2004-2005 XC Race Run-down
Are you ready?
The competitive ski season is upon us! On election day last month, I was e-mailed the photo below. It made me smile, not  only because it provided some desperately needed levity but for the proof it offered of the single-minded devotion to skiing many of us share this time of year. Not even "the most important presidential election in our lifetime" could distract some Nordic skiers from the immediate need for snow.
It's hard to make out, but the license plate frame reads in it's entirety, "(I'd) Rather have a bad day skiing than a good
day at the beach." So true. And in Illinois as well as throughout the Banana Belt, especially the last few years there have been more beach days than snow days. Since no politician promised snow during the campaign, let's all hope Old Man Winter delivers. (Note to Illinois: Your registration's expired.)
Although we can't count on snow when and where we need it, we can still make plans. Ski races are prone to cancellation or postponement
due to the weather. But at least we have races in abundance to choose from if all goes according to plan.
The listing of cross-country ski races that follow may include mistakes or omissions. Before hitting the road to any of of them, skiers are advised to call ahead and verify the time and place with the event organizers.
Giving credit where credit's due
There's a tradition that every December issue of Silent Sports include a
preview the coming cross-country ski race season in the Upper Midwest. And part of that tradition over the last several years has been to recognize the invaluable contribution of Bruce Adelsman for making possible this summary and the listings that follow.
Like Greg Marr, Silent Sports' editor before me, I have to credit the mastermind behind Skinnyski.com with keeping me from sinking deep into the drifts of this huge project. Skinnyski.com, sub-titled "Adelsman's
Cross-Country Ski Page," is a phenomenal resource for our region, especially this time of year.
With Adelsman's assistance, I can say with some confidence that this magazine's Calendar of Events is complete at least as complete as could be determined by early November when this issue of Silent Sports went to press. With that said, readers are urged to cross-reference what you see here with what's listed on skinnyski.com.
The beauty of Adelsman's on-line calendar is his ability and dedication to keeping it updated. Every day he can and does add and subtract events, fixes race dates and corrects contact information for the events. And he ferrets out the latest information, from the far recesses of the Internet and his extensive network within the Nordic skiing community.
If you find shortcomings in this issue's listings, please inform me at info@silentsports.net or at Silent Sports, P.O. Box 152, Waupaca, WI 54981. You can do the same by contacting Bruce Adelsman at www.Skinnyski.com or just ask me to pass your message along. It's
the least I can do to return the favor.
Some new arrivals;
some missing in action
Because this is my first attempt to groom the trail Greg Marr blazed with this annual calendar, I'll have to rely on Adelsman's historical perspective. According to him, there are some exciting new events as well as some long-held races that have ceased to be, at least for this season.
Let's start with the good news: Last month, Tyrol Basin, 20 miles west
of Madison, Wisconsin, started an evening race series on artificial snow. Rainbow Resort, in Waubun, Minnesota, has added a couple December races and another new one in January for a total of five. An evening race series in Battle Creek Park in St. Paul looked almost certain, too.
The National Masters returns to St. Paul after it's banner year in 2000. On January 16, truckloads of man-made snow will be dumped in the heart of Madison for the Capitol Square Sprints, which is sure to attract
some of the nation's best racers and provide a unique event for spectators. Mt. Itasca and Telemark Resort will host Nor/Am Super Tour races on successive weekends in late January.
The American Birkebeiner, in an attempt to give more people a taste of the hallowed ski tradition there, has added a non-competitive 12K event complete with a finish on Hayward's Main Street. (The addition is not welcomed by all, however. See the letter "Birkie Blues" on page 4.) And
the City of Lake Loppet will include a Junior Loppet for skiers in high school and younger.
The bad news: I was informed by mail that the Heikinpaiva Hiito in Michigan's U.P. was cancelled due to land owner conflicts and race calendar too packed to realistically reschedule the event. And despite three evening race series in the area, Adelsman writes that the end of the Baker Shaker "marks a shocking continued decline in Twin Cities area
races." He also gives "R.I.P." designations to the Ely Wilderness Trek, Nicolet Norski, Schwann Shuffle, Red Wing Uffda Challenge and Ironwood's Wolverine Challenge.
