Hundreds of concrete tobogganers set to slide into Kelowna

UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering plays host to more than 400 students from across Canada and the U.S. at the 2015 Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race from January 21 to 25. In action, concrete toboggans have been clocked at 80 km/h.

Prestigious competition brings some 400 engineering students to UBC, Big White

UBC Okanagan’s School of Engineering hosts the 2015 Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race (GNCTR) from January 21 to 25 in Kelowna—an event touted by organizers as “the world’s most epic student engineering competition.”

The GNCTR is a five-day, student-led national engineering competition hosted by a different university each year. This year’s competition involves about 430 students, matches 17 university teams, and showcases some of the most innovative concrete-toboggan designs from across Canada, with students contributing hundreds of hours towards their designs and planning process.

The event includes opening and closing ceremonies at the Delta Grand Hotel, the “Tech Ex” technical exhibition at UBC’s Okanagan campus, and Race Day at Big White Ski Resort.

This is the first time UBC Okanagan has won the honour of hosting the competition. Last year, in just its third year of participating, UBC Okanagan came home with an overall second-place finish at the event in London, ON.

The GNCTR is the oldest and largest engineering student competition in Canada. The first race was held in 1974 in Red Deer, Alberta.

Events at a Glance

• Wednesday, Jan. 21: Arrivals and Opening Ceremonies at the Delta Grand Okanagan Resort. Opening ceremonies include a welcome address from Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran and Associate Dean of the School of Engineering, Dr. Spiro Yannacopoulos.
• Thursday, Jan. 22: Technical Exhibition (Tech Ex) pep rally in the Richard S. Hallisey Atrium, Engineering, Management and Education (EME) Building, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at UBC’s Okanagan campus.
• Friday, Jan. 23: Competitor Interaction Day at Big White Ski Resort, followed with an all-ages, public concert by The Rockies (formerly Malibu Knights) at the Kelowna Community Theatre. Tickets $10 at gnctr2015.com.
• Saturday, Jan. 24: Race Day at Big White in Tube Town by Happy Valley Lodge from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closing Ceremonies at the Delta Grand.
• Sunday, Jan. 25: Departures.

About 400 student engineers participate in the annual Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race (GNCTR), a national event hosted by a different university every year.