Crazy? Maybe. Dangerous? Perhaps. Fun? Without a doubt! You won’t find Outhouse Races on snow anywhere else in North Carolina! Dozens of outhouses race to compete for the throne. Spectators come from throughout the southeast to line the course and cheer on those brave enough to see if the outhouse crashes and burns or sails across the finish line. The Outhouse Races have been named a “Top 20” event in the Southeast for February by Southeast Tourism Society.
What are Outhouse Races? Your homemade outhouses can be made of wood, cardboard, plastic, or any other homemade items. There are three people to a team and outhouses are secured on a set of skis, which can be provided by the Sapphire Valley Ski Area. These skis are pushed by two team members, while one team member sits inside. Outhouses are equipped with a seat with at least one hole, and a roll of toilet paper, or alternative wiping source. The race course is a two-lane track on packed snow (or on ice), with two teams racing each other head to head over a length of approximately 120 feet (40 yards), the first 30 feet being propelled by the pushers and the last 90 feet under its own gravitational power.