New England Nordic Ski Association

The Home of Cross Country Skiing in New England

Fred Bailey

On Deck: MNC Skiathlon, Moonlight Ski & Snowshoe, Flying Moose, Dublin Winterfest: Ski Your Heart Out, Gunstock Paintball Biathlon, Tour de Greensboro

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Winter is in full swing. The busiest weekend on the NENSA calendar is coming right up! Whether you’re up for a guided tour, want to try Paintball Biathlon or some great low key racing opportunities nearby – there’s an option for you. These are wonderful events that you don’t want to miss! Click on the blue links below for more details.

MNC Skiathlon

The Mansfield Nordic Club is hosting their annual Skiathlon – where skiers switch from classic to freestyle skis mid-race. Included in the day’s event offerings and Back by Popular Demand: “What the Heck, I’ll Try It” 5km Freestyle (your choice of technique) as well as a slew of Bill Koch youth races. This race is part of the NENSA Zak Cup and Club Cup Series.

Moonlight Ski & Snowshoe

Carter’s XC Ski center is hosting a Moonlit guided tour. Learn about the history of the area, observe native plants and animal tracks, and discover more information about nordic skiing, outdoor recreation and more. After the guided tour there will a bonfire and snacks at various rates provided by a local chef. This is part of NENSA’s 2023-24 Community Tours & Events. If you are coming to Bethel for the Flying Moose, this a great way to loosen up after a long drive and share some great entertainment the evening before.

Flying Moose

Daryn Slover photo

This year marks the 33rd annual edition of the Flying Moose Classic.  This fun and exciting event starts at the Bethel Inn Resort and takes you through the rolling hills and forest lands of the Bethel Inn and Inland Woods + Trail’s in Bethel, Maine, providing you with a wonderful scenic adventure. Skiers can select from either the 12.5KM or 25KM course, also a 3km Sit-Ski & Middle School race and 1KM kids race that will take them over fun little obstacles and zig-zag pathways.  Awards and cookies to follow at ~12:30 p.m. with a special after party event at Carter’s XC Ski Center (12:00-5:00 p.m.). This race is part of the Part of the NENSA Marathon Series and scored to NENSA Zak Cup and Club Cup.

Dublin Winterfest: Ski Your Heart Out 

Dublin School’s winter carnival, called Winterfest, celebrates the middle of winter with a weekend of outdoor games and competitions.  This year, we are adding a NENSA Popular ski race to the calendar for the first time.  All ages and abilities welcome.  Race and play in the woods on our rolling Morton Trails-designed ski trails.  To celebrate Winterfest and Valentine’s Day, we will host a 10km freestyle open race and 2.5km BKL race.  Get ready to race your heart out! This race is part of the NENSA Zak Cup and Club Cup Series.

Gunstock Paintball Biathlon

The Gunstock Nordic Association is hosting their annual Valentine’s Paintball Biathlon race this weekend. This event is a big hit with skiers young and young at heart. If you’ve ever want to try biathlon, it’s a great way to get started. This event is part of NENSA’s Community Tours and Event Series. Check out the video from 2022 to get a sense for how it works.

Tour de Greensboro

The Tour de Greensboro is a non-competitive classic style ski tour event located in the beautiful town of Greensboro Vermont. The course is a 25 km single loop starting and ending at the Highland Lodge with a 15 km cutoff for those who prefer not to ski the entire distance. Participants will experience some of the best classic skiing in New England with spectacular views along the course incorporating the Greensboro Trail System and private trails that are graciously opened to the public only during this event. Registration has reopened with about 10 spots available – secure your today, they will go fast!

Para Nordic Intro Clinic held at Weston over the Weekend

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Para Nordic Clinic Participants and Volunteers – Deb Laufer photo

Para Nordic skiers were out in force at the Weston Ski Track last Saturday when U.S. Paralympics Nordic Ski Team coach BethAnn Chamberlain organized a skills development clinic in cooperation with Adaptive Sports New England and the Weston Ski Track.

