Courtesy American Birkebeiner
Snowless Birkie
Some Birkie ski events became running races due to the lack of snow.
Birkie canceled due to lack of snow, festivities to continue
The American Birkebeiner cross-country ski race, which draws more than 10,000 skiers to northern Wisconsin, has been canceled after a stretch of spring-like weather – including rain – melted much of the area’s snow. Organizers had hoped that a predicted storm would dump enough snow for racing, but the front changed course.
Events earlier in the week morphed into running races on the snow-free ground. See photos from the Junior Birkie, Barkie Birkie and Barnebirkie Adventure Run.
Birkie participants are invited to ski for fun on a 5K loop cobbled together by the trail crew, and you can still expect a festive weekend.
According to an update posted this morning, “Live music begins at 11:45 a.m. and plays to 5 p.m. Visit the soup tent, try a Birkie Brew-ski, watch the World Championships on the jumbo screen, grab a brat, visit the Birkie Store, and more! Plus, we’ve moved the demos from Sunday to Saturday so you can try out the latest ski gear and fat bikes!”
Exploratory drilling in the Porkies halted by warm weather
The Michigan DNR says in a news release:
After drilling four core holes, Highland Copper has interrupted its winter exploration on a 1-mile-square section of state-managed property at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park due to unseasonably warm weather.
A permit issued to the company by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources stipulates that exploration take place only on frozen ground, preferably when there is greater than a foot of snow cover.
WLUC-TV reporter David Jackson has more on the project, which environmental groups staunchly oppose. Earlier this month, the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition expressed “outrage and frustration” that the DNR issued the permit without soliciting comments from the public.
Coast Guard rescues injured ice climber at Pictured Rocks
Last weekend Munising hosted the Michigan Ice Fest, an annual gathering for dozens of ice climbers. Unfortunately, one climber had to be airlifted to a local hospital after an 8-foot tumble. She reportedly suffered head and back injuries but was in stable condition, WLUC-TV’s Harri Leigh says.
+ Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, which serves Lake Superior’s waters, is getting three new helicopters this year, Scott Longaker reports for the Duluth News Tribune. The MH-60T Jayhawk helicopters have nearly twice the range of the station’s current Dolphin-class helicopters.
Marquette County seeks funds for Sugarloaf Mountain improvements, which would include interpretive signs, structural improvements, better waste and recycling collection, a picnic area and a summit webcam. Kelsie Thompson of the Mining Journal has the story.
Balancing uses in the Duluth-Superior port: An update to the port’s land use plan “continues to press the importance of preserving the maritime and industrial aspects of the port,” writes Brady Slater for the Duluth News Tribune.
Thunder Bay looks to music as an economic driver: The Chamber of Commerce, tourism officials, musicians and other stakeholders met this week to discuss the economic potential of becoming a Music City, reports Leith Dunick for TBNewsWatch.
How a U.P. party store owner became a cult icon: Meet Phil Pearce of Phil’s 550 Store in Marquette, an old hippie with a famous face. John Carlisle of the Detroit Free Press introduces us to the U.P. celebrity.
Video: A winter tribute to Superior, Wisconsin. The same production team made a warm-weather video highlighting the best of the city, too.
Subterranean Duluth: This link’s a few years old, but it’s a classic – an exploration of Duluth’s tunnels.