The annual fundraiser for the Children's Inn, FunSki kicks off this weekend at Great Bear Recreation Park. The event is held Friday January 25th and Saturday the 26th.
This annual event brings out snow sport lovers from all over. FunSki has all types of events from frozen leg kickball to a snow sculpture contest. The first Media One FunSki was held in 1989 as a cross country ski race. It was held 10 miles south of Sioux Falls. From the start it was a fundraiser for the Children's Inn and the first event raised around $3,000 with 30 skiers participating. Today FunSki has expanded to include all types of events including skiing, snowboarding, team snow tubing, frozen leg kickball, snow sculpture, and of course, cross country skiing. The event is closing in on a half million dollars in total fundraising for the Children's Inn, a domestic abuse shelter for women and children in Sioux Falls.
New this year a record 17 snow blocks will be carved this weekend at FunSki. In the past only about 10 sculptures were carved. You can vote for your favorite for the "Peoples Choice Award," just look for the box in the chalet on the main floor.
Great Bear says our recent cold snap has been great for making snow. They are continuing to make snow through the night and say conditions are looking great for FunSki.
Organizers encourage you to register online for events before Friday. To do so you can use the link on the left side of the screen. Also organizers want to remind the public that during FunSki Great Bear is still open to the general public. Below is the schedule of events for FunSki.
Friday, January 25th:
Snow Sculpture Contest - 5:00pm
Event Kick-Off Party - 6:15pm
Snow Tube Races - Time Trials at 6:30pm, Races at 7:00pm
Rail Jam - 7:00pm
Saturday, January 26th:
Cross Country Ski Race - 9:30am
BoarderCross/SkierCross - 10:00am
Frozen Leg Kickball - Noon
Snow Sculpture Contest Judging - Noon
Downhill Corporate Cup: 1:00pm
Snowboard Giant Slalom - 3:00pm
Zipfy Sled Races - 4:00pm
