A record 1040 skiers did The 2004 Great Race from Lake Tahoe, California to Truckee. Super California weather with sunshine and 40 degrees Fahrenheit at the start and temperatures in the fifties at the finish made for great racing conditions. The new wave-start format seemed to make the start easier, a night time low of 25 F and the usual amount of more or less spectacular crashes (causing a few minor scratches and sore buns) coming down the last hill at 40 miles per hour made for another (bloody) good Great Race.
