March Into Madness Race Weekend

Wed, Feb  20, 2013 - By Denny Paull

Preparations are continuing for the 9th annual Black Mountain Nordic Classic 30 km Classic race on Saturday March 2nd and the 1st annual March into madness 10 km freestyle on Sunday March 3rd.

We are hoping for the traditional " lake start" for both races but have a contigency plan for an alternate start should water make the lake start impossible. Saturday's 30 Km classic race will again encompass the entire outside loop of the trail system at Black Mountain. Crews from the DNR and members of the newly formed Black Mountain Nordic Ski Club have worked hard throughout the fall and winter to brush out and widen the entire system. Face slappers should be a thing of the past on nearly all of the trail system including the very scenic "swamp loop" on the lower Presque Isle county side of the trail system. Jim Meyer has been leading a group of voluteers with both groomer trucks throughout the winter to groom and compact the system . Barring another weather disaster, The 30 km loop should be in excellent shape for the event.

However, we have been getting a lot of practice over the years with "weather disasters" and even if one occurs we should be capable of preparing a decent trail.

We are particulary excited about the trail for Sunday's "March Into Madness" 10 km freestyle course. The course is characterized by continuous rolling hills and incredible terrain. This 10 km course is completely seperate from the 30 km course hence those participating on both Saturday and Sunday will get a taste of all that Black Mountain has to offer. Work by the DNR this fall as well as a set of groomers capable of tackling all the hills has allowed us to finally gain skiable access to this section of trail. There are no long grinder uphills or tight cornered downhills but rather a myriad of rollercoaster type hills and a few short steep hills. We have heard nothing but rave reviews from people who have skied this course.

Finally for those wishing to non competitively tour the course, the 9th annual Marv Mendyk and John Hardin memorial 12 km tour will start at 9:30 just before the start of the 30 km race on Saturday.

A catered lunch and custom shirt will be provided to all 30 km and tour participants. Pizza will be provided after the Sunday 10 km race. Both events feature nice awards In order to have an idea of the number of folks to expect, an e-mail sent to [email protected] detailing which event you plan to participate in would be appreciated.

Further information is available on the entry form (PDF).