HornBogen Classic and Brodown Showdown

Annual Events At Marquette Mountain Get People Out Having Fun On The Hill

Marquette Mountain is a hotspot for students and locals alike during the cold winter months. A day at the mountain is a nice way to shake off the icicles and winter blues. But every year carloads of people travel from all parts of the nation not only for fun on the mountain, but also to accomplish another feat: Getting their name on the Golden Chair.

The Hornbogen Classic is a skiing event for anyone age 6 and up. The participants compete for medals  1^st thru 3^rd in each age group and also for trophies for 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd overall. There are also door prizes and awards that are given via raffle.

There are four different events in the Hornbogen including Downhill, Giant Slalom, Slalom and Super G.  With 11 different age groups competing this is truly a family event and one for all ages. There is also a citizens’ class for people who have never raced before and just want to try it out.

2015 was the biggest year yet for competitors with 126 people signed up to compete. These numbers were up from previous years which were around 100. Competitors came from all across the nation with the furthest traveling all the way from Utah to compete.

Another annual event on the mountain is the Brodown Showdown. This event is also for all ages but incorporates snowboarding into the mix alongside skiers.

This competition is split into two different events which are slope style and the rail jam. In the slope style event competitors had a few runs to land their best trick and were then judged upon that. The rail jam on the other hand, competitors have as many runs as they can get in during the allotted time.

The showdown is more of a local event, with all sorts of different people going out to see what others can do. It is sponsored by the Compound Ski and Snowboard Shop located a few blocks from downtown Marquette.

These are just a few annual events at the mountain and don’t even begin to scratch the surface of events that are held during the colder months. If you are looking to compete, just get some runs in, or experience Marquette Mountain, one of these events may be for you. You can check out more about Marquette Mountain and their calendar of events on their website here at www.marquettemountain.com.

by Chad Pajtas

Chad Pajtas is a senior at Northern Michigan University expected to graduate May 2015. He is majoring in Media Production and New Technology and has a minor in communication studies. On his spare time you will likely find him "pretending" he is good at golfing on the links or somewhere on a lake tossing a few lines into the water.