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© 2026 Birch Legacies
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We are sharing stories celebrating the motivation, the perseverance, and the lifestyle choices necessary to reach the status of Birchlegger - that is, skiers who have completed 20 or more American Birkebeiner ski races.
20 Episodes
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Send a text Nancy Bauer has built a life around skiing. Through their family ski adventures, a cabin near OO, high school, college, club, World Cup and even Olympic competition, the Bauer family has done it all. After 25 Birkies and 10 Korte's, Nancy continues to mentor, coach, volunteer and grow the sport through her tireless dedication and love for skiing. Nothing gets her more excited than to help someone see the joy of being outdoors doing any kind of exercise. She especially loves to sup...
Send a text Jim Coors had a question. How does Birkie performance change with age? As a Birchlegger (36 birkies) Jim was in a unique position to find the answer. He is an agronomy professor with a lifetime of experience analyzing large data sets. Jim took the last 25 years of publicly available Birkie results, crunched the data, and found answers to his question and even answered a few more. Jim and I talk about his personal Birkie history and then dig into the results he found from his resea...
Send a text College buddies, Mike Sund and Scott Clements first took on the Birkie challenge as UW Madison students. Now, about to ski their 38th Birkie over 40 years later, they reflect on the meaning the Birkie has brought to their lives. Through several moves, now grown families, and cabins in the Hayward area, both Mike and Scott are committed to keeping the Birkie flame burning brightly for themselves and the many people in their lives who have joined them. Almost everyone I've met has c...
Send a text Winning the Birkie once puts you into the history books. Winning the skate Birkie, the classic birkie, and both the skate and classic Korte's makes you a legend in the long history of this great event. Kelly Skillicorn is the only person to have won all four major Birkie events. Another aspect of her feat is that her two Birkie wins were 20 years apart: 1988 and 2008. Kelly's story begins in high school in Blaine, Minnesota in the early 80's (before skate skiing) and continues tod...
Send a text Kurt Schroeder of LaCrosse, Wisconsin is the perfect example of a Birchlegger who just enjoys the year-round camaraderie of like-minded people who want to stay fit. His 'EMAG' group in LaCrosse is an inter-generational bunch of men and women who will go out with headlamps at 5:30 in the morning to bike, ski and run together. Kurt's philosophy is to just enjoy the experience and not worry about your place in the race. Now, with his 45th race just ahead, he is looking forward to sta...
Send a text My guest, Duncan McLean was too young to ski the first Birkebeiner in 1973, but he skied, and won, the first 'Korteloppet' that day, before it was called the Korte. He has some fantastic memories of the early days of the Birkie and the people who were there to create what we see today. Duncan has a real reverence and sense of gratitude for those who helped him see the joy of skiing in those days. He has had many careers and many roles in skiing. He's been on the National developme...
Send a text Jerry Poling is the author of the new book "American Birkebeiner: The Nation's Greatest Ski Marathon" published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. A Birchlegger himself with 25 Birkies and 4 Kortes under his belt, Jerry is the perfect person to chronicle the Birkie's first 50 years. He is an experienced journalist and has written four other books. We had a great time talking about his own Birkie experiences and how those inspired him to write the book. He conducted c...
Send a text Ian Duncan's journey to the Birkie start line is pretty unusual. There probably aren't many Edinburgh, Scotland boarding school students who end up skiing 39 Birkies. Even fewer who can count Bjorn Daehlie as a friend. Dr. Ian Duncan has spent his life working to find solutions to Multiple Sclerosis and other brain disorders in his career at UW Madison. His research is ongoing and still productive so he continues his efforts even after retiring from teaching at the University. Abo...
Send a text From his youth in western Massachusetts to living in northwestern Wisconsin, Jim Kelley probably wouldn't have scripted it this way. But, a chance encounter in Florida led him to move across the country to become a Birkie skier - now a Birchlegger with 27 Birkies under his belt - who thinks about the Birkie everyday. Jim is a very accomplished runner with a background in wildlife management and a career working for the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service. His love for the outdoors...
Send a text Scott Cooper's commitment to the Birkie is hard to match. From naming his son Birk to employing a Birkie clause in his will, Scott's 40 Birkies are just one part of the story. He has made the Birkie a central part of his life and his family and friends share in the experience in many ways. _______________________________________________ Welcome to the Birch Legacies podcast. We are sharing stories celebrating the motivation, the perserverence, and the lifestyle choices necessary ...
