Balmy weather cancels weekend Birkie Ski Festival events

Organizers of the Birkebeiner say rain and warm weather has forced the cancellation of the race.

While many are welcoming of the warm temperatures February has seen so far, it’s come to the detriment of some outdoor events.

The Canadian Birkebeiner Society has had to cancel its annual Pack Torskeklubben Birkebeiner at Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area this coming weekend as a result of spring-like conditions.

Cancelled events for the Birkie Ski Festival include the Classic Ski, Skate Ski and Nordic Fair.

President Charles World said they did an inspection of the 55-kilometre course last week and the conditions looked fine, but snow on the trails melted over the weekend while the area saw rain.

“It was really devastating to have heavy rainfall, which didn’t help,” said World. “It was very, very difficult for us to make that decision to cancel.”

After weighing out their options, Birkebeiner determined that they didn’t have the resources at hand to make the trail sufficient, even if they waited for colder temperatures and snow.

World says it has been a rough few years after the race saw cancellations due to COVID-19, a polar vortex and a La Niña.

“There’s always a threat,” he said. “For 42 years we’ve been in the second week of February … If we move to January, that’s a cold month generally, and cold is just as big a safety issue as deficient trails.

“The middle of February is fairly consistent with minus temperatures, and just occasionally, Mother Nature changes the weather on us.”

The 55-kilometre endurance cross country ski race extends from the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village through Elk Island Park and to Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area.

More than 300 volunteers were involved in organizing and setting up the festival.

Barnebirkie Family Ski and Viking Feast February events are still going ahead.