A Korteloppet struggle

Sat, Feb  21, 2026 - By Carol Mueller-Brumbaugh

The start of the 2026 Korteloppet 29K featured extremely icy conditions for Ernie and me. We agreed to start and finish together as our first XC ski race skiing together in our 45 years of racing.

Conditions were so icy for Ernie's balance issues, caused by Parkinson disease, that we bailed after 9K. He said I could keep going if I wanted, but I decided not to, having already skied 1 hour and 25 minutes with him. Good thing, because conditions deteriorated after that to sheer ice on the course for the next hilly 20K, followed by 4-6" of water on Lake Hayward 3-4K crossing!

The weather the previous 5 days was a sunny 50°F followed by rain with no time to drain the water off the lake. It was a "cold plunge" for those skiers who fell on the lake, to be freezing cold and wet for the remaining 5K. You could feel their chill on Hayward Main Street as they struggled to finish the last 1K.

Definitely, Sisu conditions out there and very slow times for Classic skiers with no grip, regardless of using skins, pattern skis, or wax, and uncontrollable downhills!