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Link to 2021 Lost Nation Roll video recap

Our second event of the 2022 summer season is fast approaching and we’re excited to be partnering with the Craftsbury Outdoor Center to host a rollerski race and Learn-t0-Rollerski Clinic! The Lost Nation Roll is the first in our NENSA Rollerski Race Series and will be a freestyle, paired interval start race of either 5.6km (U16s), 11.2km (open skiers), or 7.5k (open intermediate skiers–no Dennis’s downhill). Registration is capped at 150 racers total.  Top 10 ranked open skiers of each gender will race on NENSA’s fleet of Swenor Skate Long skis. Clinic details below.

[maxbutton id=”4″ url=”https://www.skireg.com/the-lost-nation-roll-22″ text=”REGISTER” ]

Course Information

The race will be contested on the Outdoor Center’s paved rollerski loop. The loop has a figure 8 layout, meaning that the middle portion including Dino Hill will be skied twice per “lap.”

The open race course includes the challenging Dennis’s Nemesis downhill once per lap. If you are not comfortable on rollerskis, this may not be the right category for you and we encourage you to check out the Intermediate Race option. This downhill is high speed and includes an S-turn (or chicane) at the bottom. Please arrive early enough to preview the course.

The intermediate course removes the Dennis’s Nemesis downhill and shortens the course to ~ 2.5km.

A course map is available for preview here.

Learn-to-Rollerski Clinic

Have you ever wanted to try rollerskiing?! Join NENSA’s Justin Beckwith and Kait Miller for an hourlong Learn-to-Rollerski clinic following the Lost Nation Roll race from 1:00-2:00pm. This instructional clinic is geared towards folks who have on-snow ski experience, but little to no rollerski experience and want to give classic roller skiing a try. All clinic participants will use NENSA’s brand Swenor rollerskis, but remember to bring your own boots, poles, and helmet!! We can accommodate SNS and Prolink/NNN bindings. Register HERE. Check out this informational video on rollerski equipment from the Craftsbury Outdoor Center.

Schedule

8:30AM – Bib pick up and day-of-race registration opens (if numbers allow); course opens for warmup

9:25AM – Course closes to all racers.

9:30AM – U16 races start. 1 skier every 30 seconds, mixed gender. Two 3.3km figure 8 laps for a total of 5.6km.

10:00AM – Open races start. 1 skier every 30 seconds, mixed gender.

11:15AM – Intermediate race (7.5km, no outer loop)

12:00PM – Podium ceremony

1:00PM – NENSA Learn to Roll Clinic

Questions? Reach out to Race Director Ollie Burruss at ollie.burruss@craftsbury.com.

#25KinMay was designed to bring skiers together when they couldn’t be.  After three years it has morphed into an inspiration to get out and start the training year, and enjoy the activity of rollerskiing.  Since the spring of 2020 over 400 skiers have officially logged over 22,000km of activity — but participation runs deeper and perhaps the most fun is seeing people having fun sharing their early adventures.  During this time NENSA has created more robust year round programming — seeing rollerskiers on the road in New England is becoming more common and we are proud of helping build that culture.

2022 saw participants from nine states and perhaps the “most epic” entry was from Emily Follet of Maine who skied up to the legendary Holmenkollbakken (Holmenkol Ski Jump) in Norway.  Many skiers linked up with old friends or new and we had some big group skis.

Officially in the “Keeping up with Beckwith” category we had five skiers that covered over 250 kilometers.  Huge props to: Erin Mahon-Moore, Scott Edwards, Fred Call, Bob Witkowski and Jay Hole.  We hope we see you at one of the three hill climbs during this summers rollerski races to put all that base fitness to work!

Today we announced our prize winners on social media.

Prize Time!
(Brought to you by @sharepastimes @drinkbivo @alpinepromos @swix_sport @enjoywinter)

Fresh NENSA Trucker Hats:
Speedy Repeater – Tait Harvey, NonStop Nordic
Rockstar – Emily Follet, Greely High School
KUWB – Fred Call, Bethel Outing Club
BKL/My Own Pace – Scott Betournay, St. Paul’s School

BivoDuo Waterbottle – courtesy of Pastimes:
– Ava Rothe, Blackwater/Hopkinton
– Scott Edwards, @charitymiles
– Katie Hill, Mansfield Nordic Club
– Anna Balcerak, Buffalo, NY (Polish Ski Club – TNB Wesola)

Bliz Breeze:
– Viera Proulx, Freedom Trails Nordic

Swix Drink Belt:
– Jeff Dusek, Freedom Trails Nordic
– Mack Greenberg, GMVS

NENSA will contact participants with prize delivery and thank you note.

