Kortelopet Classic and Skate 29K
Save the Date: Friday, February 22, 2019

Is this YOUR YEAR to ski the Kortelopet?

2019 Registration Open!

All participants must be 13 years of age or older on race day to register for the Kortelopet.

Please register under the same name (exact spelling) every year in order to keep track of your previous race finishes.  If you are unsure of the name you have previously registered under, please call the Birkie office at 715-634-5025 or email registration@birkie.com. Skiers interested in skiing the Korte on Friday and the Birkie on Saturday can register for both races!

Protect Your Registration!

Get reimbursed up to 100% on your Korte registration if you can’t compete for a number of reasons including:

• A covered illness or injury
• Pregnancy
• You have a traffic accident en route to your event
• Your car breaks down within 24 hours of the event
• One of the many other covered reasons

Event Registration Protector also comes with Competition Care: a 24 hour assistance hotline that can give you race-day information, locate bicycle repair shops, find nearby equipment stores, and much, much more.

Add Registration Protection!

Entry Scholarship for Wisconsin Student Athletes

Middle school or high school students who are on a ski team in Wisconsin and have not previously skied a Kortelopet may be eligible for a free race entry provided by the Wisconsin Nordic Network. Contact your school team coach to apply. The Korte Scholarship is made possible by donations, contact WINN to donate and send a kid to the Korte!

2019 Birkie Gear Bags Are Sold Out!

Like Birkie skiers, Kortelopet skiers are a dedicated bunch!  In honor of a Korte skier’s determination and dedication, the ABSF is pleased to announce Skiløper, a well-deserved recognition program!  Skiløper, Norwegian for “skier” (pronounced “Shē-lōp-păh”), will begin in 2019 and will recognize Kortelopet skiers who reach the milestones of 10, 20, and 30-years.  In addition to the current recognition which includes a Kortelopet 10-year plaque and a pin as you cross the finish line, Skiløper skiers will be receive a unique bib and deservedly a little swagger for earning it!  Here’s how it works:

• Skiers will be recognized at 10, 20 and 30 years for their Kortelopet accomplishments!
  • Skiløper – Ti (Pronounced “tee” means Ten )
    • Unique bib for 10-19 years
    • Listed in the results of the Birch Scroll as a Skiløper – Ti
  • Skiløper -Tjue (Pronounced “tu-a” means Twenty)
    • Unique bib for 20-29 years
    • Listed in the results of the Birch Scroll as a Skiløper – Tjue
  • Skiløper – Tretti (Pronounced “tre-tee” means thirty)
    • Unique bib for 30+ years
    • Listed in the results of the Birch Scroll as a Skiløper – Tretti

If you’ve skied 10 or more Kortelopet races, you’ll automatically receive a bib for the next year in your overall Korte accomplishments as a Skiløper (Ti, Tjue, or Tretti!).

Congratulations Skiløper – You’ve Earned it!

The American Birkebeiner and Kortelopet utilizes a seeded start structure for four of its events:  Birkebeiner Skate, Birkebeiner Classic, Kortelopet Skate, and Kortelopet Classic.  Participants are seeded into starting waves based on their race history.  The first priority for wave placement is your best result from 2015, 2016 and 2018 Birkie events for the same event which you are registering- distance and technique (see the Wave Seeding Criteria tables below).  Wave placement will be made based on the top finish which matches the race you are currently registered for.  If you do not have a finish time for that specific event from those years, but do have a finish time from any of the other three seeded Birkie events in the same time period, you will be placed in a wave based on the best finish result from that event, plus or minus an adjustment factor which accounts for the historical difference in the strength of competition between the races (see the Event Adjustment Factor table below).  If you have participated in multiple other Birkie events in the past, wave placement criteria will use results from the similar distance race, then from a similar technique.   Participants who do not have a Birkie event finish time from those years will be placed in the last wave.  The goal of wave placement is to place participants of similar abilities together to minimize passing and encourage a smooth flowing race.

The Korte has three special waves- Elite, U20 and Wave 70, for younger and older skiers. See the details for these waves below.

New for 2019! Korte Elite Waves!

The Kortelopet Skate and Classic races will each have an elite wave.  The Elite Wave is a long standing Birkie tradition that will now include the Kortelopet.  The Elite Wave recognizes the athleticism that it takes to be a top competitor and provides the advantage of a less congested start.  The Korte Skate Elite Wave is comprised of the top 100 men and 40 women from the previous year (2018); Korte Classic Elite Wave is top 40 men and 15 women from the previous year (2018).  Participants qualifying for the Korte Elite Wave will automatically be placed in their respective wave upon registering.  Elite Wave qualifiers that ski a different technique in 2019 will not be placed in the elite wave, but may request to be put on the waitlist.  Skiers qualifying for the Elite Wave may register for the race until January 25, 2019.  Open positions in the Elite Wave will be filled from the waitlist after January 25, 2019.  For more information or to be placed on the waitlist, email elite@birkie.com.

