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Tobogganers Take the Plunge in Camden, All 400 Feet of It

February 10, 2009 - CAMDEN -- The National Toboggan Championships is more about clowning around than winning the race down the chute, but the fun came to an abrupt end a year ago with a collision that sent injured tobogganers to the hospital.

Determined to avoid a repeat, new safety precautions were in place over the weekend to ensure no participants were injured on the 400-foot-long wooden chute.

"Last year a lot of small things went wrong at the same time and added up to a big problem. The primary issue was one of communication, and we've solved that," said Jeff Kuller, director of Camden Parks and Recreation and general manager of the Snow Bowl ski area.

Participants – including Flying Beer Boys, Three Big Kahoonas, Unguided Missiles and Uptown Sorority Girls – made runs during the two-day event that ended Sunday.

All told, about 370 teams from as far away as California raced down the chute and came to a stop on frozen Hosner Pond, where spectators gathered.

Ken Bailey, who was announcing the races, said the event is always successful because it's "weird." "Also, there's the fact that anybody can become a national champion," he joked. "All you need is a toboggan and some luck."

Last year, it was a chaotic scene when one team's toboggan overturned near the bottom of the run. At the top, another toboggan was sent down the chute, causing a crash.

One racer had to be taken by LifeFlight helicopter to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, but all of the injured tobogganers recovered.

New safety precautions included the addition of a mechanical arm that physically blocked sleds from moving to the launching platform until the all-clear was signaled. Organizers also have incorporated a red-and-green-light system to signal when the chute is ready.

The competition is held to raise money for the Camden Snow Bowl, a nonprofit, municipally owned ski area on 1,300-foot Ragged Mountain. The toboggan chute dates to the 1930s and has been rebuilt twice, most recently in 1990.

The Associated Press February 9, 2009.


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Regions: Mid Coast


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