Snow was in the forecast. David Eckel was psyched. He was trained and ready to compete with 10,000-plus other skiers who were planning to take part in the 2017 American Birkebeiner cross country ski races that run from Cable, Wisconsin to Hayward, Wisconsin.
With that forecast— that hope—Eckel and a half dozen hardy souls from Cook County made the trip to Hayward. Jan
Horak, who would have skied his 39th Birkie, one more than Eckel, didn’t bother to go. He was certain the 60-degree weather that had plagued
Hayward for several days had sucked the snow from the trails and for the second time ever the
Birkie would be canceled.
Horak was right.
Sadly, the snow missed the area. At 11:40 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 24, the
Birkebeiner Foundation announced, “After days of unseasonable weather, rain, and a predicted snow storm front missing the
Hayward and Cable areas, the American Birkebeiner
Ski Foundation regretfully announces the cancellation of the 2017
American Birkebeiner,
Kortelopet, and Prince
Haakon cross-country ski races.”
That didn’t mean the foundation was leaving thousands of skiers in a lurch. They took lemons and made, if not lemonade, BirkieStock 2017—the inaugural celebration of the American Birkebeiner Trailhead and start area.
Beginning at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, buses began transporting riders from the Como Parking Lot south of Cable to the American Birkebeiner Trailhead.
Eckel and Mike Costello skied an estimated 3K loop created by the trailhead crew, just short of the 55K race they hoped to race. “It didn’t matter. We had fun,” said Eckel. “Mike flew in from South Carolina (he’s a pilot who has a house in Grand Marais and South Carolina), and we had a great day.” Bands played for the 3K skiers from 11:45 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A soup tent was set up; Birkie Brew-skis were served to those old enough to drink beer. Demos were moved from Sunday to Saturday so participants could try out the latest ski gear and fat bikes.
There wasn’t any racing unless it was to get in line for a beer, but Eckel didn’t mind. There’s always next year, he said.
Leave a Reply