Luge Challenge Fun at Ski Resorts
The Verizon Luge Challenge affords regular folks luging thrills
I’d come to ski Waterville Valley with my friends Mark and Robin, along with their kids Scott (13) and Neal (10). But, something else was afoot that weekend. Luge.
Perfect. This seemingly unlikely sledding event would provide an extra dynamic.
The Verizon Luge Challenge is a series of timed races staged at a variety of downhill ski areas, utilizing plastic, luge-like sleds. USA Luge athletes and coaches teach civilians age 10 and older the basics luging.
Little did we expect that Scott would win his age category.
But, he did.
At the Challenge, lugers are outfitted with helmets, introduced to the members of the US Luge Team, and given a sled. The sleds are small. Not as small as real luge sleds (which, for those who’ve never ridden one, are tiny). They’re constructed of heavy-duty plastic, have broad plastic runners that curl up and come together at the front something like ram’s horns. Ropes fix through holes near the top of the runners’ front end. To steer, you pull on the ropes.
Simple enough. Except that to go left, you pull on the right rope. And vice-versa. On the track, steering confusion often reigned.
The homemade track ran about a hundred, curvy yards, flanked by high snow banks and orange net fencing. It was tricked out with sophisticated timing equipment. The start stood on a raised snow platform from which the starter gave the lugers a push.
How the Event Works
During a morning session, USA Luge National team members coach participants on the basics of sliding. After a few practice runs, in the afternoon, contestants, wearing racing bibs, hit the "Ultimate Slide," a simulated luge track complete with banked curves and timing equipment.
The event is divided into four racing categories:
- Men 18+
- Boys 10-17
- Women 18+
- Girls 10-17
During the competition, fans enjoy a live play-by-play over the speaker system, and some host sites include disc jockeys, prize drawings and complimentary refreshments.
The day culminates in an Olympic-style awards ceremony as USA Luge team members present medals to the top three winners in all four categories.
As an added bonus, first-place adult finishers from each mountain will be entered into a grand-prize drawing to win a 65-inch-screen, high-definition plasma TV. The drawing will be held near the end of March, shortly after the final weekend of the program is completed and all results are tabulated.
Meanwhile, USA Luge coaches and athletes scout each event for athletes who show potential. These athletes may be invited to participate in screening camps at a USA Luge training facility in either Lake Placid, N.Y.; or Park City, Utah.
The Kid Won!
In the morning, our boys practiced for half an hour. Mark made a few successful runs. Neal got it going after a try or two. Scott never reached the finish line.
Come afternoon, at the Great Luge Race, a PA system was blasting announcements; and expectation and hype filled the air. The boys obtained their bibs, donned their helmets and joined the line that trailed uphill alongside the track.
You get one shot at it here in the Big Race. Best time wins.
Neal smashed the snowbank about halfway down. Dad didn’t make it much further. Scott crossed the finish line running straight and true.
Could that timer’s announcement be correct? It was the best we’d heard so far.
Yes! The kid who’d barely made 20 feet on the stupid sled that morning had won. Best time of the day. Among his rewards—a fleece, a CD player and an Olympic-style gold medal.
What a blast.
Remaining 2007 Verizon Luge Challenge schedule:
- Feb. 24-25 Thunder Ridge Ski Resort, Patterson, N.Y.
- March 3-4 Waterville Valley Ski Resort, Waterville Valley, N.H.
- March 10-11 Ski White Pass, White Pass, Wash.
- March 17-18 Mt. Hood Ski Bowl, Mt. Hood, Ore.
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