Trollhaugen Hosts Fourth Annual Take the Rake in early December
Take the Rake puts women at the helm of building the iconic Valhalla park for the fourth consecutive year at Wisconsin’s most beloved resort, Trollhaugen. Culminating in community rake and ride days December 13 and 14, the weeklong event brings diggers together from around the world to mentor women in park crews.
The event, held annually in early December, draws on Trollhaugen’s legendary park atmosphere. Started in 2021 by marketing director Marsha Hovey, Take The Rake is a gauntlet thrown down to reshape the industry, and has since grown in size and renown. In an interview, Hovey describes getting emails year round with stories all the same “It’s almost like a copy and paste of ‘I’m the only woman who works at my resort. This would be a life changing experience for me.’”
TTR is a grassroots movement that develops essential skills that can only be mastered through hands-on experience. For women ages 18+ who have a minimum of 1 year in terrain park maintenance, this event focuses solely on growing hand crew skills. It does not include snowcat or heavy machine operating instruction, though several TTR alumni have worked into the big rigs at their home resort. Space is intentionally limited and attendees are chosen through a lottery system. Women will attend hand-shaping clinics to develop the park, and shop sessions– including welding– to build and repair features. With strategy sessions and teamwork, Take the Rake builds confidence in skills and develops community in the park; Trollhaugen to the T.
“The Troll” draws professional skiers and riders from around the world for early season hot laps of the rope tow serviced features. Their dedication to excellence in the park makes this resort stand out in the region. With a sizeable chunk of the mountain dedicated completely to terrain parks, the Troll cultivates this atmosphere with intention. At a humble 280 ft vertical and 90 skiable acres, the midwest jib-fest is simultaneously an unassuming, relatable invitation to new skiers and riders of the region, and a destination for the elites to cut their edges with the best in progression. Boasting 100% snowmaking coverage and 100% night skiing coverage, Trollhaugen is a factory for winter sports passion.
Marsha Hovey is not shy or elusive in interviews. “I want Take The Rake to be a catalyst for other resorts to take this event and replicate it. What we need now is more resorts to ask what they can do.” In this interview from Snowboard Magazine with industry legend Mary Walsh, Hovey is even more clear: “I have said it before, and I will say it again, I am happy to guide and assist anyone who’s interested in creating events like Take the Rake at their resort. Slap a different name on it and do the same thing! If at the end of the day it gets more women in operations, then to me, that’s a success.”
