Engineering students ride concrete toboggan to success

Group picture of McMaster's 2025 Concrete Toboggan team, taken indoors, in zany costumes.

McMaster students' dedication, innovation and teamwork earned them a first-place win in superstructure and steering design, as well as prizes for brakes, concrete mix and team spirit, in the 2025 Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race.

BY Patricia Ferreira, Faculty of Engineering

February 27, 2025

The McMaster Engineering Concrete Toboggan Team (MECTT) is riding high after a successful showing at The Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race (GNCTR) 2025 in Montreal. Their toboggan – The Magic School Bogg – was a display of technical achievement and resulted in a bus load of fun.

GNCTR is North America’s largest and longest running engineering competition, bringing together over 400 students from over 20 universities. Participants design, build and race concrete toboggans, displaying their skills in design, project management, safety and team spirit.

Competing against the best in the field, McMaster engineers took home awards that highlighted the team’s dedication, innovation and teamwork. From a place first-place win in superstructure and steering design to notable achievements in brakes (second place), and third concrete mix and team spirit (third place). This event marked a pivotal moment in the team’s journey.

“We built a toboggan from scratch in 8 months, and seeing the team’s hard work recognized was incredibly rewarding. Our group has become close-knit, and we’re proud of the individual and collective achievements. — Trevor Campbell, MECTT co-captain

Students interested in getting involved in concrete tobogganing at Mac Eng can consider joining the team to broaden their experience, build technical skills and be part of a tight-knit team with a lot of spirit. Preparations for GNCTR 2026 are already underway. Connect with the Concrete Tobogganing team by following them on Instagram.

Five things to know about concrete tobogganing

  1. The toboggan: Teams design and build a toboggan with a concrete sliding surface that can hold up to five riders. It is equipped with a superstructure for safety, a braking system for stopping at the bottom of the hill and a steering system for navigating a slalom course.
  1. Themed designs: Each year, there is a theme for the national competition, and teams go all out in embracing it. This year’s theme was The Magic School Bus. McMaster’s team members got into character as Ms. Frizzle and transformed their toboggan into a vibrant, bus-inspired design.
  1. The four-day competition: The competition days are packed with different events:
  • Day 1: The opening ceremony, featuring a skit tied to the team’s theme.
  • Day 2: Competitor interaction, where teams explore the host city and network.
  • Day 3: The technical exhibition, where teams present their designs, set up themed booths and check out other teams’ toboggans.
  • Day 4: Race day! Teams compete in a series of events including braking, slalom and the Reine de la Montagne race.
  1. Spirit matters: A huge part of GNCTR is team spirit. Schools cheer for one another and engage in spirit challenges, with the team showing the most enthusiasm and creativity earning the coveted Spirit Cup.
  1. Diverse participation: This year, 28 students from McMaster represented the university at GNCTR. The team included students from a range of engineering disciplines, including Civil, Mechanical, Eng Phys, Society and BTech, as well as first-year students, highlighting the competition’s appeal across all years and streams.