The Mass. State Downhill Race of 1964 was at the Pittsfield State Forest on the Shadow Trail. Chip Landry, of Bennington Catholic High School, won it with a time of 62.8 seconds. Chip was from North Adams and raced for Catholic High. Our ski team came in second place that day and I finished eighth at 64.6.
Chip skied on Head downhill boards. According to an article about the Shadow Trail entitled "Curley’s Cache," Curly Voll holds the record for the Shadow Trail from a downhill race in 1944 with a time of 1:12. He probably raced a longer distance then we did.
Downhill is no longer raced on the trail due to deaths and injuries through the years. They had mattress tied to the trees and Chip glanced off of one. It’s a very narrow, steep trail made for walking.
Back in those days, Berlin Mountain was the site for the Williams College Downhill Race. It was a nasty, steep and scary race with skiers really moving. That was the downhill race in 1964.
Tom King
Shaftsbury, Vt.
Aug. 18
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