Our History
45 Years of time-tampering?
2023 was the first year that Loonatics Race League was officially caught cheating.
Officially Caught
2022 Loonatics Race League attracted some former FIS racers that noticed times were inaccurate. Week 1 of the 2023 season convinced the FIS racers that the league's times needed to be audited.
Week 2 audit captured the "winning" 2nd run where one racer improved 3 seconds over his first run on the same course!
The "winner" was more than 2 gates from the finish when Loonatics Race League's Race Crew claims he crossed the finish line.
Loonatics Race League has not corrected the Results.
Derek Griggs
After Week 2's times were protested and challenged, Loonatics Race League insisted that times were accurate. One person in particular was outspoken about the issue, and he also runs the League's Facebook Page.
In Week 6 of Loonatics Race League, that very same person received the benefit of time-tampering. His first run on the same course was a 34.77 but his second run was listed as a 32.30.
Here is Derek Griggs 32.30 seconds into his second run, more than 2 gates from the finish.
Derek has stated publicly that the racers that protested the incorrect times are not welcome to participate in the Loonatics Race League for the 2024 season....
"NOBODY CARES!!!!!"
- Derek Griggs, Loonatics Race League Participant & Social Media Administrator
Official Responses to Results Rigging
"Each racer will be electronically timed within 1/100 of a second."
- Loonatics Race League Rule #3
"We discovered and confirmed that times are irrefutably being tampered with."
- Loonatics Race League Participant
"Just the way you like it"
- Jesse Anser, USSA Certified Coach, Loon Race Team Coach, Loonatics Race League
"I'm confident that the racer's time is correct"
- Hans Herzog, USSA Certified Official, Loon Race Team Events, Loonatics Race League Referee
"In speaking with my team and reviewing your complaint, I/we have found no evidence of manipulation, corruption or cheating."
- Samantha "Mac" Bevier, Loon Mountain Events Manager
"Loonatics Race League claims to have reviewed my complaint but never asked for MY evidence"
- Loonatics Race League Participant
"Loonatics Race League has been run for 42 years and some of the staff who run the event have been here for many of those years - including Hans. The team is a group of working professionals that specialize in a variety of events that we host throughout the year. Loonatics is not USSA/FIS certified nor is the team promoted as such."
- Samantha "Mac" Bevier, Loon Mountain Events Manager
"These folks had zero experience running the timing equipment on site and are using off the clock times. Loonatics has never had computerized timing. I know you've had folks talking about made up times, but while mistakes happen occasionally I haven't ever seen that in 30 years of racing Loonatics."
- Derek Griggs, Loonatics Race League Racer & Social Media Administrator
"Does this Race Crew handle USSA races, too?"
- Loonatics Race League Participant
"The ones who do not, have been trained by others who do handle USSA/FIS Races."
- Samantha "Mac" Bevier, Loon Mountain Events Manager
"Mac has shared your issues and the results of the race are final. As indicated in the Loonatics League Rules, Any decision made by the course referee is final"
- Kevin Bell, VP of Marketing Loon Mountain
"Loon will abide by ITS OWN RULES in a league with paying participants."
- Loonatics Race League Participant
"Continued behavior in this manner will result in suspension of pass privileges. With that, I am happy to remove your team from the league and refund the entry fee. However, if you would like to continue to participate in the league, you must abide by the rules as they have been outlined."
- Kevin Bell, VP of Marketing Loon Mountain
"Please bring your CEO into the conversation because I refuse to believe that integrity issues at Loon Mountain are top-down. I can totally understand that nobody wants to believe that a team member, friend, or community member would ever cross that ethical line and tamper with something as sacred as a ski racer's legitimate time."
- Loonatics Race League Participant
"It is clear from your communications that you have different expectations of Loonatics Race League than we aim to provide."
"With that in mind we would like to remind you of our offer to drop out of the league with a full refund for your team."
"Moving forward we will consider this matter closed."
- Brian Norton, CEO of Loon Mountain
"Loonatics Racers, and every other racer on the hill deserve timing integrity."
- Loonatics Race League Participant
Complaint to USSA
"Loon Mountain hosts “Loonatics Race League" every Thursday each week and although they are not USSA sanctioned events, the races are held on USSA Homologated race venue “Upper Rumrunner” to “Coolidge Street” with USSA officials Hans Herzog (#6752081), and Jesse Anser (#5721642). A scandal has developed where the Loonatics Race League Race Crew has changed the official race times to favor insiders and the aforementioned officials are involved. This conduct does not belong in any sport at any age or level, and there is the potential that NH criminal statutes have been violated as a result."
- Loonatics Race League Participant to USSA's CEO Sophie Goldschmidt and GC Alison Pitt
"We checked with our competition services department and this race series is not sanctioned by or organized under the auspices of U.S. Ski & Snowboard. If it were a sanctioned event or associated with club activities, then it would be within our jurisdiction. We recommend that you follow up with the race organizer, Mac Bevier."
- Alison Pitt, USSA's General Counsel
"USSA events are being held at the same resort, on the same hill, with the same USSA Officials in the same capacity. Does this mean that racers can assume that the reported conduct is condoned by USSA and that it is in compliance with your Code of Conduct, specifically rules 2,3, and 8? Your Code of Conduct seems clear"
- Loonatics Race League Participant to USSA's CEO Sophie Goldschmidt and GC Alison Pitt