NENSA News

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.

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JacksonXC was the host of the 3rd event in the Community Tours and Event Series. It was a bright, beautiful day for a round-trip tour to Jackson’s Cocoa Cabin. Our participants ranged in experience and age, from a first-time cross country skier all the way to an EISA skiing alum, now mother to some young XC skiing enthusiasts. The group met at the touring center and then started out towards the Cocoa cabin. We glided through the woods, chatting and exchanging our favorite riddles.

We were greeted at the Cocoa cabin with rice krispie treats, hot chocolate, and marshmallows for roasting over the fire. Due to some dietary restrictions, a few participants carried in their own snacks. The future of snacks is bright, these kids were prepared!

After our winter picnic, we were off on our way back to the touring center for more snacks! Ellen C. was awaiting our arrival with pretzels and mustard to roast over the fire at the center.

See “Nordic Tracks: What can a Nordic ski club do for the community?” by Sally McMurdo, Conway Daily Sun, for more coverage of this fun event.

The next event in our Community Tours & Events Series is the Tour De Stowe, on January 20th at Trapp Family Lodge.

We have an action packed weekend ahead! Senior and Masters will be gathering for the annual White Mountain Classic/1 Day Club & State Championships at JacksonXC. Juniors, Canadians, and Pro Skiers will be at Mount Van Hoevenberg for the Lake Placid SuperTour/Eastern Cup. If you’re interested in something non-competitive, the Tour de Stowe might be a great option for an outing with family and/or friends! Click on the blue links below for more details.

White Mountain Classic

The word on the street is the skiing is getting really nice at JacksonXC – just in time for the White Mountain Classic! A long time favorite of Master skiers, this event doubles as the NENSA 1 Day Club and State Championships – this is the first year both categories are being contested. All age groups, Senior through M12+ can contribute to State and Club scores. The key to success is wide diversity, so gather as many club teammates and in-state ski friends to boost your scores this year. This event is part of the NENSA Zak Cup and Club Cup Series and the first event in the NENSA Marathon Series. In addition to great scenery and trails, this event offers a great post race meal and extended opportunities for camaraderie.

Tour de Stowe

Join us for a fabulous tour on some of Stowe’s best Nordic trails.  The Tour de Stowe is a non-competitive classic technique ski tour taking place on the gorgeous trails of the Trapp Family Lodge and Stowe Mtn Resort cross-country centers.  This is a reimagining of the Stowe Mini-Marathon that some may remember from 20 years ago and this event is intended to be a fun challenge for all ages. Be sure to check out the vendor Expo, the food stop, and the acres ski festivities at the Trapps Bierhall. This event is part of NENSA’s Community Tours and Event Series.

Lake Placid SuperTour/Eastern Cup

Eastern Cup skiing resumes at Mount Van Hoevenberg this weekend! Skiers from all over the Northeast and Eastern Canada will gather to test themselves on the new World Cup trails. The weekend is an all classic skiing affair, with lots of Sprint heats for juniors on Saturday in addition to the Open rounds, as well as Mass Start action on Sunday. REGISTRATION CLOSES WEDNESDAY EVENING. Be sure to check out the event schedule for more details.

The good news is the Geschmossel is happening. Due to low snow conditions and washouts from the previous rain storms we are on limited terrain – the course is about 10-11km long. The format is still classic, but it is now INTERVAL START. Conditions are improving, though rock skis are recommended. Thanks for your patience as we figure out the best way to host this event. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the event tomorrow!

Online registration is open until 5pm today. There will be day of race registration from 7:30-9:30am tomorrow.

Live Timing Link
Results Link

This year’s Gunstock Freestyle was a great collaboration between the Gunstock Nordic Association and the Holderness School. Lacking enough natural or machine-made snow at Gunstock, the event was moved to the Holderness School who provided a groomed 1.4km machine-made loop. Skiers at the event were rewarded with several inches of new fluffy snow – which is a good recipe for lots of smiles. It also made for slow driving and soft skiing conditions. Several of the racers noted that the snow made it tough, but it was a really fun race.

The participants had to do either five loops for the 7km race or 3 laps for the 4km race. Many of them remarked that it was a really fun course, with lots of rolling terrain and fun woods sections! Parents and spectators could see about half of the course from the stadium area. The skiers came from all over New Hampshire and a few beyond that, with the largest contingents coming from Gunstock, Ford Sayre, Holderness and Plymouth programs. Many of them were so excited to be on snow and quite of few spent extra time skiing before heading home. A big thanks to the Gunstock Nordic Association and the Holderness School for pulling off a great event!

Results
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Staff Photos