2020 Dion Snowshoes US National Snowshoe Championships
Race the Highest USSSA National Championships Ever!
Feb. 28-March 1, 2020
North America’s highest city, Leadville, Colorado
Recreational Races & Kids’ Kilo Are Open to All!
Register today!
Test your mettle in the rare air at 10,152′. The ultimate challenge from the United States Snowshoe Association, this race will put you on top of the world! Held at Colorado Mountain College’s Leadville campus, this course takes you through lush lodgepole pine forests with unparalleled views. Colorado’s highest peak, Mt. Elbert (14,443′), and the second highest, Mt. Massive (14,421′), tower to the west. You can see them easily from downtown and portions of the race course. Learn more and register now!
Championship Races:
- Junior Championship – 5K – 19 and Under, Men & Women – Sat., Feb. 29, at 9:15 a.m.
- Senior Championship – 10K Men – Sat., Feb. 29, at 10:30 a.m.
- Senior Championship – 10K Women – Sat., Feb. 29, at Noon
- Ways to Qualify
Recreational Races & Kids’ Kilo:
- Kids’ Kilo – 1K – Open to all kids – Sat., Feb. 29, at 9 a.m.
- Recreational Race – 5K – Open to everyone – Sat., Feb. 29, at 9:15 a.m
- Recreational Race – 4×2.5K Relay (10K total ) – Open to everyone – Sun., March 1, at 9 a.m.
Details: See the event schedule and explore the course.
Cost: The races are affordable, $30-$45 apiece.
Learn more!
Register today!
On Race Day
Snowshoe Rentals (downtown – please call ahead): Alpine Ski & Sport, Leadville Outdoors, Leadville Ski Country
Breakfast/Coffee: Buchi Cafe Cubano, City on a Hill Coffee & Espresso, CMC-Leadville Residence Hall Cafeteria, D’Love Gourmet Coffee & Ice Cream, Golden Burro Cafe, Silver Llama
Lunch: Many area restaurants
Visit Our Sponsors
Thanks to our sponsors!
- Dion Snowshoes: Designed, built and used by experienced snowshoe racers and hikers, these tough, lightweight snowshoes are comfortable to wear and can adapt to a wide variety of terrain and snow conditions.
- Colorado Mountain College-Leadville: Where you don’t have to choose between your education and the call of the wild. Our programs are designed to enhance the Colorado mountain lifestyle.
- Lake County Tourism Panel: Helping Leadville and Twin Lakes visitors to be in their element.
While you’re in town, please be sure to visit the local sponsors that helped make these races happen!
- Alpine Bank: Helping customers, employees, shareholders and community members achieve their dreams, with 40 convenient locations from Durango to Denver.
- Community Banks of Colorado: Common sense banking, supporting the communities that we live and work in.
- Community Threads: Providing new and used sporting goods and clothing to Leadville’s fine mountain folk since 2009.
- Florista Spells Studio: An inspired walk-in floral shop, event design studio, and rental house based in Leadville.
- FREIGHT: A Leadville train depot built in 1884 turned into a community gathering space.
- Frisco Adventure Park: Lift-served multi-lane tubing hill and beginner ski & ride hill, plus Frisco Nordic Center.
- Inn the Clouds: The highest hostel in the USA, right in the heart of Colorado’s Rocky Mountain wonderland.
- Leadville Race Series: Home of the famous 100-mile run and mountain bike races, plus a full series throughout the summer.
- Melanzana: Outdoor clothing made in downtown Leadville, using only U.S.-made parts and fabric.
- Mt. Princeton Hot Springs Resort: Hot springs, spa, dining and lodging at a unique family friendly, historic resort.
- Orange Mud: Running and cycling hydration vest packs to enhance running water bottle carrying during trail and road running.
Restaurants
- Buchi Café: A memorable Cuban cafe experience with every bite and sip.
- City on a Hill Coffee & Espresso: A specialty coffee roaster and coffee shop in Leadville, Colorado.
- High Mountain Pies: Delicious pizza, wings, salads, subs, and more in downtown Leadville.
- Periodic Brewing: Great beer at North America’s highest-elevation brewery.
- Silver Llama: A market and eatery featuring Cookies with Altitude.
- Tennessee Pass Café: Using organic, locally sourced ingredients to feed your soul after mountain adventures.
- Treeline Kitchen: A locally owned family restaurant and place for the community to gather.
Things to Do
We’re excited to welcome you to Leadville! At 10,152′, it’s the highest-elevation city in North America. You can check off a bucket list item just by visiting!
Come early or stay late to enjoy the area! Ski or snowboard at uncrowded, family friendly Ski Cooper just 20 minutes away. While you’re there, enjoy the new double black diamond terrain or go cat skiing. Vail, Breckenridge, Beaver Creek, and Copper Mountain resorts are all within an hour’s drive.
A true winter playground, Leadville also offers nearly 100 miles of free groomed trails! You can snowshoe, Nordic ski, fat bike, and snowmobile within minutes of downtown. Go dogsledding or snow ziplining. Or ice fish on nearby Twin Lakes or Turquoise Lake, all large glacial lakes surrounded by mountains.
A former Silver Rush boomtown, Leadville has plenty of 1880s mining history. Warm up at the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, known as the Smithsonian of the Rockies for its rich collections. Shop, dine, and grab a drink in our downtown National Historic Landmark District.
See two short Colorado Public Television videos of fun things to do in winter!
Getting to Leadville
Getting to Leadville, Colorado, is easy! You can fly into Denver, Colorado, on most major airlines. Then rent a car for a straight-shot drive out I-70, with the last 20 miles on the Top of the Rockies National Scenic Byway. Or explore our shuttle options. The trip from the airport should take about two hours in good road conditions.
Where to Stay
Best of all, it’s affordable to stay in Leadville. Choose a cozy B&B or rental cabin or vacation home. Or a comfy hotel, motel, or hostel, at prices way below those in typical resort towns.
For help planning your trip, check out our Visitor Guide.
Learn more about the races today! And get psyched to race up here in the sky!
