Henry McCourt, in front, Grayson Hoeft, Elias Bartlett and Eli Hoeft wipe out Sunday in a slow-moving chain reaction while practicing for Titcomb Mountain’s Giant Ski Race in Farmington, in which teams of four skiers, all strapped into the same pair of gigantic wooden skis, attempt to ski as fast as they can as a unit. The team, calling themselves “The Beach Boys,” managed to perfect their technique skiing in tandem on a pair of four-person skis and win the event. The lighthearted competition brings skiers of all ages together for a test of coordination, teamwork, and balance. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Jesse Minor, right, Andy Marble, Tony Ramsey and Chris Demarco take an optional downhill run Sunday on Titcomb Mountain’s Giant Ski Race in Farmington. Ramsey introduced the idea of the four-person ski race, which he had seen at the Birkebeiner, a large Nordic ski event in Wisconsin. Inspired by the Midwest tradition, the race tests teamwork and balance as participants navigate the course on oversized skis.  Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

“The Old Man Groomers” on the left check out the competition Sunday at Titcomb Mountain’s Giant Ski Race. The Old Man Groomers team, consisting of Jesse Minor, in front, Andy Marble, Tony Ramsey and Chris Demarco, helped organize the event. Ramsey had the poplar boards for the skis, and Demarco, who teaches at the composites program at Foster Community and Technical Education Center at Mt. Blue High School, formed the skis. The annual race brings teams together for a fun and unconventional skiing challenge on handmade giant skis. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Audrey Civello, 11, struggles to keep her balance Sunday as her teammates, Poppy Medina, 11, Clara Ernst, 11 and Margie McCarthy, 12 collapse onto the snow behind her at Titcomb Mountain’s Giant Ski Race. The race challenges teams to synchronize their movements on 16-foot-long skis, often leading to laughter and tumbles. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Audrey Civello, 11, Poppy Medina, 11, Clara Ernst, 11, and Margie McCarthy, 12, work carefully together Sunday to turn around the 16-foot-long four-person skis at Titcomb Mountain’s Giant Ski Race. The four ski together on the Mt. Blue Middle School ski team, and all agreed that the unique four-person skis do not compare to regular cross-country skiing. “You really have to communicate,” Medina said. Titcomb Mountain’s Giant Ski Race features teams of four working together on oversized skis in a lighthearted and challenging competition. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal