Beside Cognition a little over a week ago, some of our group went to the Spring Carnival at Crystal Mountain and competed in the Cardboard Classic. Friday night all the adult children had dinner at Red Ginger (they said very good) in Traverse City. Sounds like there was a lot of sushi rolls. I was happy to miss that dinner and stayed behind and watched the grandkids. They sent me a text while they were at dinner letting me know they were doing the Cardboard Classic the next morning, just in case I wanted to go.
I didn’t know what it was so I went to Crystal Mountains website and found out it was a race with sleds made of standard brown cardboard and duct tape only. No other material may be used on the sled. They do allow you to paint and decorate but the base of the sled must be silver duct tape. No other color is allowed.
Age Divisions
The competition had 2 division a child division (age 8-12) and an adult division (ages 13 & up). There could be no more than 2 racers in a sled and those racers had to be in the same age division. They also required all racers wear a helmet.
There were a few other rules aimed at safety as you would expect. Things such as no sharp or pointing objects. The sled looking unsafe for riders or spectators. All reasonable expectations. And honestly, I appreciated those rules for everyone’s safety, especially 2 of my boys that were in the race because if it was allowed they would have gone to the extreme and probably flown off the mountain. 🙂
All About Having Fun
Crystal Mountain makes it clear that this is about having fun. Keeping every safe and everyone following the rules makes it a much more enjoyable event. All the racers and the spectators were well behaved made for an enjoyable day for all ages.
This was the race for my kids. These kids grew up with a father who believed that duct tape could fix anything. Duct tape was a standard in their Christmas stockings.
Would the Sleds Survive?
Even with all their duct tape “experience” I was not convinced that these sleds would survive one ride down a ski hill let alone multiple. I was picturing sleds falling apart and bodies rolling down the hill.
Who would have thought that adding duct tape to cardboard would make it indestructible? I am a believer. Duct tape is the answer for everything! LOL
They did not win but everyone had a lot of fun and their antics provided comic relief that weekend. See all the pictures from the race and watch the video of their run (they came in 2nd) at the end of this story.
More than just Sledding
The Spring Carnival offered more than just the sledding down the hill. There was the slush cup where you could ski or ride your bike through a giant pit of icy slush and an on slope scavenger hunt. They had a slope side BBQ and live music. Many other activities such as fat tire bike rental, archery, horse drawn surrey ride and outdoor laser tag. All at very reasonable prices.
Next year if you are in the area mid-March, check it out. Get some cardboard, duct tape, and go sledding!! Sledding downhill in cardboard not your thing, strap on some skis and hit the slopes
Crystal Mountain in the Summer
If you would prefer warm weather activities Crystal Mountain has 2 great golf courses and a lot of family friendly activities including a water playground.
Dinner After The Race
After the race some of them headed to Frankfort and paid Stormcloud Brewing a visit. I heard the food was pretty darn amazing! They had the Mac Daddy which was pasta with cheddar and topped with BBQ pulled pork. The other one had the Hot Turkey Sandwich which was exactly what you think it was and pictured.
If you head north to visit Traverse City or live in the area, don’t forget to head west into Benzie County. You will find many businesses that offer family friendly activities, restaurants to fit anyone’s mood and of course miles of Lake Michigan Shoreline. The county has over 100 lakes, state forests and rivers waiting for you to explore. Don’t forget about the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
