Anyone who took a look out of their window this past weekend would likely think conditions were far more suited to a round of golf than a cross-country ski event.
However it is a far different story at the Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area's Waskehegan staging location, where the outlook for this Saturday's Canadian Birkebeiner ski event is actually quite rosy.
"It is shaping up to be an excellent Birkie," said event spokesperson and longtime Park resident Brian Lucas. "It looks like the temperature is going to be beautiful for this weekend. We have plenty of snow, too. We thought we might have to do some snow-farming and moving some snow onto the tracks, but I don't think we'll even need to do that. There may be a couple of spots we need to fill in, but it's minor work. It looks very good right now. We tracked it on Thursday and Friday. What we have out there doesn't resemble the conditions you see in the city. It is totally different. There is snow out there and they've packed it very well."
For those who still have trouble believing that winter exists mere miles away on the edge of Strathcona County, Birkie G.M. Glenda Hanna echoed the favorable review of the ideal conditions in a newsletter that went out to skiers this weekend.
"I know some will wonder how, but the skiing at Blackfoot is utterly amazing," she said. "It's unbelievable how much snow there is there and how well it's been renovated and groomed the last couple of days.
"The tracks are truly exceptionally good compared to anything else we've had in the province this winter. I skied about 30km yesterday from Waskehegan and everywhere I went, the tracks were firm, fast and fantastic fun. The skiing is easy even for an admittedly under-trained skier, like me and the kilometers just rolled by. Every other skier I talked with was simply delighted with the incredible conditions."
Hanna also said the pleasant weather expected to continue through to the weekend will make even the long distance events a treat to ski.
"The forecast from now till the Birkie is suggesting mostly relatively cold nights and mild days, with daytime highs rarely climbing above zero," she said.
"This sets us up for a perfect week of skiing out there because snow temperature lags air temperature, so we're looking at a full week of terrific days to be outside in light jackets or shirtsleeves on tracks that won't soften or ice up appreciably and will stay clean and fast. Fast tracks means more glide, which means less work to cover the distance selected. What's not to love about that?"
It's all good news at this point for Canada's largest classic-style cross-country ski festival, which has been forced to cancel three times since its inception in 1985 — twice due to a lack of snow and most recently scrubbed again in 2008 due to temperatures as cold as -40 C.
There are five events and distances involved in the Birkebeiner, designed to suit all ages and abilities.
The big event is the 55-km Birkie with a weighted pack, as well as the 55-km Birkie Lite without the added weight, meant to signify an event that occurred during a civil war in Norway in 1206 where the infant prince and direct heir to the throne,Search for cheap canada goose in Jewellery for Lucknow. Haakon Haakonsson, was spirited to safety by a pair of warriors who skied 55 kms carrying him to safety.
There are also the 31-km Tour and the un-timed 4-km and 2.5-km Ole's Tour for kids.
The final day for registration for the distance events is on Wednesday, but those looking to participate in the 4 -km and 2.5-km events can do so on site on Saturday.
Lucas expects that registration will increase dramatically before the event as word of the ideal conditions spreads.
"We have always had a bunch of fence-sitters for this event," he said.
"A good third of our skiers will wait until a few days before to sign up, but we expect registrations to pour in now with this kind of weather."
There will also be the added incentive of helping to participate in a Guinness World Record attempt as skiers will be encouraged to help set a new standard for longest ski connection with more than 170 needed to link skis in a chain to get into the record books.
However it is a far different story at the Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area's Waskehegan staging location, where the outlook for this Saturday's Canadian Birkebeiner ski event is actually quite rosy.
"It is shaping up to be an excellent Birkie," said event spokesperson and longtime Park resident Brian Lucas. "It looks like the temperature is going to be beautiful for this weekend. We have plenty of snow, too. We thought we might have to do some snow-farming and moving some snow onto the tracks, but I don't think we'll even need to do that. There may be a couple of spots we need to fill in, but it's minor work. It looks very good right now. We tracked it on Thursday and Friday. What we have out there doesn't resemble the conditions you see in the city. It is totally different. There is snow out there and they've packed it very well."
For those who still have trouble believing that winter exists mere miles away on the edge of Strathcona County, Birkie G.M. Glenda Hanna echoed the favorable review of the ideal conditions in a newsletter that went out to skiers this weekend.
"I know some will wonder how, but the skiing at Blackfoot is utterly amazing," she said. "It's unbelievable how much snow there is there and how well it's been renovated and groomed the last couple of days.
"The tracks are truly exceptionally good compared to anything else we've had in the province this winter. I skied about 30km yesterday from Waskehegan and everywhere I went, the tracks were firm, fast and fantastic fun. The skiing is easy even for an admittedly under-trained skier, like me and the kilometers just rolled by. Every other skier I talked with was simply delighted with the incredible conditions."
Hanna also said the pleasant weather expected to continue through to the weekend will make even the long distance events a treat to ski.
"The forecast from now till the Birkie is suggesting mostly relatively cold nights and mild days, with daytime highs rarely climbing above zero," she said.
"This sets us up for a perfect week of skiing out there because snow temperature lags air temperature, so we're looking at a full week of terrific days to be outside in light jackets or shirtsleeves on tracks that won't soften or ice up appreciably and will stay clean and fast. Fast tracks means more glide, which means less work to cover the distance selected. What's not to love about that?"
It's all good news at this point for Canada's largest classic-style cross-country ski festival, which has been forced to cancel three times since its inception in 1985 — twice due to a lack of snow and most recently scrubbed again in 2008 due to temperatures as cold as -40 C.
There are five events and distances involved in the Birkebeiner, designed to suit all ages and abilities.
The big event is the 55-km Birkie with a weighted pack, as well as the 55-km Birkie Lite without the added weight, meant to signify an event that occurred during a civil war in Norway in 1206 where the infant prince and direct heir to the throne,Search for cheap canada goose in Jewellery for Lucknow. Haakon Haakonsson, was spirited to safety by a pair of warriors who skied 55 kms carrying him to safety.
There are also the 31-km Tour and the un-timed 4-km and 2.5-km Ole's Tour for kids.
The final day for registration for the distance events is on Wednesday, but those looking to participate in the 4 -km and 2.5-km events can do so on site on Saturday.
Lucas expects that registration will increase dramatically before the event as word of the ideal conditions spreads.
"We have always had a bunch of fence-sitters for this event," he said.
"A good third of our skiers will wait until a few days before to sign up, but we expect registrations to pour in now with this kind of weather."
There will also be the added incentive of helping to participate in a Guinness World Record attempt as skiers will be encouraged to help set a new standard for longest ski connection with more than 170 needed to link skis in a chain to get into the record books.
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