Leading the pack in the mass start at the Pincushion Winter Festival were former Grand Marais resident Nancy Rova (No. 183) and Kerrie Berg (No. 165) of Grand Marais. Berg finished the women’s 18K Skiathlon in 2nd place, the top finish for local women. They were all smiles.
Bitter cold caused some last minute rescheduling for the North Superior Ski & Run Club, which hosted the inaugural Pincushion Mountain Winter Festival Friday – Sunday, Feb. 13-15 on the Pincushion Trails, just north of Grand Marais. Despite a few cancelled events all of the skiers and skijor racers had a great time on Sunday.
There were a number of races including a challenging skiathlon, similar to one held in the last Winter Olympics. Skiers started off in classical ski equipment and skated the West Overlook (WOL) and a lap of the Pincushion Mountain Loop, returning to the stadium where they switched to skate skiing equipment and completed a loop around WOL and the Snowman Loops before returning to the stadium and back out for a grueling lap around the North Advanced trails, including the famous free-fall downhill. The total distance of the skiathlon was 18K.
The male 18-kilometer skiathlon was almost a sweep by Thunder Bay skiers with David Askwith, Sam Greer and Julian Smith taking the top three places.
Above: Rachel Seim and her energetic pup Oulak won the 7K skijor race. Left: Tuuli Rova was one of the youths who enjoyed a 1.5K race using a unique style.
The women’s 18K skiathlon was won by Jenn Jackson of Thunder Bay, followed by Kerrie Berg of Grand Marais, and Fiona McKenna of Kaministiqua, Ontario.
Perhaps the most well attended event was the youth races, with bundled up kids competing in a variety of events, ranging from a loop around the stadium to a 3K race.
Another popular event, hosted by Go Dog North Shore, was a competitive 7K skijor event around the Pincushion Mountain Loop, and a non-competitive 3K event around West and East Overlook trails. Rachel Seim and Oulak took first place in the 7K race. Local skiers swept the 3K skijor race in the following order: Becky Bartol and Charles, Cathy Quinn and Lucky LaRoux, Barb Heideman and Robi and Emma Crook and Luke.
Overall a great day on the wonderful Pincushion Trails. For more winter fun, the community is invited to the Dog Days of Winter on Sunday, March 8 on Poplar Lake. There will be sled dog races, snowman contests, and more skijoring. For information, look for Dog Days of Winter on Facebook.
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