Our rollerski programs continue to grow and we love offering more ways to better support and engage skiers of all skill and experience levels.  Stay tuned for our upcoming Rollerski Race Series release coming mid-June and be sure to check out our Learn to Rollerski page which we will be updating with opportunities as we finalize the summer schedule.

You can also look forward to the Roy-llerski, a memorial rollerski event for Roy Varney of Maine in July.

The Women Ski Coaches Association (WSCA) celebrates all women who coach, including volunteers who work so hard to keep programs running. To honor all this hard work, the WSCA is extending free membership to all volunteer women ski coaches. If this is you, reach out HERE. If this is not you but you’d like to support the work of the WCSA with a membership, you can sign up HERE.

A little bit about the mission of the WSCA (from their website):

The Women Ski Coaches Association (WSCA) works to develop, retain, and advance women in ski coaching leadership.

DEVELOP EXEMPLARY WOMEN SKI COACHES QUALIFIED FOR LEADERSHIP POSITIONS BY

1. Recruiting female athletes that exhibit coaching potential

2. Sharing knowledge, experience, and expertise within WSCA network

3. Funding professional development opportunities to ensure all coaches have access in lieu of employment status

RETAIN WOMEN SKI COACHES BY

1. Collaborating with existing organizations to share research and stories that demonstrate why women coaches matter and facilitate a conversation around this challenging topic

2. Supporting strong female leadership at all levels of sport (local, regional, national, international governance)

3. Promoting professional standards in ski culture and attempting to change workplace norms that prevent equal opportunity

ADVANCE WOMEN SKI COACHES BY

1. Connecting women coaches and encouraging mentorship through the WSCA network

2. Educating employers on the bias women face in the hiring process by teaching people to hire women based on potential

3. Discussing career goals and providing experience based career counseling within the WSCA network

4. Stewarding career pathways for qualified women candidates in skiing leadership at all levels (local, regional, national, international) and advocating for women to fulfill crucial decision making positions when hired

Read more about the WCSA and their meaningful work HERE.

NENSA is truly honored that the Bill Koch Youth Ski League earned 4th place in the 2022 FIS SnowKidz Award announced at the FIS Congress on May 25th. This international award is presented every second year and “aims to recognize and promote the best examples of bringing children to the snow, in varying national circumstances.” This honor is truly a testament to the vision and dedication of Bill Koch himself, the tireless work of our member clubs and past NENSA staff members, and the support of our partners in Eastern ski community who have made the program what it is today.

Congratulations to the top-3 award winners: Shred Kids (Germany) in 3rd, Lumilajit Liikuttavat (Finland) in 2nd, and Alla på snö (Sweden) in 1st. Check out the FIS SnowKidz website to learn about the many wonderful organizations around the globe who are getting youth.

NENSA and The Maine Outdoor Wellness Center are thrilled to host the 4th annual Roy-llerski and fundraiser this year during the month of July 2022. The event, originally created by Jenny Wilbraham, was created in memory of Roy Varney to bring together the nordic community for support and to enjoy the sport they all shared.

This year, the event will have both virtual and in-person options, we encourage anyone that can participate with a group and make the most of it! Using the date of Roy’s passing (7/1/19), the challenge is to ski, run, or ride 71.19km OR for 71:19 (1h:11m:19s), spread over a couple of days,  weeks, or the entire month if need be. If you are in the Turner (ME) area, you can reach out to Dustin Williamson (dustin.williamson@msad52.org), Tash Varney (nvarney207@gmail.com), and Jenny Wilbraham (jenwilb.ski@gmail.com) about in-person offerings. Folks can also reach out via the Maine Outdoor Wellness Center instagram HERE. 

There is a $10 entry fee that will be donated to Maine Outdoor Wellness Center.

Have fun, stay safe, and take the spirit of the journey with you! Sharing photos or GPS tracks over social media is highly encouraged (tag the Maine Outdoor Wellness Center and NENSA and use #forRoy).

Registrant Categories:

Rockstar: For those aiming to ski 71.19 in one shot – for time or challenge.
Speedy Repeater: Combine multiple skis to reach 71.19km.
Bill Koch/Recreational/Time Trial: Ski 7.119km non-stop or use the event as a time trial.
Art for Roy: Design the coolest fitness tracker art file to honor Roy! #forRoy
1:11:19: Ski as far as you can in 71 minutes and 19 seconds.

Register HERE and submit your activity HERE!!!

Prizes:

The first 10 registrants, 8 raffled registrants, and 2 randomly selected social promoters will win an event bag with swag from The MOWC and LL Bean.