What the Heck is a Loppet?
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Loppets are mass-start, long-distance ski events which attract all kinds of skiers from top-level athletes to the average weekend skier. Loppets are held in every province and territory in Canada and the biggest ones sometimes have more than 3,000 competitors. Loppet distances vary and often a loppet will have several different events for all ages and abilities so that all members of a family can participate.
The Canadian Ski Marathon is a160 km ski tour which takes place over two consecutive days; it originated as a Centennial event in 1967 and is held in the Laurentian hills of Quebec. Some participants camp out, carrying all their gear and food in a backpack and are named Coureur de Bois if they complete the full distance.
In Alberta, the Canadian Birkie (Birkebeiner) is held annually near Edmonton. It is modelled on the Norwegian and American Birkebeiners, all three of them commemorating an historic expedition on skis by two warriors who carried the infant Prince Haakon to safety in 1206. Skiing in deep snow, the warriors wrapped their legs in birchbark to protect them from the cold, hence the name Birkebeiner, which means “birch legs”.
The Lake Louise Loppet, formerly called the Telemark, has been held annually since 1952 and was Western Canada’s first citizens’ cross country ski race. The Kananaskis Loppet, or Cookie Race, was first held in 1978.
Loppet courses have feed stations at regular intervals along the way, serving up water, energy drinks, hot chocolate, cookies, fruit or other snacks for hungry skiers. Nearly all loppets are organized and run by volunteers, although some of the bigger ones have a small professional staff.
Photos:
Page 64, Canadian Ski Marathon book, 1974 or
Page 62, CSM book, 1974 or
Page 7, CSM book, 1979
Request to Jean Funk for recent photo of Canadian Birkie start grid
Lake Louise historic photo
Cookie Race photo
Attribute photo sources and other references
Bib from Canadian Birkie – Jean’s or Dave’s