Saturday, March 10, 2001 - Sunday, March 11, 2001 -- Winterplace, WV
Winter Carnival & Shovel Race Championship (iPO Event Id#: 2434)
Story and photos by George Gannon

[Details] [Coverage] [Pic Set 1] [MTB Slalom Results/Pics]
[1999 Coverage] [2000 Coverage]

Spring skiing mountain bike style

[Ed. Note: iPlayOutsdie was only able to attend Saturday's festivities and was not on-hand for Sunday's Shovel Race.]

The 2001 edition of the Winterplace (as in Winterplace Resort) Winter Carnival in now the measuring stick. All events that will ever be held at the park will be judge against it. The weather was perfect - not a cloud in the clear blue sky and a layer of fresh snow was blanketing an already solid base, and everyone involved had a blast, or as the folks at Winterplace like to say "pure fun."

First to have some "Pure Fun" were some hard core snow bikers. The Bike Slalom was held on short, fast downhill that was sure to challenge the intrepid peddlers. Two riders were pitted against each other head-to-head on the course, with the fastest combined time taking the top spot.

Although most of the field were Winterplace employees, it was a dark horse from Blacksburg, Virginia, that would prove to be the most snow-ready competitor. Than White, a rider with the East Coasters Bike Shop & Club, came to town and showed the home team that they can swoosh the snow in VA just as easy as they can in the Mountain State. White took top honors with a combined time of 39.01.

No wheels, how about some cardboard?

After the race, White said that he learned about the slalom after a quick surf on iPlayOutside.com. (Ed. Note: The Boss is going to love to read this one!) Calling the race "a lot of fun," White said it was nice to share the slopes with skiers and snowboarders.

"It's definitely something different," said White. "I would like to see them use an entire slope in the future."

Coming in at the number two spot was Eric Serdoz (41.41). Rounding out the top three was Robb Hebb (41.90)

After the course was broken down, it was time for the downhill carnage of the Cardboard Box race. The only components the racers could use in the construction of their chariots were cardboard and tape. After a once over by the judges to make sure everything was on the level. The racers lined up, ready to throw sanity to the wind, and scale the drop with only cardboard and guts!

The competition was tough, with major players like Ski Babes in A Box and Superman on the scene, but in the end, the pros from Rental Shop slid across the blue line first.

No one could have asked for a better day or a finer group of competitors. The next Winter Carnival is sure to include a lot more of the same, so you won't want to miss it.