DECEMBER 22, 2011 ISSUE
N.C. Snowshoe Championships at Beech January 7
Beech Mountain hosts the inaugural North Carolina Snowshoe Championships on Saturday, January 7.
Visit Sugar Mountain Resort on Saturday, January 7, and learn how to snowshoe. Snowshoe rentals and guided tours are free. Beech Mountain’s Emerald Outback hosts the inaugural North Carolina Snowshoe Championships on Saturday, January 7, at 1:00 p.m.
The event features four race categories—a 5K Fun Run, 5K Competitive Run, 10K Championship Run and Kids Snowshoe Scramble. The kids’ event is $5, and the other races cost $15 to register. The 10K championship run is a qualifier for the 2012 National Snowshoe Championships in Frisco, Colo., in February. Each scrambler will receive one goodie bag.
Both the 5K and 10K courses are set in the Emerald Outback, which is a new trail network atop Beech Mountain. Brie Powell, program coordinator for Buckeye Recreation Center, said the race is spectator friendly and the Emerald Outback is a gorgeous, wooded area with more than 5,000 feet of elevation.
“It’s simply pristine. There’s no other way to describe it,” Powell said.
Snowshoes make it easier for people to walk in the snow by distributing one’s weight so their foot doesn’t sink in the snow.
“If you can walk you can snowshoe. That’s the beauty of it and to make travel by foot easier,” Powell said, adding that the sport of snowshoeing is just becoming popular on the East Coast.
Even if it doesn’t snow, Powell said the races will still take place without snowshoes, but people will still be able to demo the snowshoes on the grassy field if they want.
Presenting the event is the Town of Beech Mountain’s Parks and Recreation Department. Online registration is available at www.prerace.com. By registering online, a donation of $1 will be made to the United States Snowshoe Association. Onsite, same-day registration is available, too. For more information, call Powell at 828-387-3003.
Free Snowshoeing at Sugar Mountain January 7
On the same day as the North Carolina Snowshoe Championships, Sugar Mountain Resort hosts its 17th annual National Winter Trails Day on Saturday, January 7. The event offers children and adults the chance to try snowshoeing for free.
Snowshoe rental and guided tours are free. The one-hour tours take place at 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. Adult tours are for those 12 and older. Kid 8 to 11 are eligible for kid tours. Sign up at least 15 minutes prior to tour time at the Ski/Snowboard School. For more information, contact Sugar Mountain Resort at 828-898-4521 or click to www.skisugar.com.
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