What’s it about?

Shovel racing is a snow sport in which riders race down a snowy hill while riding on a shovel. The sport is practiced on typical snow shovels as well as on modified shovel-based sleds. Riders sit on the shovel facing the handle and lean back with their feet pointed forward. The elite shovel racers can reach top speeds of up to 112 km/h. To increase the speed, riders usually wax the underside of the shovel.

The sport originated in New Mexico’s ski resorts during the 1970s. The idea came from the resort workers who used shovels as sleds to move around.

Shovel racing gained massive popularity in 1997 after it was featured in the Winter X Games, an extreme sports event in the US. However, it was later removed due to safety and liability concerns. The most notable competition of the sport is held at the Angel Fire Resort in Angel Fire, New Mexico. It was put on hold between 2005 and 2010 for the same reasons but was later resumed after modified sleds were banned.

History

Shovel racing as a competitive sport has its roots in the ski resorts of New Mexico during the 1970s. Damien Deleon is considered the unofficial creator and “king” of shovel racing. The sport began when ski resort workers used shovels as sleds to quickly move from one location to another. Although the sport was featured in the Winter X Games in 1997, it was later removed by the organizers who felt it wasn’t athletic enough.

The most famous competition is held at the Angel Fire Resort in Angel Fire, New Mexico. However, in 2005, the resort that hosted the largest annual competition canceled the event due to liability concerns. The competition resumed in 2010, but with modified sleds banned from competition. Riders often decorate their sleds with custom paint jobs, and there is a wide age range among competitors, including students and retirees.

Rules

Shovel racing is a type of winter sport where racers ride on a basic snow shovel. They sit in the shovel facing the handle and lean back with their feet pointed forward. Some racers compete in the “super-modified shovel” category where they ride on sleds that have skiis, an aerodynamic pod, and roll cage around the driver. The shovel in this category is only used as decoration. To increase speed, competitors usually wax the underside of the shovel.