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2007-2008 XC Ski Race Preview
Meanwhile, the folks at Trollhaugen near Dresser, Wisconsin, didn't wait for Mother Nature to make up her mind. They fired up the snow guns and on November 7 invited Nordic skiers to get their wax on. How the rest of the winter will play out is anyone's guess. One thing's for sure, though: The mere talk of snow, among we ski racers, gets heart rates up. Now threatening to push us over the edge with excitement is the cross-country ski race calendar on the following pages and at the back of the magazine. Sticking with tradition, Silent Sports and Skinnyski.com have compared notes to help ensure we both publish comprehensive ski race calendars. Thanks to Bruce Adelsman's contacts and encyclopedic knowledge of the ski racing scene in the Midwest, Skinnyski.com is the best up-to-the-minute source on the subject. He has spotlighted what's new, what's changed as well as what's not happening this season. Newcomers • Speaking of ABR, a new ABR Trails Marathon on January 13 should make use of any more early snow the U.P. resort gets. • Minocqua Winter Park has added an Inga-Lami Northwoods 8K women's freestyle race for February 2. • The new Preseason Physical will be a 15K freestyle race on the manmade snow loop at Theodore Wirth near the Twin Cities. • The Marshall School in Duluth will host sprint races, open to citizen and high school skiers, on Wednesday, January 23. • The Elm Creek Thursday night race series, popular among Twin Cities skiers, is adding a classic division. Series changes • The NorAm series will move its sprints from Telemark Resort to the Marshall School on January 23 while keeping the weekend classic and skate races at Telemark. • The Capitol Square Sprints in Madison will move from January to the first weekend in February. • The Minnesota Skinnyski Series is adding the Boulder Lake Race and subtracting the Seeley Hills Classic. The Mora Vasaloppet and Pepsi Challenge will be the striding events in the series while Boulder Lake, Governor's Cup, City of Lakes Loppet, and Minnesota Finlandia will serve as freestyle events. Departures "Leaving the ski scene this season (and hopefully not permanently) are old favorites like the Double Pole Derby in Hayward and the Heartland Nordski at Standing Rocks. Lap the Lake for the Library and the Saux Head Sprints also close up shop this winter," Adelsman reports. Calendar highlights Evening mid-week racing begins mid-November at Tyrol Basin near Madison followed in December in Duluth and Elm Creek (Maple Grove, Minnesota). January brings in the final two evening race series at Lapham Peak near Delafield, Wisconsin, and Elver Park in Madison. The Blue Hills Ascent in Bruce, Wisconsin, and Sawtooth in Grand Marais, Minnesota, remain the traditional January kickoff races. The major marathons get rolling as well, with the new ABR Trails Marathon, Seeley Hills Classic, Pepsi Challenge and the point-to-point Noquemanon. February brings major events like the City of Lakes Loppet in Minneapolis, the Mora (Minnesota) Vasaloppet, Minnesota Finlandia and American Birkebeiner. But Adelsman says "numerous local gems" – Lumberjack Jaunt, Wilderness Trek, Stump Farm, Book Across the Bay – round out the busy month. Don't put the skis away in March, because there's the Great Bear Chase, Sibley Ski Tour, not to mention the Lotvola Cup, Lakeland Loppet and River View Loppet. So think snow, and away we go!
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