(Press release)
Registration to Close 11:59pm, Thursday, November 3
The American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation announced today that registration for the 44th Slumberland American Birkebeiner, the “Birkie,” North America’s largest cross-country ski race, will close at 11:59pm, tonight, Thursday, November 3.
The American Birkebeiner (55K classic/50K skate) race is scheduled for Saturday, February 25, 2017; the Kortelopet (29K), North America’s second largest ski race, and Prince Haakon (15K), are slated for Friday, February 24, 2017. While both Kortelopet and Prince Haakon race registrations are still open, they are quickly nearing capacity with fewer than 185 remaining spots available in the Kortelopet and fewer than 250 in the Prince Haakon.
An estimated 13,000 skiers will participate in American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation races in February 2017. An international event, the 2016 race drew participants from 46 states and 22 countries to northwestern Wisconsin.
The American Birkebeiner is rooted in Norwegian history when two Birkebeiner warriors, so- called by the birch bark leggings they wore, skied two-year-old Prince Haakon, heir to the Norwegian throne, to safety on a long and perilous journey through the treacherous mountains and forests of Norway. Their determination is commemorated each year at the American Birkebeiner Ski Marathon as skiers recreate the courageous 55 kilometer journey.
New in 2017
- Friday, February 24, 2017: Both the Kortelopet and Prince Haakon races will finish in downtown Hayward with the 29K Kortelopet starting at the Highway OO Trailhead and the 15K Prince Haakon starting near Mosquito Brook.
- Saturday, February 25, 2017: For the first time ever, 44th Annual Slumberland American Birkebeiner skiers will line up for the inaugural use of the Birkie starting line at the new American Birkebeiner Trailhead near Cable, Wisconsin. Skiers will traverse the legendary Birkie Trail as they make their way toward the finish line on Hayward’s snow-covered Main Street.
Slumberland Furniture is the title sponsor of the 44th American Birkebeiner ski race.