0 Likes
The vendor area at the 2011 US National Toboggan Championships is located to the north of the toboggan chute. On the west side teams are allowed to park and set up a base camp in what is called "paradise parking" -for a premium price. This is the area that the very serious teams like the "Throbin' Boggins" and the "Big Kahoonas" reserve well in advance for themselves.
Food vendors set up on the east side to feed the crowds for the weekend event.
Beyond the food vendors is Hosmer Pond where the run-out for the toboggan chute is located. On the ice can be seen the "Tobogganville Ghetto" where teams set up any kind of shelter they can bring or construct to act as their base camp for the race. Parking on the pond ice is free, but it is strictly at your own risk.
See other nearby panoramas for other views. Below is a description from the panorama on the south side of the chute. It explains the race in more detail.
The U.S. National Toboggan Championships are held at the Camden Snow Bowl the second weekend of each February. 2011 was the 21st year running this race. About 400 teams compete for fastest time in 2-Person, 3-Person and 4-Person divisions. The Jack Williams Toboggan Chute is over 400 feet (125 Meters) long and the typical time to race down the chute is usually under 9 seconds. At the bottom, toboggans shoot out onto Hosmer Pond and can travel nearly a quarter mile (or about 375 meters) when ice conditions are favorable.
The weekend of racing includes a pancake breakfast, a chili and chowder tasting, a spaghetti supper, fireworks and many other activities in the local area. Teams also win awards for the fastest female team, the oldest team and best costumed. Anyone can race if they sign up a team far enough in advance, pay their entry fees and are able to carry their toboggans up the hill to the top of the chute. The event benefits the Camden Snow Bowl, which is the local ski area.
The United States is one of the most diverse countries on earth, jam packed full of amazing sights from St. Patrick's cathedral in New York to Mount Hollywood California.The Northeast region is where it all started. Thirteen British colonies fought the American Revolution from here and won their independence in the first successful colonial rebellion in history. Take a look at these rolling hills carpeted with foliage along the Hudson river here, north of New York City.The American south is known for its polite people and slow pace of life. Probably they move slowly because it's so hot. Southerners tend not to trust people from "up north" because they talk too fast. Here's a cemetery in Georgia where you can find graves of soldiers from the Civil War.The West Coast is sort of like another country that exists to make the east coast jealous. California is full of nothing but grizzly old miners digging for gold, a few gangster rappers, and then actors. That is to say, the West Coast functions as the imagination of the US, like a weird little brother who teases everybody then gets famous for making freaky art.The central part of the country is flat farmland all the way over to the Rocky Mountains. Up in the northwest corner you can find creative people in places like Portland and Seattle, along with awesome snowboarding and good beer. Text by Steve Smith.
