01/23/2007

White Pine a go — for now

Officials are holding out hope race will be held

BY JEFF PEEK

jpeek@record-eagle.com

BELLAIRE — White Pine Stampede officials are rolling the dice.

Jack McKaig, director of the 31st annual Antrim County cross country ski race on Feb. 3, said that committee members met Monday and decided to go forward, despite the fact that "right now, we couldn't have a race.”

A lack of snow has threatened the White Pine since the holidays, when unseasonably warm temperatures melted the early-December snowfall.

"We met today with two options — hold out hope for more snow or cancel it,” McKaig said. "We decided to hold out hope.”

McKaig said a decision had to be made Monday because $3,000-$4,000 worth of t-shirts, medals and other supplies had to be purchased — and bus transportation secured — in order to "keep things as normal as possible.”

There will be changes, however.

The White Pine, which has never been canceled but has been shortened each of the last two years, is usually split into three distances: races of 50 and 20 kilometers and a 10K tour. But officials have already decided that no matter how much snow falls during the next 12 days, there will only be one race, and it will begin with a mass start at 10 a.m.

The race will begin near Mancelona High School and finish at Schuss Mountain. How long it will be "is all up to the snow.”

"We'll ski as far as the snow allows,” McKaig said. "We're expecting minimal snow this week and a wee bit next week. We just hope it's enough.”

McKaig said the entry fee will be $35, which is the normal fee for skiing the 10K tour. Skiers who have already paid a higher price to compete in a longer race can either apply the difference to next year's entry fee or donate it to Children's Hospital of Michigan. A portion of every entry fee already goes to the hospital.

McKaig said "every effort will be made to crown men's and women's champions in both freestyle and classic” techniques, but he warned "there is a distinct possibility that there will be no track (for classic skiers).”

"It's disappointing, absolutely,” McKaig said of the changes. "But we're hoping that the risk will pay off and we'll have a race.”

For more information call (231) 587-8812 or log onto www.whitepinestampede.org.

The North American Vasa will be held one week after the White Pine on Feb. 10 in Traverse City.

Race director Bryce Dreeszen said late last week that "conditions on the Vasa trail range from good to very good.”

"We're optimistic that we can run a full schedule of races,” Dreeszen said of the planned 50K, 27K and 12K races, along with the Junior Vasa on Feb. 10 and the Gran Travers Classic on Feb. 11. "We're expecting to run the full gamut.”

Start and finish will be held at Timber Ridge Resort, just off Hammond Road.

For more information call (231) 938-4400 or log onto www.vasa.org.