Caledonia Nordic Ski Club gets set for COVID-friendly ‘Grand Tour’ loppet

The Grand Tour starts Monday, January 4 2021, and runs through Sunday March 28, 2021 (12 weeks).

A new course is set and marked starting Monday of every week (starting with shorter and easier courses and gradually increasing in length and terrain) and can be skied at any time of the week. Maps of the new course will be posted each Monday on the club’s website, as well as their social media channels, and posted on the window of the club’s rental office.

And the idea for the Grand Tour of Caledonia actually stemmed from a trend that flourished in the early-goings of the pandemic, particularly the summer months.

“The idea came from the virtual marathons that were being run during the summer,” explained Kevin Pettersen, the club’s Director of Competition. “With COVID, and us not really having a sense of how other events were going to take place during the winter, we thought that we would try to develop something from the ground up.”

Rather than it just be a single day or weekend-long event, the ski club has made it one that will last the entire season with a new course set week-to-week.

“It’s something that I think gives people a great goal,” believes Pettersen. “It’s a multi-stage challenge. Basically, if you complete all of thew stages there’s a finishers medal at the end. It’s just a way to really give people something to look forward to, get them outside and being health. It’s not a race, it’s meant to be done at your own pace.”

Pettersen says they hope to draw a couple hundred people to participate in the season-long event, which is open to skiers of all skill levels.

Registration is now open for the Grand Tour of Caledonia on the ski club’s website. The cost to participate is $40.

by Ethan Ready

Caledonia Nordic Ski Club gets set for COVID-friendly ‘Grand Tour’ loppet

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