The races
But let's get to the month-by-month, state-by-state highlights, shall we? I have tried to replicate Marr's approach to this task noting the events to which his attention was previously drawn -- for two reasons: It seemed
easier and smarter than reinventing the wheel, and it is a format readers are familiar with. I may try something altogether different next year. And I'll entertain any and all suggestions for making all this more skier friendly.
Bear in mind, this is only a brief outline, as is the at-a-glance calendar on the following pages. Please see the Calendar of Events at the back of the magazine for more complete listings.
DECEMBER
Wisconsin
The Madison Nordic Ski Club hosts Tuesday night races December through February. Otherwise, the season starts in mid-December with a test of dexterity. In Dresser, on Dec. 18, the Winter Solstice Pursuit will have you ski a 7K loop classic then repeat but skate ski and at night on a lighted trail. If you're ready, do the Double Birkie Trail Ski on Dec. 27, a 90K Fish Hatchery to Telemark round trip.
Dec. 20 is the Minocqua Winter Park Demo Day. Regardless of the
snow conditions the following day, attendees will be invited to strap blades on their ski boots and speed skate around the lake for 5K to 20K.
Minnesota
The 1K freestyle GAAS Sprints and Snowflake Opener will take place in Duluth Dec. 4-5. There will be Duluth Time Trials on Dec. 1 and every Wednesday thereafter until March 2.
The 5K Elm Creek Relay Series in the Twin Cities where they make snow rather than wait for it fall is set to start Dec. 9 and continue every
Thursday through Feb. 17. Either Elm Creek or Hyland Hills in Bloomington will host the Hoigaard's/Breadsmith 4x3K Relays on Dec. 11.
Up in Waubun, Gear West and Rainbow Resort will put on a cross-country ski technique camp Dec. 11-12. The Rainbow XC Ski Time Trial will be held there that Sunday. The next weekend is the Rainbow Rendezvous a 5K and 10K skate race on Dec. 18; a 5K classic tour and 15K classic race on Dec. 19.
Minnesota high school skiers will compete at the Dec. 18 Hopkins Holiday Relays, Phalen Park, St. Paul. But all skiers are invited to celebrate New Year's Eve Day, Dec. 31, by racing the 10K Classic Hiihto at Battle Creek Regional Park in St. Paul.
Michigan
In the Upper Peninsula, the MTU Christmas Classic (2K, 5K and 10K) will be held in Houghton Dec. 11-12, followed the next weekend by the Grand View XC Ski Challenge (3K, 5K and 10K) in Ironwood.
Ontario
The Lappe Nordic Ski Center in Thunder Bay is the place for the Boxing Day Ace, a 15K classic race, on Dec. 19. The same venue will host the Ontario/Canada Cup on Dec. 29-30, featuring pursuit, classic and skate races.
JANUARY
Wisconsin
Jan. 1 is the Hasta Double Pole Derby, 5K classic and 10K freestyle races, in Hayward. The Blue Hills Ascent in Bruce Jan. 2 will offer kids a 2K race as well as 8.5K and 13K events.
The Lapham Peak Nordic Series in Delafield starts on Wednesdays Jan. 5 and runs through Feb. 16.
The weekend of Jan. 8-9 is packed with race options. Scheduled for Jan. 8 in Wisconsin is the Ashwaubenon Nordic Open (3.5K and 5K middle and high school races, 10K freestyle) at the Brown County Reforestation Camp near Green Bay, and the Waukesha County Parks Citizens Race (2K for kids, 5K and 10K). Also held that weekend, 24 Hours of Telemark (3-, 6-, 12- and 24-hour events, solo and team
categories) in Cable and the Stormy Kromer Pursuit (10K classic Saturday and 15K freestyle Sunday) in Mercer. Sunday, Jan. 9, only the Snekkevick Classic (1K, 3.5K, 6K and 12K) at the Nine Mile Recreation Area in Wausau.
The Seeley Hills Classic, Jan. 15, will offer 5-K, 22-K and 42-K races on the Birkie Trail. The same day is the Balsam Vinter Fest 20K Norkaloppet in Amery and the 12K Heartland Nordski Freestyle Race at Standing Rocks County Park, Stevens Point-Amherst.
On Dec. 16 for the first time, the Capitol Square Sprints, an Olympic qualifying event to be held on artificial snow spread around the state capitol in Madison. The date is shared by the Aurora Health Care Greenbush Challenge, a 15K freestyle race in Greenbush.
