The race took place near the Swedetown Chalet
CALUMET -- Saturday morning it was brisk in Houghton County, but that, of course, didn't stop 400 cross-country skiers from attending the 2011 Great Bear Chase. The race included a 50-kilometer freestyle and separate 26-kilometer classic and freestyle.
And the bear mascot was out, getting everyone excited for the festivities.
Organizers say the racing conditions were better Friday. With the snowfall Saturday, racers weren't able to ski as fast.
"The older snow is a lot faster gliding. We had really fast conditions yesterday, we've got this couple inches of new wet snow on top, and we do have our groomers out there finishing up trying to till this new snow into the old to firm it up and to speed it up, but there's more coming down, so it's going to be slower than it was yesterday, gliding for sure," says event M.C. Rick Oikarinen.
Organizers also say the majority of the racers were not from Michigan but Wisconsin, surprisingly. And there were plenty of others from Illinois and Minnesota.
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