Fred Bailey

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.

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

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!

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 27^th.  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.

We have an adventurous weekend ahead! Skiers from all over the Northeast are flocking to Craftsbury for the Marathon Festival. Women’s XC Ski Day – one of the season long highlights of NENSA’s non-competitive programming is on this weekend. An a real crowd pleaser – the Stratton Terrain Challenge will be thronged by BKL families and adult skiers wanting to experience some old school ski racing with a freestyle twist! Click on the blue links below for more details.

Stratton Terrain Challenge

Stratton Terrain Challenge returns for the third year at the Stratton Nordic Center as part of NENSA’s Popular Race calendar. With support from the Stratton Mountain School Nordic ski team, West River BKL and the Putney Ski Club, you can look forward to a fun and challenging “terrain challenge” freestyle race. There’ll be tight corners, swerving downhills, dips and loops, and plenty of ups and downs on a course that will keep your heart pumping. This grassroots event has a great festive atmosphere. It certainly one you want to make sure to experience! This event is part of the NENSA Zak Cup and Club Cup Series.

Craftsbury Marathon Festival

The Craftsbury Marathon Ski Festival includes two days of racing. Day one is classic technique, with day two in freestyle and the reverse direction of the classic course. There will be a 13.5km loop this year, with feeds at 2km/15km and 7km. Two or three laps on Saturday, two laps on Sunday. This weekend is part of the NENSA Zak Cup and Club Cup Series and includes the second & third events in the NENSA Marathon Series. Be sure to gather family and friends to join you for this incredible weekend of long distance skiing and racing. REGISTRATION CLOSES THURSDAY AT 7:00PM

Women’s XC Ski Day

Women’s XC Ski Day is coming up this weekend at Inland Woods + Trails in Bethel, Maine. This very popular event is a huge gathering of women who enthusiastic Nordic sport in New England. The highlight of the day is learn-to-ski clinics with women instructors; the emphasis being on relaxed, fun learning in a supportive and encouraging environment. All ability, skill, and experience levels are welcome. In addition to this event being open to all women, we also encourage and support the participation of nonbinary people who are comfortable in a space that centers the experience of women. This event is part of NENSA’s Community Tours and Event Series. Please note that this year’s event registration had already reached capacity. Be sure to sign up early next year to guarantee your spot!

Blue sky, fresh powder snow, and easy kick waxing temps made a perfect recipe for a great experience at this year’s Geschmossel. The Geschmossel made its first appearance since the pandemic began, much to the delight of many Master’s skiers. This event has been held nearly every year since the 1972-73 season, making it the oldest regularly held ski race in the country and earning a reputation as a favorite among the New England master’s ski community.

Mother Nature has not been cooperative this year, with The Bretton Woods Nordic Center only opening last Thursday. The Bretton Woods staff did a great job putting a fun course together for this year’s event. They brought good energy to the event with a fun raffle, gold, silver, and bronze cookies for awards and some great post race socializing. It was great to see so many of them out on the course in various roles making the event a success!

The Skiers seem to thoroughly enjoy themselves at the event. There were lots of smiles and groups gathered at the finish sharing their experiences on the day. Jessica Bolduc said “the crusty snow under the new powder made for fun conditions, the snow was fast enough for comfortable double poling.” Others comment on how nice the weather was – unusually calm winds for Bretton Woods, allowing skiers to soak up the sun and stunning mountain views. Participants had a nice time chatting in the lodge while waiting for final results and awards.

For those that missed out on this year’s Geschmossel, stay tuned for the Mt. Washington Cup at Bretton Woods in March. Up next on the NENSA Zak Series is the White Mountain Classic at JacksonXC on Sunday.

Results
Rankings