Hi Skiers and Friends!

It was a fantastic, albeit very cold year for the Birkie and we hope you enjoyed the event! We ended up with a record 9,216 skiers registered for the Birkie, Kortelopet and Haakon 12K races, and 11,150 total skiers in all our events. That is a lot of skiers for our community to handle. We pay attention to the thousands of comments you've provided and will be making some adjustments for 2012 to assure you enjoy the highest quality American Birkebeiner event possible. Survey results can be viewed here.  

Our 2011 comprehensive Birkie DVD is now available and it looks great! Also, you will soon receive your Birch Scroll Results issue. As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions. Please send them to Birkie@birkie.com.  

We're also working on preparations for the 9th Birkie Trail Run, Relay and Trek in September and anticipate another race finish at Telemark. Hope to see you on the trails.

Stay Fit!

Ned Zuelsdorff

Executive Director
ned@birkie.com

The 2011 Birkie video by George Desort includes race footage of the top elites in the 50K Birkie Skate and the start and finish of the 54K Birkie Classic race. There is also a chapter highlighting the additional events including the Elite Sprints, Barnebirkie, Giant Ski, Barkie Birkie Skijor and Family Fun Event.

Limited quantities are available. The video is only $24.95 including shipping and handling. Place your  order here. A preview of the video is available at www.birkie.com.
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The American Birkebeiner has set a cap of 9,000 skiers for the 2012 Birkie and Kortelopet races. There were 8,836 skiers registered for the 2011 races. A portion of this registration number will be reserved for foreign skiers. The cap was established as a way to maintain the high quality of the event that skiers desire and expect.

An overall registration deadline of January 31, 2012 has also been established for the event. The deadline provides the Birkie organization time to eliminate registration errors and issues, and helps assure that all the needed pieces are in place to again provide a high quality American Birkebeiner event.

The registration cap of 400 skiers will be maintained for the Prince Haakon race and the overall deadline registration will also be January 31, 2012.

Skier registration will close upon reaching the cap or the deadline. The status of registration for the 2012 event will be reported in the Birkie's Carpe Skiem electronic newsletter as well at birkie.com.

Wave Seeding Charts.  

The new "Birkie Honor Wall" sculpture at "OO" was dedicated on March 5. The "Wall" created by local sculpture Sara Balbin, provides a way to recognize current or past people or groups that love the Birkie Trail system for skiing, running, or hiking. It also provides a way to memorialize past trail-users. Stainless plaques are attached to the wall to honor these people. All related funding is solely used to maintain this World famous trail and resource. More information is available here.

for the National MS Society of over $220,000 from Birkie Skiers for Cures.

Thanks to all of those who made contributions and raised money for this great cause. A list of the top fundraisers and sponsoring businesses will be available in the Results Birch Scroll.  

By Randy Marks   

I found this old picture of me and one of my former students who skied the Birkie for the first time in 1978.  We used wood skis and skied on a narrow double tracked trail with trees only a hand's reach away as you plummeted down the hills. It was a mass start with no waves. You skied up a massive steep uphill next to Telemark and then plunged down the other side praying for your life as everyone converged on the narrow trail ahead.  It was GREAT! 

With a fanny pack containing M&M's and raisins and an Army canteen filled with Switchel I kept hammering away with my wood skies and bamboo poles until I got to the lake and heard the music ahead in Hayward. What a feeling and sense of accomplishment. 

I have skied six Birkies since and one Korte but nothing can compare with that first time.  Just like the first time you fall in love. 

Keep up the great work you guys do with the Birkie.  It is a Wisconsin treasure!  

Read more Birkie Fever Stories here.