NEGAUNEE, Mich. (WZMQ) – The late snowy season has already canceled several events, however, the Upper Peninsula Luge Club remains hopeful following the recent winter storms. While some events have been canceled due to the late snowfall, this event relies more on the low temperatures than the falling snow.
The Lucy Hill luge track in Negaunee doesn’t require a large snow-covered base, Track manager Robb Cookman commented that the track forms with colder ground temperatures to keep the water and snow frozen.”One of the problems is if we don’t have snow, we need frozen ground so we need the frost to penetrate and that wasn’t happening either,” commented Cookman.
When the large snowfall came in earlier this month (pictured below), it was time to get to work. Luge track maintenance is a constant process of grooming the ice sheet and shaping the turns with water. The tractor then compacts all the snow and moisture into a smooth run. “We can clear the snow down to maybe 6 to 10 inches of the snow, run over it with the belting and the weights and it packs it down into an inch and a half two inches of heavily packed snow,” continued Cookman.
The UP track also supports luge athletes and even though 2 inches of ice can support the public track, the professional track requires extra layers.
“You’re racing and you’re hitting the breaks hard on corners, you’ll peel away 2 inches of ice in a day and so we’re always repairing those after nearly every time sliding on the competition side,” continued Cookman. Negaunee’s Luge Hill was created in the early 80s and for decades, a hose, some shovels, and willing community members made the track luge-ready.
Currently, with even more help and a couple of visits to the European tracks, the half-mile hill has only improved. “A few of us have gone over to Europe and were looking at their equipment and they’re like ‘Hey what are you doing over here’ ‘Oh we have our track in the US and I’m just looking for pointers’,” continued Cookman.
For a sport that’s been in the Olympics since the 1960s, the hill in Negaunee is for both luging athletes and beginners just starting to learn.
The public hill is now open for the season on Fridays from 6 PM-9 PM and on Saturdays from 11 AM-3 PM.
For more information and where to buy tickets to the Upper Peninsula Luge Hill, click here.
