Great Bear Chase photos ’Ķ   Nordic skiers meet the challenge of one of Swedetown’Äôs many hills during the Great Bear Chase races on March 11 in Calumet. Plentiful snow, well-groomed trails and sunshine greeted visiting skiers from several Midwestern states.     Tina Henriksen (bib #222) of Plymouth, Wis., and Stephen Matula of Mellen, Wis., skate-ski along Swedetown’Äôs trails during the Great Bear Chase 50-km freestyle race. The trails are groomed for both classic cross-country skiing and freestyle, which requires a wider trail for the skating movements.           Paige Peters of Eagle River, Wis., (bib #231) and Sara Cockrell of Grawn, Mich., (bib #234) were among 38 women to complete the 50-km freestyle race. Local skiers  who completed the race (not pictured) included Elisabeth Wilson of Houghton and Sandra Harting of Toivola.       Terry Marceau of Marquette rounds a bend in the trail at Swedetown during the 26-km women’Äôs classic race. Marceau was one of 11 Upper Peninsula women to complete the classic. UP skiers took the top three places: Joan Rundman of Ishpeming, first, with a time of 1:34:35; Toni McKnight of Houghton, second, with 1:36:45; and Shawn Oppliger of Hancock, third, with 1:44:10.   Robert VanHowe of Hazelhurst, Wis., nears the top of a Swedetown hill during the men's classic 26-km race. Winner of that race was Chad Giese of Mora, Minn., with a time of 1:17:08. Finishing a close second, Joe Bettendorf of Houghton completed the classic in 1:18:24. Hancock's Jeff Crumbaugh was 12th with 1:33:32.     Not to be outdone by his son Alan's victory in the Junior Bear Chase 1-km race, Dave Toczydlowski of Calumet heads toward the Bear Chase Loop during the men's 26-km freestyle event. Toczdlowski was one of several Ski Tigers parents to participate in the Great Bear Chase, enjoying much better weather on Sunday than the kids had endured for the Junior Bear Chase. Blair Orr of Hancock (not pictured) participated in the 26-km freestyle with his daughter Olivia, 10, the youngest skier in the Great Bear Chase. Said Blair, "We weren't fast but we finished.  26K is a long way for a ten year old,  but Olivia made it to 23K before she started sagging and then a pop-tart and water pulled her together." Also among the youngest participants were Anders Neinstaedt, 11, Iron Mountain, Mich.; Kyle VanHowe, 11, Hazelhurst, Wis.; Leif Nordgren, 11, Marine, Minn.; Melanie Hoffman, 11, Sobieski, Wis.; David Englund, 11, Florence, Wis. The oldest skier in the race was Henrik Hartmann, 80, of Madison, Wis. With a time of 3:29:20, Hartmann took 75th place out of the 79 skiers in the men's 26-km classic,  defeating four skiers in younger age groups.   Ski Patrol members Barbara Wheeler of Houghton and Keweenaw County resident Dave Cizmas of Old Phoenix observe skiers near a challenging Swedetown hill climb. Safety, a good course,  groomed trails and word-of-mouth advertising make the Great Bear Chase popular among Midwestern Nordic skiers, according to Rick Oikarinen, race director and owner of Cross Country Sports in Calumet. "All phases of the race are well done," Oikarinen said. "The race is still growing from word of mouth because it's a fun course to ski." He noted the Great Bear Chase is about the sixth- or seventh-largest race in the Midwest. The largest race, the Birkebeiner or "Birkie," from Cable to Hayward, Wis., attracts about 7,000 skiers, Oikarinen said.   Calumet resident "Bubba the Bear" observes skiers heading up Swedetown's Red Trail during the Great Bear Chase. Bubba said he preferred skiers to hunters but was wearing his orange hat just in case. He waved to let the Great Bear Chasers know he was friendly.     Skiers whizzing by silently on the trail behind his resting spot didn't seem to bother this snowshoe hare, confident of his camouflage in snow and shadow. Nordic, or cross-country skiing, is known to have less impact on the environment than some other winter sports.         At the far end of the Bear Chase Loop, skiers enjoyed this view of Lake Superior before heading back toward the Chalet. Sunshine, low wind chills and good snow conditions made Sunday, March 11,  a memorable day for the Great Bear Chase. Said Jon Neufeld, Copper Island Ski Club president, "After a cancelled race last year, we couldn't ask for a better comeback. Fast conditions, bluebird skies, over one hundred volunteers and a record number of satisfied skiers all came together to make this the best Bear Chase yet."                                                       (Text and photos by MicheleAnderson, March 13, 2001)