This February I participated in 2 classic winter X/C-ski events: the Luminary Loppet on Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis on Feb 5 and the Book Across the Bay on Lake Superior's Chequamegon Bay between Ashland and Washburn, WI on Feb 19. I decided to report on these events together for several reasons. The events are both on Saturday evenings in February, they have been getting more and more popular the past 5 years, registration is required (this means $), the routes are lit with hundreds of luminaries, several thousand people participate, including many families, and there is a tent party after each event. This was the first time I participated in either and I have pictures of neither, but the respective websites have many good pictures.
When you register for the Loppet, you are required to pick a start time on the 1/2 hour between 6PM and 8:30PM. The intent is to spread people out over the course. The color of your bib indicates your selected start time. I observed, however, that there was no one 'starting' people for the respective heats and that people just filtered onto the course whenever they were ready. I started about 30-45 minutes before my proper start time.
The conditions for the Loppet were ideal - mild temperatures and great snow conditions -- a very pleasant evening that was a nice respite from a long winter. The course distance was about 3 miles. In addition to the several thousand registered, it seemed as if all residents from the surrounding neighborhoods were converging onto Lake of the Isles. I estimate that 30% of those I saw were not registered as they wore no bib. There were many people walking and snowshoeing over the groomed classic tracks. People would consistently stand and loiter on the track. Some people were skiing against the grain -- imagine a car going the wrong way on the interstate in rush hour and you get the idea.
The Book Across the Bay was very similar except that the skiing conditions were very icy. Some warm weather earlier in the week had melted off most of the snow from Chequamegon Bay, leaving hard ice. The race organizers did a heroic job of trying to preparing a skiable track across the lake. Like the Loppet, the hundreds of walkers and snowshoers managed to often block the ski course the entire 10K. There was a huge bonfire every K where water and snacks were served and fire works were being launched from Washburn much the way, a unique experience, what a great idea! However, Cristin and I both fell at least once and we struggled with the icy surface the entire course. Upon completing the one-way course at Washburn, the surging and clueless crowd made even taking our skis off a challenge. The streets of this small town were seriously gridlocked with traffic, and Cristin slipped and fell hard while walking back to the car, both the gridlock and her fall a fittingly frustrating conclusion to the event.
In summary, both of these events are very unique and have all the elements that have made them noteworthy and memorable winter classics. However, they both were SO terribly over crowded with several thousands of people that I will not participate in them again. I am sure 5 years ago I would really enjoyed these events - all else was equal except the crowds. I now know that I much prefer mellower organized events or even just a quiet ski on one of the many excellent trails we have available to us.
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