Birkie Tour
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Tour the Birkie Trail, Travel the Ski World!
The Birkie Tour is pure fun, plain and simple. It’s a great way to experience the wonderful Birkie Trail system with family and friends.
Birkie Tour skiers choose their own distance and pace, as well as park, start, and finish at the American Birkebeiner Trailhead. You can choose to ski 15, 26, or 46 kilometers, all with the support of Worldloppet country themed aid stations along the trail. You’ll be welcomed to Sweden, Norway and Italy with Blueberry Soup, Kringle, Biscotti and hot beverages served at aid stations along the way. Your entry includes a stainless steel carabiner mug to use throughout your ski. Plus, skiers will celebrate with an après ski celebration in the Great Hall with hot food, cold beverages, camaraderie, and guaranteed fun! The Birkie Tour is a perfect training day for Birkie, Korte, and Prince Haakon skiers or if you are…
- A skier thinking about a Birkie event, but unsure about being ready;
- A skier who loves to ski, but isn’t interested in ski racing;
- Or, a skier looking for more time on their skis.
- Plus, you can earn credit on your Worldloppet Passport.
The 2020 Birkie Tour will start and finish at the American Birkebeiner Trailhead in Cable, WI!
- Birkie Tour is an untimed, non-competitive, “open-track” style event on a looped course up to 46 km
- The event has a morning start time window, short & long distance options, aid stations along the trail, and food & beverage at the start/finish
- Ski either classic or skate on on the legendary Birkie Trail – voted the No. 1 cross-country destination in the United States by USAToday/10Best
- The Birkie Tour is going cupless! There will be no paper cups offered at aid stations. Please bring your own hydration pack to use during the tour. Check out the great participant gift if you are one of the first 700 skiers registered!
Registration
2021 Birkie Tour Registration Will Open 5/1/2020.
The Birkie Tour is going cupless! The first 700 participants registered will receive a stainless steel carabiner mug to use on the Trail during the Tour. Clip it on your water bottle belt and enjoy liquid refreshments at each aid station without generating any waste! Use the cup at home, camping, or anywhere you need a drink!
Participant gift for the first 700 skiers registered. Check out the 2020 gift!
| May 1 through October 3 | October 4 through November 21 | November 22 through January 15 | January 16 to January 19 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birkie Tour | $50 | $60 | $70 | $80 |
| Birkie Tour / Seeley Hills Classic COMBO | $100 | $110 | $130 | $155 Through the 18th |
Come Make a Weekend of Skiing on the Birkie Trail
We have teamed up with another legendary American ski race, the Seeley Hills Classic to have a full weekend of skiing, demos, prizes, and fun! The Seeley Hills Classic offers 23 and 43 km race distances on the Birkie Trail starting and finishing at the Birkie Trailhead. There will also be races for Middle and High School students. Click the “Register Now” button above to sign up for both events at once!
Schedule
Friday
January 17
Birkie Tour, Seeley Hills Classic & Combo Registration & Bib pick-up 5 PM – 9 PM at the Sawmill Saloon in Seeley, WI.
Saturday
January 18
Onsite Seeley Hills Classic & Combo Registration & Seeley Hills Classic Bib pick-up 7 AM – 9 AM in the Great Hall at the Birkie Trailhead.
Birkie Tour Registration & Bib pick-up 3 PM – 7 PM in Mooselips at the Sawmill Saloon in Seeley, WI.
Sunday
January 19
Onsite Birkie Tour Registration & Bib pick up in the Great Hall at the Birkie Trailhead from 8 AM – 9 AM. Skiers may depart from the Birkie Trailhead between 9 AM -10 AM.
Event Information
Tour Course
The 2019 Birkie Tour will start at the Birkie Trailhead and make a 46 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 15 km Tour, or at Firetower to make 26 km Tour. Downloadable Map
Timber Trail Aid Station
Experience a taste of Norway with Kringles and hot chocolate from Swiss Miss.
Firetower Aid Station
Experience a taste of Sweden with blueberry soup and GU Stroopwafles.
Boedecker Aid Station
Experience a taste of Italy with homemade biscotti and coffee from Hayward Coffee Company.
Birkie Ambassadors
The course will be patrolled throughout the day by Birkie Trail Ambassadors. Ambassadors have a lot of Birkie Trail experience and can assist with waxing and share their knowledge of 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 hosted by a team of Birkie volunteers who will help you fuel-up with food & drink, keeping you on track to meet your distance goals. The Birkie Tour is cupless in 2020! In an effort to reduce waste, no cups will be offered at any of the aid stations. Please bring your own hydration vessel or carry the Birkie Carabiner Cup gift to use at aid stations. We’ll make sure you stay hydrated!
After-Ski Meal
After skiing, relax in the Great Hall with a meal from the Northern Lakes Cooperative CENEX Corner Deli and a beer from Earth Rider Brewery, the new Official Beer of the Birkie!
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 46 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 | 11:40 am |
| Boedecker Aid Station - Northbound | 26.5 km | 12:45 pm |
| Firetower Aid Station - Northbound | 32 km | 1:30 pm |
| Timber Trail Aid Station - Northbound | 38.5 km | 2:00 pm |
| Finish | 47 km | 3:00 pm |
Sponsors
Presenting Sponsor of the Birkie Tour
Volunteer
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:2,1 or ronda.tworek@birkie.com.
Click Here to Volunteer!
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!
Worldloppet Credit
Skiers participating in the Birkie Tour 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.
