A six-year tradition will not continue this year, but the event is not ending for good.

The Jay C. Hormel Nature Center canceled the Dammen Nordic Cross Country Ski Race scheduled for Saturday due to lack of snow and cold weather conditions.

“Ideally we need about 8 inches of snow to put in a track set and we’ve got about 4.5 to 5 inches,” Executive Director Larry Dolphin said.

There weren’t many people signed up for the race yet — only about six — and Dolphin said where it could normally get more people on race-day, the cold forecast could potentially keep many away. According to the National Weather Service, Saturday’s high will be around 13, but temperatures are expected to drop to around 11 below zero Friday night into Saturday morning.

Though it’s sad to cancel the race, Dolphin said they plan to hold the race in the future to honor it’s founder, Kevin Dammen, who passed away in a kayaking accident.

“We wanted to remember him,” Dolphin said. “So we’ll continue to do that in the future by offering this race in the future and hoping for better conditions.”

This isn’t the first time the nature center’s endured weather issues with the race. They’ve faced slushy and icy conditions at past races. The race was held last January, but it was canceled for a similar lack of snow in 2013 and it was changed to a run in 2012 when conditions were unseasonably warm.

“We’ve had all different conditions to ski in,” Dolphin said.

Though there won’t be a race, the nature center is still open for cross country skiers. Ski rentals are $6 for adults and $1 for children under 18 during nature center hours. Ski rentals are free from 3 to 6 p.m. each Thursday.

“It’s just providing an opportunity to get outdoors in the winter, and realize you don’t have to sit inside and or go south necessarily to enjoy winter,” Dolphin said.