AUBURN – It’s all about speed and very little about control in some of the 8th annual Auburn Winter Festival’s more popular events this weekend. Canoes careened down the Lost Valley Ski Area slopes and racers riding shovels zipped over the crusty snow Saturday afternoon.

At Central Maine Community College it was a slower pace. Several family-friendly activities were offered including snowshoe lessons, ice sculptures, a Frozen Film Festival of movies and a snow playground.

Heath Viger of Turner took first place in the Lost Valley shovel race for those 17 and older. His strategy before the race was “wax it up and go as fast as I can.”

He beat four others in three dashes down the Bull Moose trail on his waxed-and-padded shovel.

Two girls and a boy competed in the shovel race for younger contestants. One of the girls, who chose not to be identified, won.

Tracey Steuber, community and business specialist for the City of Auburn, said, “We had four teams on the six-person ‘Really Ridiculous Relay Race.’ “

The Lost Valley team placed first. A group of Pineland Lumber Company employees was on the second-place team. “They had a few mishaps – a couple of tip-overs, but everything went well,” Steuber said. “They were tipping over with the human dog sleds, they were tipping over with the uphill snowshoe climb, and they were tipping over the canoe coming down the mountain.” The L.L. II team finished third, and L.L. I, fourth.

Weather cooperated

As a successful day ended at Central Maine Community College Saturday afternoon, Peter Bushway, director of the Auburn Parks and Recreation Department, said, “Last year, the weather did not cooperate. This year, it’s been beautiful.”

Many families took advantage of free snowshoe lessons offered by LA Trails over the large lakeside campus. Equipment was loaned to those who didn’t own snowshoes.

Bushway said he met a visitor from Foxboro, Mass., who wanted to try snowshoeing, “so we put a little Patriots logo on her face and let her go.”

The Auburn Winter Festival was a bonus for two out-of-town families. Matt LaForge of Brunswick said he and his wife, Hillary, and their children Matty, 5, and Brady, 2, ski most every Saturday at Lost Valley.

With them were Allison and Tony Troxell of Portland, their children Alec, 6, and Anna, 4.

“We’re out having a great time in the sun,” Matt said. “The festival was a pleasant surprise.”

At Central Maine Community College, Craig O’Connell demonstrated some spectacular ice sculpture techniques.

“They were really cool,” said Michelle Martin, 11, of Lisbon, who watched the ice carving with her friend, Mikayla Yanez, also of Lisbon.

They were particularly impressed with the use of chainsaws, torches and other tools on the bear, moose, fish and other sculptures. The Community College attractions also included a snow playground for all ages, a Frozen Film Festival of movies, and an indoor children’s carnival with arts and crafts, bouncers and games.

Saturday evening at Lost Valley brought a family-friendly schedule of hay wagon rides, a free bonfire and kiddie sledding, and a torchlight parade of skiers.

Friday’s sleet and slush storm put a damper on that day’s opening events such as afternoon hay wagon rides and a bonfire, but the indoor offerings were well attended. Dancers enjoyed the Dirty McCurdy Band’s classic rock music in the Lost Valley lounge both Friday and Saturday night, and Nick Knowlton’s Music Connection provided daytime tunes.

Doug Beck, recreation specialist, said he expected discount skiing to bring even more people to Lost Valley late Saturday afternoon and through the evening.

Organizers are expecting a crowd for Sunday’s downhill mountain bike races at Lost Valley beginning at 9 a.m., followed by an all-at-once downhill dash called the “Avalanche of Mountain Bikes” at 11 a.m.

Beck said lower night temperatures “should set up the soft snow, and that will translate into a lot of spills and thrills.”

He said as many as 50 mountain bikers could be competing. The Sunday schedule also features a snowmobilers’ breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m., board and ski freestyle demonstrations noon to 2 p.m., the Maine Ski Challenge races through the afternoon. At the college campus, there’s more snowshoe lessons and races, as well as horse-drawn sleigh and wagon rides.