Red Parka Challenge Cup 50th shaping up as memorable finale

March 14 will mark the 50th and final edition of the Red Parka Challenge Cup. (Courtesy)

The Red Parka Challenge Cup is saying goodbye with a day of racing to remember. Scheduled for Friday, March 14 at Attitash, the 50th edition of the race also will be its last.

Over the years, some of the top racers in the Mount Washington Valley have participated in the dual giant slalom, including Olympians Tyler Palmer and Leanne Smith.

“Arriving at the decision to end the race at 50 was not easy. It went through a series of discussions with Terry O’Brien, owner of the Red Parka Pub, along with the Challenge Cup committee, which consists of about two dozen local volunteers that help make this race happen every year,” said Laura Lemieux, who has been on the committee since 2012 and succeeded O’Brien as race director following the 2019 race. “Everyone feels like it is time.

“Racer registrations have been trending downward for the last five years. This race used to have a field of 125 to 150 racers annually. For the last three to five years, numbers have been below 100, with the last year being especially tough with less than 60 racers.”

Lemieux said last year’s race raised $24,000 for the Eastern Slope Ski Club, which was founded in 1935, promotes skiing in the Mount Washington Valley and gives area children a chance to take up the sport.

Since 1995, the race has generated nearly $500,000 for the ESSC to provide lessons to area elementary and middle school students.

“The amazing thing is that this race has managed to raise more money over the last three to five years than it has at any other time,” Lemieux said.

She said registration has been much stronger this time around with the word being out that this is the final edition. Racers must be at least 21 years old, and the oldest entrant so far has been 80.

The race, originally called the Tuborg Classic, was founded by Dewey Mark, who along with his wife Jean were owners of the Red Parka Steakhouse and Pub in Glen, and Tyrol Ski Area manager Tony Ferruolo, which hosted the first race.

It bounced around different mountains in the valley, but Attitash has hosted since 1983, with a last-minute change to Cranmore in 2022 because of snow conditions.

O’Brien, who is the Marks’ daughter, currently owns the Red Parka and was recognized by the Rotary Club of North Conway on Jan. 21 as a Paul Harris Fellow for her work with the race and the ski club.

“It has been a privilege to have been a part of this race for so many years,” O’Brien said. “ESSC has helped so many kids develop a love for skiing, and that is a perfect memory for me.”

Registration for this year’s race is open at skireg.com (search Red Parka Challenge Cup Race). For $100, each racer receives a hat, two beer tickets, access to an exclusive racer-only raffle to be drawn midday on race day and a full-day lift ticket to Attitash.

For the final running, a “ghost racer” category was created for those who would like to register but do not intend on racing. Ghost racers will receive the same perks as the racers, except for the actual racing.

The race committee is commemorating the final race with two days of race activities. The bib draw and hall of fame induction ceremony will be held at the Red Parka on March 13 at 6 p.m. with racing the following day at Attitash.

The race begins on the Competition Slope with a morning two-run elimination from an anticipated field of more than 100. The top 32 male racers are broken into A and B divisions, and there is a top eight female division.

The coed snowboard division, which debuted last year, will be part of the final race.

Lemieux said that the Junior Cup will continue. Bartlett native and ESSC alum Kali Brennick is running that race. Attitash will host this year’s race on Feb. 12.

O’Brien said the Challenge Cup covered all of the costs associated with the junior high race for the past 35 years. She expects the race to continue beyond this year, but envisioned the format being changed to a team tournament and schools being charged to compete.

Businesses interested in sponsoring this year’s event can contact Laura Lemieux at 603-356-7031 ext. 100.