont Ski Museum.