We compete in the Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race (GNCTR). Teams are challenged to design, construct, present, and race a toboggan that consists of a concrete running surface, a metal roll cage, and braking and steering systems.

We have two recruitment periods, September and January. If you are interesting in applying, or looking for more details, click here

Here are some of the ways members get involved.

Technical:

• Concept generation and selection

• Detailed design using CAD and calculations

• Construction (Waterjet cutter, Saws, Composite lab)

Non-Technical:

• Marketing and social media management

• Merch and sponsorship design

• Team administration

The short answer is no! While experience is always beneficial, we will teach you most of what you need to know. We usually host CAD sessions and sub-team specific training for tools and equipment.

Absolutely! In the past, we’ve had members in Computer Science, English Literature, Visual Arts and more. We have a role for anyone on TBOG. Check out all the possible sub-teams here!

Depending on your role, you can be putting in 4-10hrs a week. We have weekly general and sub-team meetings throughout the school year. Meetings general occur on weekday evenings, but the day is largely determined by the availability of our members.

Technically, yes. If sub-team schedules do not conflict, and you are able to contribute effectively to both teams, you are absolutely able to join multiple sub-teams.

We require that general members are on the team for one year before applying to be a sub-team lead. Applications occur for leadership positions in January, leading up to the start of our next design cycle. Successful candidates are chosen by the Captains.

Captains need to have at least one year of experience as a sub-team lead. They can then run for captain and be voted in by all members of the team.

Competition usually happens at the end of January. This varies year to year. For GNCTR 2026 the competition dates and February 4-8th. We try to bring 30 members to competition each year, including team leads and captains. The general members who get to come are decided by your respective sub-team leads, but is usually based on how much you’ve contributed and your attitude!