TRAVERSE CITY — The North American Vasa Festival of Races celebrates its 50th anniversary this weekend in the Traverse City community. The annual cross-country skiing event began in 1977.
The festival originally began with a starting point at Cherry Capital Airport and featured inconsistent trail routes for several years. In 1991, the establishment of the permanent Vasa Trail formalized the course, which is now managed by the Traverse Area Recreational Trails.
George Lombard, 95, was a primary figure in establishing the permanent trail system used today. After retiring in 1989, he managed a $100,000 grant intended for trail construction that had previously seen little progress.
Lombard worked 10 hours a day, six days a week from spring until fall with a group of volunteers and donated equipment to complete the project. “We had had a mess here on the Vasa,” Lombard said. “There was no trail. You didn’t know where you were going to start or you aren’t going to finish.”
Lombard’s commitment to the trail was rooted in his own history as an athlete. He lost his leg in a farm accident at age 19 and began cross-country skiing in his 40s.
He eventually earned a spot on the first U.S. Paralympic cross-country ski team after a journalist wrote about him winning his age group. Lombard competed on the team for four years and won two out of three international races.
“I actually got a letter from one of the guys that I beat, just thanking me for showing what can be done while being handicapped,” Lombard said.
Tom Sutter, 77, has participated in every North American Vasa since its inception. He recalled the first event followed a grueling experience at the 1977 White Pine Stampede, which was held in 35-degree-below-zero weather.
“It was just survival the rest of the way in,” Sutter said. The following year, the 1978 blizzard forced organizers to postpone the Vasa by one week. Sutter chose to ski the local Vasa rather than a conflicting event. “We started at the airport and there was one set of tracks, and you fell in line and was excited to get to the finish line.”
The race has since expanded from those early airport starts to a variety of distances, including 6K and 50K options, the Vasa and adaptive skiing categories. Lombard also helped secure funding for the warming shelter on the grounds.
“The Vasa turned out to be what I was wanting,” Lombard said. “A beautiful skiing trail. Not for a race, but for everyone to ski on all winter.”
Sutter said he became more competitive after retiring 18 years ago, often training four days a week to win his age class.
“It’s exciting every year to do the Vasa, even this year,” Sutter said. He described the local Marquette Forest terrain as “second to none” and noted that “every hill and turn and valley, it’s just a wonderful scene out there and just great therapy.”
Lombard, who skied until two years ago, attributes his long life to being active.
“Exercise is a necessary part of health,” Lombard said. “I’m convinced. And not only when you’re young.”