It’s been three months since the 2006 NORBA National Mountain Bike Series debuted in California’s dusty, industrial town of Fontana. This weekend the NMBS comes to a close at a contrasting setting — on the scenic, aspen-covered slopes of Snowmass, Colorado.

The sixth event of the series, the NMBS finals run August 11-13, and feature cross-country and short track racing, as well as Super D, downhill, mountain cross and dual slalom.

Organizers expect between 1000-1200 riders to fill the trails at Snowmass this weekend, making it the second-largest national race of the year behind the event at Mount Snow, Vermont, over the weekend of June 17.

“We’ve been consistently right around the 1000 mark all season,” said Jeff Frost of Team Big Bear, the organizers of the series. “Fontana was a little smaller. Sugar was our smallest this year.”

Battle of the mountain goats
With the base elevation of Snowmass set at just over 8000 feet, the weekend’s cross-country events will cater to riders who shine at high altitude. Anyone who has followed the NMBS series over the past two years knows the two who should shine at Snowmass — Coloradans Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski (Subaru-Gary Fisher) and Shonny Vanlandingham (Luna). With both currently leading their respective overall standings, the Snowmass cross-country is essentially theirs to lose.

Organizers have altered the endurance loop at Snowmass this year. The course features a big (12 miles) and small (seven miles) loop — pro men complete the big loop twice, while the professional women circle the big and small loop once. The larger loop includes 2300 feet of climbing.

“There is an insane amount of climbing on that big lap,” added Frost. “It’s a classic example of an alpine cross-country course. It’s has one of the most beautiful views of any cross-country course.”

Canadian Geoff Kabush handily won the cross-country and short-track races at Snowmass in 2005, on his way to collecting his second consecutive NMBS series titles for both events. But this year, the sideburned Canadian lost a sizable chunk of his early season to sickness, and hasn’t been able to put together similar form.

“It’s tough when you’re racing every weekend to catch up,” admitted Kabush. “JHK has been able to figure it out this year. It’s his race to lose this weekend. I’ve been in his position before and there’s a lot of pressure to do well. In 2004 I took two tubes and two of everything out on the course with me to make sure I could finish.”

Horgan-Kobelski finished second in the NMBS series in 2005, but this year, the Coloradan has all but owned NMBS cross-country races. He has yet to finish worse than third, and so far has won three of the six NMBS cross-country events. At NMBS No. 5 in Brian Head, Utah, August 4-6, Horgan-Kobelski grabbed both the short-track and cross-country wins. While Horgan-Kobelski trails Kabush in the short-track standings, he says he is motivated to win the cross-country series. The last time an American won the men’s cross-country series was in 2000, when Steve Larsen took the overall title, but was denied a slot on that year’s Olympic team.

“I really want to win this series,” Horgan-Kobelski said. “It’s closer than people think between myself and Kabush, and I’m going to have to have a good race to win. I love these altitude races. They have a special place for me.”

To lose the series, Horgan-Kobelski would have to finish worse than fourth place with Kabush taking the win.

Other riders to watch include Todd Wells (GT), Sam Schultz (U-23 National), Ross Schnell (Trek-Volkswagen), Jeremiah Bishop (Trek-Volkswagen) and the Giant Bicycles duo of Adam Craig and Carl Decker.

Vanlandingham might have a tougher challenge ahead of her this weekend, as the Luna rider is recovering from injuries and illness that have derailed the second-half of her season. After taking NMBS No. 4 in Deer Valley, Utah, Vanlandingham suffered a hip injury at the national championships in Sonoma, California. Then, the Luna rider caught a head cold before the No. 5 race in Brian Head, Utah, where she finished third.

“It’s been ups and downs, but I don’t want to make any excuses,” Vanlandingham said after the Brian Head cross-country.

Taking the cross-country race at the high-altitude Utah resort was Heather Irmiger (Subaru-Gary Fisher), who also finished second in the short track. The Coloradan, and wife of Horgan-Kobelski, could shine on the climb-heavy course.

