Warm or Cold: Frostival Will Go On!

A warm end to January means a rough start to some winter events

While many welcome the warmer January, winter events continue to take a hit.

In Fargo, four January days and nights above freezing is unheard of.

We may welcome the nice road conditions, but this hard, icy snow is not ideal for winter fun.

But this weekend’s Frostival events will mostly live on.

“That’s the whole idea of Frostival, we enjoy the weather no matter what it is around here,” said Charley Johnson with the FM Visitor’s Bureau Center.

Frostival’s cross country ski race is the only event postponed because of the weather.

Johnson says they’ve dealt with a little bit of snow melt before.

Regardless of the weather conditions and the amount of snow, the cardboard sled race at Mickelson Park will go on.

“Last year, we had a similar challenge,” Johnson said. “The hill had quite a bit of ice and some bare spots, but we were still able to have that race.”

Good news for ice skaters: The Fargo Park District re–opened the Downtown, Longfellow and Roosevelt ice rinks.

They were temporarily closed due to temperatures above freezing.

“We never want to complain about 40 degree weather in January in Fargo, North Dakota,” said Joel Vettel, the executive director of the Fargo Park District. “This is just another example of how we adapt, we move forward and we have fun.”

The Border Battle Bike Race on the Red River is also still happening and Great Rides says trails are groomed and ready to go.

Biking at this time of year may sound crazy, but Alyssa Johnson, the director of operations at great Rides, says it’s a great way to stay warm.

“This is my first year of winter riding and I’m proud to say I haven’t driven to work yet,” Johnson said. “I’ve been enjoying the winter commute. I love it, I really enjoy it.”

“We had some folks go out on a group ride this morning from our shop,” said Tom Smith, manager at Great Northern Bicycle Company. “They’re planning on doing a three hour ride.”

So despite the ski race delay, winter activities are looking better for Fargo.

The Frostival begins Friday night with an Opening Kick–off in downtown Fargo.

A full list of Saturday’s events can be found here.