Jul 3, 2018 1 min read

Carmichaels student Lucas Swartz took home the People’s Choice award at the Pittsburgh Create! Festival June 7.

Swartz just wrapped up his freshman year and entered his SlopeMaster ski bike into the design and mater category of the competition. He was the youngest nominee and honoree.

The SlopeMaster has a mountain bike frame with two skis instead of wheels. With no brakes, it uses momentum to glide down snow-covered hills.

“You could tell that he worked countless hours outside of school to perfect it and tweak it,” said Brittany Phillips, Swartz’s STEM teacher, in a statement. The project won Inventionland’s Top Inventor award when Swartz and his classmates submitted it at the middle school the previous year.

“We entered the SlopeMaster and hoped for the best, so it was exciting to get the email in April that he became a finalist,” Phillips said.

Swartz won the People’s Choice award based on Facebook likes of his project.