Eagle River is known as the Snowmobile Capital of the World. They have over 500 miles of groomed trails and are host to the annual World Championship Snowmobile Derby, the largest and most prestigious snowmobile competitions in the sport.
- Eagle River is a city with around 1,500 people, but every year they welcome more than 40,000 spectators from the U.S., Canada and beyond for the Derby.
- The event is known as the “Indianapolis 500” of Snowmobile Racing. Sled drivers race their high-tech snowmobiles at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour on a solid ice oval.
- More than 1,400 international drivers compete in oval ice racing, and other events include the snocross course racing and vintage snowmobile racing.
- This year’s derby takes place January 18-20.
Don’t miss Winterfest & U.S. National Snow Sculpting Competition in Lake Geneva on Jan. 26-Feb. 3.
- This is a nine-day festival that celebrates art, winter and family fun with events like human dog sled races, magic shows, helicopter rides over Geneva Lake, a chili cook-off and more.
- Visitors will be able to visit the Ice Castles, which is brand-new to Winterfest.
- Lake Geneva will be just one of six destinations in the U.S. to host one of the famous Ice Castles.
- The castle will be built with hundreds of thousands of icicles. It will be located at Riviera Beach, right on the shores of the Geneva Bay.
- The festival also features the U.S. National Snow Sculpting Championships.
- Fifteen teams of snow sculptors from around the county compete for a national title, and the competition is open to the public so attendees can watch sculptors transform huge blocks of snow into intricate sculptures throughout the festival.
Every February, the Cable-Hayward area hosts the American Birkebeiner, the largest cross-country ski race in North America. This year’s Birkie will be held Feb. 21-24.
During Birke Week, more than 12,000 skiers of all ages, genders and nationalities will take to the trail to compete. In 2018, skiers from 49 states and 36 countries participated in the Birkie.
- The four-day event begins with skijoring, fun runs and youth races, followed by the Kortelopet (Korte), which is the 29K half marathon distance, and the classic 55k Birkebeiner (Birkie) race.
- The Birkie starts in Cable and ends right in downtown Hayward, where hundreds of spectators gather to cheer on the racers as they cross the finish line.
- The American Birkebeiner event is more than a series of races, it has become a premier sports destination for outdoor enthusiasts.
- People travel to the area to ski the famous Birkie trail throughout the winter season and the event has expanded to include a fat tire bike race in March.