Kortelopet Skate Wave Seeding Criteria

Korte Classic Wave Seeding Criteria

Event Adjustment Factors

U20 Wave for Junior Racers

If you are a skier born between January 1, 1999 and February 22, 2006 you will be assigned to start the Kortelopet in the U20 Classic or U20 Skate Waves.  If you are a junior skier and do not want to ski in the U20 wave contact registration@birkie.com and you will be placed in a wave based on the normal seeding process.

Registration for U20 Wave will remain open until the Wave capacity of 300 is reached or until January 25, 2019.

Wave 70

The mission of the American Birkebeiner Foundation includes supporting healthy and active lifestyles among people of all ages and abilities. Cross country skiing is a lifestyle sport that allows people to stay active and healthy into their later years. Each year the Kortelopet provides an opportunity to celebrate this for over one hundred skiers over the age of seventy! We recognize these skiers with a special bib and special wave.

Event/Technique Change Request

Participants may request to change their event between Korte and Birkie and/or technique between Skate and Classic at any time until 4:00pm CST on January 25, 2019. A change fee of $15 plus any difference in entry fee will be applied. You will receive an updated e-mail confirmation reflecting the change once the change has been made. If you do NOT receive an updated e-mail confirmation within 10 business days, contact registration@birkie.com

Click here to make an event/technique change request.

Wave Upgrade Request

Participants may utilize their result from the list of qualifier competitions to improve on their placement from the above criteria. Similar to the comparison between the American Birkebeiner events, the results of the qualifiers will be adjusted based on the strength of competition, distance, and course elevation profile.

Click here to make a wave upgrade request.

All requests will be charged a $15 service fee, whether a wave upgrade is granted or not. Wave upgrades are subject to availability, if the wave that you qualify for is full, you will be assigned to the next wave with space available. You will receive an updated wave placement email confirmation if an upgrade has been made. If you do NOT receive an updated e-mail confirmation within 10 business days, contact registration@birkie.com.

You may request to use a race result from the list of qualifier competitions to improve your wave placement. Follow these steps to see if you are eligible for an upgrade:

1. Determine your percent back in the qualifier race. Divide your time back from the winner (in minutes) by the winners time (in minutes), then multiply this value by 100. (example: your time 2:36, winning time 2:00; 36 minutes/120 minutes = 0.3 x 100 = 30% back)
2. Determine your Percent Back Equivalency (PBE). Add your percent back to the qualifier race’s Adjustment Factor, which is found on the Qualifier List. PBE = Your % Back + Adjustment Factor
3. Determine where your PBE would place you. Look up your PBE in the 2018 column of the Wave Seeding Table of the race for which you are registered. (Example: A PBE of 87% will place you in Wave 4 for Birkie Skate or Wave 3 for Birkie Classic or Wave 1 Korte Classic or Wave 2 Korte Skate)

Request an upgrade only if your PBE will place you in a lower wave. Make sure you have completed steps 1-3 before calling.

Click Here to View the 2019 Qualifier Races

Bib Number Email Confirmations will be sent out the week before Birkie Week

Pre-Race Bib Pickup: Thursday, February 21

• Location:  Birkie Expo, Hayward High School
• Time:  10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Details:  You will pick up your bib and Birkie Gear Bag (if you ordered one). If you did not order a Birkie Gear Bag, you will get a plastic bag. You will not receive both types of bags.
• Click Here for “Expo Preview”

Race Day Bib Pick Up: Friday, February 22

• Location: In the big tent at the Kortelopet Start
•  9:00 am to 11:00 am
• There will be NO BIRKIE GEAR BAG PICK-UP at the start. Plastic bags will be given to all those picking up bibs at the start. If you ordered a Birkie Gear Bag and are doing bib pickup at the start, you have two options to get your Birkie Gear Bag: 1. Bring your bib envelope (it must say “Birkie Gear Bag = Yes”) to the Expo on Friday after the race and pick it up there. 2. If you ordered a Birkie Gear Bag and are picking your bib up at the start, you can have your Birkie Gear bag mailed to you ($11 cost), up through March 15, 2019.

Race Schedule:  Friday, February 22

The race is run according to the rules and regulations of the FIS and any special requirements stated in the entry form, Birch Scroll, this web site, www.birkie.com and participant race instructions. Offenses against any of these rules may lead to disqualification for current or future events and the forfeiture of any and all awards.

