The Cote Dame Marie Ski Loppet is one of the first few races early in the MI Cup series held in Hanson Hills, Grayling, MI, and is a fun freestyle/skate race for skiiers of all levels. The women complete 13km, the men 26km, while the juniors do a 7.5km race. There are also citizen skate race options, but do not count towards MI Cup points. The event is very affordable at only $20 and is a ton of fun for the local XC skiing community!
It was a cold freezing day, a shocking -20°C (-4°F) on a January morning. Thankfully it was sunny out and not too windy; the race was on! We hot waxed with some Rex LF hard green wax the night before, it never seems to iron on too well.. Maybe because it was bought during clearance and might be old?.. Do waxes expire??
The beginning of the race starts out with a gradual gentle incline over 2.6km with 35m of elevation, leading to a short steep climb of 15% grade, where the path splits between the 6k juniors and 12k seniors. At this point I always secretly consider taking the right exit for the fun 6k, however there’s always a friendly marshal there asking which race we are on, and wishes you the best.
The race flattens out slightly, but still entails some significant climbs with over 10% grade. It was a constant struggle pushing forward climb after climb in the frigid winter weather, as ice and snot built up on my ski buff, my fingertips and toes freezing in the wind chill. Nevertheless, the silent winding trail through the forest, decked with gentle pine trees, amidst the glitter of snow dust scattering reflections of the sun rays made the moment so rewarding. Everyone was positive and constantly cheered each other on. The enduring scramble continues! The last stretch of the course was mostly downhill, upon hitting the 11km mark, it finally became a nice enjoyable cruise back down the same pathway where we entered into the woods. Here, everyone demonstrates their beautiful glide and balance, receives cheers from everyone else, and now wants to go back for more :P. (Lucky for the men, they get to go for a second loop. They meet a crazy climb around the corner that is part of the downhill ski hill, and proceed to repeat the loop!)
The after-party of this event is by far our favorite and not to be missed. Instead of a post-event tent, it is rather a local hosting and sponsorship at Northbound Outfitters, an amazing bike and ski shop in Grayling, MI (who also sponsors the race). The sweet and amazing crew running the shop always cater a spread of amazing warm food and snacks for all participants. Whatever they prepare is 10/10 amazing and we can only emphasize that they hold the best after-event party ever.. and they’re not even a big event host! The shop also has a wide selection of sports gear and staff that have technical expertise in the biking, skiing and even canoeing fields.
Overall, the Cote Dame Marie is such an emotional roller coaster. It is usually one of the first big races to kick off the season, and the sweat and struggles of the race are always beautifully memorable and fondly reside deep in my soul. Nonetheless I highly recommend it as suitable for all types of freestyle skiers, especially the adventurous beginners who would like to push themselves further! My final timing was 01:12:19.226 in the 13km women’s race. An improvement from the previous year! Check out the strava gpx of the race here:
Other races near Grayling, MI: