Feb 23rd/2008 was the first Mt.Swansea toboggan race and we hope to have many more coming .

We had 9 competitors and plus 30 people/kids show up.
The rules are simple:
1st hiking up to the upper parking lot pulling or carrying your sled.
2nd tobogganing down the Swansea Road.

Write up by Adrian Bergles

The first-annual Mt. Swansea toboggan race, held Saturday, February 23, was a success with everyone involved having a great time.

Organized by Max Fanderl, The event format was simple. Each racer, all of whom were Columbia Valley locals, left the Mt. Swansea parking lot one at a time. As the racers left, pulling their toboggan or sled behind them, their starting time was recorded.

Ascending the Mt. Swansea road, in one-foot deep snow, the racers would radio back to the base camp in the parking lot upon reaching the top.

The climb was a difficult grind. It takes about 45 minutes to climb straight up the Mt. Swansea Road on a good day. With the snow, which makes it feel as if one is running in sand, the task became much more difficult. The fastest climbers took a methodical approach, and kept moving, step after step until they reached the top. This was impossible for other racers, however, as many had children in tow.

While the ascent was difficult, the descent was a journey into the unknown. Equipped with everything from crazy carpets, to homemade, speed-demon toboggans, with ultrafast plastic bases, the ride down the Swansea Road was a lot of fun. And a lot of work.

The mountain road, which is steep an unrelenting on the way up, made a good track for racers on the way down. The snow on the road had been groomed the day before using a snowmobile pulling an upside down picnic table, which made the terrain passable. (thanks to Brad Kitching)

Despite the grooming the sheer quantity of snow up top made the descent arduous for some, depending on their sled. Some adopted a slide and run approach to descending the mountain, as the deep snow made it difficult to get speed on terrain that was not very steep. A lot of arm action was involved in pulling oneself down the hill.

Others who benefited from a more advanced sled – some of which even had brakes and a steering wheel – avoided such difficulty.

After a day of fun and exercise in the snow the results were.