By Mary Drew at Pasty Central (Mdrew) on Tuesday, February 17, 2015 - 03:03 pm:
Winter Carnival at Michigan Tech is over and done with for this year, but I didn't think it would be complete here on the Pasty Cam, without featuring the torchlight parade and fireworks over Mont Ripley. This all took place on the Saturday of Winter Carnival week and Paul and Nathalie Brandes (Capt. Paul and Dr. Nat# found themselves a great viewing spot in Houghton to snap today's photos.
Capt. Paul had this to say about the photos and the event:
Despite the hazy conditions, a few of our photos came out well. One of the skiers involved with the Torchlight Parade is a very good friend of mine who graduated from Tech with me in geology, so I get to hear about all the prep work and actual skiing down the hill with the torch #actually a road flare). She says it’s not as easy as it looks and many times they have to avoid the ski lift as all the main lights on the hill have to be turned off so the only light they have is the torches themselves. She said there have been a few close calls over the years.
I never really thought about it before, but I guess it really could be considered synchronized torchlight skiing, since the torchbearers all have to know where they need to be and how fast to be moving to make it all come together like this. It must take hours of practice. Thanks for the great view and for giving us a better understanding of what goes into putting the event together.
