18th Annual ALS Blizzard Tour Kicks Off From Proctor

Hundreds of Riders will Travel Many Miles, Raising Awareness for Lou Gehrig’s Disease

PROCTOR, Minn. – Two-hundred and twenty-five snowmobile riders took to the trails Thursday morning in Proctor.

The below zero cold didn’t stop hardy folks from fighting for a special cause.

“I started with it because one of my friends died of it, that’s why a lot of us here in Duluth got involved. Of course we’ve got our celebrities, Kent Hrbeck, whose father passed away, Terri Steinbach, whose father passed away,” said Chuck Allan with the Blizzard Tour.

The 2017 Black Woods Blizzard Tour is now officially underway as riders travel throughout Northern Minnesota to raise awareness about ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

Organizers say locally, this year’s blizzard tour will reach one million dollars raised.

“I’ve been with this event 18 years, we’re well over seven million dollars and we want to raise more so we can find a cure for this horrible disease,” said Allan.

Riders will break Thursday evening at Fortune Bay Resort and Casino near Tower. On Friday, they are headed to Two Harbors, followed by a return to Duluth on Saturday for a check donation ceremony.