Award-winning book explores 50 years of the American Birkebeiner

Each February, cross-country skiers from all over the world travel to Hayward, Wisconsin, to compete in what has become the largest cross-country ski race in North America.

Eau Claire based author Jerome Poling, a longtime journalist and skier, chronicles 50 years of the American Birkebeiner in his new book, American Birkebeiner: The Nation’s Greatest Ski Marathon.

The book was published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press in October and was recently honored with the ULLR Book Award from Skiing History.

“As the 50th anniversary was starting to approach, I thought, well what a great time to chronicle 50 years of Birkie history,” Poling says.

Conducting over 60 interviews with past race officials, skiers, and volunteers, Poling says his book traces the Birkie from its early days in the 1970s to what it has become today, showing how the race has grown and changed over the years. 

He explores what Birkie week is like for both the town and the skiers, tells the story of race founder, Tony Wise, and explains the idea of “Birkie Fever, ”why people keep coming back year after year.

He also talks with participants from the very first race and traces the history of the trails, how they’ve evolved, and what makes them challenging. Illustrated with more than 150 photographs, the book gives readers a full look at the race, the communities that support it, and why it has become one of the world’s largest cross-country ski marathons.

“I felt it was important to chronicle all of that history but also to kind of celebrate what the birkie is and put it into a book because it is an iconic not only in Wisconsin but national and worldwide events, so it deserves a recounting of its history and a chronicling of its history because it is such an important event in the Nordic Ski World,” says Poling.

Poling says he hopes the book reaches both longtime Birkie skiers and newcomers, giving readers a deeper understanding of the race’s history and why it’s such a big deal for the Hayward area.

“One of my goals for my book in terms of the way I wrote it was to write it in a way that the person who has skied many Birkies and knows the races fairly well, and maybe even has been in most of the races, can read it and learn something about the races that they didn’t know.

But I also want it to appeal to the reader who is not necessarily a skier, maybe has never skied the Birkie, and says, ‘hey what is this event that I keep hearing about and why is it such a big deal?'” says Poling.

The book is available online at the Wisconsin Historical Society Press and the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation.

A small portion of royalties goes back to the American Birkebeiner Ski Foundation.

Poling will also talk about the book and take questions at the Sherman and Ruth Weiss Library in Hayward on February 18 starting at 6:30 p.m.