SISU Cross Country Ski Fest
Celebrating Winter in Michigan's Upper Peninsula
Established in 2010, the SISU Ski Fest is a full weekend in Ironwood dedicated to celebrating cross-country skiing and other winter silent sports. There are few places where you can actually celebrate winter and enjoy it, and an area that gets 300+ inches of snow during the coldest months is a pretty great place to do just that.
What Does SISU Even Mean?
Let's start with the name "SISU." What is it? "SISU" is a uniquely Finnish word meaning to embody extraordinary determination, resilience, grit, and courage to persevere through extreme adversity. It's more than an act of bravery, it's a relentless sense of "fire in the belly" that keeps someone going even in the harsh depths of winter.
Something ancient Finns needed a lot of to survive war, winter, or worse.
Lucky for us, old habits die hard, and there are a lot of descendants of those Finns here in the U.P. still exercising that "SISU" spirit.
The Main Event: Cross-Country Racing
When I say exercise, I do mean exercise, because the SISU Ski Fest is ultimately a cross-country ski race with other fun outdoor winter sport-related community events and demos happening around the area.
This makes sense seeing as Iron County tends to get an average of 300 inches of snow and is home to three ski areas (Big Powderhorn, Mount Ripley, and Snowriver/Indianhead), four Nordic ski areas, North America's largest ski jump (Copper Peak), and a community college that specializes in ski area management.
What can I say? The people like winter up here. Nothing slowed down when the snow started to fall.
The main event of the ski festival is the 30/15K cross-country ski race, where racers can expect well-groomed trails that begin at ABR Trails and end in downtown Ironwood. Pasties are a delicacy around here, and that's what they're fueling their skiers with post-race. Which, to me, is hilarious because it's just a bunch of meat and potatoes in pie dough.
The Downtown Finish Line
The finish line in downtown for the cross-country races was the real highlight. And maybe that's how all XC ski races are, I wouldn't know, this was my first experience. But there was loud music, people cheering as skiers crossed the finish line, and cowbells. Lots of cowbells.
Race organizers did a great job of keeping the energy up while racers crossed the finish line in Ironwood's city center, with music and warm water at the ready. There was a great turnout from the community.
Side quests and Bonus Events
The other events included a depot dash for kids, a cross-country expo with vendors, and an awards ceremony that concluded the day.
I'm sure I would have more to write about if I understood what type of antidepressant you need to be on to enjoy cross-country skiing. As a downhill skier, the least enjoyable part of my day is when you hit a long traverse on a mountain trying to get to your final destination.
To each their own. Some people would ask me how many times I was dropped as a child to enjoy throwing myself down a mountain on two twigs. What I'm saying is this was a great event for the right people.
If you've got SISU in your blood and love the idea of racing through snow-covered trails in one of the snowiest regions in the country, this festival is for you. The community shows up, the energy is high, and the spirit of perseverance is alive and well in Ironwood every winter.
