There might not be much snow on the ground now, but on Feb. 15, at 3 p.m., the 14th Annual Outraces Races at Sapphire Valley Resort will have plenty of powder.
According to Melissa Webb, public relations spokesperson for Sapphire Valley Resort, the Outhouse Races is one of the winter’s wackiest events in the country.
“Every winter toward the end of the ski season, Sapphire Valley Resort hosts this annual event, where outhouses on skis are raced down the ski slopes in front of a crowd of several hundred people,” Webb said in a written statement.
The masses may ask, “What is an outhouse race?”
Imagine watching someone dressed in a crazy outfit climb into a decorated outhouse built on skis, sit on a toilet seat and fly down the slopes – all while attempting to stay upright without crashing into the banks,” Webb said.
The rules are simple: register in advance, outhouses must be five feet tall and come equipped with a toilet seat and toilet paper.
“Beyond those requirements, outhouses are encouraged to be creatively decorated,” Webb said. “And the more outlandish the participant’s costume, the better.”
Homemade outhouses can be made of wood, cardboard, plastic, or any other homemade items. There are three people to a team and outhouses are secured on a set of skis, which can be provided by the Sapphire Valley Ski Area. These skis are pushed by two team members, while one team member sits inside.
The race course is a two-lane track on packed snow, or on ice, with two teams racing each other head to head in drag-race-style heats over a length of approximately 120 feet with the first 30 feet being propelled by the pushers and the last 90 feet under its own gravitational power.
Admission is free and open to the public.
“Not only is the event free, but the destination is a great budget-friendly destination that lacks the mass crowds that other ski resorts/winter destinations are filled with this time of year,” Webb said.
The afternoon begins with a parade to view the different outhouses with the races beginning at 3 p.m., according to Webb.
All proceeds from the event benefit area nonprofits.
Glenville resident Jose Luis Feria Aparicio captured first place for the second straight year in the in the 2019 outhouse race, guiding a St. Jude Catholic Church Knights of Columbus entry to victory. The cross-topped entry was called Confession Concession and was modeled after a Catholic confessional booth.
Other winners included:
• Most Creative --Connestee Crap Pots’ Yabba Dabba Doo Doo.
• Most Humorous --Lonesome Valley’s Lonesome Loo.
• Best Construction --Mica’s Restaurant and Bar’s Mica’s Mule.