Winter Fun, III, Luminary Loppet.

If any people in the world know that you can’t spend all of a winter season indoors, it would be the Minnesotans. To combat cabin fever, get some exercise, and just have a little fun, there are quite a few things they do during the winter. I’ve highlighted a couple in previous posts, but since I was feeling cabin fever pretty bad as of late (and since I seem to have to make and participate in my own fun), I decided it was time to find something else.

Enter the City of Minneapolis’ “Luminary Loppet”. No, it’s not about Oompah-Loompahs or a fancy new Scandinavian drinking game (“Viking Master, Viking Master – hooh hooh!”) – but it is a wonderful cross-country skiing event held on and over one of the many urban lakes here in Minneapolis.

From the research I did, a “loppet” is basically a Scandinavian term for race, but I’d say it has now come to mean more of a casual loop of some course with friends or a festival-type event. In this rendition, there is no winner, age groups, or pressure to do well. Most people probably only get on their skis or snow shoes a few times per year.

Now, my plan was to avoid looking like I wasn’t just a creepy middle aged guy hanging out on a lake (like the previous post) by volunteering at the registration tent for the event. It’s a short walk from my house and I knew it would be easy (so long as you’re literate). The race is held on one of the lakes and the start/finish line is in the hip, happening, hustling, and bustling neighborhood known as Uptown.

It took me a while working the registration tables to understand exactly what was going on for this loppet. 3,000 people had preregistered (and about 1,000 more day of) to make as many or as few laps of the 3km groomed cross-country ski trail. But, what was cool is that the event is held at night. Yep, once the sun sets, the race starts. At 6:30pm with the sun well down, the “loppet” officially got underway.

Now I’m guessing you’re thinking – “How do people see!?!” Well, they have that covered too. On the outer border of the groomed x-c ski trail, they have placed large, lit, votives made out of a block of ice. One is placed about every twelve feet along the trail. It’s one of the coolest sights to see.

Oooohhhh!

Aaaaahhhhhh!
[You can just make out the groomed x-c trail in this shot too - taken about 10pm]

I didn’t participate in the event (outside of my volunteering), but maybe when I own some snow shoes or x-c skis, I will. Oh, and when I know someone to do it with me too.