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Birkie

At CyclovaXC we are super excited about the new Atomic Skintec ski. The Atomic Skintec is a performance, waxless classical ski with a removable base plate that allows you to quickly and easily switch out your kick zone as follows:The end result is a pe...

New Time and Location for 2013 Birkie On-Snow Ski Demo

Birkie On-Snow Ski Demo Moves to Sunday, Feb. 24 at Birkie “OO” Trailhead ( The On-Snow Ski Demo at the American Birkebeiner each February is a tradition for cross-country skiers from around the country and the world. Everyone from newbie skiers to elites can try out the latest in new equipment–skis, poles, boots, bindings, and more—with many products that will be new for the following season. Now, the venue will be bigger and better as...

Freezing temps & snow are in the forecast - this mean's that it's Stonegrinding Season at Cyclova XC!Freezing temperatures & flurries are in our forecast - and Troll Hollow is planning on firing up the snow guns this week.  This can only m...

Those unfamiliar with the American Birkebeiner and cross-country ski culture in the Midwest might not get it. How does a point-to-point ski marathon in northern Wisconsin 120 truckloads to Main Street. There, they spread the pristine white stuff 6 inches to a foot deep for the ½-kilometer finish. The ABSF also made sure the Birkie trail was in tact, unloading 500 totes of snow – each weighing 300 pounds – on the course, and shoveling...

Verbal Agreement Secures Start for Birkie 2013 (See 4/25/12 Press Release). Since then, however, the ABSF had not received a formal response to this long-term proposal and is therefore now focused on the immediate needs of the 2013 Birkie event and at least a short-term agreement for securing the start area. In mid-July both Kaufman and Robin Bucholz, current operator of Telemark, assured the ABSF through a verbal agreement that the 2013 Birkie can use...

Birkie Puts Trailhead Proposal on Hold, Works with Telemark (Updated)

(Note: On April 25, the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation announced it issued a formulated a plan to build about five acres of trails and a new trailhead on 120 acres south of Cable. Telemark joined the conversation and released a proposal of its own in late March. In a bullet-point letter, Telemark Resort outlined several possible solutions for keeping the race there, which included guaranteed easements to Telemark trails for Birkie events, free year-round access...

Ulvang Serves as MS Ambassador, Talks About Change

All American Birkebeiner coverage is brought to you through the generous support of SkiErg. Dr. Ian Duncan’s first phone call to Vegard Ulvang two years ago met a little dead air. It wasn’t that Ulvang, the executive director of the International Ski Federation’s cross-country committee, didn’t want to talk. He couldn’t at the time. The former Norwegian cross-country skiing superstar had the Olympics to tend to. Last summer, Duncan, a world-renowned National Multiple Sclerosis Society researcher...

USSA’s Bodensteiner Recalls his Korte DQ

All American Birkebeiner coverage is brought to you through the generous support of SkiErg. To this day, Luke Bodensteiner, the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) vice president of athletics, said people don’t believe him when he talks about what happened at the 1988 American Birkebeiner. Seventeen at the time and coming off a Kortelopet victory in ’87, Bodensteiner had registered for the 29 k in an attempt to defend his title. Everything seemed to be going...

Bike Advocate Rides to Birkie; Learns Hard Lesson Upon Return

All American Birkebeiner coverage is brought to you through the generous support of SkiErg. The reflective crossing-guard vest and orange hat peeking out beneath his helmet made him unmistakable. Steve Clark was that guy pedaling between Cable and Hayward, Wis., last week, looking like a vagabond out there weathering the elements on his bicycle. Those that stopped to take his picture could have heard his story. A closer glance revealed he was toting a pair of...

Dubay Discusses Mistake, Birkie DQ (Updated)

Note: This story has been updated to include thoughts from David Chamberlain, who was later proclaimed the 2012 American Birkebeiner classic champion. *** All American Birkebeiner coverage is brought to you through the generous support of SkiErg. Before and during the American Birkebeiner 54 k classic race on Saturday, the thought of being disqualified never crossed Joe Dubay’s mind. The 21-year-old said he didn’t think twice when his College of Saint Scholastica teammate Chris Parr gave...

Brooks Outsprints Gregg for Birkie Victory (Updated with Photos)

All American Birkebeiner coverage is brought to you through the generous support of SkiErg. HAYWARD, Wis. – Rounding one of last corners in the American Birkebeiner 50-kilometer skate race, Holly Brooks felt a pang of familiarity. Stronger than déjà vu, the 29-year-old from Anchorage, Alaska, knew she had been in a similar position in the same race before. From Brooks’ standpoint, finishing second in the 2009 Birkie by one-tenth of a second to Rebecca Dussault of...

Elliott Leads American Birkie Sweep (Updated with Photos)

All American Birkebeiner coverage is brought to you through the generous support of SkiErg. HAYWARD, Wis. – For the first half of Saturday’s 50-kilometer skate race at the 39th American Birkebeiner, Tad Elliott mostly looked down. The 23-year-old U.S. Ski Team member was hanging in there, but it wasn’t easy. Reaching for a water bottle around 24 k, he mustered the strength to ask his Salomon support staff where the frontrunners were. Last year’s runner-up, Benoit...

Elite Racers Ready for Birkie

All American Birkebeiner coverage is brought to you through the generous support of SkiErg. CABLE, Wis. – Matt Liebsch’s wife had been in a car accident. Lars Flora couldn’t feel his fingers nearly two weeks after a ski mountaineering race in Vail, Colo. Holly Brooks had just returned home to Alaska to recharge. Caitlin Gregg was waiting for an OK from her doctor. Tad Elliott wasn’t sure what to do with a weekend off from the...