Founded in 1946, Otis Ridge is one of Berkshire County’s smaller ski destinations — more obscure than nearby Butternut, Bousquet, or Jiminy Peak.
“It's kind of a little diamond in the rough. It's kind of, you know, not out of the way, but it's kind of its own little niche here in Otis, Mass at the beginning of the of the Berkshires," said General Manager Eric Vanoostveen. “We are a very big gateway mountain. We were the people that bring you in here and get you to love the sport, get you to enjoy the sport and do it properly. And then hopefully you move on to bigger mountains. This place is basically a paradise for kids under the age of 14.”
He’s the mind behind what’s quickly become a beloved local tradition, the annual Otis Ridge cardboard box race.
“I had worked as a manager at a couple other ski areas over the years, and it was just something that I remembered other ski areas doing," Vanoostveen told WAMC. "And when I came here and became general manager the first year I said, have you guys ever had a cardboard box race and, nobody really knew about it. And I explained what it was, and we started doing it. And now we've been doing it every year. We get some sponsors- JDog Removal, that cleans out people's basements. Last year they came in, they sponsored us and they took all the cardboard away for us afterwards. For an entry fee, we require a donation to the food pantry. So, you know, not only is it just a great day to raise a cardboard box down a ski slope, we do a little bit for the community as well.”
The premise is simple.
“We race these boxes down the hill like sleds, and the only rule is that we require everything has to be made out of cardboard and duct tape,” the general manager explained.
As Vanoostveen has found over the years, much can be made out of those humble materials.
“Pirate ships to flying saucers to the USS Enterprise," he said. "I've seen it all. Cars, boats, motorcycles. So, we don't do a theme or anything, we leave it up to them. We give prizes for creativity, we do the fastest on the mountain. And we'll actually set up a little course, and we do heats. So, it's like four or five racing against each other.”
That said, the general manager says you can never predict what cardboard and duct tape constructions you’ll see hurtling down Otis Ridge in the fourth annual iteration.
“Sometimes people come in, and I don't know how they figure out how to get those cardboard to move as fast as it does," said Vanoostveen. "But we've seen some people go through the course and make it all the way down to the bottom. We've seen boxes with 15 people piled into them going down the hill. I mean, there's all kinds of… it's a fun day. You never know what to expect.”
Otis Ridge sets up a course unique to the cardboard box race once a winter.
“We kind of make little bumpers," Vanoostveen explained. "And we make, I don't know, probably about a 25 to 30 foot by 100-foot-long course. And we have rubber mats and everything at the end to slow you down at the bottom. And of course, we have ski patrol there, you know, just in case.”
As far as a winning design strategy, it’s best not to overthink it.
“It seems like duct tape and cardboard is the way to go," he told WAMC. "You know, the more duct tape you get on the bottom, the more speed you get out of it.”
Four years into the race, Vanoostveen expects strong attendance.
“We limit it to 60 boxes and we always have walk-ins as well," he said. "I want to say last year we were probably close to 70, 80 cardboard boxes. The entire trail was packed with people. People were cheering and hooting and hollering. We have a DJ that comes in and plays all kinds of goofy music to make it fun. So, it's just a fun day on the mountain, and it's nice. It kind of brings in some people that aren't our regular customers that are non-skiers that come in and say hey, you know, this place is kind of cool. Maybe I'll try skiing.”
