Outgrowing Spider Mountain?
Here's what's next.
A lot of riders start right here — a free practice lap, then a first race, then a season. If you're getting to the point where you're chasing real competition against a bigger field, the Mountain States Cup is the next level up: a USA Cycling-sanctioned downhill series across marquee Rocky Mountain venues.
Same category names, deeper field
MSC races the same four-tier structure you already know from here — Cat 3, Cat 2, Cat 1, and Pro. But the categories aren't a 1:1 swap: MSC draws riders from bigger, established mountains all over the Rockies, so the field in any given category runs deeper than it does here. A good rule of thumb is to enter a category or two below whatever you race at Spider Mountain — even riders who've won Pro here have started back at Cat 2 at MSC and found it plenty competitive. Nothing wrong with that; it's just a bigger pool.
Their own words: "The Iconic Championship Throughout the Rockies."
No schedule conflict with HCDH
Hill Country Downhill runs as a winter series. Mountain States Cup runs summer — June through August. You can chase points in both without ever having to choose between them.
2026 season
Four rounds across four states, June through August.
| Round | Venue | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Angel Fire, NM | June 11–14 |
| 2 | Solitude, UT | July 2–5 |
| 3 | Grand Targhee, WY | August 13–16 |
| 4 (Finale) | Purgatory, CO | August 27–30 |
Real prize money
Pro category races for a $15,000 cash purse at every single round — over $50,000 across the season — split evenly between the men's and women's podiums. This isn't a for-fun series once you're racing Pro; it pays.
Your people can watch, wherever they are
One of the coolest parts of MSC: every single racer's run is broadcast live online through MSC LIVE (msclive.tv) — real-time video, results, and standings, on top of the big screens and announcers on-site. Friends and family who can't make the trip out to Angel Fire or Grand Targhee don't have to miss it; they can pull it up and watch you drop in from anywhere.
What's different from here
MSC is USA Cycling-sanctioned, which means you'll need a USAC race license (through Sport80) to register — something Spider Mountain racing doesn't require. It's a bigger step, not a huge one: new racers and anyone with an expired license can grab one free at checkout with code MSC-26.
Individual rounds run about $125 for Cat 2/3, $150 for Cat 1/Pro. Registration is handled entirely on their site.
Not ready to commit yet, but curious?
Log in to let us knowReady to see how you stack up?
Everything — schedule, registration, and race info — lives on the official Mountain States Cup site.
Visit Mountain States Cup