Thurdsay, January 30: 4pm-8pm: Packet pick up at Utepils Brewing

Friday, January 31: 4pm-8pm: Packet pick up at The Trailhead

Saturday, February 1:

• 7:00am – 2:00pm: Packet Pickup, The Trailhead
• 11:35am: Skijor 10K Begins
• 11:55am: Skijor 5K Begins
• 11:57am: Skijor 3K Begins
• 8:00am – 2:30pm: Bag drop
• 10:00am – 3:00pm: Utepils Beer Garden and Festival Village
• 10:00am – 3:00pm: Changing Area in Trailhead locker rooms (showers not available)
• 10:00am – 3:00pm: Finisher food inside the Trailhead

Course Markings

The courses are marked with colored arrows on sandwich boards located at trail junctions. Course marshals may also be present at critical junctions to guide and cheer you on.

Rules & Dog Notes

• Please view the Skijor Race Rules PDF. Participants are responsible for reading, understanding and complying with published race rules prior to the event.
• Safety is our top concern and many of the rules are in place to protect participants, spectators AND your dogs.
• Pulks, sleds, or other carriers are NOT permitted. Sit Skiers ARE permitted.
• It is greatly appreciated if you can take the time to walk your dogs in the morning before coming to the race venue. After all, just like their people, it probably feels way better to take care of this business before the race!
• It is required that racers pick up after their dogs!! At least leave the bag on the side of the trail if you don’t have a means to pack it out.
• You may bring your dog inside to get your packet. Outside of packet pickup (pre or post race), doggos will be allowed into the front part of the Trailhead (near the ticket office) for warming up. Please do not hang out in the Great Hall or near Mill Valley Market in deference to food safety rules.

Seeding

• Teams will be seeded based on prior Skijoring Loppet results as well as registration self-seeding information.
• Requests for seeding by Skijorers with no prior race history must be sent to info@k9powered.org by January 18, to be considered for this event. Request must include links to publicly available skijoring race results.
• 10k Skijoring teams will be seeded based on recent K9 Powered Sports Midwest Race Series Race results. Registration is required by end of online registration on January 22 to be included in the seeding for this event.

Handlers

• One handler will be allowed per team.
• All dog handlers must stand on the left side of the team they are assisting and must remain in place until all teams have passed. Do not attempt to move out of the way.

Special Parking & Race Options

• Note: Dogs are not allowed on the shuttle buses. But skijorers have some of the best parking options of any Festival participants. Check it out.
• Special Parking on Saturday!
  • We will do our best to provide the closest parking possible to our skijor teams. Watch your email for permits to park in areas not available to other Festival participants.
    • Saturday: Trailhead South Parking Lot or the Chalet Lot
  • Note that access to the Trailhead will be closed at Hwy 55. You will need to approach the both the Chalet and Trailhead via Plymouth Ave from the east or Golden Valley Rd from the north.
  • Watch your email. Permits will be emailed on the Thursday or Friday prior to Festival weekend.
  • Please be respectful of your parking privileges and do not duplicate or share your parking permit with others. Your pass is intended for one vehicle only.
  • You will need to print out your permit to show to the parking attendants- please have it ready on your dash before you get to the checkpoint. Do not plan to show it on your phone. It is too slow and hard to view for our parking volunteers who often have a line of cars to manage.
  • Please note that spectators coming to Theodore Wirth Park should plan to park at the Mortenson Lots (700 Meadow Lane and 4100 Olson Memorial Highway, Golden Valley). 
• Other Race Day Transportation Options
  • Most common is to bring a friend who drops you off and picks you up. This person can double as your handler!

Dropoff/Pickup

• At the Trailhead: Chalet Lot Drop Off Zone. Shows the location in the Chalet Lot where dropoffs and pickups at the Trailhead will be allowed (if you are not using the special skijor parking permits).
  • Dropoff/Pickup is not available at the Trailhead.
  • Please note that access to the Trailhead/Chalet area will be closed at Hwy 55. You will need to approach the Chalet via Plymouth Ave from the east or Golden Valley Rd from the north.

Road Closures

• Make note of these for getting around race morning. Be sure to let your spectator fans know as well.
  • Theodore Wirth Pkwy from Hwy 55 to Plymouth Ave: Saturday (7am-2:30), Sunday (7am-12pm)

Bag Drop/Claim

For your convenience, you will have the option of bringing a bag to have near the finish with personal items, e.g. warm and dry clothes, food, etc. We realize that few skijorers need to use this as they usually have their vehicle close due to the special parking, but it is available if you should like to use it.

• Provide your own bag. It should be a fully-enclosed or duffel-type bag.
• All bags should be marked with your race number. You may do this yourself or use the bag tags we will have available at packet pickup.
• We do not recommend that you leave valuable items such as wallets or keys. The Loppet Foundation will not be responsible for these items.
• Bag Claim is located near the finish area at the Trailhead.

Saturday Bags (Trailhead start and finish)

• You may drop a bag at the bag claim area before your event.