Mittens up!... 2017 U.S. National Toboggan Championships and Winterfest

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CAMDEN — Aside from New Year’s Day, the next most anticipated day of each new year, for 26 years running, is the weekend when as many as 1,300 racers and 5,000 spectators descend on Camden and the Snow Bowl for the U.S. National Toboggan Championships.

Begun in 1991 as a way to celebrate the reopening of the then-newly refurbished chute and dedication to the “Godfather of the Chute,” Jack Williams, the 2017 Toboggan Nationals run Friday-Sunday, Feb. 10-12. Its partner event series, Camden Winterfest, kicks off Saturday, Feb. 4, with a weekend full of family activities downtown for everyone and continues through the week, culminating in a downtown dance with the band Mid Life Crisis.

This page is your resource for all the news, photos, schedules, race results and more that the PenBayPilot.com crew posts in the weeks and days leading up Winterfest and Toboggan Nationals. And then we switch to coverage of as much of the fun and action as we can, in the quickest means possible.

If you have photos or videos to share of yourself, your family and friends enjoying any of the myriad events across the nine days of Winterfest and Toboggan Nationals, send them to news@penbaypilot.com, and include where you live and your contact information.

This page will be updated regularly.

Top of toboggan chuteFRIDAY, FEB. 10

• 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. — Team registration and toboggan inspection in Tobogganville
• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. — Toboggan chute open to public, $5 per person, free for racers to practice
• 3 to 4:30 p.m. — 2- and 3-person division FIRST RUNS (optional)
• 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. — Bonfire, souvenir sales, and skiing and snowboarding on Snow Bowl slopes

SATURDAY, FEB. 11

• 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. — 2-3 Person registration and toboggan inspection in Tobogganville
• 7 a.m. To noon — 4-Person and Experimental registration and toboggan inspection in Tobogganville.
ALL TEAMS MUST BE REGISTERED BY NOON SATURDAY
• 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. — Bus shuttle service from downtown Camden $2 roundtrip – Shuttle bus pick-up at Village Green ($10 limited on-site parking)
• 8 a.m. — FIRST RUNS for 2- and 3-person division (SECOND RUNS will be immediately after first runs)
• 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Snow Bowl open for skiing and snowboarding
• 10 a.m. — SECOND RUNS for 2- and 3-person division (Optional for fast times)
• Noon — COSTUME CONTEST PARADE in Tobogganville (with guest judges and music by Plant Pan Steel Drum)
• 1 p.m. —FIRST RUNS for 4-person and Experimental divisions
• 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. — West Bay Rotary Chili Challenge at Sea Dog Brewing in downtown Camden

SUNDAY, FEB. 12

• 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Bus shuttle service from downtown Camden $2 roundtrip –Shuttle bus pick-up @ Village Green ($10 limited on-site parking)
• 9 a.m. — SECOND RUNS for 4-person and Experimental teams (Optional for fast times)
• 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. — Snow Bowl open for skiing and snowboarding
• Noon — FINAL RUNS – begin with 2-person teams, then proceed with 3-person, 4-person and experimental teams

TOP 25 – 2-person division
TOP 25 – 3-person division
TOP 50 – 4-person division
TOP 25% – Experimental teams

• 3 p.m. (approx.) — Awards ceremonies in Tobogganville

All times are approximate. Announcer will update the schedule.
Racers: Arrive early and plan to spend the day! Ice conditions in chute subject to change.

Toboggan chute screen grab Click here to watch as a group takes their first-ever ride down the Jack Williams Toboggan Chute at the Camden Snow Bowl on Jan. 21, 2017.

CamJamSATURDAY - FEB. 4
• Maine State Snow Sculpting Championships and youth sculptures: all day, Village Green.
• Community Ice Festival: noon to 3 p.m., Camden Public Library and Amphitheatre. Community ice carving and hot food outdoors; live music and crafts for children indoors.
• CamJam Freestyle Ski and Snowboarding Competition: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Harbor Park, backup: Snow Bowl.
• Winter Health Fair: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Camden Whole Health, 91 Elm St.
• Winterfest Polar Plunge for Coastal Mountains Land Trust: 2:30 p.m., Harbor Park.

SUNDAY - FEB. 5
• CamJam Freestyle Competition, 16 & under: 9 a.m. to noon, Harbor Park
• Family Snow Creations & Igloos: following CamJam, Harbor Park
• Maine State Snow Sculpting Championships Judging and Awards: noon, Village Green

TUESDAY - FEB. 7
• Movie, Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: 6 p.m., Camden Public Library, free

WEDNESDAY - FEB. 8
• Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers, The Legend of the Banana Kid: 6 p.m., Camden Opera House, $5, $15/family, children 5 & under free

THURSDAY, FEB. 9
• Mardi Gras Concert - CJ Chenier and the Red Hot Louisiana Band: 7 p.m., Camden Opera House, $18 in advance, $22 at the door. Tickets at camdenoperahouse.com or local outlets

FRIDAY, FEB. 10
• U.S. National Toboggan Championships: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Snow Bowl, team registration and toboggan inspections; chute open to the public (conditions permitting) 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., $5;
• FIRST RUNS (optional), 2- and 3-person teams: 3 to 4:30 pm.
• Snow Plow Parade: 6 p.m., through downtown Camden
• Banff Film Festival: 7 p.m., Camden Hills Regional High School, adults $12, kids $5

SATURDAY, FEB. 11
• U.S. National Toboggan Championships: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Snow Bowl
• Bus Shuttle: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., service between Village Green and Snow Bowl
• Winter Fairy Fun: 10 a.m., Camden Public Library, stories, crafts and activities, free
• West Bay Rotary Chili Challenge: 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Sea Dog Brewing, $10 adults, $7 children
• Downtown Dance featuring Mid Life Crisis: 7:30 p.m., 16 Bay View Hotel $15 per person, $25 per couple
• Banff Film Festival: 7 p.m., Camden Hills Regional High School, adults $12, kids $5

SUNDAY, FEB. 12
• Bus Shuttle: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., service between Village Green and Camden Snow Bowl
• U.S. National Toboggan Championships: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (approx.), Snow Bowl. Last qualifying runs, Finals and Awards

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Register Now - USNTC

2017 USNTC Poster

Winterest poster CamJam

2016 Ice sculpture

2016 Ice sculpture 2

Toboggan waxing

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