“I’m not a power rider like some of the other girls,” Irmiger said. “I’m a climber.”

Vanlandingham’s Luna teammate Katerina Nash has a stranglehold on the NMBS short-track series, and should take her second consecutive title, barring serious disaster. The Czech is coming off her best finish at a NMBS cross-country — she placed second in Brian Head.

Others to watch include Dara Marks-Marino (Titus-Kenda), Georgia Gould (Luna), Willow Koerber (Subaru-Gary Fisher) and Susan Haywood (Trek-Volkswagen).

Options for the Gravity Gang
The Snowmass NMBS will offer four events for gravity racers — downhill, Super D, dual slalom and mountain cross. Organizers opted to include both dual slalom and mountain cross.

“The venue wanted the opportunity to do both, and we said, bring it on,” Frost said. “More amateurs prefer slalom because they control their own destiny. If someone gets hurt, they get hurt on their own actions. The season isn’t in someone else’s hands who elbows you off of a berm.”

All amateurs will compete in the dual slalom. Pros can also enter Friday night’s dual slalom; however, the event will carry no NMBS points, just prize money from Fox Shocks.

The mountain cross will offer points for the pros. Last year, a freak afternoon thunderstorm reduced the mountain-cross course to an unusable mud bog and the event had to be canceled.

Alterations to the course are intended to prevent a similar outcome at this year’s event.

“We put in some pipe and some drainage so that we hopefully don’t get the same issue,” Frost said. “We’re prepared for rain. And it’s only for pros, so we made the race features even bigger.”

The downhill run remains largely unchanged from last year. After five events, two World Cup heavy hitters — Sam Hill (Monster-Iron Horse) and Greg Minnaar (G-Cross-Honda) occupy the top two rungs on the series standings. Hill beat Minnaar by nearly two seconds at the No. 5 downhill in Brian Head, Utah, and is the overwhelming favorite. Hill, just 22, has never won a NMBS series. Minaar claimed the series in 2003 and 2004.

In the women’s downhill, South African Joanna Petterson (Morewood) still clings to a slim lead over Australia’s Tracey Hannah (Orange). The South African, who works at a bike shop in Folsom, California, seized the lead at the NMBS opener by winning the event. She hasn’t looked back since. Stay tuned to velonews.com for updates from the NMBS finals in Snowmass, Colorado. 2006 NMBS Finals - Snowmass, Co - August 11-13Friday, August 11
7 p.m.: dual-slalom finalsSaturday, August 12
9 a.m.: women's XC finals
Noon: men's XC finals
7 p.m.: mountain-cross finalsSunday, August 13
Noon: downhill finals
2:30 p.m.: women's STXC finals
3 p.m.: men's STXC Finals
4 p.m.: Super D finals

