And the plot thickens...

As I noted before, I'm seriously considering attending the US MTB Nat'l Championships in July. There's a wrinkle in the narrative though. I got the following email from USA Cycling...

Colorado Springs, Colo. (May 2, 2006) - Due to massive snowfall on Mammoth Mountain this winter, USA Cycling will be relocating its 2006 Mountain Bike National Championships scheduled for July 20-23.

After a record 664 inches of snow fell this season, Mammoth Mountain has reported a base depth of nearly 20 feet as of May 1 - a figure that ultimately put the resort's ability to host a national championship-caliber event in jeopardy.

"Looking at our snowpack today, I can confidently say we are unable to host a mountain bike event to the quality we are all accustomed to,"commented Bill Cockroft, senior vice president of operations at Mammoth Mountain.  "It was a difficult decision, but ultimately we believe we owe it to the mountain bike community to make sure the event continues at the level and standards expected by USA Cycling."

USA Cycling is currently negotiating with several venues to replace Mammoth Mountain and a decision is expected to be announced shortly. We will send out an announcement email when a venue is finalized.

The dates of the 2006 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships will remain unchanged.

As I understand it, there are several possibilities for the replacement venue:
Angel Fire, NM
Sonoma, Ca
Vail, Co
Durango, Co

For the time being though, we wait.