All participants in the Birkebeiner must be 18 years of age by February 23, 2019. Kortelopet skiers must be 13 years of age by February 22, 2019. There are no refunds allowed for any reason including race cancellation. Entry fees are non-transferable between individuals or to future races.

Participants who complete an event in for which they are not registered (for example – ski the skate course when they registered for classic) will be credited for completing the race but will not be given a finish time, will not be eligible for awards and will not be included in the official results.

Click here for policies for using the clothing transport from the start to the finish Clothing Bag Procedures

Click here for the Participant Rules.

Kortelopet Skate and Classic Overall Awards

The top three male and female finishers across the line in both skate and classic will be awarded Championship plaques at the Kortelopet Award Ceremony in the Celebration Plaza in Hayward at 12:45 pm on Friday.

U20 Scholarship Awards

The top three U20 Boy and U20 Girl finishers in the Korte Skate and Korte Classic will receive a scholarship that can be applied to US Ski & Snowboard or US Ski & Snowboard regional partner training camps or competition trips that occur AFTER the Kortelopet race (and within 1 year of receiving the award). Eligible camps and trips include:

• National Training Group Camps
• Regional Elite Group Camps
• Regional Open Camps
• World Junior Championships
• U18 Scandinavian Cup Trip, OPA Cup Trip
• USA Junior National Championships
• NENSA U16 Championships.

The scholarship payment has to be sent directly to the organization (NOT the athlete) that is hosting the camp/competition.  The scholarship winner must communicate with the Birkie (contact john.oman@birkie.com) the name, email address, physical address, and phone number of the organization.

Scholarship amounts are:

• 1st Place $500
• 2nd Place $300
• 3rd Place $100

Finisher Recognition

Skiers finishing their first Kortelopet will receive a medal at the Finish.

Skiers who have completed more than one Kortelopet will receive a pin indicating the number of Kortelopets they have finished.

Age Class Awards

Age class awards will be awarded to the top three males and females, in both the freestyle and classic races, in each of the following age classes. Awards are based on the participants net time (finish arrival time minus start time).

13-14, 15-16, 17-18, 19-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, and 85-89.

10 Year Recognition

Kortelopet Skiers who finish their 10th race will be rewarded with a personalized commemorative plaque.

View Kortelopet Results »

Worldloppet is an international association of long distance ski races, created in 1979 from the inspiration of American Birkebeiner creator, Tony Wise. The Birkie is among the nine races that comprised the founding events, which have grown to 20 races on five continents.

Worldloppet Ambassadors

There are many Birkie Skiers who have experience traveling to races around the globe. If you are interested in a particular race or just about the WL in general, we can connect you with someone who can share their experience with you and help to plan a trip. Click Here to submit an inquiry.

Passports

Tens of thousands of skiers around the world record their finishes of the Worldloppet Competitions in a special Passport. Finishers of the Korte  Skate or Classic can have their passport stamped for Worldmaster Silver credit  or purchase a new passport  following the race on Saturday or on Sunday.

Worldloppet passports may also be purchased on-line by clicking HERE. If you have completed a Birkie or Korte  in the past, you can request that a stamped passport be mailed to you at any time. Cost of new passports are $35.

Worldloppet Breakfast

All are welcome to join Worldloppet Skiers, Delegates from other Worldloppet Competitions ,and honored guests at the Worldloppet Breakfast held 8:00 am, Friday, February 22nd.  More information and registration details coming soon.

For lodging information, see our Lodging page.

The First Lutheran Church will provide childcare for children ages 4-12 on Friday, Feb. 22nd from 8am – 5pm and/or Saturday, Feb. 23rd from 8am – 5pm.  Cost is $50/child/day. Lunch & snack will be provided. A registration form can be found here.  Completed registration forms and questions should be sent to Tiffany Chipman at tchipman@firstlutheranhaywardwi.net .

For additional questions, please contact Tiffany at 715-634-2141.

Skiers, whether elite or citizen, count on spectators to cheer them on as they set their sights on the finish line. Just when they think they’re fading, spectators provide an emotional lift that encourages them along their way. Catch Korte Fever!

Watch, cheer and ring cowbells for skiers.

FINISH LINE – MAIN STREET, HAYWARD
Join the celebration  at the People’s Bank Midwest Celebration Plaza on Main Street between 3rd and 4th Streets beginning at 10:00 am. The first finishers are welcomed with the ringing of the church bells as they come off of Lake Hayward on to Main Street at approximately noon. Good viewing is possible along the length on Main Street.
Parking is available at designated parking lots with shuttle service throughout the day. There is limited street parking with in the downtown area, respect the parking direction signs and utilize the parking lots.

Check back soon to get this year’s wax recommendations from our sponsors — Swix, New Moon, Gear West, Start, and BNS.