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2006 NMBS rankings (with one race remaining)Cross countryMen
1. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski, Subaru-Gary Fisher, 718
2. Geoff Kabush (Can), Maxxis, 689
3. Jeremiah Bishop, Trek-Volkswagen, 646
4. Adam Craig, Giant, 589
5. Todd Wells, GT, 569
6. Ricky Federau (Can), Team RACE.com, 551
7. Barry Wicks, Kona-Les Gets, 463
8. Brent Miller (Aus), Santa Cruz-Fox, 456
9. Sam Schultz, U-23 National, 435
10. Jeff Hall, Salsa, 431Women
1. Shonny Vanlandingham, Luna: 718
2. Heather Irmiger, Subaru-Gary Fisher: 681
3. Willow Koerber, Subaru-Gary Fisher, 603
4. Jimena Florti (Arg), Luna, 579
5. Dara Marks-Marino, Titus-Kenda, 571
6. Georgia Gould, Luna, 560
7. Katerina Nash (CZ), Luna, 558
8. Susan Haywood, Trek-Volkswagen, 517
9. Kathy Sherwin, Ford Cycling, 477
10. Kelli Emmett, Ford Cycling, 449
 Short-track
Men
1. Kabush, 718
2. Horgan-Kobelski, 698
3. Wells, 603
4. Wicks, 579
5. Carl Decker, Giant, 572
6. Craig, 570
7. Ryan Trebon, Kona-Les Gets, 538
8. Ross Schnell, Trek-Volkswagen, 532
9. Bishop, 522
10. Schultz, 488Women
1. Nash, 881 points
2. Gould, 786
3. Haywood, 772
4. Vanlandingham, 763
5. Marks-Marino, 719
6. Sherwin, 640
7. Koerber, 617
8. Florit, 594
9. Irmiger, 553
10. Nina Baum, Bear Naked-Cannondale, 539Downhill
Men
1. Sam Hill (Aus), Monster-Ironhorse, 766 points
2. Greg Minnaar (SA), G-Cross/Honda, 706
3. Amiel Cavalier (Aus), Giant, 663
4. Duncan Riffle, Honda-Ironhorse, 630
5. Jared Rando (Aus), Giant, 626
6. Cody Warren, C-Dub Racing, 600
7. Andrew Neethling (SA), Mongoose, 572
8. Justin Havukainen, Monster-Ironhorse, 558
9. John Kirkcaldie (NZ), Maxxis, 545
10. Cole Bangert, Morewood, 530Women
1. Joanna Petterson (SA), Morewood, 776 points
2. Tracey Hannah (Aus), Orange, 761
3. Jackie Harmony, Brodie-Cactus, 724
4. Anka Martin (SA), Honda-Ironhorse, 703
5. April Lawyer, Maxxis, 674
6. Sabrina Jonnier (F), Monster-Ironhorse, 575
7. Wendy Reynolds, Bear Naked-Cannondale, 561
8. Kote Driscoll, Chumbawumba, 535
9. Melissa Buhl. KHS, 520
10. Michelle Camp, Kona-McFatson, 488Dual Slalom/Mountain Cross
Men
1. Rando, 664
2. Rich Houseman, Yeti-Fox, 657
3. Cavalier, 610
4. Kirkcaldie, 593
5. Warren, 564
6. Mike Haderer, FoxShox, 498
7. Jared Graves (Aus), Yeti, 491
8. Bangert, 477
9. Des Curry (NZ), ODI-Smith, 408
10. James Schwanke, KHS-Kenda, 400Women
1. Petterson, 681 points
2. Jessica Vogt, Turner-Wahoos, 581
3. Buhl, 526
4. Wendy Reynolds, Bear Naked-Cannondale, 451
5. Leana Gerrard, Bear Naked-Cannondale, 345
6. Tara Llanes, Giant, 345
7. Kathy Pruitt, Jamis, 337
8. Neven Steinmetz, Full Tilt, 304
9. Amelia Colasurdo, Bear Naked-Cannondale, 1673
10. Lisa Myklak, Morewood, 163Super D
Men
1. Craig, 699 points
2. Schnell, 698
3. Mike West, Maverick, 637
4. Ariel Lindsley, Maverick, 624
5. Waylon Smith, KHS, 561
6. Chris Eatough, Trek-Volkswagen, 404
7. Kirkcaldie, 324
8. Brandon Draugelis, Bear Naked-Cannondale, 298
9. Christoph Hearndon, Cane Creek, 290
10. Brent Winebarger, Health FX, 275Women
1. Haywood, 728
2. Heather Svahn, Content Works, 601
3. Driscoll, 447
4. Martin, 446
5. Jamie Whitmore, Felt, 337
6. Abigail Hippely, Maverick, 335
7. Chenoah Hendershot, bear Naked-Cannondale, 303
8. Sara Bresnick-Zocchi, Ford Cycling, 286
9. Jennifer Whalen, JenXracer, 279
10. Lea Davison, Trek-Volkswagen, 172