The Quarry Road Eastern Cup Opener paints a realistic picture of what the races will look like for the majority of our 2021 season. It’s a little quiet, safer than your local grocery, and a lot of fun! Many thanks to Steve Fuller, Ian Tovell and Bill Harmeyer for creating this piece. We will continue to document our major races and share the victories of every in-person event this season. Read on to learn about NENSA’s December Challenge, Popular and Eastern Cup Racing opportunities.
Scheduling continues to be fluid as snowpack and regulations oscillate in the early winter. With every event — big or small — we are gaining confidence and reaffirming that we have appropriate protocols in place to protect the health of both our NENSA family and communities we visit. Virtual events or hybrid in-person / virtual events will continue to bring the community together and provide competitive opportunities regardless of the cards we are thrown.
Last month we launched the December Club Kilometer Challenge #DCKC — 13 clubs mobilized and reported 60878.85 kilometers of skiing!! Mansfield Nordic started a massive charge from the get go, leading the contest for most of the challenge, with consistent skiing, whether on snow or pavement. Soon, Ford Sayre activated some 187 skiers to eclipse the Mansfield juggernaut and a back and forth battle ensued for the last week of the competition. All this time the crafty and robust CSU / Eastern Mass Nordic squad was meticulously logging some serious K’s – backed up by fitness monitors. It was the home based Christmas camp, typically held at Mount St. Anne, on the Weston patch, that led this team to the top of the Virtual Podium. In all, 131 CSU / EMN skiers logged an average of 124 km / per skier over the four weeks. Congrats to all our participants – you can see full DKCK results here – and updated A Hall Mark of Excellence (Club Cup) results here. Our forever fashionable sponsor, SKIDA, has provided headbands for CSU/EMN, and they along with Ford Sayre and Mansfield Nordic scored valuable points toward the $9000 purse provided by Kathy and Marty Hall to spur Club Development.
We will continue to total kilometers skied throughout the season in Eastern, Zak and Club Cup racing.
Popular Racing
Bogburn Virtual Edition:
It’s not too late to join Zak Cup stalwarts for the 2021 version of one of the most iconic races in New England. The competition runs from January 3-9th and reminds us why we love skiing — sliding through the woods with two slippery planks. As you plan your route don’t forget to keep the race motto of, “anyone who takes this race too seriously will be disqualified” and find some fun single track or off track skiing. This is one of the first opportunities for all senior and master skiers to get some “points on the board.” BKL entries have no cost. Register on SkiReg and check the event Facebook site.
Ain’t Nothing But a Ski Race: 1/10
The newly branded Nonstop Nordic club in Maine is providing awesome opportunities for skiers of all ages and abilities to compete in the state of Maine. Check out their website for more details. Ain’t Nothing But a Ski Race is the second of a seven event series. Ain’t Nothing But a Ski Race will be held at Quarry Road Trails. Bravo! Prizes by Boulder Nordic East.
Celebrate Good Wax, Come on!: 1/16
Nonstop won’t stop. The series visits Pineland Farms – the home of our NENSA offices – maybe our Operations Manager will take on his first ski race?
Freeman Frost – White Mountain Challenge: 1/23
Another staple race that is adapting to Covid times. Jackson XC is excited to host an in-person 22km (marathon) event for those who can attend. The organizing committee is also finalizing plans for a virtual component that will safely allow for One Day Club Championships continuity. Overall Club Ranking will provide a “double score” to the A Hall Mark of Excellence (Club Cup). The in-person event will have distances for M7+ and BKL skiers.
Gunstock Freestyle Zak Cup: 1/24
Gunstock has moved their event a week later to let Mother Nature (and some snowmaking love) give the best opportunity for an awesome race. New Hampshire provides a unique opportunity for folks to get to an in-person event. Registration is open.
I Wanna Ski with Somebody: 1/30
One more for good measure. Nonstop visits the Libby Hill Forest Trails in Gray, Maine.
Eastern Cup
The Rodrigues Cup – Vermont Cup #1: 1/16
Craftsbury is an invaluable partner and continues to do what ever it can to support the sport of cross country skiing. Regulations have allowed for snow competitions to start in a restricted fashion for Vermont residents. Please visit the event site for more details. This race will replace the 1/2 event on the Junior Ranking List. 5/10/15k clasic interval start. Again Bravo!
Prospect Mountain Vermont Cup #2: 1/23-24
NENSA is so excited to bring Eastern Cup to Prospect Mountain. Race specifics will develop in the next week.
January 23: Classic sprint 1.2k
January 24: Classic interval 5k U16 / 10k men & women
Sugarloaf Eastern States Cup: 3/19-21
Due to current restrictions of intrastate competition in Maine, and the opportunity for a festive Championship Event in late winter, the Sugarloaf event has been moved into March. Stay tuned for exciting updates of how many juniors might wrap their 2021 racing season.
All other Vermont and Eastern Cup events are set to move forward — stay tuned to NENSA updates. The calendar will be updated here.
We’ve re-opened a third window for “Bib and Chips” as we are confident we will be able to host Eastern and State Cup events. This window is open until January 31st — if you plan to race in these events please register or contact us. Bullitt Timing will be reaching out to larger clubs for mailings or you might receive your bib/chip/schwag bag at the first event you attend.
Pending U.S. Ski & Snowboard Memberships
If you registered for a U.S. Ski & Snowboard membership this year please make sure you are marked as “Current.” Those with “Pending” memberships will jeopardize their ability to participate in sanctioned events.
Thank you all — see you on the trails.
