Birkie ski race will go on amid lack of snow, but on a shorter course over more days
The 50th annual American Birkebeiner cross-country ski race will still take place in northwestern Wisconsin later this month, but over shorter loops of artificial snow, with skiers spread out over several days, race officials announced Monday evening on Facebook Live.
The Birkie is the nation’s largest cross-country ski race. About 13,000 participants — including thousands from Minnesota — signed up this year for one of several events, culminating in a 50-kilometer marathon that traditionally begins in Cable, Wis., and ends in downtown Hayward.
But this year, because of the historically warm winter and a dearth of natural snow on the trails, skiers will instead ski on 10-kilometer loops of artificial snow around the trailhead in Cable.
All but the elite skate skiers will ski a 30-kilometer race. Participants in the shorter Kortelopet race — which is traditionally a 29-kilometer course — will instead ski 20 kilometers. The Prince Haakon race will be shortened from 15 kilometers to 10.
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And to spread out the thousands of skiers as much as possible, the races will be spread out over several days. Birkie skiers who ski the traditional “classic” style have been moved to Sunday; skate skiers will still race on Saturday.
Despite those changes, race organizers said participants should expect more crowded conditions on the course.
“So you’ll be skiing with a lot of your closest friends,” said event director Kristy Maki. “And hopefully you’re all polite to each other and let each other pass. But we know that you shouldn’t expect to race it as fast as you normally would like to race it.”
This isn’t the first time the Birkie has had to adjust because of poor snow conditions. The race has been shortened or canceled several times, including most recently in 2017.
For the past several years the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation has invested in snowmaking equipment near the trailhead, to be able to put on a race when the weather doesn’t cooperate — something expected to become more common as winters warm and snow cover becomes less consistent.
One benefit of this year’s modified schedule is that the looped course means spectators will have a chance to see racers pass more frequently, including Minnesota native Jessie Diggins and other World Cup skiers, who plan to ski in a 50-kilometer race set aside for elite skiers beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 24.
“It’s pretty darn cool when you get to be next to some of the best in the world,” said executive director Ben Popp.