Fred Bailey

Written by Rangeley Lakes Trails Center staff

Traditionally held on the first weekend of March, the Rangeley Loppet is always a crowd pleaser, with many repeat participants and rekindling of old friendships. This year was no exception! The crew at the Rangeley Lakes Trails Center pulled out all the stops to host an exciting event, rising above the challenges from Mother Nature. On a course shortened by lack of snow, 36K, 18K and 9K races were held Saturday and Sunday.

Saturdays 36K brought a thrilling finish in the men’s race, with William Riley edging out Victor Sparks and Eske Ronneau for the win. Topping the women’s 36K field was Lucy Hochschartner with Agnes Macy in second and Francisca Feist in third. Another close finish in the 18K FS men’s race saw Walt Shepard squeaking out the win over Jordi St. John, with Jack Pierce in third.

In the men’s Burt Kettle classic, Anders Vikstrom took first with Joe Holland second and Dyhan Nirmegh third. In the women’s race, Elizabeth Ransom placed first with Valentine Desplat second. The 10K classic men’s race winner was Vim Smith with Jerry Curico second. Special mention goes out to three youngsters racing in the
18K- Marco Lombardo, Peter Colianni, and Ben Hankens.

This year’s Mansfield Skiathlon was energetic, fun, and a little exchange zone chaos, making a perfect recipe for a wonderful day of ski racing. BKL skiers kicked off the day. 84 BKL racers started in all age groups, making a very large youth competition. Participants represented clubs from all over Northern Vermont including: Sleepy Hollow, Mansfield Nordic Club, NWVE, Frost Mountain Nordic, Mad River Valley BKL, Craftsbury Ski Club, and from a little further a field: West River Sports. It was cool to see all the kids having so much fun competing and playing together after the races, including many belonging to our Master’s competitors!

In the Open men’s race, Mansfield Nordic Club juniors Nico Hochanadel and Anders Linseisen had a small lead over Justin Freeman, with Nico out pacing Anders for the win. On the women’s side, Emily Stitt held off Greta Kilburn (both Mansfield skiers) for the win, with NWVE’s Katie Enman out pacing Mary Stewart of Mansfield to round out the podium.

On the Club side, this year’s Mansfield Skiathlon was a big windfall for the Mansfield Nordic Club with 1061 points, cushioning their sizable lead in the Club standings. NWVE had strong showing as well, taking home 594 points. Ford Sayre with 178 points, Black Water Nordic Ski Club with 120 points, and West River Sports Association with 56 points rounded out the remainder of the Club competition.

A big thank you to the Mansfield Nordic Club and Sleepy Hollow for hosting such a fun event for all ages!

Results
Rankings

March has rolled around and with it some of the best snow conditions of the year!  For many of us that coincides with our best ski fitness/endurance of the season.  Happily enough this is also the time of year that the region’s big touring centers host ski marathons.  If you are looking for a fun long distance adventure with family and/or friends, Rangeley, Maine is the place to be this weekend!

On March 2nd the Rangeley Lakes Trails Center hosts the Rangeley Loppet 50km Freestyle race – a mainstay in the NENSA Marathon and Zak series.  This is a fabulous course that offers big loop skiing through beautiful mixed forests, while winding its way across the foot of Saddleback Mountain.

Here’s the latest trail report:

LOPPET UPDATE 2-27:
We’re looking forward to a great Loppet weekend on March 2-3! The latest weather update shows a warm up with a little rain on Wednesday, followed by a little snow and a flash freeze Wednesday night. This is great news, as we’ll be able to get the groomers out on the course sooner. Our base is quite porous right now, so the rain will be absorbed in the snow pack. Cold nights after Wednesday will help freeze things up so we don’t continue to lose base integrity and are able to groom a bit. We will close the Trails Center on Wednesday to reduce damage to the trails by use. Average base depth is 4-9” currently. Trail condition updates will be posted on the Rangeley Lakes Trails Center website and on Nordic Pulse.

Sounds like very nice conditions and it should hold up well. Secure your spot today for a great weekend adventure! Registration link HERE.

We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day at this year’s Downeast Freestyle Loppet! Temps were in the 20s by race time, there was bluebird sky, and the recent dusting of snow put enough moisture back into the snowmaking loop for perfect corduroy that held up all day long. The Downest Racing Team and the Quarry Road Trails Staff & Volunteers collaborated very nicely to host an excellent event.

Quarry Road added some easy terrain to their snowmaking loop this winter, providing a longer reprieve before the long climbing section. The feed station was on this new section at the top of the Doddle Bug Trail, allowing racers to take their time drinking while they glided back down to the stadium. Downeast Racing Team volunteers returned the bottles to the table for later feeds. Many of the skiers remarked the course was quite challenging, but very fun and it skied really well. There were lots of smiles and long conversations in the finish area – clearly the participants enjoyed themselves and had a great time bonding over post race stories.

This year’s event saw 50% more skiers than last year. Skiers from all over New England and New York, including skiers from Rochester, NY, the NYC suburbs and Caribou, ME participated in this year’s event. Bruce Katz and Bill Dougherty continued their perfect attendance streak in this year’s NENSA Marathon Series. There were lots of prizes for the overall and age group podiums, including some very classy mugs. A big thank you to the Downeast Racing Team and Quarry Road Trails for making this event happen in a low snow year. This is an awesome event with a fun atmosphere and certainly one to add to your personal race calendar for next year!

Results
Rankings
Staff Photos