THUNDER BAY - To close out the skiing season, one local ski hill unleashed carnage on the slopes. Luckily no one was hurt, unless you count a few dummies.
Loch Lomond Ski Area held its 3rd Annual Dummy Downhill on Saturday, with more than twenty carefully crafted ski dummies and sleds tackling the hill.
“It’s a great way to get everybody out and have some fun,” said Jason Gerry, general manager of Loch Lomond Ski Area. “At this time of the year, the skiing isn’t always the best, but it’s a great way to have everybody come out and enjoy each other’s company.”
The popular event was a long standing tradition at the ski hill, but in the late 90’s, it underwent a bit of a hiatus.
“When we took over the ski hill, we decided to bring something that was a super popular event back to the community,” Gerry said.
The dummies in this year’s event ranged from popular Youtube personalities, to beer guzzlers, and even an appearance by a US politician.
And while the dummies seem to get more outrageous every year, there are rules in place, such as weight and height restrictions, because according to Gerry, no one wants to see anyone get hurt, other than the dummies of course.
“We set up little obstacles,” he said. “You get to see lots of things explode and pieces fly around the ski hill. Families get together and they build the dummies. It’s a bit of a family event. They get out and challenge each other.”
Julia Bailey and her team entered Jerry Enticer, a so-called Youtube sensation who enjoys denim and old-school snowmobiles. According to Bailey, it took quite a few hours to bring this dummy to life.
“More than I’m willing to admit,” she said.
And even with all that love and care, there comes a time in every dummies’ life when it reaches the top of the hill, stares down the slope, and dreams of making it to the bottom. And then with a gentle push, it is sent to its destiny.
Unfortunately for Jerry Enticer, its destiny involved being smashed to pieces halfway down the slope.
“We knew at some point there would be carnage,” Bailey said. “Maybe the carnage could have been lower down the hill, but it was coming at some point.”
The crowd cheered at every jump hit, every tumble flipped, and burst into a roar for the single dummy that made it all the way to the bottom. And this is what makes the day so great, Bailey said.
“It’s a total social atmosphere,” she said. “It’s good to see not only skiers come out, but relatives and friends come out and enjoy a day a Loch Lomond.”
And this isn’t the last we’ve seen from Bailey and her team. They will be back next year, improving on some designs and strategies to give their next dummy a chance to reach the bottom, and perhaps, its destiny.
“We need to improve on our strategy,” she said. “We tilted the front skis in so the steering would be straight down the hill and nor veer anywhere and ensuring the weight was optimally balanced. Obviously we have some improvements to make.”