Send a text John Kotar is a Birkie Founder, creator of the Birchleggings Club, and former member of the ABSF Board of Directors. He completed the Birkie 39 times, as well as the Canadian and Norwegian Birkebeiners, many World Loppet races, and innumerable local and regional races. His story is a unique one and his perspective is at once personal and universal to every Birkie skier. I think you will enjoy John's telling of the first ever Birkie and his poignant recollections of everything the ...
Send a text Travis Hinck graduated from Park Center High School in 2001. He has skied every Birkie since then and now has 23 Birkies under his belt. This makes him one of the youngest class of Birchleggers. In those years his life has evolved like so many in his age group. He now has a young family and his approach to skiing the Birkie has evolved as well. I think most skiers can relate to the changing demands on our time over the years and the benefits of making the Birkie (and skiing) a fam...
Send a text Michael Schaefer is a Sports Medicine physician who grew up in Northern Wisconsin but has spent his entire adult life skiing in the Cleveland, Ohio area. He has managed to train for and ski the Birkie 26 times and even spent some years in the elite wave. His dad skied 33 Birkies and both his parents were expert skiers who encouraged his whole family to get outdoors year-round. Michael shares stories of the early years in Wisconsin, 'skivangelizing' in the Ohio ski scene, and the d...
Send a text Terry Berry skied 41 Birkies and lived his life like so many Birchleggers - skiing, training, and creating a legacy for others to appreciate and to follow. Terry's wife, Diane shares stories from their time together and how she and Terry, along with family and friends, created memories they'll never forget. _______________________________________________ Welcome to the Birch Legacies podcast. We are sharing stories celebrating the motivation, the perserverence, and the life...
Send a text Kim Rudd is a parent, a coach, an adventure travel leader, and an elite wave Birchlegger! In every role she aims to inspire and empower others to enjoy the outdoors and all the challenges and the beauty one can find there. Kim has found the balance necessary to ski fast while being grateful for the ability to be in the woods flying along the trails wherever they take you. Kim's adventure travel company: Endurance Adventures _______________________________________________ ...
Send a text In 2004 after preparing to ski his best Birkie ever, Thom Gerst had one of the most memorable Birkies he could have imagined. Just not the way he thought... Listen to Thom tell his story of the one-ski Birkie as first published in the Birch Scroll that year. Thom then tells us what he has been up to since then and how he keeps active in his post-Birkie life. _______________________________________________ Welcome to the Birch Legacies podcast. We are sharing stories celebrating t...
Send a text In this episode we speak with Kitty Earl-Tornianen who has been an elite wave skier for many years even as she has reached Birchlegger status. Kitty shares her year-round commitment to staying fit and continuing to compete at the highest level. Spoiler alert: it takes hard work and dedication to doing the hard things. As she says, "It's fun because it's so hard!" _______________________________________________ Welcome to the Birch Legacies podcast. We are sharing stories celebrat...
Send a text Jeff Ingram is a year-round silent sports athlete who counts biking as his number one sport. However, once he took up skiing the Birkie as a way to stay in shape over the winter, he was hooked on the experience. Jeff shares some of his favorite memories about those early Birkies and how he has "done everything wrong" over the years. Jeff's story demonstrates that even if the Birkie isn't the main thing you focus on all year, it can still be part of an overall healthy lifestyle. __...
Send a text In this episode I interview my good friend Gary Gerst, who got me started on my Birkie journey. Gary shares stories of his first Birkie, a helpful Norwegian, and wool knicker envy. In 2025 he is skiing his 45th Birkie from wave 35. Gary has a great perspective on what it takes to finish the Birkie and how his priorities have changed over the years. He also shares some of his successes and struggles over the years. Please enjoy his reflections about living the Birkie life all...
Send a text Our first episode features Paul Thompson, the President of the Birchleggings club. Paul is a great example of a Birkie skier who has turned his passion for the outdoors into a platform to improve the world. Paul uses his voice to draw attention to preserving the health of winter so that generations of skiers can continue to enjoy our beloved race for another 50 years and beyond. Paul's links: Cool Planet skiers Citizens' Climate Lobby Board member RPCVs for Environmental Act...
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