Skinny-Ski Crowd Prepares For Langlauf

A good dose of snow last weekend has paved the 10-kilometer way for the Spokane Langlauf Cross Country Ski Race.

The race, which has attracted more than 300 skiers in recent years, is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. next Sunday at Mount Spokane State Park.

Shorter Junior Langlauf races for kids ages 10 and under are set to begin at 9 a.m.

Sketchy snow conditions caused grief for race organizers in a few of the early years of the Langlauf, which was founded in 1980. But snow depth has never been a worry since the race venue was moved to Mount Spokane in 1990.

“It looks as though we’re in the clear again this year,” said Paul Smith, Langlauf Association president.

In December, the thinnest layer of snow in at least 20 years at Mount Spokane forced the cancelation of the Wild Moose Cup, a race designed to attract international-class skiers.

This year’s Langlauf has tightened up once again to a one-day event limited to the classic skiing technique. Last year, the Langlauf was preceded by a day of freestyle racing for skate-skiers.

The Langlauf will follow the tradition established in 1992 of giving awards to:

* The fastest skiers in each of 24 categories by age and gender,

* The fastest male and female skiers on wood skis.

* The 10 top fashion dashers who dress in a manner pre-dating the era of Lycra.

Everyone who enters the race qualifies for prize drawings totally $2,500. “We’re still the only race around that offers soup and food, pins, awards and junior races,” Smith said. “And it’s still the cheapest race of its kind in the Northwest.”

The Langlauf’s entry fee has been raised from $10 to $12, the first increase in 10 years, Smith said. Anyone registering for the race this week will have to pay the late registration fee of $22.

Although the race always attracts some of the region’s top skiers, most entrants are there for the fun of it, he said. Last year, about 350 people entered the Langlauf with 100 entries in Junior Langlauf.

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MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: GET IN ON THE ACTION * For the latest information on entering next Sunday’s Spokane Langlauf at Mount Spokane, call Cityline, 458-8800, ext. 5010. * To volunteer as a Langlauf course attendant, call 448-2693.