All ice, speed and merriment as 29th annual Camden Toboggan Nationals get underway

Sun, 02/10/2019 - 7:00pm

CAMDEN — Oh sure, it was cold: 21 degrees F at the bottom of the hill and a cold slicing wind blew in from the northwest. All the slush and rain from Friday’s warm front turned to solid ice by early Saturday morning, Feb. 9, and Hosmer Pond was again a frozen ice rink.

But that was just the background. Front and center, it was all color, laughter, and serious and not-so-serious competition, as the 29th annual Toboggan National Championships got underway for day one of setting chute times, visiting with friends, eating chili, and making merry.

The just-perfect ice-rimmed toboggan chute had been prepped accordingly by the Camden Snow Bowl and Toboggan Committee’s always capable crew, and the first toboggans careened down toward the sheer ice of Hosmer Pond, almost as fast as the wind itself.

Familiar faces, plus new ones, filled Tobogganville. Fires and woodstoves were stoked all day long, as Old Man Winter blew, with gusts sometimes reaching 45 mph.

But that didn’t matter much, as just about everyone dressed appropriately, with the really smart ones attaching ice creepers to their boot soles. (Get some if you don’t have any.)

Once again, the east side of Camden Snow Bowl by the 440-foot-long toboggan chute came alive for the well-loved winter event that draws the local community outdoors, and brings visitors from afar, always with a hearty toast to winter. Let the wild winds blow. At the base of Ragged Mountain, it is time to race and celebrate, bump into old friends, and get the heat on.

(See photos from the costume parade)

But even with the ice, the times were not extraordinary, rivaling those of the 28 other toboggan nationals as the sleds ripped down the 440-foot long chute.  Times were comparable to 2018, and the weather one year ago on toboggan weekend was warm and slushy. 

Four hundred plus toboggan teams are registered this year. Each team has been ensured two rides during qualifying with the best times advancing to the Sunday finals.

Admission to Toboggan Nationals is free for spectators and cheering squads, and parking is available for $10/car fee to park in the Snow Bowl parking lot (space is limited).

Shuttle buses run from the village green downtown throughout the event for $3 per day or $5 for both days, and your ride back to downtown is free. 

 

SUNDAY, FEB. 10

8 a.m. to 4 p.m.   Bus shuttle service from downtown Camden; $5 roundtrip 2-day pass; Shuttle bus pick-up @ Village Green

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 40 – 2-person teams

TOP 40 – 3-person teams

TOP 50 – 4-person teams 

TOP 25 percent – Experimental teams

3 p.m. (approx)    Awards ceremony in Tobogganville

 

What follows are the initial times released Saturday evening for Saturday’s runs.

 

2 Person Finalists
Bib Full Name Final Result
5 2 Moody 9.42
37 The Return of Deedles 9.44
4 Sokwajiweg 1 9.45
57 Sleducators 9.46
63 Bad Ash 9.46
1 Other Two Big Kahoonas 9.48
62 Two Pounds 9.48
2 Two Big Kahoonas 9.49
41 Throbbin’ Boggans 9.49
42 Throbbin’ Boggans 2 9.5
13 Two Wingnuts 9.51
31 Bolt 2 9.51
28 Sokwajiweg 2 9.52
33 2 Whiskey’s On Ice 9.52
36 Spudrunner 2 9.52
78 BOLT 5 9.52
73 Valley Kingdom Chuters 9.53
88 Buzzard’s Glory 9.53
38 Yahtzee 9.55
3 Lil Deuce Coupe 9.56
23 Maxcy Pad 9.56
21 Toboquinns 9.58
68 2 Slab City Sliders 9.58
52  Who’s the Boss 9.59
111 2 Fast 9.59
247 Jugheads 2 9.6
56 Fat Bloated Idiots 9.61
406 Deaf Lefties 9.63
24 Hell Gets a Bit Nippy 9.64
99 Rednecks on Ice 9.64
 
3 Person Finalists
Bib Full Name Final Result
147 Whiskey on Ice 3 9.33
177 Three Pounds 9.4
126 Three Big Kahoonas 9.41
132 Wax That Ash 9.41
157 Throbbin’ Boggans 3 9.41
145 Bolt 3 9.43
141 Sokwajiweg 4 9.44
140 Shear Madness 3 9.46
167 Farm Fry or Die 9.46
142 Splittin’ Adams 9.48
161 Spudrunner 3 9.48
179 Schooner Olad 9.49
210 Middle Earth 9.51
128 Sokwajiweg 3 9.52
155 Mums the Word 9.52
127 Eleanor Gone In Eight Seconds 9.53
150 Bumble Bee Jack 9.54
201 Sundays Questionable 9.54
153 Sue-personic 9.55
169 Absolute Zeros 9.55
207 Redneck Rocket 9.55
180 Chute That’s Fast 9.56
193 First National Bank – Nadeau’s Savage Day 9.56
211 Deer Isle Smile 9.57
130 The ‘Boggan from the ‘Scoggin 9.59
240 Jugheads x3 9.59
139 Toboggahue 9.6
186 3 Slab City Sliders 9.6
188 First National Bank-Bruised Ash 9.6