Plumas Ski Club Longboard races

Every winter a small town in Plumas County steps back in time.

Johnsville is home to one of the oldest ski races in the nation. It's called the Longboard Revival Series and it's put on by the Plumas Ski Club.

The races started during the gold rush era in the early 1860's. Miners build long wooden skies out of vertical-grained Douglas fir to get around in the snow. The skis were shaped by hand and reached lengths of 15 feet. Miner called them longboards and to help pass time during winter, they would race for cash prizes.


Today, the race tradition lives on.

The longboards are made by hand and racers dress up in traditional 1860's clothing. The rules are simple: No spitting and no cheating.

The first one to the bottom of the hill moves on the next round and to help their skis move faster racers can wax their skis. The wax is called "Dope" and it can only be made of natural element.

There's no cash prize, but the winner takes home a silver belt.

The longboard races are held three times during the winter; once in January, February and the Championship race is in March.

The small town of Johnsville swell from a few dozen people to over a thousand. The races are open to everyone and don't worry, you can rent longboards at the lodge.