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2026 Duluth Ski-O

Duluth Ski-O at Spirit Mountain Upper Nordic Trails

Saturday, February 28, 2026

Spirit Mountain UPPER Nordic Trails
9535 W Skyline Parkway
Duluth, MN 55810

Event Details

Overview

Celebrate a Nordic winter in Duluth with ski orienteering. Skiers will use a detailed map to navigate through the UPPER Spirit Nordic trail system (and, depending on snow conditions, perhaps off the groomed trail system) to locate a series of check points (controls) throughout the park as quickly as possible.


Ski Orienteering adds an additional element of challenge to the traditional sport of orienteering. If you are primarily a skier, you will add to your sport the challenge of finding efficient routes to a series of locations throughout the trail system as identified on a map. If you are primarily an orienteer, you will have the added challenge of moving through the park on cross country skis to complete the course. When you have finished, you will be a ski-orienteer! 


Check out this short video to see competitive Ski-Orienteering in action!


Cooperative Event with the Duluth Cross Country Ski Club (DXC)

The Ski-O event is a cooperative event with the Minnesota Orienteering Club (MNOC) and the Duluth Cross-Country Ski Club (DXC). It is a busy weekend in Duluth for Nordic ski events, so take advantage as a spectator or as a participant in one or all of the activities! The weekend event list is found at duluthsupertour.com.


Ski-O Event Details

The Ski-O will have rolling starts on Saturday, February 28 between 10:30 am and 1 pm. The courses will close at 3 pm. All participants must return to the finish by 3 pm and check in with the volunteers at the finish line to download your results.


Ski-O map holders will be available for rent on a first-come first-serve basis for $5 at the chalet (cash or card accepted).


The event is open to either classic or skate ski technique, according to your preference. There will NOT be separate divisions based on technique. There will be two courses: A medium/long course (8-10 km) and a short course (4-6 km) which is a bit more friendly to beginner/intermediate skiers and orienteers.


All participants are required to obtain a Spirit Nordic trail pass for $12 available on site or through the website: spiritmt.com/winter/nordic/


Start Location

Upper Spirit Mountain Nordic chalet. Link to Google Map  Watch for orange and white directional signs.

NOTE: There are TWO Nordic Centers at Spirit Mountain, an upper center and a lower center. This event is at the UPPER!


Schedule

  • Registration/Check-In: 10:30am - 1pm

  • Race Starts: 10:30am - 1pm

  • Course Closure: 3pm

All participants must return to the finish by 3 pm and check in with the volunteers at the finish line to download your results.


Cold Weather Policy

If the national weather forecast office in Duluth projects a -20 °F or below windchill for 12:00 Noon Duluth we will cancel per MNOC winter policy: Meets are only canceled for extreme weather conditions in winter. A meet will be canceled if the wind chill is a sustained -20°F or below at the start time of the event.


Pricing

Advance On-line Registration*

$11: Adults (MNOC members $8)

$10: Juniors** (MNOC members $7)


Day-Of Pricing:*

$15: Adults (MNOC members $12)

$13: Juniors** (MNOC members $10)


*$3 discount for orienteering club members (Your Member Discount Code is located on the membership card that you were emailed after purchasing your annual membership. Use this coupon code when registering to receive $3 off)

**Juniors are 19 years old and under


Pre-registration is available up to 48 hours before the meet.


Volunteer

See task descriptions here. Click the blue Volunteer button at the top of this event page to sign up to volunteer. When you show up for your volunteer shift, please connect with the other MNOC volunteers so they know you have arrived. Thanks!


Race Management

Setter/Vetter: Will Daniels

Race Director: Will Daniels

Come Clean, Leave Clean

The Minnesota Orienteering Club practices a Come Clean, Leave Clean policy. This helps us maintain a good relationship with the parks we utilize, sets a good example for other users, and limits the transfer and spread of many of the plants that make our venues less enjoyable.

Race Results

Race results are usually published within 24 hours of the event. View our Race Results page to see the results.

Questions

If you have questions or comments about this event, please feel free to Contact Us.

Orienteering Etiquette

Here are a few tips to make orienteering enjoyable for all:

  • Stand Back: Move at least 5 meters away from check-points after you've punched. Doing so 1) allows other competitors easy access to punch, and 2) doesn't give away the control location to other competitors.

  • Seal the Lips: Do not shout to others in the woods. Especially avoid shouting "it's over here!" - that's not fair to others on the course who want to find the control themselves. So if you are in a group, stay within speaking distance.

  • Encourage Participation: If you are in a group with less skilled orienteers, let them navigate to every other control in order to practice their skills.

  • Don't Follow: Don't follow other orienteers on the course (except when specifically allowed in Minnegoats and other special events). Run your own course and refine your orienteering skills. Besides, they may be running a different course or may be making an error.

  • Keep It Clean: The park should be left in better condition than you found it. Be aware of, and cautious not to cause damage in, sensitive areas such as wet spots and steep slopes. Also, artifacts in the woods should be left as you found them, and don't damage trees or plants. And please do your part to pick up trash and leave the park cleaner than you found it.

  • Keep It Clean #2: Please avoid profanity and adult topics.  Small children are typically present at almost all MNOC meets. Help us create a fun and family-friendly environment enjoyable for all.

  • Share The Trails: Be courteous and respectful to other park users and be sure to yield right-of-way when on trails.  The city and state park departments are kind enough to let us hold events in their parks, so please help in retaining that valuable relationship.

  • Be Courteous: Please be nice to our volunteers. Everyone working at a meet is volunteering their time. Volunteers are often trying to do two or more things at once, so be patient.

  • Control Retrieval: If you can, please stick around until the event is done to help with control retrieval.  This simply entails going around the park and collecting the check-point flags that were used for the event. We like to have 6-8 volunteers help with this at the end of every event.

  • Volunteer: Orienteering events, along with the entire MNOC club, is run by volunteers.  We'd love for your help in running the events, so please sign up to be a volunteer if you have a few hours to spare. We'd greatly appreciate it.

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