In the 1850’s, the world’s first downhill snowshoe racing events began in Plumas and Sierra Counties. The Alturas Snowshoe Club was the world’s first organized ski club, originating between Gibsonville and the Port Wine Snowshoe Club. By 1867, downhill ski racing had become a major sport, with teams of riders from the “Lost Sierra” mining camps competing for prize money and prestige on the historical “long boards” of the snowshoe era of Plumas and Sierra Counties. Secret “dope recipes” concocted by members of these snowshoe racing clubs produced lightning-like downhill racing speeds said to be unmatched by competitors from the modern-day ski racing era.