• Refuel your body after a tough skiing day with fellow skiers, spectators and volunteers with a "feast fit for hungry Vikings"!
  
  
• Held at Festival Place at 6:00 p.m. on February 9, 2008.
  
  
• Tickets are $35.00 and can be ordered along with your Entry Form.
  
  
• Tickets go fast, so get your registration, and Vikings' Feast Ticket orders in soon!

• Held after the Vikings' Feast and open to everyone, celebrate your Birkie achievements and enjoy a slideshow presentation of the day's events.
  
  
• Awards for the top 3 finishers of your event in your category.
  
  
• Also attend the awards ceremony if you think you are eligible for other awards, including the Haakon Haakonsson Award (for skiing the American and Norwegian 55 km Birkebeiners).


• NOTE: You DO NOT NEED to have been at the Viking's Feast to attend the award ceremony.

**Special for 2007** Wood Ski Awards

26 completed 55 km Birkie with pack on wood skis

Haakon Haakonsson Award

The Haakon Haakonsson award recognizes dedication to the Birkebeiner tradition. It is an award that is exclusive to the Canadian Birkebeiner, and awards all skiers who have skied in the Norwegian, American and Canadian Birkebeiner long distance events. Skiers from all over Canada and many from the USA have won this award. Read more about the winners here.

If you think you are eligible for the Haakon Haakonsson award, check the box denoting it in your registration form and attach your results. If you've already registered and forgot to do this, contact the Birkie office.

2007 Winners:

Ole Hovind Award

Ole Hovind was one of the pioneers of skiing in Alberta, active from the 1920’s to the 1980’s.  Born in Telemark, Norway, he moved to Canada in 1926.  Ole was active in all forms of skiing, from cross country racing to ski jumping to alpine skiing to backcountry touring.  Instrumental in re-vitalizing the then-dormant Edmonton Ski Club in 1935, he also was one of a core group who formed Edmonton Nordic Ski Club in the 1970’s when cross country skiing became popular.  Well known among thousands of Edmonton skiers for running ski programs in the 1970’s and 80’s, he convinced several instructors in the program to go to the Norwegian Birkebeiner with him in 1983, including Les Finch, Kris Nyhus, Bill Burgess, Ken Burgess and Brian Peters.  A good time was had by all!  The following year these people formed the Canadian Birkebeiner Society. 

The Ole Hovind Award was created in Ole’s memory and is presented annually to the skier who best represents the spirit of the Birkebeiner and the things which Ole valued – skiing for the sheer joy of it, having fun, joking a lot, achieving something and just getting out there and doing it.  Being Norwegian helps but is not mandatory!

2007 Winners:

The Red Bib skiers Phil Dunn Klaus Huckfeldt Georg Kriegel Andy Lamb Gerald Streefkerk Paul Zimmermann

Group Challenge

The group challenge is designed to get YOUR group out skiing the Birkie. The winners of each category are decided by the total distance of all members skied, NOT results, so just get out as many participants as you can find! Every kilometer counts. Remember that at least 50% of the  team members must be directly affiliated with the company or organization.

You can register in the group challenge simply by mentioning it on your registration form. The categories include College/University, Junior/Senior High School, Elementary School, Cross-Country Ski Club, Jackrabbit Club, Outdoor Group, Media, Public Service, Spit & Polish, Small Corporate (less than 50 employees), Large Corporate (more than 50 employees), Family, and Seniors.

John Toonen Memorial Award

John Toonen was born in Holland in 1944, and came to Canada in 1965 where he learned to cross country ski.  It became a passion with him that lasted the rest of his life.  He was one of the original participants of the Canadian Birkebeiner Ski Festival. It was an event that he looked forward to with great anticipation every year.  He had earned the privilege of wearing a “Red Bib” by completing all of the 15 events held annually in Edmonton before being taken from us on January 19, 2002 at the age of 57.  He also completed the American and Norwegian Birkie, thus earning the Haakon Haakonsson award.  We hope his spirit will live on through this cross country ski event that he loved so much.

The John Toonen Memorial Award was donated by Margaret Toonen.  The permanent wall trophy is a beautifully etched wood plaque with names etched on individual name plates.  This award is presented annually to a skier in the 55km event who exemplifies John Toonen’s qualities.

2007 Winners: Youngest Finishers in the 55 km Birkebeiner distance
            Reece Bailey Age 11, Ciara Bailey Age 13

The Colored Bibs (Red, Purple and Yellow)

Wondering why some skiers are wearing a red, purple or yellow cloth bib? 

The Red Bibs are participants who have skied every year in the 55 km distance.  There are only 6 of the prestigious red bibs.

Purple bibs are participants who have skied at least 10 years in the 55 km distance.  There are approximately 40 skiers eligible to ski with a purple bib - In 2007, 76 finishers wore Purple Bibs.

Yellow bibs are the winners from last year in the overall and age categories in the 55 km distance events.  If you are chasing a yellow bib, you are going pretty fast!