The Lapham Loppet (1K for kids, 4x1K relay, 6K for high school and junior high students, 11K freestyle race) will be held in Delafield on Jan. 22. That's also the date of the Fridtjof Nansen Leader Telegram Classic
(5K and 15K classic and skate races) at the Tower Ridge Ski Area in Eau Claire.
The Nor/Am Super Tour comes to Telemark Resort Jan. 25- 31. And on Jan. 30 is the Iola Norseman Challenge at the Iola Winter Sports Club, Iola.
Minnesota
Return to Waubun on Jan. 8 for the Rainbow Resort Time Trial (5K skate or classic, 10K skate, 15K classic). Scheduled Jan. 9 is the Coca Cola Classic (5K for high schoolers, 15K for others) at Andes Tower
Hills in Alexandria and the Sawtooth Races (5K and 10K classic; 7.5K and 15K freestyle) in Grand Marais.
The Jan. 15 Frostbite Falls 10K and 13K races and 4K fun ski will be a feature of the Icebox Days Festival in International Falls. The following day is the Greenman Boulder Lake Ski Tour (15K and 30K freestyle) at the Boulder Lake Ski Area north of Duluth.
The weekend of Jan. 22-23 will be a busy one for ski race organizers.
On Jan. 22, Biwabik hosts the Pepsi Challenge (7K skate, 24K and 48K skate and classic races); Grand Rapids will be the site for Vinterloppet; and St. Cloud is the place to go for the Graystone Challenge. Mt. Itasca in Coleraine will be tackled by the racers in the Nor/Am Super Tour throughout the weekend.
Michigan
Telefest, with a focus on Telemark skiing, is set for Jan. 13-16 at Mt. Bohemia and in Porcupine Mountain State Park.
On Jan. 15 both the Crystal Mountain Highlander (25K classic or skate race, 10K tour and junior race, 5K run) will be held in Thompsonville and the Copper Island Classic will take place in Chassel.
Jan. 29-30, the Noquemanon Ski Marathon (25K and 51K, classic or skate) takes racers through the UP wilderness from Ishpeming to the Superior Dome in Marquette.
Illinois
The Joliet Nordic 11K ski race and 3K fun ski is Jan. 9. The Northern
Illinois Nordic, also in Joliet, will be Jan. 15.
Ontario
The Jan. 8-9 Lappe Invitational in Thunder Bay will include a classic race Saturday and a skate race Sunday. The Jan. 21 Kamview Classic (5K and 10K) will also be held in Thunder Bay but on the Kamview Nordic Centre Ski Trails.
FEBRUARY
Wisconsin
The Badger State Winter Games, Feb. 5-6, will include 10K and 20K adult freestyle and classic races, 40K classic and 43K freestyle (Birkie
qualifier) races, 7K and 4K junior races, 1K youth race and relays all at Nine Mile Ski Area in Wausau.
The 26K freestyle Hayward Lions Pre-Birkie will be held Feb. 12. The 12K and 24K North End Classic, set for Feb. 13, follows the Kortelopet course and ends at Telemark Resort.
February 19-20 will be another action-packed weekend. Scheduled for that Saturday is the Brule River Timber Cruise (16K and 32K) through the Brule River State Forest, the 20K Stump Farm Classic in the
reforestation camp near Green Bay, Book Across the Bay, a 10K ski and snowshoe race across Chequamegon Bay from Ashland to Washburn, and the 23K Rib Lake Hinder Binder in Rib Lake. On Sunday, Elver Park in Madison will be over-run with skiers taking the MadNorSki Subaru Ice Age Challenge (5K and 15K freestyle).
Of course the following weekend, Feb. 24-26, is the grand-daddy of them all: The Subaru American Birkebeiner. The race schedule starts
Thursday, Feb. 24, with the Salomon Elite Sprints on Hayward's Main Street and the Sons of Norway-Swiss Miss Barnebirkie. The 3.5K Centurytel Junior Birkie, 10K Cheqtel Family Fun Ski and Hayward Chamber of Commerce Citizen Sprints will all be held Friday.
Then at 8:20 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 26, the first of the elite waves will take off for the 51K Birkie and 23K Johnson Bank Kortelopet. The new non-competitive Johnson Bank Prince Haakon
12K event will start at 1 p.m. at Mosquito Brook and also end on Main Street in Hayward.
