Isabel Caldwell

Under sunny skies (and protected from the wind by the pines of Oak Hill Outdoor Center), Ford Sayre Ski Club’s annual community race gathered nordic enthusiasts from across the region. More than 50 adults and teens participated in the Open/Popular race on fresh snow, with podium places going to a former Olympian and a banana. Around 150 kids raced in the youth events: the little ones were led by the traditional inflatable T-Rex, and the older kids’ races featured some epic battles up the last headwall into the stadium.  Lots of smiles and a general celebration of old and young having a blast going fast!

Recap by Anne Davis and all photos courtesy of brittonmannphotography.com

RESULTS

Temperatures hovered around -15F while I was driving to the Trapp Family Lodge on Sunday morning. That did not deter skiers and as the sun rose, temperatures quickly climbed and conditions proved to be exceptional for the second annual Tour de Stowe, hosted by Stowe Nordic.

The event celebrated all skiers, from grandkids to grandparents and from introductory to lifelong skiers. At 10 AM over one hundred people set out on a beautiful tour of the trails that led them by a food stop at the cabin and brought them on many of Stowe’s most picturesque trails. People could choose their own adventure by skiing the 14km or 22km loop.

At 11 AM, kids set off on their 5km memory course. With six different objects hidden throughout the forest and a food stop with blueberry soup, the skiers had fun challenging themselves both physically and mentally. Upon reaching the finish line, kids did an excellent job of recounting the objects they found in the woods.

Ending the day with a community get together in the von Trapp Bierhall allowed to people to celebrate spending a gorgeous winter day enjoying the outdoors!

Skiers were greeted to a beautiful winter day and a fun, challenging course on Sunday for the Stratton Terrain Challenge. Enjoy photos and event recap from SMS coach George Forbes!

Laughter and shouts of enjoyment permeated the woods of the Stratton nordic trail system this past Sunday as 90 racers spanning from the lollipop category all the way up to the bravest of adults took on the fourth annual Stratton Terrain Challenge. The obstacles they faced ranged from jumps and slaloms to off trail maneuvering and the always foreboding (but very fun!) hay bail wall. The event, focused on fun, brought skiers from all over the NENSA community together, and even reached a few skiers from Australia. That’s right, we’re going international baby!

A special thanks from the SMS Nordic team to all the parent volunteers who helped the event run so smoothly, to Stratton Resort for opening up their trail system for our use, to NENSA for helping us get the word out, and to everyone who came to cheer and participate in what was the most successful terrain challenge yet.

We look forward to sharing more laughs, smiles, and post race lollipops with all of you next year! Until then, happy skiing!

CLICK HERE for all of George’s photos.

Skiers were greeted with a bluebird sky and gorgeous views of the Presidential Range today at the 48th annual Geschmossel. It felt like winter wonderland with the fresh snow and cold temperatures. It’s hard to beat the views from Bretton Woods on a nice day and today did not disappoint!

A few inches of snow on Sunday night made for perfect classic skiing and easy waxing. Nearly 50 skiers completed the 12 km race before heading inside for hot chocolate and cookies. Thanks to all of the volunteers at Bretton Woods and Bob Underwood of Underdog Timing for organizing and pulling off a great race!

Click here for photos

As the Eastern Cup season reaches its peak, we want to welcome everyone in on the unique tradition and atmosphere of racing in New England! Saturday at the Frost Mountain Eastern Cup will be our first ever Eastern Cup “Try-It!” day featuring a new race offering:

Introductory non-scored U16/U18/U20 Race 
Saturday, February 15

Designed to help high school racers extend their season, get ready for NENSA Eastern High School and U16 Championships, and join in on the Eastern Cup! No USSS or FIS license required. Skiers will start alongside the USSS-sanctioned field, but results will be within a “Introductory” class awarded 3 deep in all gender classifications at the Eastern Cup podium ceremony.

Caldwell Sport: Introductory Ski Service

In conjunction with the Introductory opportunity, NENSA is excited to partner with Caldwell Sport to offer an introductory ski service for incoming athletes and coaches. 

• Registration deadline on Sunday, February 9th in order for Caldwell Sport to facilitate a support team. 
• Cost is $10/Coach or $10/independent athlete (Coach-affiliated athletes are covered by $10 Coach registration, i.e. $10/Club).

Coaches – Designed for coaches seeking a development opportunity to support their skiers on race day. Coaches will work in conjunction with Zach and Amy Caldwell, and NENSA Community Development Director Isabel Caldwell, as part of a neutral service team to prepare their athlete’s skis on Saturday, February 15th for the 10 k/5 k U16 Classic race. 

Interested coaches should register by the Feb. 9th deadline above in order for Caldwell Sport to facilitate the ski service team and gather data on athlete skis.

Coaches will work with Caldwell Sport technicians as a team through all aspects of race-day ski service, including:

• Ski selection and race-day ski fleet management.
• Glide, kick, and structure testing processes and practices.
• Glide and kick selection and application.
• Managing race-day timelines.

Athletes – Independent athletes can register for this service in order to receive full ski service for Saturday’s race. Please note the earlier February 9th service registration deadline in order for Caldwell Sport to facilitate ski preparation instructions.

For race and registration details please go HERE.