Citing the potential for year-round use and other factors, the Board of Directors of the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation has voted to develop a new trailhead just south of Cable, off highway 63 and Leonard School Road.
The Board also decided to continue use of the Cable Airport for the start of the Birkebeiner ski races as long as possible. Directors believe the new trailhead will enhance Cable’s reputation as a year-round destination for outdoor recreation not only for skiing, but also for snowshoeing, hiking, running, and mountain biking.
According to the board, the new trailhead will be available to and used by the public year-round for hiking, running, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, mountain biking, and other non-motorized recreation.
In addition, the existing trail that uses the airport start area crosses private lands owned by six different landowners. If any one of these properties is sold or access is denied for any other reason, the competition would be left without a start location and the need to find a new one.
Use of several of these properties already is limited only to race day, and the use of the Cable airport also requires annual approval from state and federal agencies.
Building the new trailhead would provide a backup start area if and when any land-use issues arise.
Moreover, the planning, budgeting, and costs associated with using these private lands has also become a concern. During the past year, one of the private landowners initially proposed to charge ABSF a fee of $100,000 to $150,000 for race day use of the trail and facilities. While the fee later was reduced to $25,000 and access was allowed, that decision was not made until five weeks before the 2011 event.
In January, the Foundation will present its request to construct the connector trail, linking the trailhead across three-quarter miles of Bayfield County forest to the trail, at a public hearing of the Bayfield County Forestry Committee. The hearing will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at 6 p.m. at the Cable Community Center.
If approved, the Foundation will purchase 120 acres from two private landowners, and construction of the new trailhead would begin in the spring of 2012. It would be ready by late fall for general, non-motorized recreational use and for the 2012-2013 ski season.
Each year, Birkie events – including the American Birkebeiner ski races, the Birkie ski Tour, and the Birkie Trail Run & Trek – attract more than 24,000 visitors to Cable and surrounding communities.
