Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
THE GUGLIELMOTTO family from left, Dan, Don, Katie, Julie Small, Dennis and Michelle pose for a photo at the fourth annual Gugli Challenge ski race Saturday afternoon at Big Powderhorn Mountain. Each year the race is held in honor of Dominic "Gugli" Guglielmotto, of Bessemer, who died in 2010. Guglielmotto was a local barber of 44 years and went on to start a skiing career at the age of 68. Before calling it quits at age 85, he won a total of 714 National Standard Race medals.
BESSEMER - As if summoned by the great skier himself, large and very much needed snowflakes fell Saturday afternoon on Big Powderhorn Mountain just in time for the fourth annual Gugli Challenge.
Seventeen local skiers took to the hill in the National Standard Race (NASTAR)-style event to vie for one of three trophies and pay homage to the late Dominic "Gugli" Guglielmotto, who won more than 700 medals in the sport.
The afternoon included skiing, refreshments and live music from Gugli's grandson Dan Guglielmotto and his father Don, as well as chance to view a display case bearing 698 of the legendary skier's 714 medals.
Dominic Guglielmotto, who died in 2010, was a well-known local barber of 44 years whose flat-top special drew shaggy heads from around the region. Only at the age of 68 did he take up skiing, and proceeded to win medal after medal until he was 85.
In the renegade spirit of Gugli, who according to his sons as often said he "never went skiing, but instead went racing," participants were charged with zig-zagging their way through the 14 gates of the NASTAR course in as little time as possible. The time for the competition is set by a member of the U.S. ski team, who completes the course first and racers are scored based on their age and how close their time was to the benchmark. This year's time to shoot for was 19 seconds.
Top scores were not available at press time.
Dennis Guglielmotto, formerly of Bessemer and now of Dubuque, Iowa, along with his brother, Don, of Bessemer, said the challenge is just a way to honor their dad for all the memories he left them with - many of which were made on a ski hill.
Among the fondest was encountering a sarcastic gentleman atop a local ski hill some years back as Gugli was about to make a run.
"This guy above me said, 'All he's got to do is go down the hill and he wins a gold medal,' " Dennis Guglielmotto said with a laugh. "I said, 'Well when you're 83, I want to watch you walk.'"
Three generations of Guglielmotto took part in the challenge, but the event - which drew more than 100 skiers last year - was open to the public.
This year was the first year the race was held at Big Powderhorn, coinciding with the resort's 50th anniversary. General manager and co-owner Bruce Noren said he was honored to be a part of the Guglielmotto's big day.
"We're really skiers, we're passionate about skiing and Gugli, as they call him, was 80-some years old and still ski racing ... that's about as passionate as you can get," he said. "So, it really fits what we like about skiing."
Events such as the Gugli Challenge and the myriad of snow sports opportunities that come naturally with terrain and climate of the UP are the reason powder aficionados flock from around the region and around the world, Noren said.
"We're pleased with the crowd we have and it's been a good season overall," he said. "The U.P. and the Western U.P. is just kind of a treasure, and I think the people who live up here recognize that."
