Within the city limits of Duluth we have Snowflake Nordic Ski Center, Spirit Mt., Bagley Nature Area and the Duluth city trail system.  Just outside of the city limits we have Boulder Lake, the Superior city trails and Korkki Nordic Ski Center, the focus of this post.

Korkki Nordic Ski Center is one of the finest single track classic ski areas in the nation.  It is a place where time seems to stand still. While skiing at Korkki, nordic skiers have a chance to “get back to the roots” of the sport.  Skinnyski.com has this to say about Korkki Nordic: “Korkki Nordic Center is a secluded trail just east of Duluth, consisting of a single-track classical trail. Wicked hills, flats, downs…it has everything. Trails were designed for racing and are recommended for those with at least intermediate to advanced classical skiing skills.”

Charlie Banks crafted the Korkki Nordic trails with an axe and grub hoe in 1954, to make a trail system for his Duluth Central Ski Team.  Charlie would often bring members of his Duluth Central Team out to Korkki, delivering them to practice and back home again in his car.  If you look hard you can even find evidence of the lighting system that Charlie installed to extend the practice hours for his team.  Charlie passed away in 1998, but left Korkki Nordic in the able hands of Mark Helmer, Charlie’s dear friend.

Mark has carried on the strong traditions started by Charlie Banks as well as added some new ones.  Soon after Charlie’s death; Mark Helmer and the Korkki Nordic Board started the Charlie Bank Memorial Fund.  This fund has generously distributed much needed monetary support to all of the area high school ski teams.  It is with this support that Marshall Nordic was able to purchase a Ginzu groomer for our home trail.

One tradition that has remained strong is the annual Eric Judeen 10K Classic Ski Race.  Held since 1963, the Eric Judeen race attracts skiers from Olympic level down to the newest Jr. High level high school skier.  Another tradition that has grown in popularity is the 100 and 50 kilometer challenge.  If a skier is able to ski 100 or 50 kilometers in one day, Mark will place their name and the date of their ski on the plaque in the chalet.  Just remember when you try the challenge, be sure to ski the entire loop, include the big hill to be eligible for the award!

I would like to encourage every member of Marshall Nordic (and anyone else reading this article) to consider purchasing a yearly membership at Korkki Nordic.  Korkki Nordic is a gem in the nordic ski world.

Membership application

Eric Judeen Entry Form for February 15, 2009

Eric Judeen Results from Feb 15, 2009

Link to a photoset of a day at Korkki Nordic

Saturday started off with a light dusting of snow on the ground and a temperature of 20 degrees. Not your normal climate for landscaping! Undeterred, the members of Marshall Nordic began spreading out top soil, raking and seeding. A huge factor in the volume of work accomplished was the expertise of Neil Igo on the skid steer loader. Neil’s son Scott graduated last year, but Neil still enjoys a challenge involving mechanical or electrical equipment. Over the course of two days Neil was responsible for literally moving a mountain of top soil. The complete photo set can be found at this link on flickr. Thanks to Neil and all the members and parents of Marshall Nordic for a great day of work. May you enjoy the glide down the ramp knowing that you played a huge roll in its creation!

Earlier this summer the Marshall School welcomed Barbara Brueggemann as the new head of school. Barbara is an accomplished cross country runner, former basketball player and a person who is very interested in all sports. As the Nordic ski coach and trail groomer at Marshall, I was very excited to welcome Barbara to the campus and show her around the ski trails. After an initial tour of the trails, I discovered that Barbara was more than just interested in the trails; she also wanted to be a part of maintaining the trails for running and skiing. I shared with Barbara my interest in hand mowing of the trails using a scythe. To my surprise, she asked me to do some research on scythes and to order one for her so that she could help with the mowing of the trails.

After doing an internet search, I found the Scythe Supply Company located in Perry, Maine. www.scthyesupply.com Their website was filled with fascinating information on hand mowing. They supply handmade Austrian scythe blades and manufacture handmade, custom fitted European style snaths (handles). For those new to scythes the American snath is bent and the European style snath is straight. The blades are different as well. The American style blades are longer, heavier and designed to be sharpened with a grindstone. The Austrian blades are cold forged and sharpened by a combination of peening and frequent whetting with a natural stone. Peening is a sharpening process that involves placing the edge of the blade on a special anvil or jig and repeatedly striking the edge of the blade with a hammer. This process “moves” and shapes the edge to the proper shape. The Austrian blades are then whetted after every 5-10 minutes of mowing.

Here are some things that I really like about hand mowing of ski trails by using a scythe. For a skier, the actual mowing is a great workout. The rhythm of mowing is similar to skiing. It involves learning technique and there is room for individuality. The mowing is quiet and no fossil fuels are burned when hand mowing. I have also enjoyed learning how to sharpen and repair nicks in the blade. The hand mowed trail looks great and it is possible to mow a large area quickly. According to The Scythe Book, an acre of land was what a typical worker could mow in a day’s time.

Our goal on the Marshall Ski trail is to mow as much of the trail as possible using a scythe. We have just 3.5 kilometers of trail and a good portion of that trail is covered in woodchips or is athletic field. We mainly use the scythe for the edges of the trail and in the woods. I currently have a bush blade which is shorter and heavier. It is designed for cutting heavy brush and small saplings. It is very effective on tansy and the brush on the edges of the trail. Barbara uses a ditch blade that works very well in heavy grass and light brush.

If you have any questions on mowing with a scythe or would like to learn more, please feel free to email me at djohnson@marshallschool.org or visit the Scythe Supply website. They have been very helpful providing equipment and helping us to learn about this “forgotten” art.

UPDATE

This past week (November 10) I received this email from Botan Anderson of Mystic Prairie Eco-Farm:

Hi Dave ,

I saw your Duluth C.C. Ski Club blog on the web, mentioning trail maintenance with a scythe. Just wanted to let you know that there is a more local source for scythes. I have a scythe shop here in Wilson, WI (1 hour straight east of St.Paul), and teach workshops on mowing and peening. The scythes I sell are the same as sold by the Austrian Scythe Association and feature adjustable grips and both the bush and grass blades are interchangeable on the same snath. I was trained by their designer and I import them direct from Austria. I’m also trained by Peter Vido and I also import equipment from him that people can try out at my farm. I have a farm website at www.mysticprairie.net . I do mail-order but prefer to sell locally to people that attend my workshops. There is a new video on YouTube that is an excellent example of good mowing technique. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVv597m848s The video features a 14 year old girl mowing circles through tall reed canary grass around a tractor that is symbolically “out of gas”. Thanks for promoting the use of the scythe.

Happy mowing!

Botan Anderson

Mystic Prairie Eco-Farm

715-772-4642

The ski swap sale is on Saturday, November 10 from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm.  This is a very popular event and the equipment sells fast.  I would recommend arriving at 8:00am to get a number for entry into the swap.  Marshall coaches and ski shop folks will be on hand to help you find the correct equipment.