• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Giving
  • News
    • Ski Community News
    • Breaking News
    • VIDEO
  • About
  • Membership
  • Programs
    • Rollerski
    • Youth
    • Competitor
      • Age Groups
      • Athlete Development
      • Race Rules
      • New England Junior National Team
      • Athlete Funds & Grants
      • U23 & College
      • Development Team
      • Elite Team
    • Citizen Racing
      • Scoring Rules
    • Coach
    • SafeSport
    • Officials
    • Event Organizers
      • Eastern Cup Event Bid Information
      • Championship Event Bid Information
      • Popular Race Bid Information: Zak/Club Cup and Marathon Series
    • Clubs/ Teams
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • Rollerski
    • Popular Racing (Zak Cup)
    • Eastern Cup Series
    • Marathon Series
    • Women’s XC Ski Day
    • Eastern High School Championships
    • U16 Eastern Championships
    • NEBKL Festival
    • Camps
    • 2022 JN Team Packet/Payment
  • Sponsors

New England Cross Country Skiing

  • Results
  • Rankings
  • Rollerski
  • Additional Resources Library

Popular Racing Wraps at the Rikert Grand Prix

March 23, 2022 by Justin Beckwith

In June, Barney Hodges, the Director of the Rikert Nordic Center and Andrew Johnson, the Head Coach of the Middlebury College Ski Team brought forth a plan to create a festival to end the 2022 ski season.  Their idea was to utilize the amazing resources of the Middlebury College facilities, its staff and connections within the local and broader skiing community to celebrate the winter.  The plan included making this the first edition of an event that will grow into the future.

A festive crowd gathering at the Middlebury Snow Bowl for awards at the Rikert Grand Prix.

The 2022 format of the Rikert Grand Prix was a 3-day race event hosted by both the Rikert Nordic Center and Middlebury College Snow Bowl in Ripton, VT.  Preparations for the late March event were part of the vision of snowmaking throughout the winter — regardless and unbeknownst that we would have one of the lowest Vermont snowfall totals in recorded history.  The efforts at Rikert and the Bowl paid off for the some hundred brave souls who were not ready to hang up their skis!

Video of the Hill Climb.

Full Results.

Utilizing an a-la-carte-mini-tour-format, racers could test themselves in a freestyle prologue, a 10 kilometer classic mass start, and a final stage pursuit-start hill climb.  The largest field of the weekend was drawn to the hill climb, which utilized a closed alpine mountain for a fast but, grueling climb up the Lang Trail after a brisk assent and descent on the bottom pitch of the Ross.  Post race, competitors drew together to celebrate the masters skiers who braved the elements, and perhaps the most robust prize table and best attended awards of the season.  Every competitor received something, with generous donations from Fischer, Toko, Enjoy Winter, Boulder Nordic Sport East, and Caldwell Sport.  There was also $2400 in prize money that was spread between the days, rewarding the top skiers.

Masters skiers are an integral part of the community in New England — hill climb competitors were awarded with NENSA coffee mugs to remember their last race until their next!

The Grand Prix offered something for every level of skier, with men and women racing the same distances.  With U.S. Ski & Snowboard and New England Nordic Ski Association sanctioning, the event was as much geared towards elite athletes hoping to take home a cash prize as it was for junior and master skiers looking to challenge themselves on entertaining courses.  While the strength 0f University of Vermont and other collegiate skiers was undeniable — all skiers were very much a part of this celebratory event.  As we begin to reflect on the “Great Restart” that the 2022 ski season was, race organizers should continue to think outside the box like Hodges and Johnson did by creating new formats and making a total race experience.

Junior Podium for the “Green Mountain Triple.”  1st – Haley Brewster, Finn Sweet, 2nd – Elizabeth Tuttle, Aidan Burt, 3rd – Quincy Massey-Bierman, Tabor Greenberg.
Open Women Podium.  UVM skiers: 1st – Anna Bizyukova, 2nd – Waverly Gebhardt, 3rd – Annie McColgan.
Open Men Podium.  UVM skiers: 1st – Ben Ogden, 2nd – Matias Ovrum, 3rd – Jacob Nystedt

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Primary Sidebar

Lost Nation Roll 2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md5sqNl-yk8
DONATE TO NENSA

JOIN OUR SOCIALS

NENSA STORE

Upcoming Events

  1. Fourth Annual Roy-llerski

    July 1 @ 8:00 am - July 31 @ 5:00 pm
  2. Eastern Regional Camp (REG)

    July 2 - July 7
  3. 2023 FKOC Ski Camp

    July 6 @ 8:00 am - July 10 @ 5:00 pm

View All Events

Recent Posts

  • Cate Brams named the 2022 Coach of the Year July 5, 2022
  • NENSA welcomes Heidi Lange as our new Executive Director July 5, 2022
  • 2022 Lost Nation Roll Race & Clinic Recap July 5, 2022

Follow Us

Swix
LL Bean
Salomon
Concept2

Footer

  • NEBKL Festival
  • Rollerski
  • Eastern Cup Series
  • Eastern High School Championships
  • U16 Eastern Championships
  • New England Women’s XC Ski Day

NEWSLETTER

NENSA
49 Pineland Dr. Ste.301A
New Gloucester Maine 04260
(207) 688-6503