Massanutten Yee Ha! 2012: Preview

Image 1 of 5

Sam Skidmore on a new berm turn on the Massanutten Yee Ha! course (Image credit: Ian McAlexander / ITMexposures.com)

Image 2 of 5

Sam Skidmore enters a new berm turn (Image credit: Ian McAlexander / ITMexposures.com)

Image 3 of 5

Brand new trail on the Massanutten Yee Ha! course.

Brand new trail on the Massanutten Yee Ha! course. (Image credit: Ian McAlexander / ITMexposures.com)

Image 4 of 5

Sam Skidmore rips the new hip jump leading down to final rock garden (Image credit: Ian McAlexander / ITMexposures.com)

Image 5 of 5

Sam Skidmore tests out the newly rebuilt part of the downhill course at Massanutten (Image credit: Ian McAlexander / ITMexposures.com)

Massanutten Resort is hosting its annual Yee-Ha! downhill race on the weekend of April 28-29. The gravity race this year has been moved to a Saturday and Sunday, instead of a Friday and Saturday.

Organizer George Willetts and his team have been hard at work adding new trail to replace a lower section of trail between the lower fire road and the final rock garden. This newer section of trail adds berms and flow to replace a washed-out, rooty section.

Young riders are expected to excel again this year. Racers such as Richard Pedigo and Anne Galyean are among the favorites, and the door is open for some new regional talent to emerge as some of the national-level pros who regularly attend will instead be at the Northwest Cup in Port Angeles, Washington, which is doubling as round 1 of both the US Pro GRT and US GP of Mountain Biking.

More than 80 riders from 12 states are pre-registered as of this writing. Racers who enter will get lift access for practice runs from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday and from 8:00 am to 10:45 am on Sunday before the race runs begin.

For more information, visit massresort.com/v.php?pg=221.