Para Nordic Clinic Sit-Ski group – Deb Laufer photo

On limited terrain but good conditions, skiers with a visual impairment were joined by standing skiers with a physical impairment and sit-skiers ranging in experience from first timers to seasoned veterans.  Coaches included Paralympic gold medalist Dan Cnossen, Paralympic bronze medalist Joe Walsh, U.S. Para Nordic national team member Heather Galeotelanza, Olympic biathlete Kristina Sabastianski, and a strong cadre of volunteers.  

Designed to be both fun and educational, the clinic was a huge success.  Skiers returned home with increased skill, confidence and contacts.  Chamberlain for her part, was excited about the outcomes and is looking forward to a second trip to New England in March to follow up with clinic participants and to meet more athletes interested in Para Nordic racing.  Athletes who have a physical disability or a visual impairment are encouraged to contact BethAnn or Joe Walsh at Adaptive Sports New England for more information.  Check out the NENSA Para Nordic Skiing page for more regional Para events this winter.

On Deck: Caribou Bog Classic Ski Race, Silver Fox Trot, Concord Learn to Ski/Ski the Beav 5K, & Henchey Eastern Cup/Harvard Carnival

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We have a four great events for the weekend ahead! For those just starting in the sport, there is a Learn to Ski Clinic in Concord, NH. For those looking for some low-key racing action, the Caribou Bog Classic Ski Race and the Silver Fox Trot are great options for all ages. Additionally the Caribou Bog Classic Ski Race is part of the NENSA Marathon Series and includes Para Nordic opportunities. We also have the third Eastern Cup weekend, which is combined with the Harvard Carnival hosted at Crafsbury. Click on the blue links below for more details.

Caribou Bog Classic Ski Race

The Caribou Bog Classic Ski Race will take place on February 3, 2024. This race is part of the Part of the NENSA Marathon Series and scored to NENSA Zak Cup and Club Cup. The race is hosted by the Penobscot Valley Ski Club Utilizing the new Caribou Bog Outdoor Center as the race venue that has handicap access, restroom facilities and wax room facilities. The Great Caribou Classic Ski Race has been taking place since the mid 1980s. The race utilizes a 10km loop trough the actual bog and an additional 11.5km loop through more hilly terrain. In addition to the 33km distance, there will also be 21km, and 10km distances available.  The availability of the new Outdoor Center and trail improvements allows the addition of Para Nordic classes to the race for 2024. A 4km distance option is available for Para Nordic classes. 

Silver Fox Trot

The Silver Fox Trot is hosted by the Ford Sayre Nordic team.  This year the event returns to Oak Hill in Hanover!  This is a long running event with strong BKL participation and a large masters field. It is a freestyle race, except for the 1st/2nd graders, who will ski a classic race.  This event is part of the NENSA Zak Cup and Club Cup Series. Folks this will be a historic event. For the first time, machine made snow will supplement the cross country trails on Oak Hill – don’t miss it!

Concord Learn to Ski/Ski the Beav 5K

Local skiers looking to support local trails? Never been on cross-country skis before but curious to try?  Whichever describes you the folks in Concord, NH would love to see you at Beaver Meadow Golf Course this weekend. The event pairs a a free Learn-to-Ski clinic for those new to the sport with low-key freestyle community racing!  This event is part of NENSA’s Community Tours and Event Series. For those more interested in the Learn to Ski Clinic, equipment loans are included and the Clinics are geared towards people 6 years of age and older of all backgrounds and identities who have never been on cross-country skis before. The hosts aim to create a welcoming, inclusive, and safe environment for people to try a new sport and discover the joy of gliding on snow.

Henchey Eastern Cup and Harvard Carnival

Eastern Cup skiing resumes at the Craftsbury Outdoor Center this weekend! EISA College skiers and junior racers from all over the Northeast will gather to compete in this combined event. The weekend is an all freestyle affair, with interval start races on Saturday and pursuit action on Sunday. REGISTRATION PRICES INCREASE TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT AND CLOSES THURSDAY AT 8PM. Be sure to check out the event schedule for more details.

