Minnesota skiers prepare in force for the Birkie

Jonathan Rova of Duluth is preparing to ski his 17th American Birkebeiner cross-country ski marathon next weekend in northwest Wisconsin.

Which is nothing compared to his wife, Nancy, who will be skiing her 27th.

What keeps them going back?

"Part of it is the fun of skiing with that many people on the same trail on the same day," said Jonathan, who's on the board of the Duluth Cross-Country Ski Club. "Part of it is the tradition of the race that's been going on a long, long time."

The Rovas are just two of the 4,196 skiers from Minnesota registered to take part in one of the events at the 45th American Birkebeiner. The flagship race is the marathon, on Saturday — a grueling 55-kilometer race for skiers utilizing the classic technique; 50 kilometers for freestyle skiers.

There are more than 13,500 participants total this year, including more than 1,500 who have skied the race more than 20 times. Ernie St. Germaine of Couderay, Wis., will be skiing his 45th Birkie this year. He's the only person who has taken part in every race.

Those skiers come from all over the world, representing 23 countries, and 49 states; Oklahoma is the only state not represented.

And of all the states, Minnesota boasts the most skiers. Wisconsin comes in a close second, with 3,916 skiers.

Birkebeiner executive director Ben Popp said Minnesota overtook Wisconsin in 2016. He said he believes the reason is because as winters have warmed and snowfall has become more inconsistent in the past couple decades, it's become harder to train without access to trails that feature artificial snow.

"I really honestly believe, we've had some low-snow years in this span, and there's no doubt that Minneapolis, St. Paul and now Duluth, that have these snowmaking venues, it really props up the Nordic ski community," he said.

Popp said Wisconsin's population centers — Milwaukee, Madison and Wausau — don't have the same kind of Nordic ski centers with artificial snow.

"It's like trying to teach basketball and the gym is only there once a week, or once every three weeks, so having these venues that have consistent snow through snowmaking, it really allows the sport to grow and thrive," he said.

The Birkie trail winds through the hills between Cable, Wis. and Hayward, an area that typically receives a lot of natural snowfall.

But in 2017, a particularly dry winter forced the Birkie to cancel. It also prompted Birkie organizers to make a decision to begin to make artificial snow, "because we had to make sure the Birkie was never canceled again," said Popp.

Since then, they've invested nearly $250,000 to make snow to cover about the first three kilometers of the race course. And organizers are planning a capital campaign to explore what it would take to create a 25 to 30 kilometer loop — similar to what's been created at the Vasaloppet in Mora, Minn.

"So for years when there isn't enough natural snow," said Popp, "we could 'save' the Birkie by ensuring that we have a course so that everybody who makes the trip to northern Wisconsin — we're ready for them."

But that won't be an issue this year. He said conditions are perfect, with more than enough snow, and high temperatures that are forecast to remain in the 20s — perfect weather for the 25,000 spectators who are expected to descend on northwest Wisconsin.

In fact, Popp said one of the biggest problems they face is the lack of beds for all the skiers and spectators to sleep.

To help solve that issue, he said other communities in the region such as Duluth and Rice Lake, Wis., offer charter buses to transport racers to the starting line in the morning and return them home in the evening.

"It really is that one time of year where a lot of the Nordic community from all over the U.S. gets a chance to come together," Popp said. "It's really a celebration of Nordic sport, being outside, being active, and a great gathering of the outdoor active community."