The Birkie

The “Birkie”, a skiing event that takes place in our very own small town of Hayward, Wisconsin, had its 50th ski race this last February, and people from all over the country came to participate. However, this year’s Birkie was different from others in the past. Due to the unfortunate weather, there was no snow for the event. This, of course, had ramifications for the event as a whole and the tourism that comes along with it.
There was little snow on the days leading up to the event, and the temperature even got up in the fifties at times. This caused the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation to decide to have the course as laps around Telemark, made using man-made snow, not the usual race that ends at Hayward. Also, they chose only the elite skiers to ski the full fifty kilometers, while everybody else did thirty kilometers. One of those skiers, Seth Becker, from our very own HHS ski team, skied his first Birkie using classic skis. When asked what the conditions were like he said, “Snow was okay for the first two laps, but turned to slush by the third lap.” Despite the condition, it seemed like he had fun and he said he would do it again next year. Sadly, the races this year will not count for placement next year.
Charlie Munich, a nineteen-time skier of the Birkie had similar thoughts about the Birkie. Charlie said, “I skied Wednesday, so I was one of the first people who got to experience the Birkie with the artificial snow. It was far better than I had expected it would be, and I was surprised about how good the snow was. We were skiing across a golf course and we could see grass around the holes while skiing.” Charlie then went on to say how the only part where the snow was subpar was where they handed out gifts at the end. Aside from that part, the entirety of the trail was wonderful.
Due to the unfortunate weather, this year’s Birkie wasn’t the grand fifty-year celebration of the event that many people hoped for, but it was still an enjoyable event. Because of the volunteers and Birkie personnel who worked hard and never gave up, the event was enjoyable to all parties that were involved. The weather didn’t stop the event, and the Birkie was still what everybody had hoped it would be. At the end of the day, it should be remembered not as a Birkie that was subpar because of the weather, but a Birkie that happened despite the unfortunate circumstances.