While many skiers live for the Birkie, the ski season is far from over at this point. So keep reading and marking your calendar as we continue .
Minnesota
The AXCS National Masters, which starts on Jan. 30 and runs through Feb. 5, is back in St. Paul.
Feb. 5 is the Volski Classic Nordic Race (3K, 5K and 10K) in Bemidji and the 10K freestyle Moraloppet in Mora. These races share the Feb.
5-6 weekend with City of Lakes Loppet (sprints and youth event Saturday; 10K tour and 35K classic and freestyle point-to-point races Sunday).
Also on Feb. 6 is the Lumberjack Jaunt (6K, 16K classic and skate) in the Northland Arboretum of Brainerd and the Marine/O'Brien Race (10.5K classic and skate) in the William O'Brien State Park, Marine on St. Croix.
The Feb. 12-13 weekend in Mora begins Saturday with the Mora Miniloppet (1.5K, 4K and 7K for kids 13 and under) and continues
Sunday with the Vasaloppet (13K, 35K and 58K classic or skate; 42K classic).
The Minnesota Finlandia Ski Marathon, with 25K and 50K freestyle races, will be held the weekend of Feb. 18-20 in the Buena Vista Ski Area of Bemidji.
Maple Grove's 10K freestyle Snowflake Race is set for Feb. 19 in the Elm Creek Park Reserve. And the Erik Judeen Classic, also a 10K race, is the next day at the Korkki Nordic Ski Area of Duluth.
Michigan
The White Pine Stampede, Feb. 5 in Mancelona, will include 10K, 20K and 50K distances. On Feb. 6, Women's Ski and Snowshoe Tours (3K, 5K and 10K) will be held in Marquette and Traverse City.
The 15K Brockway Challenge, held in Copper Harbor in northern Keweenaw County, is scheduled for Feb. 12. The same day, the North American Vasa Festival of Races (12K, 27K and 50K classic; 27K, and 50K freestyle; 3K and 12K tours; 1K and 3K for kids) will take
place in Traverse City. Feb. 13 is the date of the 16K Vasa Gran Travers Cross-Country Classic also in Traverse City.
Iowa
Open to Iowan and Illinoisan skiers, the Iowa Winter Games, Feb. 5, will include 8K classic and 10K freestyle races at the Mines of Spain State Park in Dubuque.
MARCH
Wisconsin
Moved back a week to March 5, the Howard Young Cup at Minocqua Winter Cup will include 25K freestyle, 8K classic, 8K high school
classic and 2K and 4K for youth. The same day in Brule River State Forest near Brule, the River View Loppet (12K classic, 12K and 24K freestyle, 5K youth) will be held.
The Chili Bowl Equinox at Trollhaugen in Dresser on March 19 is a 10K duathlon, requiring classic and state skiing. There will also be a pursuit and hill climb race.
Minnesota
The last of five ski races this season at Rainbow Resort in Waubun will take place March 5 the Rainbow Rendezvous XC Ski Race II (5K tour,
10K skate). In Bemidji that day is the Buena Vista Snowjourn (2K, 6K, 8K or 12K classic, skate or tour). The 12K classic Lotvola Cup is set for March 6 at Maplelag Resort in Callaway.
March 12 offers up the Salmela Cup Race/Twin Ports Championship (5K and 10K skate and classic) at the Snowflake Nordic Ski Center in Duluth and the 5K freestyle Hoigaard's Slush Rush Race at Hyland Hills in Bloomington. Duluth is also the location for the March 19 Wooden
Ski Rendezvous, a 5K race or tour on, you guessed it, wooden skis.
Michigan
The big March 12-13 weekend starts with the separate Junior Bear Chase Skate and Stride races on the Swedetown Trails of Calumet on Saturday. Sunday is the 26K classic and 50K freestyle Great Bear Chase proper.
The season topper in the U.P. is the March 20 ABR Spring Race (26K freestyle, 3x1K sprints) in Ironwood.
Ontario
The Sibley Ski Tour (10K family fun ski, 2oK tour and 50K race) is set
for March 5 on Lake Mary Louise in Sleeping Giant Park, Thunder Bay. That's followed by the March 26-27 Subaru 24 Hours of Lappe at the Lappe Nordic Ski Centre, also in Thunder Bay.
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