THE GREAT AMERICAN BIRKEBEINER. Chippewa Valley author Jerry Poling didn't just write about the Birkebeiner; he has participated in 25 Birkebeiners himself. (Photo by Ben Hamilton)

There’s perhaps no one better suited to write the definitive book on America’s definitive ski marathon than Eau Claire writer Jerry Poling.

In addition to authoring two books about the Green Bay Packers and another about Hank Aaron’s legendary summer with the Eau Claire Bears, Poling is a dedicated cross-country skier with a long-term case of “Birkie Fever.” After dipping his ski boots into the shorter Kortelopet race in the 1980s, Poling began to compete in the signature 50-kilometer Birkie in the mid-1990s and never looked back.

“I love the challenge of the sport, but the feeling of gliding through the woods on a beautiful winter day is really special,” Poling said. Having skied 25 Birkeibeiners, he’s earned the coveted “Birchlegger” status that allows him to don a purple bib for the race, which each February draws thousands of skiers to the hilly course between Cable and Hayward.

1976 Olympic silver medalist Bill Koch called American Birkebeiner "a delight for Birkie enthusiasts past and present!"

It’s clear from from the 300-plus pages of American Birkebeiner: The Nation’s Greatest Ski Marathon, published this fall by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press, that Poling has endurance as a researcher and writer as well: He interviewed more than 60 people for the book and spent countless hours in archives in Hayward, Madison and elsewhere.

A book that covers more than a half century of history could be as exhausting as the race itself, but in Poling’s expert hands the narrative glides forward as smoothly as a skier on a perfectly groomed trail. 

The book was a four-year labor of love for Poling, who began working on the book as the race’s 50th anniversary approached, hoping to gather the stories of those who created the “Boston marathon of skiing” while they were still around to tell them.

Many of these memorable folks appear in the book, from the ageless Ernie St. Germaine (the only person to ski in each of the first 50 Birkies) to the determined Jacque Lindskoog (the only woman to complete the race during its first year, even though women were technically prohibited).

Perhaps most memorable is the race’s founder, the late Tony Wise, an irrepressible entrepreneur who created the Telemark Lodge ski resort. In its midcentury heyday, Telemark was the place to be for downhill skiers from the Midwest and beyond, and in the early 1970s Wise decided to add the up-and-coming sport of cross-country skiing to the mix.

"THE AMERICAN BIRKEBEINER IS A POWERFUL REASON TO FIGHT FOR OUR WINTERS."

JEROME "JERRY" POLING

author

Wise had the right idea at the right time: Create a signature ski marathon to promote the sport — and, naturally, his business. Modeled on the ski race of the same name in Norway, Wise created a phenomenon, which grew from 35 competitors in 1973 to more than 7,000 by 1984. 

“He had a leadership personality,” Poling said of Wise. “He loved to bring people together. … He just knew how to inspire people, how to manage people. He knew how to get things done.”

The Birkebeiner race start in 1984, pictured. 

Poling chronicles the bootstrapped nature of those early years as well as the race’s meteoric rise, which was driven in part by Wise’s vision and spare-no-expense attitude. That attitude eventually landed Wise in bankruptcy, and he lost Telemark — and the Birkie — in 1984. Though barely a decade old, the Birkie was already beloved enough by the people of the Northwoods and the international ski community that it simply couldn’t die, and a nonprofit was formed to oversee the race.

In between recounting the on-course heroics of Birkie champions, Poling shines a spotlight on the legions of volunteers who’ve dedicated decades to making the race a success, athletically and economically.

Poling, pictured in foreground, skiing the Birkebeiner. (Submitted photo)

“The feel of the race is very special,” Poling said. “The Main Street finish (in Hayward) is a real attraction for skiers — to have that sort of reward after gliding through the woods for hours. Suddenly you get greeted by 15 or 20,000-plus people with cowbells ringing and these cheers. It’s kind of like your personal Olympic moment.”

As it approaches its 52nd edition next February, Poling believes the Birkie is stronger than ever: From the full 50-kilometer challenge to the Barne Birkie kids event, Birkie week draws 12,000 skiers annually.

These days, the biggest challenge isn’t financial, but climatological: A warming world means less snow, which over the years has led to race cancellations and route abbreviations (although snow-making equipment helps).

“The American Birkebeiner is a powerful reason to fight for our winters,” Poling writes in the book’s conclusion. “Its growth over more than half a century has brought together tens of thousands of people from all over the state, region, country, and world; boosted the economy of northwest Wisconsin; inspired countless participants to get fit and stay fit and find out what they’re capable of; and generated midwinter heat and joy amid the celebration of snow and cold and forests and small-town America.”

American Birkebeiner: The Nation’s Greatest Ski Marathon by Jerome (Jerry) Poling is available through the Wisconsin Historical Society Press for $45 (wisconsinhistory.org) as well as at bookstores around the state • Poling will speak at a book launch at 1:30pm Saturday, Nov. 29, at Mt. Telemark Village Hub in Cable • He will also be giving a talk about the book from 6-7pm Tuesday, Feb. 10, at the Chippewa Valley Museum (1204 E Half Moon Dr.) in Eau Claire