Skiers gearing up to hit the trails for return of the Sleeping Giant Loppet this weekend

An annual winter tradition in northwestern Ontario will be back this weekend, after being forced into a hiatus for the first time in its history due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Cross-country skiers will gather Saturday at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, east of Thunder Bay, for the Sleeping Giant Loppet.

The event, which started in 1978, was cancelled last year. It was most recently held in 2020, when it had 900 participants.

This year's edition will have significant differences than previous years. There will be no official timing. Participants will have different starting locations and staggered starting times. 

Event coordinator Peter Gallagher said up until the emergence of the Omicron variant in December, organizers were planning to hold the race in the same manner as previous years.

"My experience with people at the Loppet is that they want to be there with friends and family and ski at Sleeping Giant park," he said.

"I'm hoping people this year will think about Loppet day and that experience they normally have skiing with friends and family in a fabulous park and they'll come out and participate with this new format." 

Gallagher said the event has a mix of competitive skiers, as well as families with multiple generations taking to the trails.

"It is an event that people in Thunder Bay look forward to as the culmination of their ski season, usually if they've been training hard they want to participate in that," Gallagher said. 

"For some people it's a competitive event and they like to compete for some of the awards, or just compete against their own previous times. But this year they'll be out to enjoy the park and ski in the park.

"When you think of the events that have come and gone in Thunder Bay, I feel really proud we've been able to continue this event over a 45-year period. I'll be thrilled to see people return to the park."

Dave Suttie, the general manager of Kamview Nordic Centre, a cross-country skiing area in Thunder Bay, said trails are ready to go after ample snowfalls throughout the winter

"There's lots of snow to work with. There's no bare spots. The trails are in the best shape they've been in for years," he said.

Suttie said the pandemic has required some operating modifications for the facility, but locally the sport is seeing growth.