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A Great Time to Ski the Distance on the Birkie Trail!
Tour skiers choose their own distance and pace on the world class Birkie trail system. Park, start, and finish in the same location. We’ll celebrate with food, beverage, camaraderie and fun after your ski! Entry includes participant gift. Choose to ski 16, 27, or 47 km. The Tour is pure fun and a great way to experience the wonderful Birkie Trail system. It’s perfect whether you’re:
- A Birkie skier looking for a supported training day;
- A skier thinking about the Birkie event, but unsure about being ready;
- A skier who loves to ski, but is not interested in ski racing.
- Earn credit on a Worldloppet Passport.
Video courtesy of the Sawyer County Record
The BirkieTour is an untimed, non-competitive, “open-track” style event on a loop course up to 47 km. Spend the day skiing with family and friends with a morning start time window, short and long distance options, aid stations along the trail, and food and beverage at the start/finish when you’re done. Best of all, you’ll be skiing, either classic or skate, on one of the best cross-country ski trail systems in the World. You can even get credit for skiing a Worldloppet event. The three recommended distance options are: 47, 27, or 16 km.
Friday
January 11
Registration & Bib pick-up 5-9 pm at the Sawmill Saloon in Seeley, WI in conjunction with the Seeley Hills Classic bib pick-up.
Saturday
January 12
Registration & Bib pick-up 3-7 pm in Mooselips at the Sawmill Saloon in Seeley, WI.
Sunday
January 13
Onsite Registration & Bib pick up in the Great Hall at the Birkie Trailhead from 8:00 AM until 9:00 AM. Skiers may depart from the Birkie Trailhead between 9:00 – 10:00 AM.
Tour Course
The 2019 Birkie Tour will start at the Birkie Trailhead and make a 47 km counter-clockwise loop following the Birkie Skate Trail south to Highway OO then looping back north on the Birkie Classic Trail back to the finish. Skiers have the option to turn back north at Timber Trail Aid Station, making a 16 km Tour, or at Firetower to make 27 km Tour. Downloadable Map
Birkie Ambassadors
The course will be patrolled throughout the day by Birkie Trail Ambassadors; assisting with waxing, and sharing their experiences with the Birkie Trails and Birkie Races. Look for the yellow Ambassador bibs.
Aid Stations
Your Tour will be fully supported with 3 Aid Stations along the course. Each station will be equipped with a team of volunteers that will help you to fuel up with food and drink, keeping you on track to meet your distance goal.
After Ski Meal
After skiing, relax in the Great Hall with a meal from the Northern Lakes Cooperative CENEX Corner Deli and a Birkie Brew-ski. All skiers will receive a greek chicken pita meal and a beer!
Cut-Off Times
All good things must come to an end, so in order to get all the skiers and volunteers back to the finish at the Birkie Trailhead by 3:00 pm, the following cut-off times will be in place. Skiers heading southbound who do not make the times will be turned back north. Skiers heading northbound who do not make the times will be transported back to the Birkie Trailhead. The maximum time to finish a Tour is 6 hours. In order to meet the cut-off times a skier skiing the 47 km course needs to start at 9:00 am and ski 8 km per hour, including stops.
| Location | Kilometers from the Start | Time |
|---|
| Start | 0 km
| 10:00 am |
| Boedecker Aid Station - Southbound | 16.5 km | 11:15 am |
| Boedecker Aid Station - Northbound | 26.5 km | 12:20 pm |
| Firetower Aid Station - Northbound | 32 km | 1:00 pm |
| Timber Trail Aid Station - Northbound | 38.5 km | 1:50 pm |
| Finish | 47 km | 3:00 pm |
Presenting Sponsor of the BirkieTour
Volunteers make this event possible! We need help at aid stations, parking cars, serving food and course support. If you are interested in helping out – contact Ronda Tworek at the Birkie office at 715.634.5025 x:2,2 or ronda.tworek@birkie.com.
Additionally, if you are a non-profit youth group, there are opportunities to raise money for your organization by volunteering at our events – give the office a call!
Skiers participating in the BirkieTour may use the event to obtain Worldloppet Gold credit (you must participate in the 47K Tour ) or Worldloppet Silver credit (if you complete the 27K Tour).
Bring your Worldloppet passport for your participation stamp and participation verification.
