CAMDEN, Maine — This weekend marks the 30th U.S. National Toboggan Championships at the Camden Snow Bowl where top contenders from past championships will be vying for the title of “world champion.”
Every five years, four-person toboggan teams compete in the Worlds Race, according to Holly Anderson, assistant director of the U.S. National Toboggan Championships.
The event draws about 5,000 people to the midcoast for one weekend in early February. This year’s event kicks off Friday and will run through Sunday.
The weekend of extreme sledding features teams of two, three and four competitors flying down an icy, 440-foot-long chute, which spits racers out onto a frozen Hosmer Pond at the base of the municipally owned ski mountain. Getting down the chute only takes a matter of seconds — usually less than 10, according to those who have participated. Competitors range from first-timers to those who have raced every year, but experienced racers say it’s a contest anyone can win.
While the goal is to get down the chute in the shortest amount of time, participants also win awards for a number of other categories, including best crafted sled and best costume.
The toboggan itself is ultimately the star of the three-day event. Some diehard teams make their own toboggans — and tout them on display at their tailgating-like sites at the base of the chute — but participants can also purchase a traditional toboggan or borrow one.
Last year, the championships drew 425 teams — the maximum number of teams that can participate.
The U.S. National Toboggan Championships closes out Camden’s weeklong Winterfest, which kicked off with a winter-themed dog fashion show last weekend.