Black Mountain Classic race to draw top Nordic skiers to area

Denny Paull of Cheboygan has his fingers crossed that winter conditions continue through at least March 5 for the running of northeast lower Michigan’s only cross country ski competition. Last year, the first-ever Black Mountain Classic had a dose of spring at the wrong time.

“We had perfect conditions up until two days before the race,” said Paull, an avid skier and runner who’s originally from Rogers City. Days before the race, the temperature flirted with 50 degrees and it rained for two days straight.

Then, the day before the race, the temperature dropped to 20 degrees in only a couple of hours. “We got a quick deep freeze that made everything ice,” said Paull. “The DNR spent the entire night trying to break up the trail, but it was still a pretty scary race. So, we’re hoping that this year we’ll have nice snow, not icy conditions.”

MOTHER NATURE seems to be cooperating more this year with a mini-snowstorm Sunday that dropped two to three inches of snow in the area and improved the conditions of the more than 30 miles of trails on Black Mountain. Colder temperatures are expected through the next week. “The course looks like it’s going to be in really good shape and I think we’re going to have a really good turnout,” said Paull. While some races have a staggered start, next weekend’s race will have a mass start. The start and finish line are near the restaurant. The Black Mountain Classic is an 18.4-mile (30 kilometer) course, which was won by Paull in 2004. His overall time was 1:51:10.

“Black Mountain is an extremely hilly race,” said Paull. “There are some very challenging uphills and downhills.”

THERE ARE some outstanding locations for people to see the racing action up close. One is the DNR parking lot along the race route, where skiers can be seen fresh in the early stages of the race, and during their return to the start line, when they are exhausted.

There will be competitors from Michigan, the surrounding states, and Canada. There are no other events of this nature on this side of the state, Paull said.

With the unpredictable conditions, Paull believes many skiers will be waiting until the day of the race to register, to ensure the conditions of the trails are good. There were 61 participants last year.