It was a bluebird day for the 39th annual Sleeping Giant Loppet held today at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. The event attracted an impressive 780 participants, up 150 from last year.
Gary Bellinger, winner of the 2016 Flashback Award for the best combination of retro gear and clothing, photo by John Sims
For the past six years, we’ve encouraged skiers to “go retro” and dig out and dust off their wooden skis, bamboo poles, leather boots and woolies or any combination of vintage gear (which now includes stuff from the 90s). The skier with the best getup wins the Flashback Award.
In addition to retro skiers, the loppet always inspires creativity when it comes to clothing (tutus are popular) and we love the diversity this adds to the event. The loppet is a showcase of community spirit—it consistently draws hundreds of participants (382 in its first year!) and a army of dedicated volunteers. Congrats to all skiers and thanks to the volunteers, organizers and sponsors that continue to make this event a success. We’re looking forward to celebrating the 40th anniversary in 2016!
Check out our photos, courtesy of John Sims, of the best dressed skiers at the 2016 Sleeping Giant Loppet.
For a retrospective on the loppet check out the story in our issue on TBay’s Nordic heritage.
