If you’ve skied Stowe, I’m sure you’ve noticed it. When you decide to ski the Nosedive or the top segment of Toll Road, there’s that cleared swath straight ahead of you. It’s above lift-served skiing although you may see tracks where someone has hiked up to ski the short segment. You may have figured this was a remnant of the pre-lift era where you had to earn your turns, but in fact it was cut for the 1951-52 ski season 70 years ago!

Stowe was going to host the U.S. National Championships that season in March. But C.V. Starr and Sepp Ruschp had loftier goals for that race. They wanted to host an international race where the best skiers in the world would compete and not just competitors from the United States. Sepp felt that for the level of U.S. ski racing to improve, they needed to race against international competition. National champions in Downhill, Slalom, and Combined would be earned by the highest finishing American, but the overall winners would be whoever had the fastest times.

The first hurdle to have a National Championship Downhill was that it required 2500 feet of vertical. The Nosedive which had hosted many Eastern Championships needed to add some vertical so the extension was cleared for the 1951-52 season.

Lyndall Heyer had the answer that the Nosedive was extended for those 1952 races. I had expected somebody to answer that the infamous seven turns were removed. However that wouldn’t be until 1965 in preparation for hosting another international race in the 1965-66 season.

But back to 1952: The Nosedive wasn’t the only modification Stowe made for the Nationals. A new trail was cut starting with the old S-53 to host the Slalom. The name for that new trail was … wait for it … The National!

Another hurdle was how to get the International racers to come to the United States and Stowe to race.  MMSC Historian Mike Leach says, “After the 1952 Olympics, CV Starr got on the phone to Alice Kiaer (women’s ski team manager), and told her he wanted the gold and silver medalist flown (at his expense) to Stowe for the U.S. Nationals. They succeeded in getting 3 men who medaled, and at least one woman (Andy Mead). I noticed that Madeleine Berthod(SUI) was on the downhill results as a DNF and she did not appear to race in the other events. Trude Beiser-Jochum(AUT), gold in DH,  was listed as a DNS.”

The 1952 Nationals would also utilize another “first” for Stowe and probably in the United States. Races had always been manually timed using multiple stop watches, but Charlie Blauvelt who was in charge of timing felt these races deserved the latest technology. Consulting with Longines, the decision was made to use an electronic timing system. Three recognizable Stowe names would play parts in pulling this off. Jed Prouty would install the phone system; Bill Hazelett and Dave Partridge would modify the Longines system to work with an electric eye. Blauvelt said that the system was not functional until the night before the first race! But it worked!

The races were held on March 22-23, 1952. The Downhill was held on Saturday which was a perfect weather day affording the spectators a real show. The result sheet for that race estimates there were 20,000 in attendance. But a more accurate estimate was probably in the 8,000-10,000 range. Still it was a big crowd! The imported talent did not disappoint. The men’s Olympic medalists, Stein Eriksen, Othmar Schneider, and Guttorm Berge, would finish second through fourth in the Downhill, but a Canadian would beat them all! Ernie McColloch would win with a time of 2:16.7.

On the women’s side, Vermonters would rule. Andrea Mead Lawrence won with another Rutland girl, Anne Jones, in second, and Stoweite Lena Gale in third.

In typical Vermont fashion, the weather on Sunday for the Slalom was foggy with sleet and snow. For the men, the Olympians would prevail with Othmar Schneider winning, Stein Eriksen second, and Guttorm Berge third. Andrea Mead Lawrence would win handily for the women with Lena Gale second and Madi Springer-Miller third.

The event was a huge success for the Mount Mansfield Ski Club and Stowe. It helped affirm Stowe as a skiing center, particularly a ski racing center. C.V. Starr would continue to host American International races in Stowe attracting international competitors until 1960.