Canadian Birkebeiner
Statusactive
Genresporting event
Date(s)Second Saturday in February
Frequencyannual
Location(s)Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village - Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area, Alberta
CountryCanada
Inaugurated1985 (1985)
ActivityCross-country skiing
PeopleVolunteering,Nonprofit organization
MemberNordiq Canada

The Canadian Birkebeiner is the largest classic style cross-country ski event in Western Canada. Founded in 1985, it is one of three Birkebeiner Loppets held worldwide, the others being the Norwegian Birkebeinerrennet and the American Birkebeiner. The event is organised annually on the second Saturday of February by approximately 500 volunteers of the Canadian Birkebeiner Society. About 1000 skiers take part in the one-day event, which includes races from 2 km to 55 km. The three main races are the 55 km with 5.5 kg backpack, the 55 km light and the 31 km from Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, via Elk Island National Park and finishing at Washkahegan Staging Area in Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area, Alberta. The Canadian Birkebeiner is organized in the UNESCO designated Beaver Hills (Alberta) Biosphere. [1]

Origin

The Canadian Birkebeiner is named after the Norwegian Birkebeinerrennet, which commemorates an important historical event.[2] In 1206 a group of Birkebeiner loyalists, who fought for Sverre Sigurdsson and his descendants in the Norwegian civil war, smuggled Haakon IV, the widely regarded illegitimate son of Norway's King Håkon Sverresson, from Lillehammer to safety in Trondheim. As in the Norwegian Birkebeinerrennet, the skiers in the Canadian Birkebeiner carry a pack symbolising the weight of an 18-month-old child.[3]

History

On February 9, 1985, the first Birkebeiner race was organised by the Canadian Birkebeiner Society.[4] In total 127 skiers participated in the cross-country marathon starting in Devon, Alberta and finishing at Fort Edmonton Park. The Canadian Birkebeiner continued to be held in this area until 1990,[5] when, because of recurring issues with the level of snow on the Devon - Fort Edmonton Park trail, the event moved permanently to Cooking Lake-Blackfoot Provincial Recreation Area.

In 1996 a study of heart rates of cross-country skiers was conducted during the race, and the results reported in the Journal of Human Movement Studies.[6]

In 1999 about 2500 people took part in the race;[4] more recently the event has attracted about 1000 skiers.[7]

While the race is organized every year, it has occasionally been cancelled because of inappropriate conditions; in 2016 there wasn't enough snow, and in 2019 the temperature was below -25C.[8]

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 the Canadian Birkebeiner Society organized their first Virtual Canadian Birkie that attracted over 1100 participants [9] The traditional Canadian Birkie was cancelled due to the COVID-19 restrictions in 2021. [10]

Haakon Haakonson Award

Since 1990 skiers that have completed all three international Birkebeiner long distance cross-country ski races - Birkebeinerrennet in Norway, the American Birkebeiner and the Canadian Birkebeiner - receive the Haakon Haakonson Award.[11] The award is an initiative of the Canadian Birkebeiner Society to recognise the skier's dedication to the Birkebeiner races. In 2019 a total of 175 skiers received the award.

References

  1. ↑ Do you know?, The Beaver Hills Biosphere, February 1, 2022.
  2. ↑ Olympic Review. International Olympic Committee,.; 1988. p. 163.
  3. ↑ Nature First: Outdoor Life the Friluftsliv Way. Dundurn; 31 July 2007. ISBN 978-1-4597-1839-5. p. 190.
  4. 1 2 Parkinson Disease: A Health Policy Perspective. John Wiley & Sons; 16 February 2010. ISBN 978-3-527-62949-7. p. 121.
  5. ↑ John Peaker. The Complete Guide to Cross Country Skiing in Canada. Doubleday Canada, Limited; 1 January 1987. ISBN 978-0-385-25101-3. p. 94.
  6. ↑ Journal of Human Movement Studies. Vol. 31. Teviot Scientific.; 1996. p. 161–163.
  7. ↑ "Favourable conditions draw around 1,000 to annual Birkebeiner". Edmonton Journal, Hina Alam, February 11, 2018
  8. ↑ Birkebeiner Ski Festival forced to cancel 2019 event due to extreme cold. By Karen Bartko and Emily Mertz, Global News, February 5, 2019
  9. ↑ "Virtual Birkie managed to attract more than 1,100 skiers". Sherwood Park News, Shane Jones, April 9, 2021
  10. ↑ "2021 Canadian Birkie Ski Festival cancelled due to COVID-19". Global News, Caley Gibson, January 27, 2021
  11. ↑ "Edmonton senior to ski Canadian Birkebeiner in preparation for 66-km skimarathon in Estonia". Nick Lees, Edmonton Journal, January 22, 2017
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