JANUARY 27 - JANUARY 30, 2027
University of Toronto, GNCTR 2025, Montreal, QC
WHAT IS GNCTR?
The Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race is a Canadian engineering student vehicle project. Teams are tasked to build a sliding vehicle where the sliding surface is made entirely out of concrete. GNCTR is one of Canada’s oldest & largest engineering competitions. It has been a Canadian Tradition since 1974 and hosts 500 students each year from across Canada and including select schools from the United States of America.
Team scoring is based on several factors including; on-hill race performance, braking, steering, theoretical design, & safety. Points are also awarded for toboggan design philosophies, technical report and information content, and team spirit!
While GNCTR is a vehicle project, heavy emphasis is placed on the team building, collaboration, and community. Teams will adopt a new theme each year and design costumes and work this theme into their toboggans aesthetics.
The GNCTR Alumni Community has had impacts in every industry in Canada and stretches across generations.
WELCOME TO EDMONTON
#YEG
WELCOME TO EDMONTON #YEG
WALTERDALE BRIDGE (LEFT), ROSSDALE POWERPLAN (RIGHT), & DOWNTOWN EDMONTON IN THE DISTANCE
NORTH SASKATCHEWAN RIVER VALLEY
FRONT STEPS OF THE ALBERTA LEGISLATURE
EDMONTON IS THE HOME OF GNCTR 2027
Welcome to Edmonton, Alberta’s capital city and the birthplace of GNCTR. Edmonton is Canada’s 5th largest city, with a population of 1.2 million. A notably distinction of Edmonton from other Canadian cities is its northern latitude. At 53°n, Edmonton is North America’s northernmost large city, making it a hotspot for the northern lights which can be seen frequently in the winter. The North Saskatchewan river cuts through Edmonton and is a staple of recreation in the city. The North Saskatchewan river protected area is some of the largest in the world for in-city nature protection and is 22x the size of Central Park. While the climate of Edmonton is that of a winter city, Edmonton is known for its year-round festivals and celebrations, totaling over 50 large festivals throughout the year, including winter festivals such as canoe volant (French-Canadian, first nations, & Metis tradition & festival) & deep freeze (Byzantine winter festival) in January. Edmonton is known by many nicknames you may hear on your travels to the city such as: YEG(yay-g), Gateway to the North, City of Champions, E-town, The Festival City.
EDMONTON FAST FACTS:
Demonym: Edmontonian
Traditional Home and Gathering Place of Néhiyaw (Cree), Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), Métis, Nakoda (Stoney), Dene, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) And Anishinaabe (Ojibway/Saulteaux) and homeland of the Métis
Fort Edmonton Was Established In 1795 By the Hudsons Bay Company
Edmonton Averages 325 Days of Sunshine Throughout the Year, Making It One the Sunniest Cities in Canada
Edmonton’s Fringe Festival Is the Largest Fringe Festival Outside of Edinburgh
Regional Dishes include Green Onion Cakes, Edmonton Style Donair (better than Halifax), Kubie Burgers, Alberta Beef, Bison
Famous Edmontonians:
Mark Carney, Canadian Prime Minister
Famous Five: Nellie McClung, Emily Murphy, Louise McKinney, Irene Parlby, Henrietta Muir Edwards; Canadian Suffragists, Challenged the Supreme Court for Women’s Voting Rights
Michael J. Fox, Actor
Tommy Chong, Comedian, Cheech & Chong
Leslie Nielsen, Actor
Alphonso Davies, Soccer Player, Team Canada Captain
Nathan Fillion, Actor, Namesake for the Nathan Fillion Civilian Pavillion
Mac Demarco, Musician
What the f$$$ is a Concrete Toboggan?
Courtesy of UBC GNCTR Club
A Concrete Toboggan is a sliding vehicle where the skis or interface with the vehicle and snow must be made out of concrete. Modern concrete toboggans more resemble bobsleds and are equipped with engineered components such as steering, braking system, roll-cage superstructure & concrete ski design