"This is Good Living"

Behind the Scenes at the Birkie with Marshall Opell, Enjoy Winter Wax Tech 

My weekend started at the gate to my flight to Minneapolis. Dressed in their knitted sweaters and branded backpacks, Birkie skiers are pretty easy to pick out. Connecting with nordic skiers out in the 'real world' feels a bit like characters in Harry Potter meeting up in the muggle world.

When I arrived in Wisconsin I drove straight through Hayward to link in with Factory Team athletes, Annika and Simon. They were just finishing up their ski at the famous OO trailhead, the midway point in the course. With his session complete, Simon was kind enough to lend me his skis and poles so I could stretch my legs.

I skied my first Birkie as a cocky 18 year old freshman in college. I thought because the race was at sea level and in the midwest, that it wouldn't be that difficult. After three editions of the event, I now know that the only real flat part of the course is in the final windy kilometers across the lake heading into downtown Hayward.

The Birkie course snakes up, down and around a rollercoaster of hills formed by glacial sediment that was left behind after the last ice age. On this day, the trails were firm and fast. I let out a spontaneous shout of glee as I took momentum up over the top of a roller and skated down the otherside. “This is good living,” I thought to myself.

A red welcome sign on the side of the track caught my eye. I skied for a kilometer or so down a side trail until I came across a series of small, modern looking cabins nestled amongst the oak trees along the trail. I saw a woman in the distance stacking firewood and a friendly looking guy was emptying out a bin of ashes. I asked him, "hey there, what is this place?"

After chatting for ten minutes, I learned the basics of Mo and his wife Rebecca's ultra ski and bike friendly camp called Roam. Then Mo made me an offer I couldn't refuse. He said he'd get the fire started in the sauna and that it would be ready in about forty minutes if I wanted to come by after my ski.

I skied back to the OO trailhead, where I ran into Nick Brown from the Craftsbury Green Racing Project (GRP). Annika raced for GRP before joining the Factory Team and Nick was happy to collaborate on waxing for the weekend. I, for one, was grateful to be working with someone with so much depth in knowledge about wax at such a big event. For the next while, we tested several pairs of skis as we went out a few kilometers on each set, switching left and right skis, and then trading with each other, trying to find a consensus about which skis were running better than others. Meanwhile, I was trying to forget about the fact that the sauna was waiting for me, I did in fact have a job to do.There are a few different ways to test glide on skis and they have their pros and cons. For the Birkie, we tested on single skis so our left and right skis did not match each other. With this method, you have to be incredibly tuned-in to the feel of the skis on the snow. You're constantly asking yourself, "is this ski grabbing? Does this one feel more free?" As soon as you have an inkling for an answer, it's funny how swapping your left and right skis can make you second guess yourself. Once our testing was finished, I raced off to the sauna at the Roam camp. And yes, it was spectacular.

The next morning was race day. Even though I wasn't racing, I was hyped like I was. Beautiful snowflakes were gracefully falling on perfectly groomed firm fresh corduroy, hero conditions. I had a pep in my step as I fed off the collective buzz of anticipation from the thousands of skiers who were amassing at the start area. Some people looked calm and confident while others were tense and nervous, I was loving all of it. Nick and I did some final laps on our test skis to rule out any potential adjustments we could make to Annika, Simon, and the rest of the GRP racers skis. In the end, all we ended up doing was a final polish with just a little bit of structure on the bottom half of their bases. After the women's start, I got in my car and headed to OO to get ready to hand off a second bottle to Annika and Simon.

The scene at OO was festive in the best kind of way. Of course, the unbelievably corny Birkie songs were blasting through speakers along the race course. There were special Birkie brats infused with blueberries, cheese, and maple syrup being served next to a crackling fire. I had one. And then another. I handed Annika and Simon their bottles and was glad to see both of them in good positions at the midpoint of the race. I lingered on the side of the trail while thousands of skiers raced passed and did my best to contribute to the stoke that was so evidently swirling in the crisp February air.

By the time I made it to the finish in Hayward, most of the action had already happened. A speedster from France, Gerard Agnellet took the men's race while Sydney Palmer-Leger, fresh off the World Cup took the top step on the women's side. I was excited and proud to see my former roommates and teammates from Montana State, David Norris and Jessica Yeaton both finish in an impressive second place and was stoked to see Factory Team athletes Annika and Simon finish in 6th and 20th respectively.

Whether you're hunting for a result or a fireball shot on the side of the trail, the Birkie is a special event that's over half a century old. It's a gathering and a celebration. It's a challenge and a chance to get to the other side of yourself. I was happy to be at the Birkie in a supporting role this year but next time, I'm putting on a bib. See you on the trails!