On January 6th, the Giants Ridge Ski Area hosted the Mesabi East Invitational. Over 850 Nordic Skiing student-athletes gathered to compete in Biwabik, MN. According to Coach Baylee Johnson, who coaches both the boys and girls North Shore Storm Nordic Ski teams, the event is the largest high school Nordic Ski meet in the United States. It is one of the biggest in the world, outside of Norway.
“The Mesabi East Invitational is always a fun one,” Coach Johnson wrote in an email exchange. “Skiers can see how they stack up against their peers across the state at this race and interact with skiers outside of Section 7.”
The invitational, featuring both Classical and Freestyle 5K events, attracted schools as far away as Fergus Falls, Hastings, Mora, Alexandria, and all over the state.
In a schedule update, it was announced that the Korkki meet, initially slated for a different date, has been moved to January 23rd due to snow constraints. Instead, the North Shore Nordic teams are gearing up for the Marshall Sprints scheduled for Thursday, January 11th at the Grand Avenue Nordic Center, situated at the base of Spirit Mountain.
Let’s hope for snow for the Korkki meet. As reported in a previous article, it’s a vintage meet that brings out some retro gear and clothing. “It’s a fun one to see,” Coach Johnson said.
