On Saturday, the Spirit Mountain Recreation Area unveiled their latest attraction: the Grocery Cart Cannonball Run. The specially-groomed run, co-sponsored with Super One Foods, is intended to keep Spirit Mountain’s brand fresh and interesting. “Just like produce,” quipped a Super One official at the ribbon-cutting.
Grocery cart cannonballing involves sitting in a shopping cart and speeding down steep, icy slopes. Proponents say the lack of steering, brakes, or any sort of control are what make the sport so appealing.
“Society is obsessed with control,” explained Tim Pickins, president of the Grocery Cart Cannonballing Enthusiasts of Western Lake Superior (GCCEOWLS), based in Hermantown. “We like to let go of that.”
The National Chapter of Grocery Cart Cannonballers (NCOGCC), GCCEOWLS’s parent organization, opposes wearing helmets, but Pickins said GCCEOWLS does not discriminate. “We realize that some of our members are more cautious than others. People may wear safety equipment if they wish.”
Super One provided 100 full-size shopping carts for opening day, as well as 25 smaller carts for children. Unlike Spirit Mountain’s other attractions, nobody waits in line for grocery cart cannonballing. People grab carts and launch themselves down the hillside willy-nilly. “The mass confusion is part of the appeal,” said Pickins. “Every other sport has rules. Not GCC.”
Opening day had some glitches. A number of carts ran into surrounding ravines, and one major pile-up at the bottom of the hill stopped everyone’s fun for more than an hour. Hill employees said they weren’t surprised. “We spent two nights sluicing the run with water to get that solid ice base,” explained hill worker Jared Mackintosh. “When a grocery cart hits that, it’s goodbye, baby.”
As the sun set on the busy hill, workers were still searching for several missing ticket holders, but all expressed optimism that they would soon be found. Overall, everyone thought the day went well.
