Jan 8, 2007

Y-101 Championship Snowmobile Hillclimb at Copper Peak Postponed

Due to poor snow conditions at the Copper Peak Ski Flying facility, north of Bessemer, Michigan, this years Snowmobile Hillclimb has been postponed till February 24th. The event was to run for the first time in January.

"For safety reasons, the Copper Peak Ski Flying Board and the MASTERS Circuit have agreed to reschedule this years Hillclimb for February 24th," according to Copper Peak Ski Flying Board President Charlie Supercynski. "We need the snow for the safety of the competitors, the hillworkers, and the fans," commented Supercynski.

Currently this steep south face bluff has less then 6 inches of snow. The lack of snow exposes the side cables that was installed years ago to help direct grooming equipment for past Ski Flying events. "After a few runs up the hill, we would be down to dirt, and the dirt exposes flying rocks from the hillclimbers," replied MASTERS President Skip Schulz.

The MASTERS, which stands for Mid America Snowmobile Tournament of Expert Racers, is the sanctioning group for the Hillclimb. It was the MASTERS that started this event in 1993, with Copper Peak Ski Flying taking over the promotion of the event the following year. This event has drawn thousands of people and hundreds of drivers over the years.

Due to poor snow conditions the event has been cancelled the past 3 years.

"We feel good about the Feb 24th date. It's that 4th Saturday in February that the Hillclimb used to run on," stated Schulz. "This event is not only a major tourism draw to the entire Western UP, but it's a part of our diversified business plan at Copper Peak," commented Supercynski. Supercynski also expressed his optimism about the Feb 24th date.

"By getting the word out now, we're giving the fans that planned on making the event on January 20th enough time to reschedule for the 24th," replied Supercynski.

"This also gives our racers time to reschedule," according to Schulz. Those that plan on competing on Feb 24th will have to contact the MASTERS Circuit. Pre-Registration is required for the 30 drivers that will be given the chance to compete at Copper Peak. For more racer information, contact Schulz at 906-884-9668, e-mail at: sschulz@jamadots.com or log onto: www.mastersracing.net