What’s new with the 2009 City Of Lakes Loppet?

Snow sculptures, the Ice-Cycle Loppet, the Loppet Ski Club – these are just some of the new and exciting twists one will find at the 2009 City of Lakes Loppet Cross Country Ski Festival.
Snow Sculptures. Four feet wide – by four feet deep – by eight feet tall. Sixteen snow sculptures will rise from the ground throughout Uptown this year. Frosty, animals, Uptown and skiing themes – the snow sculpture contest will have something for the whole family. Sculpting work will happen on the morning of Saturday, January 31, 2009. Take a tour of Uptown to see the sculptors at work. Judging will take place that afternoon and the sculptures will stick around until Sunday evening, February 1, 2009. For more information visit www.cityoflakesloppet.com.
The Penn Ice-Cycle Loppet. Loppet weekend kicks off with ice bike racing. Ice bike racing happens on a short track of ice – usually with studded tires. The event will feature many heats on a track of ice in the lagoon between Lake of the Isles and Lake Calhoun. The first heats of the Ice-Cycle Loppet will start at noon, with the finals at 2:20 p.m. Combine viewing or racing in the Ice-Cycle Loppet with cheering on the dog-skier teams in the Skijoring Loppet, which starts at 2 p.m. [Editor’s note: the Ice-Cycle Loppet resulted from the idea of Bruce Cochran of the Uptown Neighborhood News].

The Loppet Ski Club. Interested in skiing but need a confidence booster? Sign up for the Loppet Ski Club. The Ski Club offers a low-key opportunity to ski and learn skiing technique and to meet other new and newer skiers. Visit www.loppet.org for more information.

Don’t forget the Luminary Loppet, the Sons of Norway Minne-Loppet, the REI Tour and the big events finishing at the top of the Mall on Sunday, February 1, 2009. Find more information or register for the Loppet events at www.cityoflakesloppet.com.