My Shovel is Faster Than Your Shovel

Snow shovel racing
Snow shovel racing
Snow shovel racing
Snow shovel racing
Snow shovel racing
Snow shovel racing
Snow shovel racing
Snow shovel racing
Snow shovel racing

All too often these days, we lose touch with what really matters. We let technology and equipment get between us and the mountain. Sometimes we need to get back to basics.



That’s what makes the the Angel Fire Shovel Race Championships (Feb 6-8, 2015) so unique—there’s nothing but the scoop-end of a hardware store shovel between your butt and the frozen ground as you scream down the mountain at speeds regularly exceeding 60 MPH.

For over 30 years the Northern New Mexico resort community of Angel Fire has played host to the event. Legend has it that the races got their start as chairlift operators started riding their shovels they used to groom the snow down the hill at the end of their shifts. It’s almost impossible to not love that kind of pure simplicity mixed with speed demon insanity.

All Photos: Steven St. John