World Championship Shovel Racing title at Angel Fire Resort

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Most people never get to win an Olympic medal, but the next best thing is a World Championship title.

Most people never get to win an Olympic medal, but the next best thing is a World Championship title.

This year, anyone can compete for the coveted World Championship Shovel Racing title at Angel Fire Resort, located in the southern Rockies of New Mexico. Competitors of all ages are once again waxing up their snow shovels for the 37th Annual world famous Angel Fire Resort Shovel Race Championships, presented by Loweโ€™s Valley Market. This year the resort is giving an open invitation for anyone who would like to try and be a World Champion to come participate in the race. Racers from all over the country compete by sitting on the scoop of a standard aluminum snow shovel, handle pointed downhill, and then lift their hands and feet to allow gravity to take them for a ride. Each rider gets two shots to clock the fastest time down the front of the Angel Fire ski mountain and top speeds regularly exceed 70 miles per hour. The practice session will be held February 5, with the competition occurring February 6.

Shovel racing began as a simple contest in the 1970โ€™s when lift operators would ride their shovels down the mountain at the end of their shifts.

โ€œWhat other sport can you show up and become a World Champion the first time you race? We are one of only a handful of resorts world-wide where they offer Shovel Racing as a competitive sport,โ€ explains Mike Hess, CMO, Angel Fire Resort. โ€œWe are opening registration to anyone who would like to try and compete. Itโ€™s a great event to participate in or come out and cheer them on as a spectator.โ€

Racing categories include:

Little Scoops (ages 6-9)

Youth (ages 10-13)

Junior (ages 14-17)

Women in Media

Adult Women (ages 18+)

Adult Men (ages 18-44)

Master Men (ages 45+)

Pro Men

Pro Women

Those who feel they are expert Shovel Racers are encouraged to enter the Pro-categories. Cash or prizes will be given to the fastest competitors in all age-specific categories.

The event will also include the Fourth Annual Women in Media Shovel Race Competition โ€“ where women in New Mexico television and print media will compete for bragging rights and the fastest time down the hill on a shovel.

โ€œThis event is awesome,โ€ explains Kim Vallez, KRQE-TV anchor. โ€œItโ€™s exciting and intimidating and definitely gets the competitive juices flowing. We are an extremely competitive group of women and give it all weโ€™ve got but no matter who wins it always proves to be a great time.โ€

KRQE-TV and KASA-TV plan to bring over a dozen racers this year. In addition, both KOAT-TV and KOB-TV have entered teams. “This sport is incredibly fast and fun to watch and report on,” explains, J.P. Murrieta, Sports Director, KOB-TV.

KRQE main anchor, Dean Staley and KRQE/KASA Chief Meteorologist, Mark Ronchetti will emcee the Media racing categories at the event and always have their take on the races.

โ€œThese women from TV dress up in crazy costumes and allow us to make fun of them as they zip down the mountain. Letโ€™s be honest, theyโ€™re braver than any of us men at the station,โ€ states, Mark Ronchetti, Chief Meteorologist, KRQE-TV.

Last yearโ€™s winner, KRQE-TV โ€˜s Gabrielle Burkhart, will be competing to defend her title will once again this year. In addition to Kim Vallez, this yearโ€™s competitors include media members Jessica Garate/KRQE, Kristen Curry/KASA and Katherine Mozzone/KRQE. Other popular news anchors, reporters and producers from KOAT, KASA and KOB are expected to race.

โ€œOur Women in Media event has grown each year in size and popularity. These TV ladies have more guts than most and itโ€™s always a fun category to come watch. We hope fans of these women will travel to the resort to cheer them on,โ€ states Krysty Ronchetti, PR Representative/SJ Communications.

The organized competition of Shovel Racing has been held for over 35 years at Angel Fire Resort. National news outlets including ESPN, ABC Sports, MTV and The Travel Channel have even featured the event. Shovel Racing was also once a featured sport during the early years of the Winter X Games. The racers are competing for $3200 in cash and prizes.

About the author

Avatar of Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen T Steinmetz

Juergen Thomas Steinmetz has continuously worked in the travel and tourism industry since he was a teenager in Germany (1977).
He founded eTurboNews in 1999 as the first online newsletter for the global travel tourism industry.

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