SuperTour/EC Racing in Lake Placid Highlights the strength of North American XC Skiing

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Day 1:

Saturday morning greeted skiers with still air and a crisp -18C temperature, which rose slightly through the day. It really felt several degrees warmer and the day proceeded smoothly. 389 racers toed the line for Sprint Qualifying in the morning. The afternoon was quite busy with over four hours of Open, U18/U20 & U16 heats. The final climb “Grindhouse Hill” proved to be the decisive moment in many of the heats. However, we saw some of the tightest sprint finishes in an Eastern Cup in recent memory with many groups of four to six athletes battling in the final 150m.

Classic Sprint
Open Women:
1. Renae Anderson – APU
2. Michaela Keller Miller – GRP
3. Margie Freed – GRP

Open Men:
1. Luke Jager – APU
2. Michael Earnhart – APU
3. Julian Smith – Georgian Bay Nordic

Full Results
Rankings
Sam Geissinger Photos
Phil Belena Photos

Day 2:

Sunday proved to be another chilly but wonderful day, with blue sky and lots of sun. Skiers contested the 3.3km loop for the 10km and 2.5km loop for the 5km Mass Start races. To say these are hard is an understatement – these really are grueling World Cup courses with fast downhills. Skiers should be proud that they performed well on them! One of the themes of the day was the strength and depth of the Canadian skiers. Many of them crossed the border to join the weekend’s racing. They proved to be very good classic skiers, providing a good challenge for our New England and New York athletes – which brings to mind our hashtag #SkiingBetterTogether.

Classic 10km Mass Start
Open Women:
1. Alayna Sonnesyn – SMST2
2. Alex Lawson – GRP
3. Margie Freed – GRP

Open Men:
1. Luke Jager – APU
2. Michael Earnhart – APU
3. Hunter Wonders – APU

Classic 5km Mass Start
U16 Girls:
1. Evelyn Davies – Nakkertok Nordic
2. Summer Bentley – Dublin XC
3. Brooke Greenberg – Mansfield Nordic Club

U16 Boys:
1. Owen Siderius – Nakkertok Nordic
2. Evan Rebane – Nakkertok Nordic
3. Lluc Bou – Nakkertok Nordic

NENSA IG (Including full podiums.)
NENSA YouTube

Para Nordic Intro Clinic at the Weston Ski Track & NENSA Launches New Para Skiing Resources Page

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There have been a lot of changes in the Para skiing world with the FIS becoming the new governing body for the various Para ski sports over the last few months. The general theme is to integrate Para and non-Para athletes as much as possible. At NENSA, we have been paying attention to this development and have been encouraging local event organizers to offer Para clinics and races in conjunction with other events they already doing. The more conversations we have had, the more it has become obvious that we need a central resources page for our region. Today we are unveiling this page (click here for the link), which includes information on organizations, events, tools, and some great skiers to follow on social media.

A big thank you to the staff of U.S. Paralympics Nordic Skiing for been very helpful compiling resources and creating opportunities. We want to encourage anyone with a Para athlete in their life to reach out to our regional and/or national partners for opportunities to become involved or to better support this amazing group of skiers!

Otis Loga at the 2022 Eastern High School Championships

Para Nordic Intro Clinic at the Weston Ski Track

The Weston Ski Track and New England Adaptive Sports are coming together to host a Para Nordic clinic for sit, standing and visually impaired athletes.  US Para Nordic coaches and athletes will be on site as well to help introduce new skiers to the sport of Para Nordic Skiing.  It is a one day clinic on January 27th.  The goal of the clinic is to provide an opportunity to new people in the Northeast to come and try Para Nordic skiing. Click here for more details.

Thank you to our valued NENSA Partners