Volunteers needed for Library Restaurant Keweenaw Nordic Ski Festival Jan. 16-17

HOUGHTON -- Volunteers are needed for the upcoming Library Restaurant Keweenaw Nordic Ski Festival to be held Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 16-17, 2010. The Copper Loppet is on Saturday and the Copper Island Classic is Sunday. The festival will also include the Talvi Tohinat Skijor race on Saturday, Jan. 16.

The Copper Loppet has two distances, 13 km or 26 km, at the Tech Trails, including portions of both the upper trails and the Nara Trails. Start time is high noon on Saturday, Jan. 16. The Copper Island Classic on Sunday, Jan. 17, beginning at 12:50 p.m., includes a 2 km youth race plus the traditional 5 km and 10 km distances at the Chassell Trails. In the 5 km and 10 km, you can either race for time and age group awards, or you can guess your time and the closest to the actual time wins!

Or, enter the Paradise Pursuit and ski the 13 km Copper Loppet and the 10 km Copper Island Classic. Prizes will be awarded for combined times.

There will also be Great Lakes Division Junior Olympic (JO) qualifiers for youth racers both days and a shorter race for 12-13-year-olds on Saturday. The Jo qualifier on Saturday begins at 9:30 a.m. on the Tech Trails; the JO qualifier on Sunday is at 10 a.m. on the Chassell Trails.

Race organizers are in need of volunteers to help at the finish line, timing and start line for both days. The days are divided in half, so people don't need to commit an entire day (although if you'd like to do so, they certainly won't turn you down). Here's the scoop:

Saturday, Jan. 16 -- Tech Trails -- high school/middle school races -- 8:30 a.m. -11 a.m.
Saturday, Jan. 16 -- Tech Trails -- Copper Loppet (13km and 26km) -- 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 17 -- Chassell Trails -- high school/middle school race -- 9 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Sunday, Jan. 17 -- Copper Island Classic -- Noon - 3 p.m.

If you are available to help, please send Dean Woodbeck an email at deanwoodbeck@gmail.com.

Talvi Tohinat Skijor race to be Jan. 16

The annual Talvi Tohinat Skijor race will be held Saturday, Jan. 16, 2010, on the Michigan Tech Trails as part of the first annual Library Restaurant Keweeenaw Nordic Festival. Skijor races will again be contested over two distances: 5k and 10k. The 5k race will be twice around the Isle Royale and Superior loops; the 10k race will include one lap of the Isle Royale and Superior loops, interrupted by a trip across Pilgrim Rd. for a lap around the Pilgrim Rd. trails. The 5k race is for one-dog teams only; the 10k race is open to both one- and two-dog teams. The 5k race will get underway at 12:30 p.m.; the 10k race will start after the 5k race has concluded (target time: 1 p.m.).

Details on the race can be found online at talviskijor.com.

Details on the Library Restaurant Keweenaw Nordic Festival are available at www.keweenawtrails.com/KeweenawNordic/.

If you're interested in helping with the Talvi Tohinat Skijor race, please send Chris Schmidt a note at cts@xmatic.com.