Brillion, Wis. (April 27, 2022) – More than 200 people visited the worksite of the Ariens Nordic Center to tour the site, see construction progress, ask questions, and meet U.S. Biathlon Team Members and the Ariens Nordic Center designer. 

“I hope after today, you have a better flavor of what we are talking about, what we are building,” said Dan Ariens, Chairman & CEO.  “It started as a simple thought and has become a major project and something that I think is really special. We’re grateful for the level of expertise of the individuals – John, Max, Paul, Deedra – who have helped us.”

The excitement of the U.S. Biathlon Team was evident.

“It is so incredible to see so many people here today. It takes a lot of people to help build a dream like this,” said Pulaski native Deedra Irwin, Olympian and member of the U.S. Biathlon Team. “I hope to show people you can come from a small farm community in the middle of nowhere and you can make it onto the world stage and live your dreams as a professional athlete or whatever those dreams may be. This venue is going to be really amazing for the Nordic teams from one hour, two hours, even three hours away.  You’ll see the U.S. Biathlon Team here a lot too. I’m excited to show our team where we came from. We’ll show them our beautiful cows.”

Teammate and Appleton native Paul Schommer added, “To see the Ariens family producing and creating this type of venue that will not only introduce kids to the sports of biathlon and cross-country skiing but who will also have the opportunity to train here at a very high level, it’s exciting. I’m hopeful we’re going to see more Olympians coming out of this part of the country.”

U.S. Biathlon President and CEO Max Cobb has been involved since day one of the project.

“It is so fun to be here today to celebrate with you and see everything that has already been done,” Cobb said. “It’s exciting to see a world-class facility coming to life here in Brillion. You are going to have a four-season trail network that works for everyone. From Olympians like Deedra and Paul to someone on their first-day on skis to someone in their 70s staying active.  And the fact that we’ll have roller-skiing for spring, summer and fall is just tremendous.”

Ariens Nordic Center Designer John Morton highlighted how the beautiful rolling terrain is perfect for the venue offering interesting trails, terrain that is welcoming for all levels of skiers and offers an open venue that will be great for event spectators. 

“I’ve designed 12 of these kinds of venues around the world,” said Morton, Owner, Morton Trails. “But I think this facility is going to have the most significant positive impact on the community and the region of any of the projects I’ve done.”

Ariens Nordic Center is located adjacent to Round Lake Farms on 200 acres at the outskirts of Brillion. It will include a year-round trail network for recreation, training and competition for cross-country skiing, biathlon, roller-skiing, running, hiking, and more.  The facility will be open to the public and include lighting, snowmaking, a paved roller-ski loop for off-season training, a pond for snowmaking purposes and a 20-point biathlon range. Construction began in November 2021. It is expected to open December 2022.
 
About AriensCo  
Based in Brillion, Wisconsin, AriensCo is a privately-owned manufacturer of outdoor power equipment for both consumer and commercial markets. Established in 1933, the company manufactures equipment under the Ariens®, Gravely®, RapidCare, Countax®, Westwood® and AS-Motor® brand names. It also established AriensCo Hospitality in 2020 with two luxury event venues, Stone Prairie and Round Lake Farms. It is adding the Ariens Nordic Center December 2022. These venues are part of the mission to create reasons to visit the Brillion community.