Start your sleds, Cabin Fever Days coming up this month

The bar stool races are the top draw at the annual Cabin Fever Days in the Canyon communities of Hungry Horse, Martin City and Coram.

This year's Cabin Fever Days button will feature longtime volunteer Lori Kaml, who passed away in a house fire last July.

by CHRIS PETERSON
Editor | February 1, 2019 6:17 AM

This year's Cabin Fever Days button will feature longtime volunteer Lori Kaml, who passed away in a house fire last July.

Sick of winter? Don’t despair. The 41st annual Cabin Fever Days and world famous bar stool races are scheduled for Feb. 8-10 hosted by the Trapline Association.

The bar stool races are down Sugar Hill in Martin City each year. It takes 12 dump truck loads of snow each winter to build the course, said organizer Ben Shafer. The snow has to be brought in because Sugar Hill is a county road and is plowed.

Of course, not every sled is a bar stool — many are contraptions that take months to build. Others are crafts that obviously took a few minutes. Fueled by liquid courage, the idea isn’t so much to win, but to get down the hill in one piece.

This year’s event will have a special button in memory of Lori Kaml. Kaml was a volunteer for the event for years. She died tragically when her Hungry Horse home caught fire last August.

In addition to the bar stool races, there are a host of other events on tap, including co-ed leg wrestling, a mountain man competition, snowshoe softball, a 9-ball tournament, an arm wrestling tournament, a dart tournament and a host of live bands at the bars in Hungry Horse, Martin City and Coram.

The bar stool races start 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday with finals at 3 p.m. on Sunday. To register for the races or see the entire lineup of events, visit https://cabinfeverdays.com

A sled registration is $20. Buttons are $5.

New this year, $3 Cabin Fever Days wrist bands will be required to ride the shuttle with any beverage. Additionally, beginning at 9 p.m. a wrist band will be required for all riders of the shuttle back and forth to events, which is a safe way to enjoy the festivities. Wrist bands are available for purchase at participating venues – you must be 21 and show ID to purchase. The Trapline Association appreciates the understanding and cooperation of our festival goers. Support the fundraiser with your purchase of a $5 Cabin Fever Days button or a T-shirt at our merchandise booth.

The Trapline Association is a non-profit 501c3 corporation. Proceeds from the event each year benefit the Martin City Volunteer Fire Department, Canyon Quick Response Unit and more events and causes which improve the community for residents and visitors alike.