Local ski relay sees great fun

By CHARITY SMITH

csmith@yourdailyglobe.com

ERWIN TOWNSHIP — A fun ski relay was conducted on Saturday from Erwin Township to Ramsay in Bessemer Township, by connecting several of the various trails, according to Scott Anderson, Anderson Bluff and River Trail Foundation director.

“One of our big visions with the foundation is to better connect ABR with the big trails,” Anderson told the Daily Globe in a phone interview. “This is a demonstration relay to show what that takes.”

The relay started at 9 a.m. on Saturday with Eric Anderson and Angela Santini who own and operate ABR Trails in Erwin Township, skiing together at the starting leg at ABR. Eric Anderson skied from the trailhead to the tree line and then tapped poles with Melissa Santini who continued on with the relay further along ABR’s trails.

The 47 kilometer relay consisted of 74 skiers divided into seven teams: the Founders, the Sisters, the Neighbors, Next Generation, City of Ironwood Miners, Wolverine and Iron Belle.

Organizers limited the number of participants because of the coronavirus pandemic. Keeping the numbers small, also helped with the organizing, said Scott Anderson.

“This was really a way to get some of the Ironwood skiers involved in the foundation and communicate more about it,” he said.

The relay was completed by skiing trails segments at ABR, and Norrie Park, Miner’s Memorial Heritage Park, Wolverine Nordic Trails and the Iron Belle Trail. There were some connection routes used that are normally reserved for the Sisu ski festival, according to Scott Anderson. He said it was a rare opportunity for skiers to get to ski those connections, outside of the Sisu.

The race was not only a demonstration, but it was a way for foundation members to get a better feel for what projects to take on over the next couple of years.

“What are the biggest challenges for connecting that we want to take on over the next two years? This will give us a first-hand look at that,” Scott Anderson said.

In order to include the Wolverine Trails part of the event, skiers had to walk across U.S. 2, but Scott Anderson said he hopes to one day be able to directly connect the trails. Randy Ahnen, a foundation board director who skied the final leg into Ramsay, said that perhaps one day there will be a bridge over the highway to connect the trails.

“I’m thinking that’s about the only way to connect Wolverine ... to build a highway walking bridge over U.S. 2 like by the hospital,” Ahnen said, adding it would provide access to the Iron Belle Trail on the south side of the highway. “That would be the place to put a bridge over U.S. 2, but that is so far off in the future.”

The event took a little more than five hours. The Iron Belle team reached Ramsay at 3:13 p.m. which was much faster than the board had anticipated. According to Ahnen, all the teams were running about an hour and a half ahead of schedule. The timing of the relay presented a challenge, Scott Anderson said. The foundation estimated times based on the number of kilometers in each leg and the skill level of the skiers, he said.

“We were all estimating (the times), but I think the skiing conditions we were used to the last couple of weeks where it was slow as molasses, because it was below zero where it was really slow skiing, but today is fast,” said Ahnen. “Especially on the downhills we were double polling.”

The race was originally scheduled to take place on Feb. 13, for Eric Anderson’s birthday, but it was postponed due to inclement weather. He said that the successful relay was quite the birthday present.

“That’s the finish. Getting to Ramsay is success,” said Scott Anderson.

The foundation hopes to hold more fun ski relays in the future.

The ABR Foundation was formed in July 2019 in order to preserve the ABR Trails for future generations. Its vision is to “sustain ABR legacy as the Midwest’s premier nordic ski destination for generations to come and connect ABR trails to the larger community.”

Eric Anderson and Angela Santini plan on donating a “significant” portion of their land to the nonprofit foundation between now and 2030 as their retirement nears, a press release said.

According to the release, the foundation plans to form an outdoor and environmental interpretive center and expand educational programs focused on silent sports activities in the future.

Eric Anderson has challenged the foundation to sustain the skiing experience and let families enjoy all Ironwood has to offer for the next 100 years, the release said.

For more information on the foundation, visit andersonbluffsrivertrailsfoundation.org.