John Craig Memorial Nordic Ski Race & Tour

Come and ski the Pacific Northwest's most scenic and historic Nordic event! The course traverses the beautiful Cascade Mountains just west of Sisters, Oregon and offers stunning views of Mt. Hood, Mt. Jefferson, Mt. Washington, and the Three Sisters. This route is groomed for skiing only one day each year, especially for these events. Download the registration form

Date & Location

Saturday, 15^th March 2008, on the McKenzie Pass Highway, nine miles west of Sisters, Oregon.

Detailed current information about this year's event.

3 Events to Choose From

The John Craig Memorial Ski Race and Mail Carry is made up of the following three events.

30 km Backcountry tour and Mail Carry

Start from the West side of McKenzie Pass, and ski over the top of the pass and down towards sisters. We will bus you to the West side starting point; pre-registration is required!

Classic Ski Tour

The course is also open for tourists who do not wish to race. Ski "out and back" any distance along the course, starting at the sno gate on the Sisters side of the pass, and skiing part or all the way to the Dee Wright Observatory.

Mass-start Race – 10/20km Classic Race and 3/5km kids race

The 20 km race climbs almost 1,250 feet to the summit at Dee Wright Observatory approximately 10 km away. The racers turn around here and descend to the finish. The 10 km course climbs 700 feet over 5 km to Windy Point before returning to the finish. The 3/5 km Kids' Classic course climbs and descends gently.

The mass-start race will not be held in 2008

Course Description

The 20 km race climbs almost 1,250 feet to the summit at Dee Wright Observatory approximately 10 km away. The racers turn around here and descend back to the finish. The 10 km course climbs 700 feet over 5 km to Windy Point before returning to the finish. The 3/5 km Kid's Classic course climbs and descends gently. Registered tourers may ski any distance along the course.

Racers have the right of way. There will be two-way racer traffic on the courses; please yield to descending racers.

An Interesting History

Two miles west of the McKenzie Pass summit and marked by the Dee Wright Observatory, lies the John Craig Memorial. John Templeton Craig was born in 1832 and grew up in the McKenzie Valley. By 1871 and for 25 years thereafter he was in charge of the McKenzie Salt Springs/Deschutes Wagon Road. To read a more complete history of the life of "John Tom", click here.

After the completion of Craig's McKenzie Salt Springs / Deschutes Wagon Road, the government routed the Eastern Oregon / Upper Willamette Valley mail over the road. In summer the mail was carried on horseback. In winter it was carried on John Craig's back. To accommodate the mail carrier, a cabin was erected about half way across, in which he could spend the night.

On December 3, 1877 John Craig set out from the McKenzie Bridge, heading east, with the Christmas mail in a heavy backpack. He never returned. His death was not confirmed until spring 1878, when two men reached his cabin and found his body curled in the ashes of his fireplace. It is believed that Craig, suffering from exhaustion and possibly ill, reached the shelter, built a fire and fell asleep. When he awoke he found the fire had gone out. Attempts to rekindle it apparently failed and the half frozen man crawled into the warm ashes and died.

In 1930 the John Craig Memorial was built. It was dedicated by 400 of Oregon's rural mail carriers. The John Craig Memorial Ski race was first held in 1934 but after 2 years it foundered—only to be revived in the 1940s. World War II interrupted the race again but in 1956 it was revived. It failed to catch on once again, and it was not until 1972 that the Oregon Nordic Club revived it. It has been running continuously ever since.