Johnsville, a quaint, historic mining town located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, is home to the oldest recorded sport skiing in the western hemisphere. In the mid 19th century, miners would pursue speeds of up to 80 miles per hour to win money on skis reaching a maximum of 15 feet long called “longboards.”
Although the racing ended in 1917, the Plumas Eureka Ski Bowl at Johnsville annually hosts this longboard racing tradition. In the video above, experience locals race down the slope on historic skis decked out in old miner clothing in an attempt to recreate longboard racing, the origins of skiing.
